The rink

Lily Pendleton

Three days passed.

Three days of dodging Vivian's snide comments. Three days of hiding in corners during lunch. Three days of avoiding Kael because every time I saw him, my chest did something weird and my face went hot.

But I couldn't avoid him forever.

On Thursday, I found myself walking past the hockey rink. The sound of skates scraping ice pulled me like a magnet. I peeked through the glass doors.

Kael was on the ice. Alone.

He was flying—smooth and fast, his body low to the ground, stick handling like the puck was glued to his blade. He took a shot. The puck slammed into the net so hard the glass cracked.

He skated to a stop, panting, his breath fogging the cold air.

And he looked up. Right at me.

Busted.

He skated to the boards, leaning on them. "You know," he said, "most people knock."

I wrote on my notepad: Sorry. I was just walking by.

"Liar," he grinned. "You came to see me."

I flushed. Maybe.

"Come here," he said. "I have an idea."

I hesitated. But my feet moved anyway.

He reached over the boards and grabbed my hand. "Get in the equipment room. Grab some skates. I'm teaching you to skate."

I shook my head violently. No. No way. I'll fall. I'll look stupid.

"Exactly," he said. "You'll fall. And I'll catch you. That's the point."

He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Twenty minutes later, I was wobbling on the ice like a baby deer, gripping the boards for dear life.

"I can't do this," I mouthed.

"Yes, you can," he said, skating backward in front of me. "Let go of the boards."

I shook my head.

"Lily," he said softly. "Trust me."

I looked at his eyes. Silver. Warm. Patient.

I let go.

I immediately slipped. My arms windmilled. I was going down—

He caught me.

His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him. My chest pressed to his. His breath hit my face, warm and smelling like mint.

"See?" he murmured. "I told you I'd catch you."

I was frozen—not from cold, but from him. His body was solid. His heart was pounding against mine.

"Kael," I whispered. My voice cracked, barely audible.

He went still. "Say that again."

"Kael."

He exhaled, a shaky sound. "Fuck. Your voice... it does something to me."

He pulled me closer. His lips hovered near my ear.

"Everyone thinks I'm a player," he said low. "And I was. Until I met you. Now I can't even look at another girl without feeling sick."

I didn't move. I was terrified. I was also alive.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered. "But I won't. Not unless you want it."

My heart was screaming. My brain was screaming. Everything was screaming.

I nodded. One tiny nod.

He kissed me.

It was soft at first—barely a brush. Then it deepened. His hand slid to the back of my neck, tilting my head, and he kissed me like I was something precious.

I didn't know how to kiss. But he guided me, his tongue touching mine gently, probing ,teaching me.

When we broke apart, we were both breathless.

"Wow," he said. "That was..."

Yeah, I mouthed.

He laughed, his forehead against mine. "This is bad. This is so bad. Damon's going to kill me."

I wrote: Don't tell him.

"Never," he said. "This is ours. Our secret."

And for the first time in three years, I felt like I belonged to someone.

---

We skated for an hour. He held my hand the entire time. I fell eleven times. He caught me every single one.

When we finally left the rink, I was sore, exhausted, and happier than I'd been in years.

He walked me to my dorm. At the door, he cupped my face and kissed me again—slower this time, like he was memorizing me.

"Tomorrow," he said. "Same time. Same place. Don't stand me up."

I nodded.

He smiled—real, warm, nothing like the cold playboy everyone talked about.

"Goodnight, Lily."

I wrote: Goodnight, Kael.

He walked away, but I watched him until he disappeared.

---

That night, I dreamed of him. His hands. His lips. His voice telling me I was different.

When I woke up, my phone had a text from an unknown number.

Good morning, mute girl. Can't stop thinking about you. See you at the rink.

I smiled so wide my face hurt.

I typed back: I can't stop thinking about you either.

Three dots appeared. Then:

Fuck. You're going to be the death of me.

---

I was walking to breakfast when Jake found me.

He was the Beta from the library—messy brown hair, glasses, warm smile. He fell into step beside me.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Jake. We met briefly. I'm on the team. Defense."

I nodded. I remembered.

"I heard about Vivian," he said quietly. "She's a piece of work. But don't let her get to you. Some of us are actually nice."

I wrote: Thank you.

He smiled. "Anytime. Also—I know some sign language. If you ever want to learn, I can teach you. Makes things easier than writing all the time."

I blinked. You'd do that?

"Of course," he said. "Friends help friends."

Friends?

"Yeah," he said. "If you want."

I felt a warmth in my chest. A real friend. Jake was offering me friendship—no strings, no secrets.

I wrote: I'd like that.

He beamed. "Great. Meet me in the library after class. I'll bring my notes."

He left, and I watched him go. He was kind. Safe. Nothing like the dangerous pull I felt with Kael.

But maybe that was okay.

Maybe I needed both.

---

Vivian found me at lunch.

She slid into the seat across from me, her smile fake and sharp.

"So," she said, "I heard you were with Kael last night. At the rink."

I went cold.

"Don't worry," she said. "I won't tell Damon. Yet. But you owe me."

I wrote: What do you want?

She leaned in, her eyes glittering. "I want you to stay away from the hockey team. Especially Kael. He's mine—well, he will be. And you're just a human freak who's going to ruin his reputation."

I felt my hands shake. But I didn't back down.

I wrote: He doesn't want you.

Her smile vanished. "Excuse me?"

He told me. He said he can't even look at other girls now. So no. He doesn't want you.

Vivian's face went red. She stood up, knocking her chair over.

"You're dead," she hissed. "You hear me? Dead."

She stormed off.

I sat there, my heart pounding. But underneath the fear, there was something else.

Victory.

For the first time, I had won.