The Butterfly Effect

The problem with rewriting a story is the butterfly effect. You change one variable, and the universe compensates.

Maya sat in her bedroom, staring at the corkboard she had set up. She had mapped out the original plot of *Ice Cold Love* on index cards.

*Original Plot:*

1\. Bella dumps Liam.

2\. Liam plays angry against the **Westwood Warriors**.

3\. Liam gets injured.

4\. Westwood wins.

*New Plot:*

1\. Maya kisses Liam.

2\. Liam plays happy against Westwood.

3\. Liam scores a hat trick. Oakridge wins.

Maya smiled. Perfect.

Then she looked at the new bracket she had printed from the school website.

Because Oakridge won the Semi-Finals (which they were supposed to lose), they were now advancing to the State Championship.

Their opponent: **The Iron River Bashers.**

Maya’s blood ran cold. She remembered the Bashers. They were a footnote in the book—a team mentioned in the epilogue as "the butchers of the north." They were known for playing dirty. Their captain, a guy named "Tank" Tolin, had been suspended twice for checking from behind.

In the original book, Liam never played the Bashers because he was already in the hospital.

Now, because Maya had saved him, she was sending him straight into the lion's den.

"No," Maya whispered. "No, no, no."

She grabbed her phone and dialed Liam.

"Hey, beautiful," Liam answered on the first ring. "Ready for the pep rally?"

"You can't play tomorrow," Maya blurted out.

Silence. "What?"

"The Bashers," Maya said, pacing her room. "They're dangerous, Liam. I looked up their stats. They lead the league in penalty minutes. Tolin takes cheap shots."

"It's hockey, Bell," Liam laughed, though he sounded confused. "It's a physical game. I can take a hit."

"Not like this," Maya said, panic rising in her throat. She couldn't tell him *I read a book and you have a tragic destiny.* "I have a bad feeling. A really bad feeling. Like... a premonition."

"A premonition?" Liam’s voice cooled. "Bella, this is the State Championship. Scouts are coming. University of Minnesota is coming."

"Is a scholarship worth your knees?" Maya shouted. "Is it worth your ability to walk?"

"Why are you doing this?" Liam asked, frustration creeping in. "Monday you tell me to win, now you tell me to quit? Do you not believe in me?"

"I believe in you too much!" Maya cried. "That’s the problem! I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me," Liam said softly. "But I have to play. I'm the Captain. If I hide, who am I?"

Maya squeezed the phone. She knew that line. It was dialogue from the book, from the scene where he decided to go to rehab. He was growing. He was becoming the hero.

And she was trying to hold him back.

"Fine," Maya whispered, defeated. "But you promise me. You keep your head up. You watch your flank."

"I promise," Liam said. "I'll see you in the stands?"

"Always," Maya said.

She hung up. She looked at her corkboard.

She couldn't stop the game. So she had to change the odds.

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