Page 5 of Fate on the Ice

“So, what happens now?” I ask.

He smirks and shrugs his shoulder before he lets out a sigh. “First off, place to live. Second, a job.”

“Shouldn’t that be reversed?” I ask, my lips curving up in a smile, knowing without a doubt that my father loves his space and won’t be able to handle me in it for more than a night or two.

“It would be if I didn’t have a one-bedroom,” he says with a grunt.

I can’t help but laugh. I knew that was exactly what he’d say. Reaching for my glass of water, I bring it to my lips, wishing it were something stronger. The images of what happened a few weeks ago flash in my mind.

I should forget it, pretend it never happened—but I can’t. It lives rent-free in the back of my mind, playing on a loop repeatedly. I see my professor at his desk, calling me into his office, my paper in his hand.

My paper has a big fat F on it. It's my paper that he’s already turned in to the chair of the department to be researched for plagiarism. He gives me a disgusted look. When I open my mouth to ask him what has happened, he holds his hand up.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. You plagiarized, and we are a zero-tolerance school. I also think you’re doing drugs, but that’s just a suspicion. You’re going to be expelled for the plagiarism part.”

His mind is made up. I can tell. I don’t bother trying to justify or stand up for myself. But I do ask one question. Because I know that I wrote the paper myself and didn’t plagiarize a word of it.

“Who did I plagiarize?” I ask.

He narrows his gaze on me, curling his lip before he says a name. “Hayze Estrada.”

The name is a punch in the gut. I cannot believe he’s said that. Hayze is my boyfriend. Or at least I thought he was. I take this class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while he takes it on Mondays and Wednesdays. He turned his paper in on Wednesday, and I turned mine in on Thursday.

That asshole.

I should have known that all his sweet words, all of his showing up at odd hours with food and drinks was nothing more than him wanting to steal my work. I should have known that he wasn’t interested in me. Men never are, and Hayze is cute and popular.

He’s definitely not for me.

He never was.

I feel stupid.

“Gracie,” my father calls out.

Blinking, I lift my gaze to meet his. I’m thankful he’s brought me out of my memories. Giving him a smile, I wait for him to finish saying whatever it is that he’s got on his mind. He clears his throat.

“That school doesn’t know what they’re missing by kicking you out. I know you didn’t cheat. It’s not in your blood.”

I almost laugh, but I don’t because my father does take his sportsmanship very seriously. I’m shocked that he believed me at all. Instead, I give him a smile. “I know,” I whisper. “Burns’s work hard, but we win. We always come out on top. Always.”

“That’s absolutely right,” my father agrees with a single nod.

Pressing my lips together, I think about those words for a moment. I worked my ass off. I never cheated, but I didn’t come out on top, at least not at that school. But that doesn’t mean I won’t.

I will.

I have to.

There is no other choice.

Chapter

Three

GRACE

Pulling my car up to the two-story house, I look at the address on the house and then at my GPS to ensure it’s the correct home. This house and the neighborhood are so nice. I can’t imagine that a group of girls are renting rooms here.

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