Villainess on Ice

Chapter 15

“Are you avoiding me?” Paisley said, blocking my path. I was about to leave to get something to eat.

I sighed at the expression she gave me. I had totally forgotten about her due to everything else.

“Pai, I haven’t—” she cut me off with the raise of her hand.

“Don’t ‘Pai’ me, using my nickname like I am your friend,” she gritted out, clenching her fist as she spoke.

I winced at her words, totally understanding where she was coming from. I had been acting like a total b***h towards her.

“Paisley, don’t say that. You are my friend.” I stepped closer, reaching a hand towards her own, but she dodged it by stepping back, creating a bit more distance between the two of us.

“Really? I am, but it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it,” she spoke sarcastically, tears glinting in her eyes. My heart ached at the sight. Losing Paisley or her friendship isn’t something I would ever consider losing.

“I have called you multiple times, texted you too, even passed on a message through Kai when he told me where you were.” Her voice shook with anger as she spoke. “I was worried about you, thinking about your overall wellbeing, but you couldn’t find time to text me back, telling me you were okay.”

I took out my phone and pointed the screen at her, the one filled with our chat. “Look, Paisley, I never got any calls or texts from you.” She started to speak but I beat her to explain. “I lost my phone when I went back to the old mansion.”

She looked at me in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“I went to the mansion after Coach suspended me. I got a call that Beth and Eli had an allergic reaction,” I explained. She pressed her hand to her mouth in shock.

“Omg, are the twins alright? What happened?” She started her questions in rapid succession.

“They are fine, Pai. It was just an issue with cross-contamination from the kitchen. It wasn’t something that needed a visit to the hospital,” I tried to reassure her.

“Omg, you were going through so much and I had been a shitty friend, cornering you and treating you so badly when you had been going through it.” She was crying while gripping my hand.

“No, Paisley. If anything, I was the shitty friend. You just spoke out of hurt.” I pulled her into a hug to calm down her sobbing. “Why don’t I take you out to breakfast?” I spoke when she was just sniffling.

“Okay, but it’s your treat, right?” she asked timidly.

I threw my head back and let out a laugh. “Of course. That’s why I am taking you out to one.”

**

“Wow, your father is disgusting,” Paisley made a disgusted face while looking at me.

“He is. I am not even shocked by him,” I answered honestly.

We were walking towards the rink for practice. I needed to practice at least for a little while even though I wasn’t going to be performing anytime soon.

“Even going as far as to use your siblings to bait you into doing that. Damn, I thought my parents were awful.” Her face had a grimace as she spoke.

“They are learning from mine,” I said, moving inside the changing room to change into a practice outfit.

We both shared a laugh at my statement. Eyeing my locker, I recalled sending the evidence to Dante and putting him in charge of the investigation needed to uncover who did that.

I knew going to the school authorities would result in it being thrown out or an excuse put in place. I had a sickening feeling that amongst the roster of men Rozetta was sleeping with, there was someone powerful. Those were not all of them.

“So are we gonna address the elephant in the room?” Paisley asked. I had a guess which ‘elephant’ she was speaking of, but that one was a baby compared to the actual ‘elephant’ in the room.

“If it’s my suspension, I got it handled,” I zipped up my bag and faced her. “Aren’t you practicing?” I tried to change the subject but Paisley just frowned.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t change the subject, Elara. The exhibition is in three days. What are you going to do, miss it?”

I nodded my head at her. “Pretty much. You gotta win for us though.” She just threw her hands in the air.

“You are unbelievable.”

I laughed at her dramatics before looking towards the other people in the room. I saw the other girls trying hard to look like they weren’t listening.

“Are you gonna practice or not?” I asked again.

“Nah. With how much food you fed me, I don’t think I have the strength to practice.” She patted her belly with a blissful expression. “You go on ahead. I have to get something. I will catch up with you later.”

I just shook my head, watching her retreating figure until she disappeared. Then I made my way through the tunnel headed for the rink.

I was having my own internal debate of whether I should or shouldn’t share this information with Paisley. She was already hurt by my distance from her these past few days, but if she found out about any of this, how would she react to it?

‘Hey Paisley, I have a magical power that lets me see into the future and I saw that you died in it.’

I rubbed my head at that thought.

I hit a wall and lost my footing, bracing for the crash but it never came.

I opened my eyes to see what happened and was met with the same familiar set of forest green eyes.

“It seems we are always bound to meet this way,” Kai spoke, voice etched with that flirtatious undertone.

I moved to stand on my own two feet, trying to create distance between the two of us.

“Elara,” he called out, gripping my wrist until I was facing him. “I am real—”

He started to speak but that all-too-familiar headache cut off everything he had to say.

“You i***t, didn’t I tell you we were going after Draven?” Damon spoke. Him and a few of the other hockey players were all sitting down in what looked like his room.

“Well, I got a tip that Winchester is actually the one more favoured for that position,” Zane answered him. He was referencing what he heard me telling Paisley.

“You are a dumbass, you know,” Damon wove his hand through his hair. “The next game between Northridge and Fordnast, I want you to permanently put Kai Draven out of commission,” he finished with a wicked grin on his face.

It became dark again before I opened my eyes back to a worried Kai staring down at me.

They really are after Kai.