Sin Bin (D.C. Stars, #5) — Chapter no 15

FIFTEEN

HANNAH

“I’M LATE. I’m late, and I’m sorry!” Liv comes tumbling into the practice rink with her backpack on her shoulder and a duffle bag in her hand. “My dad had a meeting that ran late so I had to take the Metro. Going to school across town is a pain the ass.”

“Take a second to catch your breath.” I laugh and help her unload her stuff. “I just got here a few minutes ago. Traffic sucked.”

“The Metro wasn’t much better. The red line was delayed by ten minutes. I can’t wait until I learn to drive.” She groans and sits down. “I hate when people don’t show up to things on time. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Hey. Enough apologizing. It’s fine, Liv.” I smile to let her know I’m not mad. “Do you need to change? Your dad said there’s a women’s locker room in the building.”

“I’m good. I did that before I left school.” She unzips her coat, revealing black leggings and a white sweater. “Man. What a freaking day.”

“If you ever need a ride from school, and it’s okay with your parents, I don’t mind picking you up if they’re busy.”

“They’ll probably take you up on that. With the hockey season in full swing, sometimes I wonder when the heck my dad is sleeping. And my mom lives outside the city, so making her way in to pick me up or drop me off can take forever.”

“Have you ever had a nanny or babysitter?” I ask, and Liv shakes her head.

“Nope. Mom is all for it, but having someone unfamiliar in the condo makes Dad uncomfortable. He’s very private.” She follows it up with a laugh when she stretches out her leg, slipping on her left skate. “And, I get it. He’s, like, kind of important. But he’s not the freaking president. Not everyone wants his autograph.”

“I fully support you keeping him humble.” I grab my gloves and put them on. “When you’re ready, I thought we could try something different

today.”

“Different how?”

“I know you’ve been anxious to get to your double Axel, so I figured we’ll start working up to it.” When Liv’s mouth opens in surprise, I hold up a hand. “Slowly. You’re not doing a 2A today, but we’re going to lay the foundation that will make it beautiful when we do get there.”

“Please, please, please, please!” She squeals and races to put on her other skate. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I started skating!”

“We’ll spend today perfecting your single Axel, then I’ll give you some drills to practice off-ice so we can start gearing up for your double. Sound fair?”

“So fair. The day I land a 2A will be the best day of my life!”

I spend the first thirty minutes watching Liv perform her single Axel multiple times. I stop and correct her form when necessary, giving her pointers to remember throughout the sequence: big movements. Deep knee bend. Speed, speed, speed. Satisfied with how the move looks, we rewind it back to an easier sequence, implementing a standstill waltz jump and single loop combo.

“Initiate the rotation,” I call out. “And hold your outside edge.” She responds well to the feedback, the next cycle smoother than the last. “Yup.

Just like that, Liv.”

“That one felt really good.” She stops to yank off her gloves, and I nod in agreement. “Breaking it down into two moves helped my brain understand what it needed to do.”

“I’m so glad. That’s the point of the exercise. The double is hard. You’ll be in the air for almost half a second, so you need the height to clear the ice.”

“How old were you when you landed yours the first time?”

“Ten, maybe? And I was terrified. All it took was one time though, and I was hooked. I wanted to spend more time in the air.” I smile. “But we all

learn at different paces. Getting comfortable with a move later in your career doesn’t mean you’re a bad skater. It’s better to spend more time on getting the fundamentals right instead of rushing to do a move incorrectly.”

“Dad always tells me to stay in my lane, but it’s hard to see girls younger than me doing more advanced moves.” Liv sighs. “I want that to be

me.”

“When did you start skating?”

“I was skating by the time I was two. There are photos of me and Dad on the ice together. He’s holding me up under my arms. I barely come up to his shin. Doesn’t help that he’s a giant.” She giggles. “I started taking lessons and getting serious about learning when I was nine? Maybe?”

“Well, there you go. I bet those younger girls have been competing since they were eight on novice teams. You can’t compare yourself to them.

Take it from me, Liv. Enjoy these moments of learning. The excitement you feel when you land a move for the first time? Gosh. That’s where the magic is. There’s nothing like it, and when it becomes part of your routine, it won’t mean as much to you. Soak it up now.”

“Wow.” Liv offers me a smile. “That’s a good way to look at it. Like, I won’t know it’s my last time practicing a move before I nail it until it’s over.”

“Don’t tell your dad I said this, but he’s right. The longer you stay in your lane, the more fun this is.” I remember how eager I was at her age. My determination to be the best junior skater in the world and the thousands of hours I put in just to end up here: dejected. Lost. Not in any lane at all.

“And I want this to be fun for you for a very long time.”

Liv must hear the bite of pain under my wish for her, because she gives me a soft smile. An easy hug, and I’m not sure the thrill of winning any of my medals beats my reaction to seeing her land her single Axel so perfectly, my mouth drops open.

“Liv!” I jump up and down, giving her a high-five after another successful execution of the move. She shrieks with delight. “Yes, kiddo.

Spectacular!”

“It’s never felt so easy before. Hang on. I need to do it again so I know it’s not a fluke.”

I know it’s not a fluke, but I nod. I quiet down and watch her nail it ten more times, so fucking proud I could burst.

When we wrap up for the afternoon, she’s beaming. I am too, my adrenaline pumping like I’m at the World Championships.

“What a transformation. See what happens when you think about each step of the process?” I say, pushing my sleeve up my arm so she can see my goosebumps. “I got chills watching that.”

“Why do I want to cry?” Liv fans her face and laughs. “I just love skating so much, and it makes me happy when I do something that I’m proud of.”

“You deserve to be proud. You’re working so hard, and after the holidays, we can start talking about your choreography for the Potomac Memorial. And, if you’re up for it, we can take a look at some smaller local competitions you might want to enter.”

“I didn’t need motivation to work hard, but you just gave me some.

Speaking of competitions, who do you think is going to win Skate America?

I love Tierney Paige. She’s so majestic.”

“Tierney is my best friend!” I smile when Liv screeches. “I’ll see if she can stop by one of these days to say hi.”

“I would die.”

“I hope you’re not planning on dying anytime soon,” Brody says, and Liv and I turn our heads in his direction. He’s in gray sweatpants today, the material loose on his hips and paired with a plain long-sleeved white shirt with the word STARS across his chest. Another backward hat, the ends of his hair sticking out by his ears. “I’d miss you.”

“Hey, Dad. I’m just talking about figure skating royalty who Hannah knows. Like, in real life. Oh! My single Axel got so much better today. Do you want to see?” Liv asks.

“Of course I do.” He shuffles to the players’ bench and hops on the boards, legs dangling when he sits down. He blinks, looking our way, and I move so Liv can be the star. “The Olympics are on the horizon.”

“I have a long way to go before that.” She laughs and shakes out her arms and legs, getting loose. “Give me a second. I want to get this right.”

“She’s going to get it right,” I say to Brody, leaning against the boards next to him. “Your daughter is very talented.”

“Don’t know where she gets it from. Her mother isn’t coordinated, and the only skills I have on the ice are hitting a puck and ramming guys into the glass with my shoulders.”

“Weird. That’s what we spent this afternoon doing.”

He smirks. “Sorry she was late today. That’s on me. I had a meeting with a player that ran long. Liv is always my top priority, but it felt wrong to cut him off when he was talking to me about something personal.”

“No worries. We had a great lesson and—”

“Okay, I’m ready.” Liv inhales a deep breath and takes off, skating into the jump with speed. From the forward outside edge of her foot, she bends her left knee, lifting her right knee up. A rotation and a half later, she lands backward on her right foot, arms raised in the air. “Badabing, motherfucker!”

“Olivia Elliot Saunders,” Brody hisses. “What have we talked about with the language?”

“I’m so proud of you, Liv,” I say, shutting Brody out. “Way to implement what we worked on today. That was exactly how it should look.”

“All thanks to you.” She smiles from ear to ear and skates toward us, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. “This was a great day.”

“Agreed.” I grin. “Are you guys heading out?”

“Yup. Someone has an English test to study for, and it isn’t me.

Shakespeare was never my friend.” Brody climbs over the boards, picking up Liv’s backpack from the bench. “Time to clear out, Mini-Me.”

“Before we go, can we do something fun?” There’s a conspiring look in Liv’s eyes, and she gives me an innocent smile. “I think you two should

race.”

“No.” He frowns. “Not a good idea.”

“Is it because Hannah would obviously beat you?” She blows out a dramatic exhale. “I thought so too.”

“For the record, I didn’t pay her to say that,” I say.

“Come on, Dad. I have straight A’s. I’m the ninth grade student body president. I haven’t missed a day of school all year and I had the best figure skating lesson of my life. I never ask for anything.”

“You asked me for a pony.”

“For Christmas when I was four,” she challenges, and I know how this argument is going to go. I know he’s going to give in. I’m more certain of it when she sticks out her bottom lip and adds, “Please?”

Brody pinches the bridge of his nose and glances at me. “Are you okay with this? You don’t have to be.”

“I’m not going to risk being the uncool one. I’m okay with it, but you don’t have skates. If I’m going to win, I want to win fair and square.”

“There are some in my office. I have multiple pairs.”

“How convenient that you’re prepared.” I smile. “Could be fun. Could also be embarrassing, but I’m down to find out if you are.”

“This is your one guilt trip of the year,” Brody says to Liv, and she bobs her head in a nod. “You don’t get another one. I’ll be back.”

“I’m so glad I’m using it on something good.” She takes his spot on the bench, resting her elbows on the boards. “His turns are slow,” she tells me when he disappears. “If you’re with him at the halfway point, you’ll probably win.”

“I love insider knowledge. Thanks for the heads-up.” I bump her knuckles with mine and move to the ice, stretching my hips. “I’m not very fast, but I am competitive.”

“My dad might have you beat there. He’s competitive with everything.”

Brody is quick to return, mumbling under his breath about peer pressure and being ganged up on. He ties his laces and spins his hat so it’s facing forward, and I decide he’s one of those men who looks good no matter which way he wears a cap.

How unfair to the rest of the population.

“What are the rules?” he asks, skating over to me. “A lap? Crease to crease?”

“Crease to crease.” Liv winks at me, and he scowls. “Winner gets… the tiny origami star I made in Spanish class this morning!”

“You’re going down,” I whisper to Brody, and he grunts in response.

“Do you think your legs are going to give out?”

“Be careful what you say, Tiny Everett. I’d hate to see you trip and fall.”

“Tiny?” I laugh. “Please. Have you seen me?”

“I consider anyone I can lift with one arm tiny. That applies to you.”

“I guess you can do that, huh?” I say, proud when his cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.

Making him blush might be one of my new favorite things.

There’s no more trash talking, because Liv whistles, signaling the start of our race. We both take off, and I’m genuinely shocked by how fast Brody is. I was expecting to have the advantage due to his injury, but he’s like a bullet. Gliding across the ice while looking like he’s not even moving, and my legs burn as I approach the halfway mark, struggling to keep up.

It helps that Liv was right about Brody’s rotation. It’s clunky. He’s heavy on his feet and his turn takes longer than it should. It’s just enough

time to allow me to catch him, and as we come into the final straightaway, I have a slight lead, ahead by a nose.

“Go, Hannah, go!” Liv cheers, and it’s the motivation I need.

There’s no trophy or grand prize. In the grand scheme of life, this event has no impact on anything else I’m ever going to do, but I’m suddenly desperate to win. Maybe it’s to prove to myself that even though I’m going back to square one, I’m still one of the best skaters in the world. Maybe it’s because I haven’t won anything in so long. Whatever the reason, it’s fuel to the fire, and with ten yards to go, the victory is within reach.

But Brody has other plans. I blink and he’s there, right by my side, matching my pace. He’s crouched low, keeping his center of gravity tight while swinging his arms, and I make the stupid mistake of looking over at him. When I do, I catch him smiling. Little eye wrinkles. An open mouth,

like he’s about to let out a low laugh.

He’s beautiful.

It distracts me, and I lose my footing. The toe of my skate nicks the ice, and I tumble both forward and sideways, right into him.

“Shit,” I cry out, hoping I hit the ice ass-first and not with my wrists.

The fall is inevitable. I brace myself, but I’m not met with the hard, cold surface I expect. Instead, it’s warm. Soft in the middle, with an arm around my waist. I open one eye and find myself against Brody’s chest, his back bearing much of the brunt force.

“Ow. Fuck. Dammit.” He groans, head dropping back. He lost his hat somewhere, and there are pieces of ice in his hair. “That didn’t go according to plan.”

“What the hell even happened? How did you get under me?”

“You were falling. My reflexes are still quick. No one gets hurt on my ice.” He winces. “I haven’t been hit like that in years. You could have a future in hockey, Tiny Everett.”

“Thank you.” My arm is across his collarbone. My hand holds the waistband of his sweatpants. Our legs and skates are tangled together, and I don’t know how to get out of this position. “You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself. I’ve fallen thousands of times.”

“No one gets hurt.” Brody repeats the words as he lifts his head, sitting up slightly. His eyes sweep over my face. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. My ass took most of the fall, and my daughter is in serious trouble.”

“If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. It was my fault. I lost my footing, and I didn’t mean to take you down with me.”

“It’s pretty clear I would’ve won if you hadn’t interfered.”

“Oh, please.” I swat at his shoulder, and it earns me a chuckle. “I was kicking your bruised ass.”

“Bruised is right.” He moves, and when he does, I feel his hand on the small of my back. It moves higher, up the line of my spine, and I blow out a breath. “You sure you’re not hurt?”

“I promise I’m fine. You didn’t hit your head, did you?”

“Nope. I’m—”

“Are you two okay?” Liv skates up to us, a guilty gleam in her smile. “I

promise that wasn’t part of the plan.”

“We’re fine,” Brody grumbles.

He’s the one to initiate the untangling of our limbs. His leg unwraps from around my calf. His hands fall away next, and I’m instantly cold without his touch. When I sneak a peek at him, his jaw is tight. His eyes are narrowed, and it’s very obvious he’s uncomfortable with the position we’re in.

White-hot mortification grips me. I scramble out of his hold, rolling to the side. I swear he breathes a sigh of relief when I’m no longer manhandling him, and the flicker of awareness about how much he didn’t enjoy a single minute of that is like getting doused with a bucket of cold water.

“It was stupid to suggest a game where you could’ve gotten hurt.” Liv wrings her hands together with a sigh when Brody and I stand. “I’m so sorry, Hannah.”

“It’s okay, Liv. You couldn’t have known we were going to fall.” I smile. “That was fun. I needed an adrenaline boost, and beating your dad in a race was the perfect solution.”

“Watch it, Tiny Everett. Beating is a very generous word.” Brody points to the bench. “Let’s go, Livvy.”

“Hey.” I put my hand on his arm. “You’re not mad at her, are you?”

“I could never be mad at her.” He sighs. “I’m mad I was so blatantly put in my place.”

“You know what they say. Anything that boys can do, girls can do better.”

“You’re right. You’ll let me know if something starts to hurt later? An ankle or elbow?”

“Do you think I’m going to sue the team because I got injured on their property?” I laugh. “I promise I won’t, and I’ll sign a waiver before my next lesson with Liv.”

“Fuck a waiver.” The firmness in his tone makes me shiver. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Oh.” I play with the ends of my ponytail. “Right. Okay. Yeah.”

“Thank you.” He gives me a nod and dusts off his sleeve. “Have a good night, Hannah.”

“You too,” I say, and when he checks over his shoulder, eyes locking with mine one more time, I think maybe he wasn’t uncomfortable at all.