4. Kim
4
KIM
Kim
I enter the rink where we practice, tossing my braids over my shoulder. I got extra sleep last night, so I feel fantastic today.
The other girls are already here, so I join them, skating across the ice towards where they’re warming up. A few of them smile at me as I approach, and I take my place next to Alexi.
“Hey girl,” she says. “Love the new hair!”
“Thanks!” I shoot her a smile.
I love my hair, but it’s been hard to keep up with while practicing so much, traveling for games, and performing at them. The braids will make it a lot easier on me.
“Alright girls let’s get started! We’ve got a new routine to learn for the upcoming game.”
We all spread out across the ice, our eyes trained on Natasha, our choreographer. The team was able to hire us a really good one for this season since they’ve been playing so well in recent years. Natasha’s routines are beautiful, but they’re definitely not easy.
I’m able to catch onto the new routine pretty quickly. This is the third new one she’s shown us, so I’m getting used to her style.
“Good job, girls! Keep it up!”
Being an ice girl has proven to be a lot harder than I initially thought. It’s so much more than just dancing, and the team actually relies on us for a lot of things throughout the games. We aren’t just here to look cute.
Natasha claps. “Okay! I think you’ve all got the hang of it. Now let’s try it with music a couple times, and then I’ll leave you guys to keep practicing on your own.”
A song starts up, and we all get into position. Our new routine starts with all of us in one big circle. We start skating around in a circle, a few of us doing little spins and leaps.
Then, we all close in to form a straight line. This is when we start actually dancing. I flip my braids around and move my hips in time with the beat, until it’s time for us to branch off into groups of three.
I’m lifted into the air by Alexi and Chrissy, making sure to hold my own weight, keeping all of my muscles tight. They spin us around as I hold my arms out to the side, my left foot lifted up into the air.
We complete the rest of the routine before starting up again. Just as we form our circle, my eyes catch on the door across the rink.
I swallow, recognizing that figure. The tall, muscular body. He’s not in his uniform anymore, wearing only a white T-shirt and some grey sweatpants. His long black hair is a bit messy, with a few pieces falling into his face.
Sam Warwick.
I know who he is- of course I do. I think everyone in America does at this point. He’s one of the highest paid hockey players in the country. He’s by far the best on the team.
Sam is probably the richest person I’ve ever been in the same room with. He’s wealthier and more successful than I could ever dream to be.
He distracts me for a moment, and I’m a second late to start. Once he’s out of my eyeline, I catch up, skating around in a circle like the rest of the girls. But when I get back to that side, I find his gaze again.
It’s kind of like a car crash- I just can’t seem to look away from him. I don’t even know what it is about him that I find so appealing, I just know that my body is responding to it.
My mind slips back to the last game, when I saw him fucking up one of the other players. He didn’t see me there at first. I watched as he punched the other guy in the face repeatedly. I heard the things he said to him.
And then he looked over at me. In the moment, I thought he would stop what he was doing once he realized there was a witness. But he didn’t. He just stared at me as he sent another blow right into Matthew’s jaw.
I didn’t want to stop watching. With each hit, he put just a little more force into it. Blood covered his fist and Matthew’s face.
Matthew didn’t stand a chance. He’s a big guy, and still, he couldn’t do anything except take it.
The violence didn’t scare me, or really even phase me. Growing up in Capitol Heights, I’m used to that shit. But I’ve never really had that reaction to violence before. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
The hairs on my arms raise as I picture those dark, almost grey eyes. The next time I make my way around the circle, I look back at the door. He’s still there, watching.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him observing us. No one else seems to notice he’s there, but then again, no one else has a reason to look for him.
When we get to the dancing part of the routine, I stick my ass out just a little bit more. Flip my hair a little sexier.
By the time we reach the end of the song again, Sam is gone. His absence clears my mind, and I feel slightly embarrassed for giving so much attention to this man that I haven’t even spoken to. He’s taking up way too much of my thoughts.
An hour later, practice is over. I find myself looking for him in the hallways when we leave, but the hockey players practice right before us, so there’s no way he’s still here.
“Kim, we’re getting dinner later, did you want to join?” Alexi asks as we walk out of the locker room.
“Oh sure! What time?”
“Probably around six. We’re going to Georgie’s pizzeria.”
“Okay, see ya there!”
I smile to myself as I walk outside, a soft breeze running through my hair. It’s been so nice building up new friendships with these girls. They’re all so nice and it’s been a while since I’ve had that.
I walk through the parking lot, waving to a few of the girls as they get into their cars. My eyes land on a black car that I’ve seen parked out here almost every time I’m here. The windows are tinted so dark that you can’t see anything through them.
I turn away from it and start walking down the street. My apartment building is only a few blocks from here, thankfully.
Once I’m a block away from the Capital One arena, I start to get an odd feeling. Looking behind me, I see the black car inching its way down the street.
My first thought is Nathan, but the car is way too nice. There’s no way it’s him. Even the people he hangs around, they’re far from the rich ass drug dealers that you read about or see on TV.
Unless he’s involved in deeper shit than I thought.
I dismiss the thought pretty much right away. It’s just not possible. No one in their right mind would involve him in their big operations. If they did, he probably would’ve messed up by now and gotten himself killed.
Two more blocks and the car is still following me. My heart starts to race.
I hate this. Feeling like I’m not safe and having no control over it. Part of me wants to take off running, but I’m so close to my building. Surely, they’d see where I went anyways.
I look back at the car again. Who the hell is behind that glass?
For some reason, those grey eyes flash in my mind. I get this same feeling every time he watches us practice. It’s like a mixture of fear and exhilaration.
My feet speed up, but I’m not sure if I’m trying to outrun the car or my thoughts. Maybe both.
A couple minutes later, I reach my building. Without looking back, I enter and start walking up the stairs. I don’t want to know if it followed me all the way here or not. Ignorance is bliss.
My phone buzzes in my pocket as soon as I cross the threshold into my apartment. I pull it out to see a text from Alexi.
We’re going to Del Frisco’s instead.
I groan. Del Frisco’s is five times more expensive than Georgie’s, and I could barely afford Georgie’s. I text her back, a pit forming in my stomach.
I’m sorry, I just got a call from my grandma, I have to go help her with my brother.
Looks like I’m staying in again tonight.