The Search For Shattered Pieces *Complete*

Chapter Thirty-Four: Dancing in the Dark

Lyra:

I'd gone out of my way to avoid the brothers for the rest of the week.  My body had gone through the motions, but my head, that was an entirely separate matter.  I couldn't stop thinking about them.  I replayed the last time we were all together over and over in my head until I was even seeing them in my sleep, in my dreams.  There was no getting over them, getting over what they had said to me.  They'd admitted to loving me.  All of them.  Holy shit!

Did I love them?  Did I love all of them? And what did I know about love in the first place.  I'd loved my mother with my entire heart and she'd left me.  I put myself out there for my father and that had been an epic fail.  These guys had the chance to shatter me completely.  And I was afraid I'd never be able to pick the pieces up again.

   "Lyra.  That was so close, but you're not concentrating." Coach Rancic's voice rings out and brings me back to the present.

   Shit.  She was right.  My mind was a mess and I wasn't thinking about skating at all.  Was this love?

   "I'm sorry, Coach." I say. 

   "Don't be sorry," she replies.  "Just get your head on straight.  Listen why don't you put on whatever you'd like and free skate for a bit."

   "I'm sorry, what?"

   "Free skate for a bit.  It will loosen you up."

   That was it? She wasn't going to insist I do it again and again until I got it perfect?  I quickly put on Avril Lavigne's 'Head Above Water," and begin to skate.  This was perfect.  I felt the ice as if it was an extension of me.  I was connected completely to the ice and the ice was connected to me.  I felt free, and in control.  I know what's coming next.  I throw myself up and I'm off.  I feel the rotations and come down with a perfect landing and then stop, stunned.  I'd done it.  I'd completed a quad.  Oh my God.  I'd completed a quad.

   "Lyra, Lyra,  that was beautiful, perfect." Coach Rancic is suddenly there hugging me.  I stiffen for a minute before letting myself relax in her hold.  "You did it."

   "I did it."  I say still stunned.  "Again?" I say

   "No."

   "But..."

   "We leave on a high note, Lyra.  You landed a quad, do you know how big a deal that this"

   I did.  "I could—"

   "No.  It's late enough.  You've skated beautifully.  You were distracted yes, but you still skated beautifully, and that quad, oh Lyra, it was perfect.  We end practice for today on that quad."

   "Okay Coach."

   Coach Rancic gives me another hug and lets me go.  I got over and put my skate guards on and pull off my skates and slide into my dansko shoes.

   "Same time tomorrow?" Coach calls after me and I stop.  Tomorrow, oh no, no, this couldn't be happening to me.

   "Coach..." What would she do to me when she heard I had to skip out on practice.  "Tomorrow is my school's winter formal and I'm...I'm..."

   "You're going, oh course you are.  How silly of me to forget that Alastair Day has it's winter formal tomorrow.  Sunday then."

   "You're not mad?"

   She smiles, "Furious." She laughs.  "No Lyra, I'm not mad.  You still have a social life to attend to.  Go to the dance.  Have fun...not toooo much fun if you know what I mean.  And I'll see you Sunday."