Yelling at Viktor about hockey things was actually a lot more fun than I expected. And as a loud person in general, I expected it to be very fun.

"Do it again!" I shouted across the rink to Viktor. "Your pivots are sloppy."

"No, they're not. I feel like you just want me to die," Viktor sputtered. "Can we just call it a day?"

He was about half-right on that. "No. Shut up, or I'll make you do five million suicides."

He skated over to me and made sure to spray me with as much snow as possible when he stopped. "Please, Candy Cane, I need a break. My brain is going to explode."

I rolled my eyes and wiped the cold snow off of my face. "What a pity. Get back out there. You had enough energy to be an asshole, so it's obvious that you're just lazy."

"Can you at least explain what exactly I'm doing wrong?"

"When you're turning, it looks almost like a U, rather than a clean pivot. Go to the marker and turn at it, not around it. Make sense?"

Viktor looked at me blankly.

"Oh my god, you're so dumb. Isn't this supposed to be your domain, not mine? What aren't you getting?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, I got it. It's just that this isn't helping anything."

"Why don't you shut up and do what I say? It's getting your heart rate up, and you need to work on your explosiveness because from what I've seen, you're nothing special."

How did I not come up with this idea sooner? I had a free pass to say whatever the hell I thought about him. What a goddamn life I was living.

He lowered his eyebrows. "I haven't played in a while, Candy Cane."

"We'll get to the fun stuff once you prove to me that you aren't worthless, so stop with the excuses. I don't know who let you get away with them up until now, but I won't. You're skating like a baby duck with its head cut off," I said.

He turned away from me, then went back to the drill we set up.

"I need a whistle or something. Go!" I yelled.

This time, his strides were more powerful, like determination filled his skates. At each marker, he exploded out of his turn like a bullet.

I smirked to myself. I found a way to manipulate him: question his ability.

3. I like it when you shut up and do what I tell you.

He trudged back over to me once he was finished, breathing heavily. "How was that?"

I shrugged. "Well, you tried, at least."

Damn, I was good.

"Uh, yeah, I tried. Was that good?" Viktor said.

"It was good for the JV team, sure," I said.

"JV? What even is that?"

"Junior varsity. That's where they put all the guys who suck at hockey."

He shook his head and hunched over. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"I didn't think you'd catch on to my assassination attempt so quickly. I'll try to kill you again tomorrow after school."

He looked at me. "Again? I don't even want to know what you have in mind for tomorrow. I have a feeling you might actually try to kill me. Americans are weird like that."

I smiled.

4. Pro tip from Viktor: Trust no one. Not even your best friend's sister who hates your guts. Especially not her.

***

After Viktor and I made a point of heading back inside the house separately and unsuspiciously, Mom greeted me.

"How was your day, honey?" she asked.

"It was good. I got a B on my Spanish quiz from last week," I replied.

"Is that the one you thought you failed?" she asked.

"Yep, so I'm pretty happy." I opened the fridge and grabbed a container of yogurt.

"I'm happy you got away with it this time, but you really need to try harder in Spanish."

I got a spoon from the silverware drawer and shut it with my hip. "I really should, but it's just a difficult class for me. Nothing I can't survive, though."

"I know you won't fail, but the competition you have going into college is stiff. If you want to get any attention from colleges..." She trailed off. She didn't need to continue. I already knew.

"I'll try my best. Or should I say, bueno-est."

I had no idea how to say best in Spanish, but I hoped she wouldn't notice.

I dared Spanish to come at me with its best shot, and it did. It hit me like a truck, and I didn't have the motivation or the time to get out of the way. With completing ACT prep, writing English papers from hell, and constructing the perfect arguments to destroy anyone who disagreed with me during debates in government class, my hands were full. In my mind, a lower grade in Spanish class was a minor loss compared to English, chemistry, or calculus.

"So how far are you on your list?" Mom asked.

I looked up at her. "What list?"

"The list of things you like about Viktor."

"Oh, yeah. I'm having a hard time with it so far. I think I have four done."

"Do you know what that tells me?"

I bit my lip. "I'm not sure I want to know."

She shook her head. "You need to let whatever anger you have toward him go."

"That's not my problem. He's more than welcome to stop being an idiot."

"What has he done recently that makes him an idiot?"

I searched my brain for a moment, but I must have been really tired because I couldn't come up with a reason, so I didn't respond.

Mom nodded. "Well, you'll either figure it out, or you won't."

"Figure what out?"

"You'll figure it out." And with that, she walked away.

I hated when she did that.

***

A week of after-school practices flew by, and I wasn't sure if Viktor hated me for the hell I put him through or if he enjoyed getting back to his hockey roots. After I admonished him for his excuses, the only reason he talked to me during our training sessions was to ask for clarification and feedback.

I didn't mind. The less I had to hear that accent, the better.

The following Monday, we were both in math class, learning about derivatives. Even through our arguments, he still sat to my right every day. Lukas was still on my left, and while he spoke to me regularly, he rarely said anything to Viktor.

"Do you have any idea what's going on right now?" Viktor whispered to me.

I looked over at his notebook. It seemed he copied down what Miss Harter said fairly well, but after nearly every step of the problem, he scribbled down question marks.

"Yeah, what's up?" I said.

He sighed. "I have no idea what she's even talking about."

"Just fake it for now. I'll explain it to you later."

His eyes widened. "Really? Thanks."

I rose my finger. "If you help me with my Spanish."

Miss Harter looked up from her teaching. "Please stop talking. It's rude to the rest of the class."

Viktor mumbled an apology, and I bowed my head.

I admired her. She didn't take anyone's shit, and even though that meant that I couldn't really get away with much in her class, we got a lot done each period.

She went back to her lesson, focusing on the problem presented. Every step she took to solve it was methodical, almost like she had memorized its solution and the most efficient way to find it. While that wasn't the case since every problem was different, her demeanor was calm and knowledgeable.

It almost frustrated me that Viktor couldn't follow her.

After another half an hour, the bell rang to signal the end of the day.

"Amanda, can I talk to you for a second?" Lukas asked before I had the chance to escape.

I looked at Viktor. "I'll meet you at your locker. Try not to get lost."

"I know where I'm going now, Candy Cane," Viktor said, then left the classroom.

I then turned back to Lukas. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm certain you already know. You're cracking," Lukas said.

I turned my head to the side. "I don't know what you're talk–"

"Yes, you do. Viktor's getting to you. You're different with him now. It's not cool."

I crossed my arms. "I'm really not, and even if I was, how does that affect you?"

He shook his head. "You're stronger than his foreign charm. Look, I like you, and he's not good for you."

"I know that. I can't stand him, but–"

"You know I'm right."

I crossed my arms. "If you would stop interrupting and just listen to me, that'd be great."

He put his hands on his hips. "Proceed."

I bit my cheek. "I've made a deal with the devil, in a sense. He's getting me something I want, and I'm helping him with something he wants. That's it."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I don't understand why–"

"It's not about me. It's about you and Viktor."

I didn't say anything about Lukas then. "Interrupt me one more time, and I'll kick your fucking ass."

"Amanda, could you threaten him with more school-appropriate language?" Miss Harter said. I had forgotten she was still in the classroom. Whoops.

I let out a sigh. "Interrupt me one more time, and I'll kick your freaking butt."

Well, now I just sounded ridiculous.

Lukas continued. "Just stay strong, Amanda. That's all I ask. And if he does anything, let me know."

"I will."

I still didn't understand what Lukas had against Viktor, but he was adamant that there was some problem that only we could see. I felt a wave of determination run over me to find out what exactly this problem was.

***

I met up with Viktor at his locker, and we walked to the front doors together from there. Madison High School wasn't nearly as trashy as some public schools, but we still had garbage cans and buckets in the hallway to collect rain that snuck through the roof. And when the Minnesota winter hit, the heating system wouldn't work sometimes, so school had to be canceled. Tragic.

"So where exactly did you tell Matt you'll be?" I asked him as we walked to my car.

"Tutoring for math, since you wouldn't help me," Viktor replied.

"Do we have a liar in the making over here?" I unlocked the car and climbed in the driver's seat. The arena was not too far away from the school, only a three-minute drive.

"It's not a lie. It's for a surprise."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Neither one of us spoke as I turned on the car and music began to play. I always kept the radio on the same station, much to Blaine's dismay. I smiled.

"Don't you feel bad about this? Lying to Matt?" Viktor asked.

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised. "I thought it wasn't a lie."

"I don't know, I just feel bad."

I didn't answer right away.

Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe Viktor never meant to hurt anyone, thus hurting me. He seemed to care more about the effect of the secrecy of our exchanges more than I did, but I couldn't shake Lukas's words from weeks before.

Maybe if you had more information, you'd agree with Amanda and me.

I needed to know what he was talking about. Just one piece of evidence and everyone would see I was right about him all along. Blaine, Matt, Eleanor, Mom, they'd all see.

The problem was that I wasn't sure if this evidence existed.

We got to the arena, and he took out all of his hockey equipment from the trunk.

"Hey, can we take it easy today?" Viktor rubbed his eyes.

I nodded. "Sure. I just had shooting drills planned today. I really want to get your passing where it needs to be, but I can't help you with that really. I can't even skate."

"It's not hard. If I can do it, so can you."

"I've never really tried. Hockey is Matt's thing, and I just like to support him. He always supports me."

"What are your hobbies, besides being pissed off all the time?"

I shot him a glare.

He smiled. "It was a joke."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Well, I like to bake, read, pretend I'm being productive, you know."

"That's cool. Can you make some cupcakes when we get home? It's a big night for you, Matt, and me."

"That's right. It's the season opener for the Wild tonight, against Chicago I think."

He nodded.

I gasped. "I forgot you like the Blackhawks."

"Yeah. It'll be a good game. I'm excited."

I smiled. How would I decorate the cupcakes? I wanted to write a letter of Chicago Sucks on each one, but I decided against it.

"When are your tryouts?" I asked.

"They're in a few weeks. I'm not really worried though. It might be a little bit arrogant of me, but I know I'll do well," Viktor said.

"Confidence and arrogance are completely different."

"I guess. But thank you for doing this. I can't wait for the season to start."

I looked away from him. "It's not for you. It's for Matt. And if anyone asks, I had absolutely nothing to do with your sudden change of heart. You can't tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them to jump to any conclusions."

"I understand that it's kind of a surprise for Matt, but why don't you tell Arti and Blaine? You shouldn't keep something that seems so minor from them."

I set down the bag of pucks I had been carrying by the bench. What was I supposed to say?

Hey Arti, I know that I kinda ruined your relationship with your ex-boyfriend, but I'm helping him for no other reason but to make my brother happy. Yeah, that would go over well.

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Hello, and thank you so much for reading! Once again, I'm sorry this rewrite took me a long time, but it needed some work, and I'm still not sure that I'm happy with it. But let's be honest, is anything ever good enough?

So do you think Amanda and Viktor are on the right path, or is this only going to make things worse? What about Lukas?