Page 27 of Oh, Flutz!

Before I can launch a long series of curses, Lian jumps in.

“If the both of you don’t shut your mouths and skate, I’m going to crack out the duct tape and do it for you. Triple Salchows. Now.”

And so it goes. As soon as four o’clock rolls around, both of us beeline for the exit, but Lian sticks out a hand to stop us from stepping off the ice. “Hold on.”

Bryan groans. “Lee, come on!”

“Go take fifteen. I promise I won’t keep you from your Bachelor marathon for long.”

My eyebrows fly up. “You watch The Bachelor?”

“So?” Bryan asks, a little defensively. “I watch it with my sister.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

Lian sighs. “I might actually want you both out of my sight more than you two do. Bryan, go. Katya, stay.”

“Someone’sin trouble,” Bryan sings, and I glare at him,but he just grins and disappears off into the hallway.

Great. What is she going to tell me now? That I can’t be so mean to him? It’s honestly surprising how much this coach babies him, considering she’s so hardcore. She clearly has a soft spot for him, and I’m thinking it’s going to get me into deeper trouble, but when she turns to me, lifting her perfect eyebrows, she just says, “You haven’t punched him yet. I’m surprised.”

Oh. The surprise melts away quickly, and I clear my throat. “Believe me, I’ve been close.”

That gets a laugh out of her. “So have I. Bryan can be aggravating.”

“That’s one word for it,” I mutter.

Lian gives me a look. “I wasn’t finished. He’s an excellent skater—”

“That’s not what I would have said.” I finally did my research. I was right about him. And, probably, far too generous earlier at lunch when I said his senior resume was less than impressive. I didn’t delve too deep—his recent track record is the only thing that matters, and he hasn’t won a single competition since his last appearance at the U.S. Junior Nationals five years ago. Not asinglegold medal in five. Whole. Seasons.

“Don’t be mean, Katya. That’s your partner.”

“Like you’d let me forget.”

“Look. I’m the first to admit he’s been having a bad couple of years. Believe me, I’m the one that’s been trying to fix it. But unlike you, kid, I’ve got two Olympic medals hanging on my wall. I’ve had dozens of skaters come to me trying to bribe me into coaching them this past year alone. Do you seriously think I’d have stuck with the kid this long if I didn’t think he had something?”

I…hadn’t thought of that.

“Did you talk to him about the agreement? Officially registering as a team?”

“I told him I haven’t decided yet.”

She eyes me, evaluating me, like an x-ray. “Hm.”

I think I may have finally met someone who can make me nervous. “I need to think.”

“About what?”

“Bryan,” I say without thinking. It’s the first thing that comes to mind.

Lian raises an eyebrow. “I thought I explained him.”

Explained him?Nothing about him can be explained. Nothing about this situation can be explained. I take a deep breath. “What’s he like? On the ice, I mean.”

“Bryan is…unusual.”

I frown at her word choice.What is that supposed to mean?My question must show on my face, because Lian sighs. “He is undeniably talented. He has good form and technique; he’s strong but fun; not aggressive or too flouncy to be interesting. When he’s got the emotion, he sells it like no one else can. His jumps are hit-or-miss, but his triple Axel is usually excellent. Which brings us to the problem. He has consistency issues, which of course shows most obviously in his jumps. These last few years, he’s had major trouble in competition. He freezes up; gets stage fright, if you will. He feels like he has no chance, so he gives up before the music’s even started.”

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