Page 12 of Sin Bin Bully

“Bye Natasha!” a few of us call out, waving to her.

She’s been an amazing choreographer, and I’ll truly never forget everything she’s taught me. I just hope that if I get to be here next season, she’s here as well. It’s been an honor to dance her routines.

“Are you nervous?” Alexi asks as we catch our breath.

I nod. “Actually yeah, a little. Is that weird?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all. I’m nervous too. I think I’ll cry if they don’t win tomorrow.”

“Oh, they’ll win,” Brandi says, joining our conversation. “With Sam on the team? They’re almost undefeated this season because of him.”

“Yeah,almostbeing the keyword there. What if they have another night like they did in Boston?”

Brandi rolls her eyes. “They won’t. I watched them at practice earlier, and trust me, they’re locked in.”

“Watching them at practice, huh? Does Miss Brandi have a little crush?” Alexi teases her.

Brandi grins but waves her off. “Absolutely not. I just like getting the inside scoop.”

“Mhmm, I bet,” Alexi adds as Brandi walks away.

Alexi laughs, but I, on the other hand, do not find it funny. For some reason, my mind instantly goes to Sam, and the way he watches our practices.

I watch Brandi walking away, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder. Is she seeing him? Is that why he watches?

“Hey, you okay?”

I let my eyes leave Brandi and turn to Alexi, who’s looking at me with a raised brow.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“You looked like you were gonna be sick there for a second.”

“Oh, I think I’m just tired. Today’s practice was a lot.”

“It really was. I can’t wait to crash tonight. But does that mean you’re not up for one more after practice dinner? I think we’re all supposed to go to that new Italian place down the street.”

My mouth opens, ready to say no. Italian means it’s most likely expensive.

“No, I can come,” I find myself saying. It’s the last practice of the season, and these girls have been an amazing support for months now. I can splurge just this once.

“Okay good, let’s go get cleaned up.”

I follow her out of the rink and out into the hall. In the locker room, we clean up and get changed. I finish before her and head down the hall to get a water from the vending machine.

“You looked good out there today,” a voice says.

I turn towards the voice and spot Matthew leaning against the wall next to the vending machine, sipping a Gatorade.

I give him a small smile. “Oh yeah? I was surprised to see you watching.”

I haven’t really spoken to any of the guys on the team that much. I don’t usually go to their parties, so the opportunities are pretty slim for me.

“Why’s that?”

I shrug. “I’ve just never seen you watching us before.”

“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t there.”

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