Ice Cold (PAUSED)

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞

When I haul myself out of my truck, my legs feel like they are on fire. I curse myself, because I didn't warm up before practicing, I just woke up and hopped straight to it, minus the obstacle on the ice that was April Jones. After she had left, I pushed myself harder than I thought I could at 7 in the morning, all to try and get the thought of her out of my head. I don't know what the fuck happened to me, but it's like a lock as shifted in my chest, and it isn't sitting right. Reluctantly, I put my AirPods in and walk in through the school's entrance.

Usually, I would find Tyler or Lucas and head somewhere busy before first period, but I'm way too tired. Instead, I walk through the hallway, pretending to be looking at something on my phone so that I don't have to interact with anyone. I reach my locker, but there isn't anything in it I need. So, I turn and lean up against it, now genuinely turning my attention to my phone. Three presses of buttons, and I find myself looking at April's Instagram. Frowning, I scroll through her feed. At first, it's just a bunch of photos of skates, her parents and Lou. However, I stop when I see a photo of Lorri and April. Lorri is stood beside a Zamboni, and April is sitting up on it, beaming at the camera. She's wearing sweats, which gives me the impression she wasn't there for skating. Her hair is loose across her shoulders, and her head is doing a slight inquisitive tilt. Lorri looks to be laughing, as though the photographer had said something funny.

"What you looking at, Beckett?"

I turn my phone off and slide it into my pocket in record time, my heart racing at the thought of being caught stalking April Jones' Instagram. Lucas leans up against his locker beside mine and smirks, amused. He's tall, blonde and on the slightly skinnier side, his skin fair. The girls loved him throughout our first years of High School, but he ruined it with his fuckboy reputation. I can't say much, but at least girls still talk to me.

"Nothing. Emails."

I respond with an unbothered shrug as I raise my hand, taking out my AirPods to put them back in their case. Lucas doesn't look convinced, but he carries on anyway, thank fuck.

"Right. You ready for Math?"

"Never. Did you do the assignment?"

"Only just. I had Cam give me answers, but I think he got them from someone else."

"Send them to me, yeah?"

We both begin walking, and Lucas nods, reaching for his phone to send me the document. I used to be really good with homework, but hockey's been taking up way too much of my time recently- I've got no clue how I'm supposed to catch up with these new morning sessions. Eventually, we reach our classroom. I have most of my classes with Tyler, but he's in a lower math class, so I just have Lucas, usually Cam (except he's off school today) and this other guy on the team, Jay. Me and Jay don't exactly get along, mostly because I know what he's like- manipulative as fuck.

"Yo- Blake, Lucas."

Jay nods to us as we sink into our usual seats at the back, and we nod back. Lucas greets him back, but I don't bother, as I'm busy quickly submitting my assignment. We're early, so we watch as the rest of the students fill into the room. Just when I think it's everyone, the door swings open, and two girls walk in. Shit.

Lou's wearing an outrageously bright pink jacket, and she's looking over her shoulder to talk to fucking April. How could I forget she's in this class? She's changed clothes since the rink, and is now wearing the same hoodie she was wearing on her Instagram. I cringe, hating that I remember it. Her hair is down like the photo, too. Except, as she's turned to face me I notice how thick and dark her lashes look in comparison to the photo. I blink. She looks beautiful. I blink again. She still looks beautiful. God. Why me? Why her?

She turns with her back to me in order to sit down beside Lou, and I sigh in relief now that I don't have to look at her. Then, she laughs at something her friend says, and it's angelic. NO! No- not angelic. It's the same as it's always been. Plain.

"Good morning, class."

The chattering dies down as our professor, Mr Thomas enters the room. He's a thin, wire-like man who looks much too old to still be teaching. His voice is scratchy and annoying, but I think it's helpful, because it keeps me from falling asleep listening to his lectures.

"I'd like you to continue working through the textbook as we did last class, then we'll go through the homework."

I glance towards Lucas hearing this, and he shrugs. I hope whoever Cam's source was is smart, because otherwise we're all fucked. Shifting in my seat, I try my best to look at anything but the back of Aprils's head. I eventually decide to actually do my work for once, reaching to get my textbook from my bag. Mr Thomas sits down at his desk and opens his thousand-year-old laptop, presumably to check our homework. I scrawl my answers to the textbook questions onto a piece of paper. Math, or any class, has never been difficult for me, but I tend to procrastinate with homework, which is why my grades have dropped.

"Louise Fletcher, April Jones, Cameron Wallace, Blake Beckett and Lucas Moore- would any of you care to explain why your homeworks are all the exact same?"

I freeze, and glance towards Lucas, who glances to Louise, who mouths 'Shit' at April. We are all
completely fucked, and I register we must've gotten our answers from one of the two girls. Lou speaks, sheepish and ashamed whilst the rest of the class look at each of us, amused.

"I let them copy mine, Sir."

"All of them?"

"Um, just April and Cam."

Jay is smirking, and I shoot him a glare. Perhaps I don't like him more than I think, because he does one small thing and I'm just as pissed off as Mr Thomas looks. I wince.

"Detention after school- for all of you. Cam will have to serve his another day."

All four of us audibly groan, and I see Lucas hurriedly texting Cam from beneath his desk. The class results into snickers. This is bad, because my parents will freak, especially after my dad's lecture yesterday. I probably won't make practice- none of us will. April has sunk considerably further into her seat, her gaze apologetic as she looks towards Lou. I feel like an idiot, because I didn't think to change up my answers before submitting the task. In my defence, I didn't submit it until a minute before the class began. Sitting there in my seat, annoyed, I realise something.

Another hour with April. Shoot me now.