A smile slid across his face. "A girl, huh?"
"It's not like that." Despite how beautiful she was, or the fact she was one of the only girls in their school who argued with him. It couldn't be anything more than her helping the team. "She's special. You didn't see the kinds of stuff she did before you got to the rink on Friday."
"Wait... please tell me you're talking about Hadley and not—"
"Charlie."
"Wow, you even have a nickname for her." He rubbed a hand over his face. "She's Coach's daughter."
"I know that. But Rome, she can help us win."
He leaned back against the railing. "Dude, nothing can help us win."
"She can. I feel it. I know it. Will you just come watch her? Please."
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Sure, man. Let's go watch Charlie." He screwed up his face when he used the nickname. "You do know this is the same Charlotte Morrison who hates us, right?"
The same Charlotte he got sent to the principal.
The one who beat him in the race and was so completely forbidden he had no right to even be friends with her.
Yeah, he knew exactly who she was. In fact, he couldn't forget it if he tried.
When they reached the balcony, Jesse looked down to where a lone girl did figure eights on the freshly-zambonied ice.
One boy sat on the bench watching her.
"All right, Charlotte," her mother's voice boomed over the PA system. Jesse searched for her, finding her in the announcer's booth. "This morning, I want you to run through your entire long program. Make a mistake and you start again."
"Can you imagine having a parent for a coach?" Roman collapsed into a chair behind them. "Talk about overbearing."
Jesse didn't respond because he couldn't focus on anything but Charlotte as a haunting melody began. She started slowly, using her skate to draw a circle around herself with her arms in the air straight above her.
He could picture her in a beautiful costume, throwing the crowd into an awed stupor. But even in sweatpants and a t-shirt, she had him leaning forward, not wanting to miss a moment.
The music picked up speed, incorporating a beat into the energizing tune. Charlotte flew down the ice as if she were a bird soaring effortlessly.
He'd never seen anyone make skating look so fluid. Hockey skaters moved with choppy, quick movements, no fluidity, no grace.
She wasn't an ice princess out there; she was a fairy, a creature of fantasy that didn't exist in the real world.
She sped up, crossing her legs in front of each other as she skated backward. Jesse didn't know the terms for any of her moves, he couldn't tell if she performed them technically well, but it didn't matter because he felt the story she told. Her first jump held so much power, such strength, it should have surprised him coming from such a small girl, but it didn't because he knew her.
He knew the fire she possessed, whether she saw it or not.
The music stopped, and Charlotte slowed. Her mom's voice rang out. "You need to get higher on that last lutz. Begin again. This time, tighten up your footwork as well."
Charlotte skated to center ice, preparing to start again.
She only got a little farther before her mom stopped her again, complaining about her edges on the jump combination—whatever that meant.
"Man, that woman isn't playing around." Roman leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. Like Jesse, he hadn't taken his eyes from Charlotte since she began.
Each time Charlotte had to restart her routine, Jesse understood her a little better. He'd never seen anyone as driven toward perfection as her and her mom. It put their hockey practices to shame.
The entire school considered her cold and antisocial, but he didn't think that was true, not anymore.
She was the toughest person he knew.
"So," Roman started. "You say she can help us win?"
Jesse knew if his friend only saw what he saw, he'd be on board. A smile curved his lips as the music sounded through the rink for the millionth time.
He explained the trip to the principal’s office and what Charlotte agreed to. By the time he was done, Roman rolled with laughter. "Dude, you conned us into a skating coach? No wonder she hates you."
"She doesn't hate me."
Roman stood and patted his shoulder. "You're just not used to it. I know everyone else has a habit of kissing your butt. This girl, though... you were right. She's special. She won't fall for the Carrigan charm."
Why did everyone keep talking about some kind of charm he had like it was a magical power?
"I don't want her to fall for anything."
He laughed again. "You keep telling yourself that, Jess."
"I feel like we've had this conversation before."
"And we'll keep having it until you admit it."
"Admit what?" He shouldn't have asked. He knew Roman and his out-there ideas.
His grin widened. "That she is the one girl you can't have, and it's killing you."
"You're obnoxious."
"Yes. Yes, I am." He turned back to the ice where Charlotte glided through a spin, moving so fast they couldn't make out her features.
She came out of it only to launch herself into another.
Each time she jumped, he held his breath until she landed. She danced across the ice, her body moving like it was made for this.
But he'd also seen her with a puck on her stick. Was she made for that too?
The music slowed again, and Charlotte ended at center ice, her head bowed.
As soon as the music cut off, Roman let out a cheer. Jesse joined in before realizing they weren't supposed to be there.
Charlotte looked to the balcony, but she probably couldn't see them. Mrs. Morrison on the other hand, could view them from her spot in the announcer’s box nearby.
"Jesse Carrigan, Roman Sullivan," her harsh voice boomed. "Your coach's office. Now!"
Jesse and Roman stared at each other, matching looks of apprehension on their faces.
"Coach is going to murder us." Roman rubbed the back of his neck. "And then bury us in a deep grave where no one will ever know what happened to us."
Jesse couldn't say he didn't agree.
They descended the stairs like it was a long march to the gallows.
By the time they got to Coach's office, he was waiting for them, and he wasn't alone.
"Damo." Jesse looked from Coach to Damien. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to see Charlotte practice."
It gave Jesse some small satisfaction that he didn't call her Charlie. But why had he come to see her? He wanted to say something else, but the sound of Coach closing the door had him jumping in his skin.
Coach Morrison rounded his desk and sat, leaving the three boys standing. He studied them for a long moment before speaking. "What is the first rule of being a Gulf City Hurricane?"
"Don't date the coach's daughter," they said in unison.
"Then why have three of my players shown up at the rink in the wee hours of the morning to watch figure skating practice?"
Roman held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, man, I'm an innocent bystander in this. Jesse dragged me from my perfectly good bed."
Coach sighed. "You can go, Roman. I need to talk to these two."
Jesse tossed Roman his keys. "Meet me at the car."
Roman wasted no time in leaving.
Jesse looked from Damien to Coach Morrison before taking an empty seat. "Look, Coach, this isn't what it seems."
Damien nodded. "I really just wanted to see some figure skating. It's... uh... my favorite sport."
Jesse stared at him as Damien's face grew redder and redder with the lie. His favorite sport? He suppressed a laugh and turned back to Coach. "Mine too. I'm actually considering a switch from hockey to figure skating."
Coach Morrison shook his head in disbelief. "You boys... what am I going to do with you?"
"Preferably not murder us and stick us in a deep grave.” Jesse pretended
to shiver. “If I die, my family would at least like to know what happened to me."
"I'd shut up if I were you, Carrigan." Coach chuckled.
"Yes, sir."
"Look, along with Roman, you two are the only skaters on the team who might give us a chance. I need you, the team needs you, but my daughter..." He blew out a breath. "She isn't like other girls her age. She has goals and dreams that she will do anything to achieve. I don't forbid you boys from seeing her because I don't trust you. It's because dating would only distract her from her path."
"Is that what she thinks?" Jesse should have kept his mouth shut, but all he heard was that decisions were being made for Charlotte, not by her.
"What?"
"Charlie, does she think dating would be a distraction?"
"Well, son... she's eighteen, but she’s in high school and living in our house. It's not really her choice. We know what's best for her."
"With all due respect, sir, she has a mind of her own." He'd seen how much joy she took in playing around with Hadley on the ice, a kind of light he hadn't noticed in her eyes at any other time.
"And her mind is set. She has a competition to prepare for and does not need boys from the hockey team hanging around."
"She's a robot." He cringed at the words.
"Excuse me?" Coach stood, his large frame befitting that of a former NHL player.
"Did you know there's only one person in the entire school Charlotte talks to if she has a choice?" He didn't remember when he'd started watching her so much.
"I'm not sure that's any of your business, Jesse. We're done here."
"No, sir, respectfully, we're not." He stood to face him. "No one should have to strive for perfection in every area of their lives. That's an impossible standard. Charlotte is so afraid to make a mistake, so afraid to stray from her plan, she closes herself off."
His chest heaved, but he wasn't finished. "She's amazing out on that ice. Truly incredible. But she needs more than just training in her life."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "And you think she needs what? You?"
It wasn't lost on Jesse that Coach didn't refute his words. "Hockey."
Coach's face fell. "Not possible. I'm sorry, Jesse, but Charlotte is a figure skater."
He thought about the deal Charlotte made with the principal, but Coach had to agree. "One practice. Let her come to one. She can help us skate better, I know she can. And it wouldn't hurt for her to feel like she's worth more than the points given for her twirly things and jumps."
To his surprise, Coach laughed. "Twirly things? You really are a hockey player. That's what I called them when I first met my wife at the 1994 Olympics in Norway." He sighed. "Her mother won't like it."
"One practice. Imagine the boost to the guys on the team. Charlotte could come in and help them work on their edges. Even just starting and stopping stuff. These guys need help, lots of it. I’ve never seen anyone skate as smoothly as your daughter." He dropped his voice. "Coach, we want to beat Venice."
Coach glanced from Jesse to Damien who sat there watching them with wide eyes. "Neither of you are trying to woo my daughter?"
Damien shook his head, though Jesse had seen the crush developing.
Jesse clapped Coach on the shoulder. "No one says woo, Coach. But no. This is about the hockey."
"Charlotte probably won't agree to it."
Jesse smiled, not telling him it was already taken care of. "Let me handle Charlie."
He leveled him with a stare. "Her name is Charlotte. Only I call her Charlie, and it's going to stay that way."
Jesse only winked as he turned toward the door with Damien close on his heels. Roman left the door partially open when he left, but Charlotte now stood on the other side of it.
Had she heard everything they said?
He sure hoped not, but by the tightness in her eyes and the frown on her face, he knew he wasn't that lucky.
10
Charlotte
"I can't believe you get to hang out with Jesse Carrigan." Hadley leaned against the locker next to Charlotte's, her head tilted against the cool metal and a wistful smile on her face.
Charlotte shoved her books inside and pulled out her jacket. She couldn't believe it either, but for different reasons. If she had her way, she'd head home and go for a solo run as she normally did.
But he came to my practice, she thought.
She shook her head. Why did he come to her practice?
"With all due respect, sir, she has a mind of her own."
"She's a robot."
It wasn't nice to eavesdrop, but she'd gone to her dad's office to get the bottle of water she'd left in there. Okay, that was an excuse she used for her mom. She really wanted to find out what was happening with the three—count them, three—hockey players who'd shown up to watch her skate.
What was this world coming to?
"Did you hear me?" Hadley poked her. "Earth to Charlotte."
She closed her locker. "I'm not going to hang out with Jesse. The entire team will be there." She shrugged on her jacket.
"But, Charlie." She grabbed Charlotte's shoulders. "It's Jesse Carrigan." She said his name as if it should mean something. And it would to most girls.
Maybe it even did a little to Charlotte.
"And the team." She shrugged off her friend. "It's not like he actually invited me to hang. He needs me."
Hadley's smile widened, and Charlotte knew what she was thinking the moment the words left her mouth.
She swatted Hadley's shoulder. "As a skating consultant. Get your mind out of the gutter, Hads." She started walking.
"But life is so much more fun in the gutter."
"He's desperate to win the game against Venice in two weeks. That's all. At this point, he'll do anything to avoid a season with zero wins. It's not like we live in the same stratosphere."
She's a robot.
No matter what else he said, she couldn't unhear those words. The sad thing was, she'd thought it of herself long before he did. But look at her now—off to hockey practice rather than an exhausting run and a tasteless dinner.
"You know what." Hadley sighed. "I'm about to fall on my sword here, so pay attention."
"Uh oh." Charlotte couldn't hide her smile. Her best friend was entertaining at least.
She grabbed Charlotte's arm and forced her to stop in the alcove by the door to the parking lot. Students crowded around them, all trying to escape after another long day.
"Charlie," she started. "Char Char... my little Charizard."
"Spit it out, Hadley." She pulled her friend against the wall so others could get around them.
Hadley sucked in a long breath and puffed out her chest. "I Hadley Awesomesauce Gibson—"
"Not your middle name, but go on."
"I hereby bequeath my crush to one Miss Charizard Morrison."
Charlotte bit back a laugh. In her serious world, Hadley's ridiculousness was a welcome distraction. "You can't just give me your crush."
"Why not?"
"It doesn't work that way. I don't have a thing for Jesse Carrigan, and you can't wave some magic wand to make me."
"What's wrong with him?" Charlotte knew that tone, her defensive tone.
But she was over this obsession with the guy. "He's beloved. By everyone."
"Except you."
"Yes, except me. He hasn't done anything to earn that love. He uses charm as a manipulative tool. I'll bet even his parents bow to his every whim."
Hadley pursed her lips. "Okay, Miss 'My parents’ entire lives revolve around me.'"
"They don't."
She held up a finger. "Let's see. Your mom quit her job the moment you showed any skating ability." A second finger. "Your dad bought an ice rink so you'd have somewhere to train."
"That wasn't just for me."
"Sure, okay. They schedule their lives around when Charlotte needs to train, what she needs to eat, and who she should spend time with."
Charlotte cross
ed her arms over her chest. When did they go from talking about Jesse to talking about her? "You know what they've never given me?"
"What, Char? You know I love you, but what could you need that hasn't been provided in spades?"
Tears built in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "Choice."
Hadley opened her mouth and closed it again; for once, she had nothing to say. She stepped out of the way to let people pass them and get out to the parking lot.
Charlotte turned toward the door. She stopped with her hand on the glass, wanting to say something else. Instead, she just shook her head and pushed open the door.
Charlotte couldn't remember ever feeling nervous walking up to the large glass double doors of her parents' ice rink. It was her home, the place she spent most of her time.
But now, today, it felt like a different world.
Gone was the quiet she experienced every morning when she alone owned the ice.
With Hadley and Jesse's words mixing in her brain, she pulled open the door and slipped inside.
Her mom looked up from the front desk, surprise coating her features. "Charlotte, you should be at home going through your afternoon exercise routine."
"I know." She looked down at her shoes, not meeting her mom's eyes. "I'm sorry, I just promised I'd help at dad's practice today."
"Hockey practice?" Her eyebrows shot toward her hairline.
"Um." She picked at the hem of her jacket. "Yeah."
"Charlie." Jesse rounded the corner, a wide grin on his face. Charlotte never noticed how deep his dimples were. "I've been looking for you. Afraid you got lost."
She laughed. They both knew she was familiar with every inch of that building—except maybe the boy's locker room, but who wanted to go in there.
He turned to her mom. "Sorry to steal your daughter, Mrs. Morrison, but my guys are kind of hopeless, and I'm hoping she can show them a few skating tricks."
Her mom, butter in Jesse's hands, nodded as if that were perfectly acceptable. Charlotte rolled her eyes but took the chance to escape the conversation she was headed for with her mom before Jesse distracted her with his charm.
Jesse caught up with her. "Glad you're here."
"You worried I wouldn't show?"
Jesse and the Ice Princess (Gulf City High Book 1) Page 7