Page 3 of The Fall

“Hey,” Max whispers. “Don’t freak out. We’ll figure this out.”

“He can’t be our coach, Max. He can’t.”

He stops walking and pulls me into his chest for a hug. “We’ve got this, Sav. Don’t worry, ok? This will only make us stronger.”

“What if he ruins our chances for the Olympics again?” I mumble into his chest, trying really hard not to cry.

Going to the Olympics has always been my dream. Winning a medal would be great, but I’d be happy with just competing. I was so close in the last Olympics. So. Damn. Close. Until Logan Sokolov ruined everything.

“He can’t do that if he’s our coach. It would only look bad for him. Plus, he’s been to the Olympics and won multiple times. Who better to coach us?”

“Tati has also been to the Olympics and won,” I counter.

“Well, Coach Tati isn’t an option. Remember, she’s not leaving us for good. She’ll be overseeing Logan, so if we have any issues, we can go to her.”

I pull back slightly so I can look up at him. “I don’t know how you can be so positive all the time.”

He chuckles and leans down to kiss my forehead. “Because I know we have what it takes. It doesn’t matter who is coaching us. We’re winners, and we’re going to win.”

His words help me relax a little. “You’re right.”

“Now, keep your head up and let’s go into this knowing that we’re going to come out on top.”

I nod. He releases me from the embrace and ushers me into the room where Coach Tati and Logan are sitting at a small table talking.

Max and I take our seats across from them, and I notice Logan’s eyes focus on Max’s hand resting on my leg before he looks back to Coach Tati. He’s judging us already.

Tati is talking about our current training schedule, going over when we meet with which coaches and a bunch of other things that I zone out on because I’m too focused on the man across from me. He hasn’t said much, but I can see his jaw clench several times throughout the conversation. His knee bounces incessantly, and he runs his hand through his dark hair several times.

He’s uncomfortable, and I hope it’s because he can feel me glaring at him.

Fine then. If he’s going to be our coach, I’m not going to make it easy on him.

TWO

LOGAN

This woman hates me, and I have no idea why.

I’m used to people not liking me. Not to sound like a complete asshole, but it comes with being at the top of your sport. People either openly despise you out of jealousy or they pretend to like you to use your connections. It’s never bothered me before.

Savannah DuPont is looking at me like she would hurl sharp knives at my head if she had the option. This could be a problem, considering I’m her new coach.

I retired from skating at the end of last season and had a tough decision to make. I went against what everyone was telling me to do, but I knew it was best for me. I knew I was leaving Chicago and coming to Colorado. There was no way I was letting my mother move without me, no matter how much she told me not to worry about her. I’ll always worry about her. She’s all I have.

Leaving Chicago meant leaving my coach and my partner. I wasn’t willing to start over with a new partner, and I’ve done my time in the sport and on the ice. Now it’s my time to be the son my mom needs.

I retired on a high. The announcement surprised a hell of a lot of people, especially since I provided no explanation for it other than that I felt like it was time. My partner, Cassandra, was livid. She hasn’t talked to me since.

Thankfully, my mom was able to pull some strings with Tati. They used to be in the same skating circles back in their day. Tati was contemplating stepping back from coaching, and my showing up gave her the ability to do that.

I’ve never coached a day in my life, but I have been coached for over twenty years now, so I’ve picked up a thing or two. I know how to work hard, and I know how to win.

Tati hired me after a half-hour video “interview” that felt more like a catch-up phone call than anything else. She gave me the job and told me she would be assigning me to a few beginner skaters but also her most capable ice dance pair.

“They’ve just got it,” she told me. “They’re so close. We just need to give them a little extra push.”

Tati told me their names. I said them repeatedly to myself to remember them, but I never took the time to look them up. I haven’t reviewed any of their previous performances or read any critiques.