ASHLEY’S POV
The rink felt like it vibrated all week. Everyone talked about the upcoming game with our biggest rival, the one team vicious enough to injure players on purpose. Scouts would be there. The stands would be full. Coaches were tense, the boys were tense, and I ran around with clipboards, equipment lists, and water bottles like a frantic, caffeinated squirrel trying to keep them alive.
Lucas had been hyperfocused all afternoon, skating drills with an intensity that almost scared me. His movements were precise, lethal, fast.
Every time he flew across the ice, the cold air whooshed against my cheeks. And every time, my eyes found him without meaning to.
I tried not to watch him. I tried so hard but it was like my eyes belonged to him. He barely looked at me. Not once. Not e
