“Woah!” My arms flailed helplessly, swinging out in an attempt to balance myself as my body tilted forward at an awkward angle. My lower half seemed to have a mind of its own, sliding in a direction completely opposite from where I intended to go. The icy surface beneath me felt treacherous, and panic clawed up my spine, creeping over my shoulders and settling in my throat like a vise. It was a chokehold of fear that made every muscle in my body scream to flee—except there was no escaping this. I was stuck, stranded in a comical and utterly humiliating situation with no clear way out.
I barely registered Jack’s chuckle at first, but I felt it—like a vibration in the air between us. It was as if he didn’t even need to laugh out loud for me to know he was thoroughly enjoying my plight. His
