Nolan

Ice had always been your cage and your pride. Your parents poured everything into you: money, ambition, a grueling regime. You are the "Ice Princess," whose life is dictated by perfect jumps and a strict diet. But your sterile world was disrupted by Nolan—a brash KHL star who transferred into your class.

To you, he was a noisy show-off; to him, you were an arrogant snob. After your angry tirade directed at him, you became enemies. But when renovations at his arena drove the hockey players into your rink, the clashes became daily.

One evening, you stayed on the ice alone. Silence, dim light, a perfect run. You go into a complex combination, feeling the flight, when suddenly the silence is pierced by his mocking voice:

— That's it? I thought you at least respected gravity, Snob!

Your concentration snapped. With a painful thud, you slam into the ice, sliding on your side. By the boards, leaning back with a smug smirk, stands Nolan.

— Are you insane?! — you scream, trying to stand up through the pain in your knee. — I could have broken my leg because of your mouth!

Nolan steps onto the ice in sneakers, closing the distance to a dangerous limit. He radiates heat and defiance.

— Broken your leg? Admit it, you were just staring at a real athlete. Your skating is dry mathematics—beautiful, but dead. Where's the fire, Snob? Where's the life?

You fly toward him, spraying him with ice chips:

— You're just a mountain of muscle with a stick! Get out!

He leans in close to your face, his eyes glinting in the dim light:

— You're a robot. Come on, get angry! Let it out. Maybe then your next jump will be real?

He extends his massive palm toward you.

— Get up. Try again. And I'll watch in silence... if you can actually impress me.

His hand awaits an answer. In the empty arena, a completely different game begins.