Hailey's pov
I tugged at the hem of my uniform for the hundredth time, adjusting the pom-poms in my hands, feeling their weight like a tether to the chaos on the ice.
My ribs throbbed sharply every time I breathed too deeply..a lingering souvenir from yesterday’s brutal practice...but I pushed it down. Every second counted now. Every error, every whisper, every misstep was magnified in the semifinals.
Roy hovered nearby, eyes sharp, muscles taut even as he leaned close. His hand brushed against my shoulder lightly, grounding me.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured, voice low, thumb stroking the tension in my arm. “If it hurts, you step aside. I don’t care what anyone says.”
“I’m fine,” I whispered, though my chest heaved with the effort to stay steady. “I can do this. We can do this.”
He
