Skating on Lies

THE FIRST SLIP

~~TIANA~~

By the time I got to class the next day, I was exhausted from the constant performance. I only spoke when I was called, keeping my voice in the lower range I’d practiced. The binder was already digging into my ribs, but I ignored it.

Pain was better than being seen as weak again.

The noise level suddenly spiked as a guy walked in, the same one from the rink. He was wearing his hockey jersey. My chest did the thing again and my grip on the pen tightened.

The hockey jersey thrown over his uniform made it obvious. Girls weren’t allowed, but the way the other boys reacted, you’d think he was the one. Kieran gave a lazy half-smile, dapped a few guys, then dropped into a seat at the center table. Someone immediately started talking about the last week’s game.

I looked away just as the door opened.

A man walked in, holding a stack of papers, his expression already weary. I hadn’t learned most of the teacher's names yet, so I just watched like everyone else.

“Alright, boys, quiet down,” he said, dropping the papers on the desk. “It’s time for class.”

Everyone around me groaned. I stayed still, there was nothing bad about Maths. It was a subject I actually liked. I guess I'm really a nerd — better than obsessing over sports like every other boy in this room.

“Yes, unfortunately, it’s Mathematics. Try not to faint.”

His eyes lifted from the book to me.

My heart missed a beat. I turned away immediately. My brain scrambled for the best possible thing to do. The best it came up with? Pick something off the floor — to think I called myself a nerd a while ago. I was already reaching toward the ground when he said my name.

“Tian."

Shit.

“That's your name right? Since you transferred in with top marks, why don’t you come solve problem six?”

I walked up to the board and solved the equation as fast as I could. Then turned back, eyes down hoping no one noticed anything about me but the whispers didn't help. It clung at me. I sat back down, and the boy beside me turned to look at me.

He had dark eyes and the kind of face that was terrifying — until he smiled.

"Hey."

My body froze. I turned to him.

"You're good man!"

That was it? My face stayed blank. "Oh... uhm thanks."

He faced the class back. Then the bell rang, and I tried to slip out fast but a hand grabbed my backpack strap pulling me backwards.

“Hold up.”

I turned. Tall guy, dark messy hair, sharp blue eyes. Kieran.

He looked me over. “You got mad grades, huh? My coach is threatening to bench me unless I fix my s**t. You’re tutoring me.”

It wasn’t a question. I opened my mouth, but he cut in first.

“Meet me at the library tomorrow.”

“What — no,” I started.

“I need to practice,” he said, already getting impatient. He ran a hand through his hair, like I was slowing him down. “Man, just do it... for a bro.”

He turned and started walking away like the conversation was already over, his broad shoulders moving through the thinning crowd in the hallway.

My breath caught. If I let him walk off angry, he might complain loudly to the rest of the hockey guys. More eyes on me, and more questions. I couldn’t risk it.

“Wait… ” I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, yanking him back harder than I meant to.

The sudden pull made my loose hoodie shift out of place. The right sleeve rode up my arm while the fabric across my chest pulled tight, then slipped. For one terrifying second, the edge of the black binder was clearly visible — the tight compression band digging into my skin, flattening everything that shouldn’t be there.

Kieran froze mid-step.

His eyes dropped straight to my chest. The cocky expression on his face vanished, replaced by confusion that quickly turned into something darker.

“What… the actual f**k is that?”

I ripped my hand away like I’d been burned and stumbled backward, yanking the hoodie back into place with shaking fingers. My heart was beating so hard I was scared he could hear it.

“Nothing,” I forced out, voice pitched low again. “It’s nothing. Just… forget it.”

Kieran took one step toward me, eyes still squinted, but the hallway was starting to fill with guys heading to practice. He glanced around, then looked back at me.

“Library. Tomorrow. After last bell.” His voice was quiet now, but no less commanding. “Don’t make me come find you, Tian.”

He turned and left. I stood there for a long moment, pressed against the lockers, trying not to throw up. Too close. Way too close.

❄️🏒❄️

I slipped out a side exit after the final class and wandered toward the outdoor rink, telling myself I just needed fresh air. That was all. I wasn’t curious. I wasn’t drawn to the sound of skates gliding over the ice.

But the moment I got close, the sharp sound of sticks and the heavy thuds of bodies against boards pulled me in anyway.

Kieran was easy to spot, he was fast and completely in control as he tore down the ice. Another player in a different practice jersey matched his speed, stole the puck cleanly, then passed it back with a grin. They crashed into each other near the boards, shoving like it was nothing.

The player pulled off his helmet, shaking out his dark brown hair. Even from a distance he carried himself differently. He said something to Kieran that made the whole line laugh. There was real camaraderie there, even in rivalry.

I glanced at a guy standing nearby, also watching the rink with his bag slung over one shoulder.

“Who’s that?” I asked, nodding toward the player with the dark brown hair. “The one who just took his helmet off.”

The guy barely looked at me. “That’s Cole Maddox. Team captain of the rival squad, but they practice together sometimes. Pretty chill guy compared to the other, Kieran.”

I nodded and turned to leave before anyone noticed me staring. Just as I turned, the coach’s whistle echoed across the rink.

“Water break! Two minutes!”

Players started streaming off the ice toward the benches. I tried to step aside quickly, but someone came off the rink fast with his skates still on and helmet tucked under his arm.

I walked straight into a solid chest.

“Whoa—” Strong hands steadied me by the shoulders so I wouldn’t fall. “Sorry about that.

I looked up. Cole Maddox stood right in front of me, breathing hard from practice, dark hair damp with sweat. Up close he was taller than I expected, with sharp features and an easy, friendly energy that felt completely different.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. My bad,” I mumbled, stepping back and keeping my head down.

He studied me for a second, then smiled.. “You’re the new guy, right? Tian?” He tapped his stick lightly against his skate. “Heard about you. You solved that problem like it was nothing. Respect.”

My head snapped up. “How do you know that?”

He chuckled, still smiling. “You don’t realise how dumb everyone is here. That kind of thing gets around.”

I shrugged, surprised by how friendly he sounded. “Well… it's just math.”

“Still impressive.” He motioned toward the rink. “You ever play? We’re always short on guys who actually think straight during games.”

“No sports,” I blurted out. “I’m good.”

“Fair enough. If you ever change your mind, the team’s not as scary as it looks. Most of us bite less than Kieran does.” He gave me a quick, genuine nod. “See you around, Tian.”

He jogged back toward the ice, leaving me strangely unsettled. Not because he was suspicious but because he actually seemed… nice.