Page 62 of Oh, Flutz!

Katya turns to look at me, putting her stuff down by mine with considerably less noise. She side-eyes me, tugging her braid out of her jacket. “Can you quit complaining for five seconds, or would it actually kill you?”

“I think it would kill me,” I deadpan, and she rolls her eyes, opening her mouth to shoot off a retort when she gets cut off by the sound of a name I haven’t heard in years.

“Big B!”

I turn around to the source of two booming, heavily accented voices, and sure enough, it’s none other thanexactlywho I think it is.

“Fritz and Fritz!” I yell, and jog over to the two scrawny guys who are now whooping and hollering and making everyone else in the lobby turn to stare.

“Where the hell have you been,stronzo?” Fabrizio laughs, clapping me on the back with enough force to make my knees buckle, and Fritz rolls his big blue German boy eyes, shoving our friend in the side.

“Leave him alone, the man’s just had the misfortune of seeing you again.”

“Si, for the first time in two years, jerk,” Fabrizio fires back at me. “You know, you’re lucky I’m not giving you a wedgie right now. The audacity to leave us behind while you’re off partying in America?”

“Well, at least we were getting medals,” Fritz mumbles, and I shove him.

“Shutup,” I groan, and Fabrizio cackles in that high, stringy voice of his—he’s so painfully Italian that you can hear the spaghetti and European fuckboy alongside the choppy consonants. He glances past me, doing a visible double-take. “Che cazzo,” he blurts.

That’s when I realize that Katya’s been standing behind me this whole time. “Oh, yeah. Guys, this is Katya, my…partner.”

Fritz raises an eyebrow. “Trust me, she needs no introduction, especially not fromyou. Nice to finally meet you, Katya.”

Katya stifles a smile, taking his hand and shaking it. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Then I’ll take it as an insult,” I joke, although it’s true, and she elbows me.

“Stupido, you shake her hand?” Fabrizio hisses to Fritz, before looking back at her. “I am so sorry, Ekaterina, I am surrounded by imbeciles.” He takes the hand Fritz just shook, raising it to his lips and planting a kiss on it. “I am Fabrizio Gallo. It is my honor to meet such a distinguished skater of our time, not to mention one so beautiful.”

Katya busts out laughing, and I roll my eyes, prying her hand away from him. “Okay, okay, quit drooling, guys.”

Fritz throws his hands up. “I did nothing.”

Fabrizio widens his eyes. “Neither did I! I cannot be nice to a beautiful girl?Mio Dio, Young, get your head out of the gutter.”

Katya grins. “Yes, Young, get your head out of the gutter.”

I shake my head. “I think introducing you all might have been one of my worst ideas yet.”

“I thought that was when we drank three gallons of sake the night before Junior Worlds in Okinawa,” Fritz comments, and Fabrizio and I both groan in unison.

We’d been so hungover the next day that we’d all overslept and nearly missed our skate, and even then barely got through it without passing out. Luckily, I’d had enough adrenaline, not to mention the fear of Lian Chen, running through my veins in order to keep me in top place after the free.

Katya raises her eyebrows. “My god. You’re lucky to be alive. Didn’t Lian murder you?”

I grimace at the memory. “I’d get nervous to even drink water after that if she was standing there watching.”

“We should continue the tradition,” Fabrizio jokes, and Fritz rolls his eyes.

“I think at this point all liquor stores in the world have a restraining order against you. If they haven’t gotten the memo here, I’m personally informing them.”

“Neverdoubt me. Anyway, we’re glad to have you back,stronzo,” Fabrizio says, clapping me on the shoulder.

“He means it,” Fritz adds. “Both of us. And we’re even more glad we don’t have to worry about dragging your bitchass to hell and back this week now that you’ve swapped to pairs.”

I snort. “Thanks, guys. Well,” I say, turning to wrap my arm around my partner’s shoulders, “me and the Ice Queen over here have to go prepare for tomorrow.”

“By prepare, he means fall asleep and snore so loud I can hear him down the hall.Iam going to the gym,” Katya says pointedly, and the guys alloooh.

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