Page 56 of Oh, Flutz!

“Your ankle’s twisted around, you can’t do a fucking quad!” Katya pushes her hands on my chest to keep me down, voice high enough to shatter glass, and I tilt my head back, trying to suck in the tears. I deserve to be yelled at right now. I don’t know how I could be so careless. Sostupid.

I have a horrible urge to look back down, and as soon as I do, I instantly regret it. My ankle must’ve rolled to the side when I landed on it, and now my foot is hanging completely parallel to the ice, the weight of my boot dragging it down even more—and even though it’s covering my foot, I don’t need to see it to know that it’s swelling up like a balloon.

“Don’t look at it,” Katya urges, after releasing a string of what I assume are curses, clutching my hand back tighter even as I’m practically cutting off her circulation.

I squeeze my eyes shut. This isn’t happening. Not here, not now, not with reporters watching and us competing in just a few weeks, no,no, no—

“Bryan, if you pass out, you let the pain win.”

What?That makes me open my eyes to stare at her. “That’s so stupid,” I choke out.

“See, he’s fine, they’re still arguing,” I hear Lian say soothingly to Giselle, who’s hyperventilating in the corner.

“He doesn’tlookfine,” Katya interrupts hotly, and I try to laugh, but it comes out more like a whimper.

“I always look perfect, sunshine, what are you talking about,” I say, voice coming out all wonky. The longer I’m on the ground, the farther I can feel everything slipping out of reach.

Forget Helsinki. I think I may have just ruined our chances of even entering the season.

Chapter Fifteen

KATYA

I’ve been pacing inthe waiting room of the urgent care center for what feels like an eternity.

Bryan’s been in with the doctor for ages. I’m trying not to think.

I’m trying not to think about him on the ice, terrified, howling in pain. The way it took me a moment to unfreeze, because the unmistakable sound of crying and injury, him splayed out on the ice like that, catapulted me back in time to Irina’s accident, the one that ended her career.

I’m trying not to think about him asking if we could triple. That I told him no.

The look on his face. I drag my hand across my eyes, trying to shake it off. The absolute idiot was more worried about ruining our press than the fact that his ankle was completely inwards.

Pozhaluysta. Please let this be minor. Please let him be okay.

The door swings open, and my head snaps up. “What did they say?”

Lian walks towards me, heaving a sigh. “It’s a sprain.”

Relief washes over me, knocking out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “A sprain.”

“But he won’t be able to skate for several weeks. And that’s not counting however long it takes to get back to regular schedule.”

The relief sours, my stomach sinking.Stupid. I was so busy worrying about a silly little injury that I’d completely forgotten about the big picture. If he can’t skate, then it doesn’t even matter.

Still, I pause, biting my lip. “Can I see him?”

Lian nods, gesturing behind her to the room.

I knock once before entering. “Hi.”

He glances up at me from the cot, blue eyes so sad it makes my stomach twist. “Hi,” he mumbles, averting his gaze.

“Are you…” I don’t say anything else. Both of us know there isn’t any point.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“What else am I supposed to do?” I ask, but not too angrily. I spot the boot encasing his ankle, and I’m about to ask how it feels when Bryan looks away.

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