Page 40 of Jesse and the Ice Princess
And she'd never been part of anything before.
11
Jesse
"Dude, that girl is epic." Adrian, a senior defenseman snapped Jesse with a damp towel.
He turned to his locker to hide his smile. She was. He'd only just started realizing just how epic Charlotte Morrison was.
Roman bumped his shoulder. "Our girl did well."
"She's notourgirl."
Roman laughed. "Fine, your girl."
Jesse punched his shoulder. She wasn't that either.
Roman slammed his locker door and sat on the bench in front of it. "If you'd told me a month ago that the ice princess of Gulf City would run the best practice we'd had all year... well, I'd have called you delusional."
Despite the name ice princess, Jesse knew Roman was impressed, so he took that as a win. And he wasn't wrong. Despite her protestations, Charlotte was a great teacher. Jesse was now fifty percent sure he could do her spin drop pass move and not lose the puck.
The other guys on the team... well, a few of them might now be able to hold on to the puck a little longer without staring down at their stick.
"I'm out." Roman waved from the door. "You sure you don't want a ride?"
They'd ridden together but Jesse wanted to talk to Coach. He'd catch the bus home. "I'm good. See you tomorrow."
He finished stuffing his sweaty gear into his bag and hiked it onto his shoulder. Normally, he drove himself to practice, but Cassie needed to borrow his car for an extra session with her therapist. Those appointments were the only reason she'd even gotten her license when she barely left the house.
He never hesitated to give her the car, though. She was more important than any practice.
He'd hoped to catch Charlotte to say thanks but assumed she'd already left. On his way to Coach's office, he caught sight of the large glass windows stretching the length of the building. Rain pounded against the glass as thunder cracked through the air.
A flash of light lit up the gray sky.
Great, just what he needed, a wet walk to the bus stop.
He sighed as he knocked on Coach's door. No one answered. He knocked again.
"He's in the equipment room," a voice said behind him.
Jesse turned to Charlotte, noting the way she'd braided her wet hair back into her normal pretty style. He preferred her in the more relaxed ponytail, but he'd never tell her that. He was even starting to like the uptight version of this girl.
"Um..." She fiddled with a set of keys in her hand when he didn't say anything. "Did you want something from him?"
He wasn't ready to tell her his idea, not until he knew if it was even possible. Shaking his head, he smiled. "I was looking for you."
Her brows drew together. "I fulfilled my deal with the principal."
"I know."
"I don't owe you anything anymore."
"I know that too."
Her lips pursed. "Then what do you want with me?"
"To thank you."
