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PROLOGUE
HUNTER
Twelve years ago …
Wow. She’s so pretty.
Wait,pretty? It’s kinda … weird that word came to mind. I’ve never really thought of a girl as pretty before.
An odd feeling tingles in my chest, a strange kind of fuzziness mixed with a sort of tension. Something I’ve never felt before. Most feelings, I know the names of. Happiness, sadness, fear, anger—when I’m feeling those, I know what to call them.
I don’t know what to call this. It’s new. Different. Kind of … scary and exciting at the same time.
Just from watching this girl skate around on the ice?
“Wow.” It feels like I don’t even say the word. It’s more like it drops from my mouth like an acorn from a tree branch.
The way she’s turning corners while she’s skating … I can’t do that, and I’m the best skater by far in the junior hockey league my dad signed me up for a couple months ago.
This girl is good. Pretty and good.
My brow furrows. There’s that word again. Pretty. Why am I …
“Hey, you!”
The voice enters my ears, but I’m only able to blink dumbly in response. My jaw feels slack as it hangs open, and there’s a tension running through my muscles that freezes me up.
“Hey,you!”
I blink my eyes tightly twice and take in a deep breath, feeling my heart beating fast in my chest as I do so.
The girl on the ice has skated up to the barricade, and she’s shouting atmefrom across it.
“Are you gonna skate or are you just gonna keep staring at me?” she asks.
I can’t answer. My mouth doesn’t work, and my eyes are locked onto her. She’s even prettier up close. Her hair isreallypretty. Bright and ginger red, tied back in a ponytail.
“Well?” she asks with an annoyed huff of a laugh.
I look down to my left hand, where I’m holding my skates. Then I look over to where my dad is talking with another grown up. Maybe it’s her dad he’s talking to?
“Yeah,” I finally answer, turning my eyes back to her and nodding. “I’m gonna skate.”
“Well, try to get your skates on before either of us start middle school,” she says, sarcasm laced in her voice. “I wanna race.”
With that, she pushes herself away from the barricade and starts skating around the ice. She’s smoother on the ice than any of the guys I play hockey with. A lot smoother.
Does she play hockey?Dogirls play hockey?
I’m finally able to pull myself back into reality enough to find a bench and sit down to tug on and tie up my skates.
I really want to skate good when I get on the ice.
I mean, every time I skate, I want to skate good. When we have practice as a team, I want to do all the drills Coach shows us right. When we have a game, I want to be the best player. I want to steal the puck; I want to score the most goals.
But this time it’s different. Ireallywant to skate good when I get on the ice this time. I want to skate better than I’ve ever skated before.
I want the red headed girl who’s smoothly, gracefully gliding over the frozen surface of the rink to watch me skating and be … impressed.
