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Everyone knew my sister was a Swiftie. She used to blast her Taylor Swift CDs through the rink speakers every time she got a chance to control the stereo.
“Couple weeks ago,” I grumbled.
“Sorry,” she called out just as I was reaching for the locker room door. I paused to hear her out, even though I was still slightly embarrassed. “I’m just a little shooken up. My brain is already spiraling about Jacques. Now I’ll have to start back at square one again,” she said quietly.
I immediately felt dumb for bringing up our drama when she was dealing with her own professional shit here in the rink.
I nodded. “We’ll talk soon.”
She gave me a small, earnest smile. “I’d like that, Duke. And…”
I looked back at her.
“Thank you.”
18.Claire
On the Fourth of July, the rink was technically closed, but because of an extenuating circumstance, I convinced my dad to give me the keys to the Ice League. The circumstance: my twenty-fourth birthday.
I walked into the dimly lit rink and felt a giddy bubble of excitement rise in my chest over getting the ice completely to myself.
I didn’t bother heading back to the locker room to get ready because I didn’t need the privacy; I was already alone, and it was glorious. I quickly laced up my skates on the rubber covered picnic tables in the lobby, then walked into the cold, dimly lit rink.
It’s not that I didn’t know how to turn on all the bright lights, it’s just that I preferred to skate with only the backup generator lights on– because then it felt like I had a spotlight and it reminded me of ice show skating. Ice shows were exactly what they sounded like– an annual time to show off for family and friends. And the Ice League always went all out for ice shows– we always had the best themes, the best costumes, and the best routines. It was the only time of year that all us girls in the rink got along because there were no results at the end; we weren’t competing against each other for once, we were just skating for fun.
I was actually pretty sad I missed the ice show this past April. Addie never skated for herself anymore, but she did always come back into the rink in the spring to help out with the show. This past year’s theme was ‘A Trip to the Movies,’ and Addie choreographed a program for five-year-olds to the Top Gun theme song.
Maybe I’d be able to stick around here long enough to be in next year’s show if I could figure out a partner situation that allowed me to train here. I just needed to stay focused and keep manifesting the perfect partner.
I skate ran onto the ice and then smoothed into long strides, listening to my edges cut deeply into the clean surface.
After warming up with a couple laps in silence, I hoisted myself up on the boards and swung my legs around to enter the teambox. I made my way to the timekeeper’s box where the stereo was located and turned on my favorite playlist. I had it down to a science: I needed girl-power pop tunes for jumping, then the playlist kind of mellowed out into more soul songs for practicing my spins, footwork, and spiral sequences.
Today’s practice was just one of those days where I felt on top of the world. I started with single jumps, then moved to doubles, then practiced all my triple jumps with ease. It was amazing how much more energy I had and how much more powerful I felt when I didn’t have to work the kiddie camp all day before practicing.
After running through my spins, I skated a lap with my hands clasped together behind my neck. I did this to fully open my lungs and breathe in the cold air. It helped me relax before leaving the rink for the day.
When I pushed the doors to the lobby open, I was a little surprised to see that the lights were turned on and that Benny’s, the diner, was open today.
After unlacing my skates and drying off my blades, I loaded everything into my skate bag and strolled to Benny’s to see that it was completely empty besides Paige behind the bar and her little three-year-old son, Frankie, sitting on the bar drawing pictures with crayons.
“Hi!” I called out.
Paige jumped a little like I freaked her out, then placed a hand on her chest and laughed. “Hey Claire. How’s it going?” She did a double take as I walked closer. “Love the hair, girlie!”
I smiled my thanks as I walked closer to the bar. After the whole Jacques fiasco, I took a personal day away from the rink. But I regretted that decision about an hour into my day. I was never one to sit still for too long because that usually caused me to overthink myself into a bad mood. I ended up popping off our couch and taking a walk all the way to Northfield’s cute downtown. The only two shops that happened to be open that early in the day were a Starbucks and a hair salon. So, with a rapidly melting frappuccino in hand, I decided I needed a change. I spent the rest of my morning adding caramel and blonde highlights to my hair, thinking maybe I’d transition back to my blonde roots soon. I would never admit it aloud, but I was maybe alittlemotivated by hearing Duke’s voice in the back of my mind saying, “But you were my kind of blonde.” That comment made my heart flop around pathetically in my chest.
Paige reached for her son sitting on the bar. “Ope, gotta get you off of here, buddy.”
“Not on account of me I hope,” I said, pulling a bar chair out for myself. “Actually, I think my Benny’s experience would be better if I could have a one of a kind Frankie picture.” I smiled at the two of them. Frankie looked like a perfect little blend of his parents. He had Max’s dark hair, but Paige’s bright blue eyes and wide smile. He was definitely going to be a heartbreaker one day.
Paige tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears. “You sure?”
“Definitely. He looks comfy right where he is,” I told her as I took a seat. “I’m surprised you guys are open today.”
“Yeah, we figured why not because we’re cleaning the back anyways.” She nodded over her shoulder. I peeked around to see Max stacking cardboard boxes in the long hall that led to their office.
“Hi Max!” I called back to him.
