Page 6 of Ice Rebel

Hudson leaned in, howling once again, which caused a chain reaction of a few other players doing the same thing. They thought it was funny as hell.

Jagger certainly didn’t. His entire face conveyed a level of fury he usually reserved for the ice and as soon as he ripped off his clothes, he slammed the locker door with so much firepower the building shook.

Not really, but there wasn’t a single guy in the locker room who hadn’t been warned to stay the hell away from Jagger.

Fine by me.

If there was anything I couldn’t stand, it was a pompous jerk.

Even if that could include myself. With a wry smile on my face, I shucked off the remainder of my clothes and headed for the shower.

Yeah, it was definitely time for a drink.

CHAPTER 2

Chelsea

“How did it go?”

As soon as I walked in, I flopped down on the couch and tossed my purse onto the floor. With a heavy groan, I shoved my face into my hands, more flustered than I’d been in a long time. I even kicked my legs due to the heavy frustration.

Some kind of heavy rock music was playing in the background, my roommate’s favorite. At least the choice would drown out my angry, thudding heartbeat.

Samantha laughed. “That good, huh?”

“Let’s see,” I moaned, the sound muffled. Finally, I dropped my hands and stared at my roommate. “The music didn’t start on time, which meant I had to start singing acapella. The key wasn’t what I’d asked for. It ended up being much higher than I’d intended on singing, which meant by the high notes, my voice sounded like a cat screeching in the wild. All in all, not bad.”

Her smile was way too cocky. But at least she’d prepared for my homecoming by having a second glass by the bottle of already opened wine.

Red wine so I could drown my sorrows in cheap merlot.

After pouring a glass, she brought it to me, her eyebrows knitted together. “Let’s see if I can translate. You were phenomenal and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Soon you’ll have your phone ringing, the coach and everyone involved begging you to return so poor Ralph is given his pink slip once and for all. How did I do?”

I snagged the glass from her hand, offering a dirty look. “Very funny. I was terrible.”

“I’ve heard you sing and know better. Why are you so hard on yourself?”

“Because I’m not a singer!”

“Oh, really.” Samantha was forever dramatic, always funny, and usually up for anything no matter how ridiculous the suggestion. I’d learned all that in only two weeks. She sashayed closer and tossed her hair behind her shoulder with such flair, I was fearful she’d strain her neck. “I guess that’s why you were in every singing club on college campus. Right?”

When she cawed exactly like a crow, even flapping her arms like wings, I groaned and pounded my fist on the sofa. “That was different. It was for the plays I was in.”

“Oh, come on. How so? You have a fantastic voice. I thought it would be good exposure for your budding career and my guess is you knocked it out of the park. You had a rare night off, so I took advantage of it.”

While my main focus was on the small dance theater in town, the choreographed and highly stylish interpretations that went way beyond modern dance were the most creative thing I’d ever done, the pittance I made for a couple of performances a month certainly didn’t pay the bills.

But being a part of the dance and entertainment scene, being allowed more freedom of expression in working with some amazing teachers would improve my chances of being accepted into the repertoire of a fabulous dance company anywhere else but here. Hopefully far, far away.

I had to pay my dues first and if that included catching a few side gigs, then I should be grateful.

Thank God, I’d sung the national anthem at a regional high school softball game earlier in the year. Hey, you had to make money however you could.

“I don’t know if all my hard work will pay off. I’m getting too old to dance.”

She had a way of teasing me with a single roll of her eyes. While we didn’t know each other well, in the two weeks since I’d moved in, I’d already come to realize we would soon be fast friends. “Please. I remember seeing you in a Moonlight Promenade a few months ago. You were amazing.”

I snapped my head in her direction. “You saw that? I think maybe sixteen people were in the audience.” A final performance for the graduating seniors. We’d been allowed to select our own music and choreograph our own piece. It had been an amazing moment.