Damien's POV
I grabbed my knee and screamed.
The sound echoed through the arena, bouncing off the walls like a basketball. It wasn't hard to fake the pain. My knee really did hurt. Just not as much as I was pretending.
Mira crashed onto the ice behind me. The thud made my stomach twist into a knot
Don't look at her, I told myself. If you look at her, you'll tell the truth.
But I couldn't help it. I turned my head.
Mira was sliding across the ice, her arms reaching out to stop herself. When she finally stopped moving, she just lay there for a second. Then she pushed herself up and looked at me.
The expression on her face made me want to throw up.
She looked scared. Worried. Not about herself. About me.
After what I just did to her, she was worried about ME.
"Damien!" She scrambled toward me on her hands and knees.
I wanted to tell her everything right then. I wanted to say: *Mira, I'm so sorry. I did this on purpose. I let go early. I ruined everything.
But then I saw Victoria.
She was standing at the edge of the rink, half-hidden behind some equipment. Nobody else could see her from where they were sitting. But I could.
She pressed one finger to her lips. A warning.
*Keep your mouth shut*, that gesture said. *Or else*.
Coach Maria dropped to her knees beside me. "Don't move. Where does it hurt?"
"My knee," I gasped. That part was true. When I'd dropped to the ice on purpose, I'd hit it harder than I meant to. "It just... it gave out. I don't know what happened."
Lie number one.
The medics ran onto the ice. Their shoes squeaked on the frozen surface.
"We need to get you to the hospital," one of them said.
"No." I tried to sit up. More acting. "We have to finish. We have to—"
"Damien, stop." Coach Maria put her hand on my shoulder. "It's over."
Over.
I'd done it. I'd destroyed everything Mira and I had worked for.
Everything we'd dreamed about since we were seven years old.
"I'm sorry." I looked at Mira, and the tears that came weren't fake anymore. They were real. So, so real. "Mira, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she said.
But it was. It was completely my fault.
The medics lifted me onto a stretcher. As they carried me off the ice, I caught one more glimpse of Victoria. She was smiling now. Actually smiling.
I hated her.
But not as much as I hated myself.
---
At the hospital, they did X-rays and tests. The doctor said I'd badly bruised my knee but nothing was broken.
"You got lucky," he told me. "Keep ice on it and rest for a few weeks. You should be fine."
Lucky. Right.
Mom and Dad sat beside my hospital bed. Mom kept patting my hand. Dad looked angry, but not at me. At the universe. At bad luck.
If only they knew.
"These things happen," Dad said. "You'll come back stronger next time."
There wouldn't be a next time. Not at the Olympics. I was seventeen. By the next Olympics, I'd be too old for pairs skating with Mira. We'd miss our only chance.
My phone buzzed. A text from Victoria: Good job. The money will be in your account tomorrow. Remember our deal. Tell anyone, and your sister pays the price.
I deleted the message fast, before Mom or Dad could see.
My sister. Emma. She was only twelve years old.
Victoria had photos of Emma walking home from school. Photos of her at the park with her friends. Photos of her in our backyard.
"I have people watching her," Victoria had told me three days ago. "Do what I say, or something bad might happen. Kids get hurt all the time. Accidents, you know?"
That wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
So when Victoria told me to drop Mira during our throw quad, I did it. Because protecting Emma was more important than the Olympics. More important than anything.
Even if it meant betraying my best friend.
The door opened. Mira walked in, still wearing her skating dress under her jacket.
Mom and Dad stood up. "We'll give you two some privacy," Mom said. They left the room.
Mira sat in the chair beside my bed. For a long moment, we didn't say anything.
"Does it hurt?" she finally asked.
"Not too bad." Another lie. I was getting good at those.
"The doctor said you'd be okay in a few weeks."
I nodded.
"So we could still practice. We could try for the Olympic trials next month."
Hope. I heard hope in her voice.
I had to kill that hope. Victoria had been very clear. Mira and I couldn't skate together anymore. Not ever.
"Mira, I don't think—"
"Someone sabotaged us." The words exploded out of her.
My heart stopped. "What?"
She leaned forward. "I talked to someone. They said someone put something in your water. Something that made your muscles cramp."
No. No, no, no. This was bad. If Mira started investigating, if she got too close to the truth, Victoria would hurt Emma.
"That's crazy," I said quickly. "It was an accident. My knee just gave out."
"But what if it wasn't?" Mira pulled out a water bottle. My water bottle. "This is yours, right? From tonight?"
How did she get that?
"Where did you get that?" I asked.
"Someone gave it to me. Someone who said they could help us." Mira's eyes were bright and excited. "Damien, what if we really were sabotaged? What if we can prove it? We might still have a chance at the Olympics!"
I had to stop this. Now.
"Mira, drop it." My voice came out harsher than I meant. "It was an accident. That's all. Just accept it and move on."
She looked hurt. "But—"
"I said drop it!" I almost yelled.
Mira stood up. She looked at me like I was a stranger.
"What's wrong with you?" she whispered.
Everything. Everything was wrong with me.
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at it.
Victoria: Your sister just left the library. Red backpack. Walking alone. It would be a shame if she didn't make it home safely
My blood turned to ice.