𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

"i lied because he's in love!"

Rowan's hands shook violently as she applied her makeup. The late morning wind blew through the open window. It was nowhere near cold, but chills ran up and down her spine constantly -- it must have been the nerves.

She always got tense when it came to competitions. It didn't seem to matter how many years she had been stepping out onto the ice, each time felt as if it was the first, and that she was unqualified to be where she was. Rowan often had to rely on muscle memory when performing. She knew if she were to stop for even the slightest second, her body would freeze and stress over what was to follow. The girl could only pray that gravity would be on her side that day.

Everything felt obscure as she walked down to the lobby. The voices around her sounded muffled -- she knew they were talking, but couldn't place exactly what they were saying. Every little thing seemed to be moving strangely, either wickedly fast, or painfully slow -- never a middle ground. That was until she saw Adam, and suddenly all things aligned, letting her grasp reality once again.

"Hey," The boy whispered as she approached him.

"Hi," Rowan quietly replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Absolutely terrified, and yourself?"

"A little nervous, but excited to see you," Adam answered.

"Rowan, the bus leaves in 5," Matt said, passing by the two.

She nodded her head in understanding before turning back to face Adam with a fearful look.

"Hey, things are gonna be okay. You're already a hockey champion. Let's make it 2 for 2, right?" He immediately spoke, slipping his hand into hers.

"2 for 2," Rowan repeated, accompanied by a fragile smile on her face.

The newly crowned USA Ducks filled the front rows of the stadium as they waited patiently for their friends to take the ice. Adam, for one, couldn't control the way his leg bounced up and down rapidly. As usual, he found himself toying with the thin bracelet that rested around his wrist. The team clapped respectfully before and after each performance, growing more and more restless by the second.

"Adam, stop spazzing your leg. She'll be out soon," Connie whispered, slapping his knee.

"How long does this seriously take? There's really only like 6 countr-" He began to complain, stopping at the sound of Rowan's number getting called.

Immediately, the entire group jumped out of their seats to stand and cheer loudly. She looked their way, sending a small smile towards the hockey players.

It became routine that just as the music would start, Rowan's mind would stop -- leaving her to only focus on her sequence, completely blocking everything else from existence.

Unhesitatingly, she let her skates slide across the ice, bringing her into a change-foot spin combination. She gracefully drifted out of the skill, only to be brought into a cherry flip a few seconds after. The next two minutes of the routine passed by with ease, leaving only an axel jump and biellmann spin to be showcased. Rowan approached her axel while pulling her arms tightly into her body. She spun in the air before elegantly landing on the blade of her skate. The girl smoothly flowed back to center ice where she brought the end of her skate up, turning swiftly -- perfecting the biellmann spin Coach Smith had been tweaking for weeks. The rotation slowed as the music closed out and the crowd irrupted into applause.