Chapter17
1082 Words
I stepped onto the ice, my cheeks burning so intensely I knew they had to be bright red.
"I am so sorry, I lost track of time," I blurted out, my voice coming out softer than I intended.
Nico scoffed, right on cue. He skated straight toward me, his glare so heavy it felt like he wanted to swallow me whole.
"You have the audacity to show up at this time with your silly excuses?" A bitter sneer twisted his mouth, and he took a step closer. "And why the hell are you blushing? Is there anything amusing here for you to see?"
"Okay, hold on now. Don't yell in my face," I countered, my embarrassment turning into defensive heat because he had noticed my flushed skin. Around us, eighteen pairs of eyes watched the confrontation like we were on a movie set.
"Seriously." Nico closed the remaining distance, nearly brushing his chest against mine. The sheer pressure of his presence made it hard to breathe. "You kept everyone waiting, and you show up without an ounce of remorse."
"Okay, easy boys, he already apologized," Theodore interrupted, stepping in to pull Nico back but Nico instantly shoved Theodore's hands off him.
"When I came in, the first thing I did was apologize. It's not my fault your ears are under your large feet," I snapped, the insult slipping out before I could stop it.
Nico's expression darkened dangerously. "Use your words carefully, Jace. I am not to be disrespected." His tone was eerily calm, but his posture was so intimidating that Theodore quickly crossed his arms and stood firmly between us to keep him back.
Damn. Jace wasn't kidding when he said Nico was a lunatic about punctuality.
"That's enough from both of you." Theodore looked over at me, giving me a stern nod. "Go change and stop wasting our time."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Nico's dramatic display. "It's never too late, I can still coach them," I insisted, dropping my heavy backpack onto the floor.
Nico looked like he wanted to argue, but he just made a disgusted face and skated away.
Taking that as a silent, irritated approval, I hurried to the locker room. I threw on my jersey and gear as fast as possible, then skated back out to meet the team.
Clearing my throat, I stood before the crowd. The lingering stress of the argument completely wiped my mind blank. I couldn't remember my plan.
~Think, Jade,~ I pleaded with myself, hoping the panic would spark my memory. Nineteen players stared back at me. Nico stood among them, his icy eyes practically waiting for me to slip up so he could tear me down again.
"We're waiting," Liam called out, his voice sharp with impatience.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. We are going to spread out and breathe," I announced, forcing confidence into my voice.
Nico didn't hesitate to ruin it. "And then what? We're not air benders. We didn't suddenly become Aang."
A wave of laughter erupted through the rink, making me look ridiculous. Nico just stood there with a snobbish smirk, clearly enjoying my misery.
I forced myself to ignore him. "Coach trusted me with this. I hope you guys saw what I did on those trending videos, so I shouldn't need to say much," I said firmly, holding my ground.
To my surprise, the guys actually listened and began to spread out, taking deep breaths. Nico stayed in the middle. He looked away, refusing to actually participate, but I didn't care as long as he stayed quiet.
"Do we all have our pieces of cloth? If you do, tie them around your eyes," I instructed.
"This is lame," Nico muttered under his breath. He stared at the fabric in his hands, looking completely annoyed about having to cooperate.
I skated forward when I noticed one of the players lost his balance. Reaching out, I helped him steady his stance. As I leaned over, the collar of my oversized jersey shifted down my neck. I didn't think twice about it, until Theodore's voice shattered the quiet.
"Is that what I think it is? Is that a hickey?" he shouted.
The blood drained from my face, leaving me entirely frozen. My head snapped toward Nico, who was already staring at me with narrowed, calculating eyes. Everyone else turned to look too.
I couldn't find a single word to say. I was positive I had covered it completely with concealer and foundation. Then it hit me~when I pulled my hoodie off earlier, the fabric must have rubbed the makeup straight off.
"No, it's not," I said, trying to keep my voice steady and casual. Raising my voice would only make me look guilty. "Everyone, cover your eyes and breathe."
I tried to push the focus back to the drill, but Theodore wouldn't drop it.
"Trust me, it is. I've given those to girls enough times to know what one looks like." He flashed me the exact same knowing grin he had given me at the party.
Panic flared in my chest. If he remembered seeing that exact mark on Jade at the party, my cover was completely blown.
"f**k, whoever did that was so hungry," Theodore laughed, reaching out to rub the spot on my neck.
I slapped his hand away instantly.
Theodore looked down at his thumb, noticing the residue. "Is this makeup? You tried to hide it with makeup? What are you, a girl?" He laughed it off as a joke, but a wave of numbness washed over my entire body.
My pulse spiked as I watched Nico start skating directly toward me.
"You heard him, tie your eyes and breathe," He barked at Theodore, his voice leaving no room for argument. Theodore immediately did what he was told. Soon, everyone's eyes were covered except for mine and Nico's.
He stopped right in front of me. "Let me see that."
"Don't touch me. It's just a bug bite," I lied, stepping back to avoid his piercing stare. He kept tracking me, refusing to let it go.
"Bug bite, right," Theodore scoffed from behind his blindfold.
I wanted nothing more than to tackle Theodore into the ice for making this a scene.
"As your captain, you will do as I say," Nico commanded. His voice dropped to a low, heavy register as his hand shot out, catching my wrist in a swift, iron grip and pulling me flush against him.
- Writer
