Page 18 of Jesse and the Ice Princess
"Charlie!" Hadley tapped her stick against the ice again. "Stop showing off."
Charlotte looked back at her with a grin before gathering the puck and carrying it with her as she skated along the boards. She crossed to center ice and used the stick as a pivot point to spin on one foot before cradling the puck again.
Her stick handling was so technical, so precise—just like everything else she did. She leaped into the air, doing some kind of mid-air split, before landing and skating a circle around Hadley.
Hadley laughed. "If your dad saw you like that..."
Charlotte shrugged, showing none of the tension Jesse knew her for. "He'd do nothing. As always."
"But you're so good."
"Does it matter?" She sighed. "I'm good at figure skating too, almost great even. That's what I should stick to. Even if I wanted to play hockey, Gulf City doesn't have a girls’ team."
"Who cares? You could skate circles around those boys."
Jesse should have felt guilty for eavesdropping on the girls from the shadows of the tunnel, but he couldn't make himself move. It was like he was seeing some National Geographic movie examining Charlotte Morrison in her natural habitat.
"You were right." She lined up a shot. "I did need some fun." She drew her stick back and released a slapper into the top right corner of the net. The kind of shot most of his teammates couldn't hope to make.
Hadley draped an arm over Charlotte's shoulders. "I always know what you need." She pushed away from Charlotte and took off around the rink. Her skating wasn't as smooth or natural as her friend's, but Jesse doubted many people could skate like that.
She at least managed to stay on her feet—which was more than he could say for a few of the guys on the team.
Charlotte started after her, catching up. They left their sticks leaning against the wall as they chased each other. Charlotte looked so at ease on the ice, so comfortable. It reminded Jesse of how he felt every time he laced up his skates.
They rounded the corner, and Charlotte stopped abruptly, the tips of her skates slamming into the wall next to the swinging door that led to the tunnel, right where Jesse stood watching them like a creeper.
Red crept up her cheeks as she stared, not saying a word.
"Um." Jesse cleared his throat. "Hey." He cringed at his lameness, but how did he put into words how he could watch her skate for hours?
A plan formed in his mind, but there was no way she'd agree.
Right?
6
Charlotte
Jesse Carrigan stared at her. Her, Charlotte Morrison. Did he really think she looked that ridiculous with a hockey stick in her hands? Sure, she was the "ice princess" meant to do jumps and spins but not slapshots.
That didn't give him a right to stand there watching her like she was some sort of alien.
"What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed. Hadley's words came back to her. Supposedly, Jesse was a nice guy and she should try to thaw her iciness around him. But it was a hard habit to break.
He dug into his pocket before holding up a key. "I didn't break in, I swear."
"Great." She drummed her fingers on the top of the half-wall where the glass cut away for the tunnel entrance. "I had to steal my dad's keys to get in here, but he gave you a set." She pushed away from the wall and turned her back on him.
Suddenly, her Friday night wasn't so much fun anymore.
Hadley skated up beside her. "How's my hair?" She flattened her sweaty hair. They'd been skating hard since watching her parents lock up so they could sneak in.
Her mom never let her come to the rink after hours, wanting her to rest before training early the next morning. Did she know her husband gave his hockey captain a key?
"You look great, Hadley." She always did. Once Hadley set her sights on Jesse, Charlotte knew it was only a matter of time before the annoyingly attractive guy fell for her. Hard.
They always did.
