ON THE ICE

HU: The rink falls silent, and I immediately regret my action. Worse, I have no explanation to give Caspian for why I yelled at him that way. All eyes shift to me, but my focus stays locked on Caspian. His brows shoot up, and Ginger stiffens in his arms. A second passes, then another, before he tilts his head and lets out a chuckle. "Damn, Hu. I didn't know I was disrupting a dictatorship." He tries to make a lighthearted joke, and I immediately understand that he thinks I'm having one of my episodes, but this isn't it. Some students murmur as my grip tightens around my hockey stick, my jaw aching from how hard I'm clenching it. "As I was saying!" I raise my voice, further solidifying his suspicions. The rink falls silent again. "We're starting with drills. Speed laps first. If you can't keep up, don't bother showing up next time!" Caspian shakes his head at me, silently disapproving of my behavior, but I don't care. My eyes find Ginger, whose lips press together like she's biting back