The session wraps up slowly, and I skate over to the side after thanking my coach. I have some time to kill before Annie, Em and Matt turn up. Exiting the ice, I decide that I really need some coffee if my friends are ever going to believe that I am not exhausted. I was up again last night, having managed to find myself in another nightmare. I walk up to the counter and order a cappuccino- reluctantly, as the girl there recognizes me since I am here every week. I hate ordering food. Sitting down at a small table, I settle in with my eyes on the door to watch for people arriving.
All I remember of the dream is screaming. It's ringing in my ears, even now. Who was it? Frustrated, I give up trying to figure it out. I know who it was, but I just can't for the life of me remember. I watch as the sugar dissolves in my coffee and set my mind to nicer things. Like Scarlett's birthday present! We have a few weeks until our birthday, but I have to get her something deep and meaningful. It's tradition with us. It's not like we get presents off many people anyway, just some close friends.
Annie's dark hair is suddenly visible by the red door, and she immediately makes way over to the skate hire window. I swallow the rest of my coffee, rub my face with my hands and make my way over to her. Immediately, she starts screaming and hugging me. Jeez. I only saw her yesterday. "Okay! Okay, pipe down bitch!" I laugh. "Am I the first one here? Is Em here? Did you have a good lesson? Is the hot guy here?" Annie rushes, not letting me answer a single question she asks. "Shut up a second!" I laugh, watching as they begin to put their skates on. "Emelia should be here soon, and the SEVENTEEN year old is here somewhere." I add, putting emphasis on the fact that the guy is two years older than her. "Is Matt coming?" Annie asks, much calmer now that she's sitting down. She has a denim-looking bow clipping half her hair to the side and she is wearing a shirt with some people on it. I'm guessing they're band members or something. "Yeah, I'm just hoping he doesn't have to take the bus again." I reply, looking behind me. I swear there is someone standing there, but I only see skaters on the rink. "He's a big boy, he will be fine." Annie says, clasping her skates shut and standing up. Her long black hair falls in her face as she does this, and she flips it over the top of her head without a second thought. "I know, but I worry. He goes through so much as it is, I would hate for him to be unhappy about anything..." "EMELIA! OVER HERE!" Annie interrupts me, shouting over my shoulder and making me jump. "Hey! I love you too, but you don't have to scream at me in public!" Emelia laughs. Annie stands up, skates secure and leads Em to the skate hire window. Hopefully, I look at the door again. I want to get back on the ice immediately, but I don't want to miss Matt when he walks in. He better be okay.
Annie helps Em with her skates, as she could never do them herself. I watch this, and suddenly a warmth washes over me. I love my friends. Or maybe the coffee just kicked in. Emelia's shoulder length hair is down, and barely touches the shoulders of the leather jacket she is wearing. Her style is very particular, and I don't think I have ever seen her wear a hoodie. She just looks effortlessly comfortable in anything she wears. Annie is practically jumping at this point, which I have to restrain her from doing in skates. "Hey, hurry up before Annie starts flying!" I joke, beginning to feel full of energy. I need to get on the ice right now.
My vision suddenly goes dark, and my hands fly up to my eyes where I feel hands. I don't scream. Maybe I jumped a little, but I already know who this is. "Yay! You made it!" I exclaim, not removing the hands or turning around at all. The hands fall and I spin around and pull Matt in for a hug. I haven't seen him all week; It's not easy being away from your best friend for that long! "Hay!" he says with his adorable anime-style accent. "I missed you!" Wait. Something isn't right. I look closer at his face and notice the faint blue line along his cheekbone, which is almost invisible at first glance. The start of a bruise or a fading one? I'm about to call him out on it, but he notices me looking and goes over to hire some skates- nodding a 'hello' to the girls as he goes. I can't talk to him about it in front of them. They barely know him, and I'm the only one who knows what really happened.
It isn't long before we all walk over to the half door that opens in the waist height barrier around the ice, and Matt and I step onto the ice easy. I spin to watch as my friends clamber on, one after the other, holding the wall. It will be a while before they pick it up again. I seize the opportunity to talk to Matt. "We're gonna do a few laps, see you soon." I say to the girls as they giggle at each other. I don't wait for a response, I just turn around, grab Matt's hands and skate.
"How long have you had the bruise?" I ask, straightforward. I turn to look at my friend, and my eyes are drawn to his white-blond hair that looks silver in the bright lighting of the rink. "A week or so. It wasn't that bad this time." He replies, knowing that there is no use in denying. I know everything when it comes to Matt. He begins to sing along with the song being played by the DJ and I skate next to him, mesmerized by his voice. I skate easily, listening to my friend sing. And once again, the fear leaves me. If only it could last...
I hope you liked this part! I'm doing my best to update as often as I can, and publishing it really helps me stay on course. Chapter 4 next XD
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School, Prejudice and Survival
Teen FictionThe life of teenager Indigo Jones is a unique one. And her new discovery about herself makes things so much harder. Will her friends, twin sister and Rules to Survival help her in this new, strange lifestyle?
