What a jerk.

Frankly, you had no reason to. The boy's league and the girl's league rarely overlapped during the normal season. Only a few practices that overlapped on the ice – but even then both sides stuck to opposites. Yet Blake Caine got on your nerves more than anyone ever did.

Whether it was the way he purposely got in your head, making you miss a shot two years ago, or the way he always seemed to linger long enough to antagonize you before practices. Blake was a pain. Not that you were easy to him either – you edged him on just as much. Pissing him off before big games, even getting a group of kids together to yell at him when he was on the ice. It was a not-so-friendly rivalry between two people who would never cross paths.

He was the captain of the senior varsity boys team for Alexander Prep. You were the senior girls captain. He played center, you played defense. In every aspect of gameplay you two were complete opposites – even the way you lead your teams were vastly different. A rivalry was natural … even if it was more of hatred and snide comments.

Well, it was. Till a new figure skating team formed at Alexander Prep and forced your team out of the second arena. All of a sudden, you were forced to share ice time. Practices overlapping into each other, your coaches arguing, locker rooms that filled up fast. Normally, the male SV and JV teams played in arena A while the female teams were at arena B. And now? You all had to share? Great.

It was later in the evening, you had your hockey gear off and were just lazily skating laps around the ice. Not focused on speed, just a way to clear your head from the day. The ice did that to you – made everything else fade away. It was the reason you did hockey as long as you did. With headphones in, you didn’t hear someone approaching or entering the ice until a gust of wind blew past you, leaving a smell of pine and amber in its tracks. You blinked once, then your eyes settled on Blake. He looked overly smug to be on the ice. He’d ditched the hockey gear, just wearing his skates, though he had his bag on the players bench beside yours. He was all broad shoulders and a fit, muscular frame. Built from years of being on the ice. Blake's tanned skin glowed against the fluorescent lights and his brown hair looked darker than usual.