Page 18 of Rinkmates

A mischievous glint sparkles in Priya’s eyes as she makes a playful suggestion. “I have an idea. You could tell me all about how Riley is living. And I mean all of it. That’s totally enough for me.”

My phone buzzes and it’s Nina. I sigh.

It’s a photo of Riley’s bathroom.

Nina: You could be bathing in here.

I sigh again and put the phone away.

Priyaand I have been sleeping on a tiny mattress for two days, and my guilty conscience is eating away at me.

I wanted to split her rent, but she wouldn’t take any money from me, so I bought food and cooked for the both of us after we practiced at a tiny rink around the corner. Mom sent me her killer recipes, so I tried to cook them for Priya. Naturally, Mom’s version was way better but Priya loved it anyway. Her roommates are understandably unhappy—okay, that’s understated, they absolutely hate it that we are now a group ofseven people sharing the little space. I feel terrible about the situation.

When we first went to the rink, I gasped out loud at the cost. Twenty dollars per day, and only if I go at off-peak times. I tried to search for other ice rinks, but the ones that cost less are not in the city and the subway cost would add up, so it equals the same. Damn it. If I’m unlucky and the producers don’t cast me forGrace on Ice,I can’t even afford to fly back to Orlando because I’m that broke.

But I can’t put my head in the sand just now, so I paid the rink fee and tried to come up with a decent routine for the next casting round while listening to my playlist. I tried to do a double axel and fell numerous times. I just need to train more, but once my time was up, I always had someone telling me to leave ASAP, and I started to think about Nina. That stupid arrangement would come with a nice apartment AND a rink.

As I browse the grocery store, getting some spaghetti for Priya and me, Nina sends me another picture. How does she always seem to know when I’m thinking about her?

Sighing deeply, I look at Riley, teaching hockey to a group of kids. He looks genuinely happy, with a kid hanging off his shoulders and a big grin on his face. Seeing this, I feel a knot in my stomach. He just loves being in the spotlight—this is nothing more than a PR stunt. Sure, it might look like giving back to the community, but it’s all part of Nina’s job.

Nina: He teaches pro bono once a month, and let’s not forget all his donations to children’s hospitals and hockey programs!

Yeah, she’s trying hard to influence me, but I’m not buying it.

Liora: Nice try, but it’s not working.

I text back and slip my phone into my jeans pocket.

When I get back to Priya’s apartment, she tells me we’ve got an email. They’ve postponed our second casting round because the third group had so many strong contestants. Apparently, they need another round to narrow them down first. Great. That means I have to wait another five days, which means more daily expenses with no payday in sight. This is going to be rough.

“Come on, it will be all right, let’s eat and go back to searching for some apartments,” Priya says and I nod. She’s right. It will be all right.

“Unbelievable.Two hundred dollars per night, a crappy room on Airbnb,” I say. “How much do you pay for this room?”

“Two thousand dollars,” she says, and I look at the mattress we’re sitting on. There’s not much space next to it. She’s got a tiny bookshelf stuffed with nothing but monster romance novels, and a nightstand that is her closet. That’s it. The room really is a shoe box.

“Wild,” I say.

“And I had to book itmonthsprior. My parents have a friend who knows a friend who owns it. Since it’s in such a good neighborhood, we just said yes.”

Shit. What if I can’t find an apartment? “I think I need to vomit.”

My phone buzzes next to me and another message from Nina pops up. It shows a picture of Riley playing hockey with kids again. A girl with red locks is hugging his foot while he smiles at her.

“What is it?” Priya asks. “Why are you frowning this hard?”

“Nina is a PR girl through and through. Look.” I give her the phone and Priya swoons in less than two seconds, she’s only missing the drool pooling out of her mouth.

“This man is so hot.”

Nina: Did you find a place to live yet?

“She can’t be serious. She knows I didn’t,” I say, stopping myself from pulling at my hair.

“Girl,” Priya says. “I think you should consider it.”

I wince, burying my face in my hands. “No.”

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