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I stand up straighter, mentally preparing myself for battle. "It's all good," I state firmly. Nice, I'm getting better at this talking-to-strangers thing.
Leia clears her throat, drawing our attention to her. "Are you good here?" She directs the question at me. I nod and smile, signaling that I can handle whatever's about to happen on my own. She skeptically nods back at me before slowly making her way out of the tunnel.
Getting right to the point, Lincoln asks, "Why didn't you just tell me you knew the coach instead of allowing me to think you were doing something wrong?"
He looks fed up with me. Talk about mood swings. The intensity of his stare makes me panic. Is it wrong that I hope he looks at everyone like he wants to dump them in a trash can? I have a terrible feeling that this specific look is reserved only for me.
"I, uh..."
Okay, not so good at this talking-to-a-stranger thing. Lincoln reaches up and pulls at his hair. "Forget it. Why can't you just talk like a normal person!"
Okay, he's furious, and he probably spoke out of anger. But that doesn't mean his words didn't hurt. They did. Badly. That was an insulting thing to say. Can't he see that I'm nervous? Why would anyone want to act like I do? I can't help it, and I'm working on it.
I can feel the tell-tale signs of tears forming behind my eyes, but I really don't want to cry in front of him. He jolts forward and grabs my wrist. "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just frustrated with—"
Before he can finish, I yank my hand out of his grip and turn on my heel, walking as fast as I can away from him and his hurtful words. I don't look back as I race off to find Leia. One thing I'm not going to do is stand there and let a man talk that way to me. My brother would kill me if he found out I wasn't standing up for myself. I did the best I could and walked away. I wish he had given me a second to collect myself, and then I would have been able to answer his questions. Does he not think that he might be a tad bit intimidating? He saw me hiding under a table, so what would make him believe that I would take well to his degrading tone?
I've spent my whole life as my parents' metaphorical punching bag. I don't need to surround myself with other people who are going to treat me poorly. All I know is I don't think I'm going to be thinking much about Lincoln anymore.
I'm in a haze as I make my way toward the bleachers where Leia is putting on her skates. She must sense someone approaching because she looks up at me instantly. I hate that I have to run to her every time I feel panicked, but she always knows how to make me feel better. Leia stops tying her skates and immediately stands up to pull me into a hug. "What happened, babe?"
"I know I'm not too good at talking to new people, but it's awful around him, and he..."
"Did he say something?" She asks, finishing my thought for me.
"Yeah, but I don't want to repeat it."
Leia nods in understanding. "You don't have to. He's a shithead, do what you're good at, forgiving and forgetting."
"I'm starting to think some people don't deserve my forgiveness."
For example, my parents. I might be a masochist because I'm unsure if I will ever be able to lose hope when it comes to my parents. Leia squeezes me tighter. "No, they don't. You're way too sweet to all the idiots in your life."
I can't help but laugh. "Like you?" I ask, feeling lighter already.
"You wish I was an idiot! I see right through you." She narrows her eyes at me for dramatic effect. It's super scary, but she knows what I'm thinking before I even know what I'm thinking. That's some real best-friend stuff right there.
"I see right through you too." In a lofty voice, she tells me, "If thinking that makes you sleep better at night, then I totally agree."
I shove her off of me. "Whatever. I just want to skate and get this thing over with. Somehow, he has ruined one of my favorite activities in the world." I bend down to grab my skates out of Leia's bag and take a seat on the bench to start the process of lacing up. Leia plops down next to me and continues lacing her own skates up as well.
"Don't let a loser get you down!" She shouts before standing up and wobbling on her skates before quickly finding her balance.
I finish tying my laces before leaning back up and slapping my hands on my thighs. "He is literally the furthest thing from a loser."
I extend my hands toward her, and Leia grasps them firmly, helping me back onto my feet. "Would it kill you to pretend once in a while?" Leia chastises me, while I steady myself. I place my hands on my hips before scanning the area.
"It just might," I mumble under my breath, checking that the area is safe before I take Leia's hand and guide us towards the ice. Our fingers interlace, and she swings our joined hands playfully.
"Let's put it behind us. You've got bigger and better things ahead," she promises..
She is such a glass-half-full type of person. Her eternal optimism is a complete contradiction of her personality, but it's what makes her so amazing. Leia has a rough exterior but cracks her open, and sunshine would spill out. I give her a squeeze as she tugs me onto the ice after her. I'm a tad overwhelmed by everything that just happened, and add in forty children; I'm lucky I've held up so well. But the universe always has a way of putting me in my place.
Two little boys crash into me, causing me to hit the ice with a thud. They both scramble up and race away before I can even process that I got knocked to the ground. I stay sprawled out on the ice, ignoring the pain shooting through my lower back. My eyes find Leia's. She has her lips rolled in, trying to hold in her laughter.
I groan, "Don't do it." I watch in pain from the ground as she throws her head back and laughs. Her short, dark hair swishes as her body shakes with amusement.
Can this day go any more sideways?
