Skates Out // a Luis Mendoza Fan Fic

1. Meeting the Ducks

JJ. 

A/N: Also for the sake of this fan fic pretend that the team ages are ranging around fifteen to fifteen. Also I am not a figure skater so just tell me if I get the terminology wrong. Also if you want to visualize them, I have put a picture of the leotards above, without the medal tho!

Viola and I walked out of the locker room all dressed up in our skating leotards, today was the day that the international teams would be coming to the Arena for their competition. Our competition was next week but Ida - our coach - wanted to come a week early so that we could get a feel of the ice. 

We grinned at eachother as we slipped onto the ice and started to to skate, pushing forwards on my blades to gather up momentum before pushing up into a waitz jump and landing on one foot in an arabesque skating backwards on one foot. I turned once so I could face forwards and began elegantly criss-crossing my legs infront of me just before I I turned to make  a triple axel I heard a loud bamg that threw me off course. I stopped wobbling a little bit to keep my balance. 

Viola shot me a confused look, and I returned it, we had checked the time tables no one was supposed to be on the ice until later today, I could see a bunch of boys, two girls and then three adults make their way down the stands. They were all in hockey gears, I frowned at my friend but then shrugged it off, as long as they didnt tell us to leave the ice it was fine. 

I skated forwards pushing off of my blades to gain some speed, I pushed off of my left leg pulling my arms into my chest so I could do my doubel axel, when I landed I pushed of each blade once before launching into a Sai Chow jump. There was a round of applause from the stands and I came to a ded halt turning around to face the crowd of hockey players, when I realise their enthusiasam was genuine I grinned doing a small bow. 

One of them, a smaller one skated out onto the ice and up to me, "well if it isn't Miss JJ Jerome." he said smiling through his helmet, now that he was up close I could see his face a lot better. A grin spreat across my face, "Viola! Ken's here!" I told her happily, the brunette finished her toe loop before skating over and throwing her arms around the smaller boy I joined in on the hug. 

While he still been figure skating the three of us had been close friends, or at least as close as it gets when your in constant competition with one another. "Hey Wu!" someone form the stands called, "why dont you introduce us to your friends." 

We pulled away skating over to the group matching grins on our faces, "Hi I'm JJ." I introduced waving at them, they waved back introducing themselves, the who said he was called Charlie - I think - turned to em and Viola, "so, how do you guys know Ken?" he asked climbing over the wall and getting on the ice beside us. I shrugged, "we were at the olympics together," I explained to him. "I take it he's playing hockey on your team now." 

Charlie nodded, "yeah exacltly, you guys dont mind if we practice as the same time as you right?" he asked as the other members of his teams got on the ice. I shook my head, "no, we dont care as long as you guys dont cut us off or anything we should be fine." I replied watching as Ida walked down the stairs to greet us. 

"Viola, Julia! Stop slacking off! It's time to get to work!" she ordered as Viola and I shared an amused look, Charlie frowned, "Julia?" I nodded, "Julia-Josephine, is my full name." I tell him skating away backwards, "quite a mouthful huh?" 

Turning back to Viola we skated to one side of the rink giving the Ducks, or team USA as it said on their uniforms, space to start practicing. The other four skaters speed walked down the stairs getting a sharp look from Ida as they took up their laces of the ice, Vivienne and Cordelia - our friends - and then Elsa and Sophie also known as the ice brats.

Cordelia, Vivienne and Sophie joined the team after we went to the olympics, but Elsa came with Viola and I, she won a silver medal for Iceland before ida recruited her for team USA which works since her father is from New York. I pulled the other girls into a hug introducing the Ducks from afar, they waved at the ice hockey players, they waved back. 

Turning away from my friends I went to go and get my music from Ida, she taped my walkman to my hip and then I put my head phones in, it was an unusual technique but it worked when we all wanted to practice at the same time. I pressed play and began to skate, presenting to the invisible pannel of judges and the beginning, I started by skating backwards criss crossing my legs elegantly and then going to to make a tight spin. As the next beat hit I broke out of my spin and then conitnued backwards in a larger circle posed in an arabesque before gathering some more speed and pushing up into a 3Lz followed by a 3Lo and then skating in small circles elegantly swaying my upper body and arms to the rythm of the beat. 

Suddenly a muffled yell souded over the music and I looked to my left sconds before a hockey player barelled into my knocking my onto the ice floor. As soon as my hip hit the ice awith a dull thud a throbbing ache spread through that part of my body and a searing pain sparked in my head as it hit the ice. Groaning I pulled my earphones out of my ears, at least the idiot hadn't crushed me underneath them or crushed the walkman. 

"Hey! Can you watch where you're going?" I snapped pushing up off of the freezing floor blowing heat onto my hand straight afterwards, "unlike you I dont have fifty million pads on so it hurts when I hit the ice!" Viola skated over to me concern slashing in her hazel eyes. "I'm good Vi, nothing permenant." I grumbled turning to the hockey player I was still expecting an apology from. 

"Well maybe if you hadnt been listening to your music you would have heard me screaming for you to move out of the way!" He muttered sourly getting up. I scoffed crossing my arms over my chest, "excuse me? It's not my fault you can't stop when you're going too fast! I suggest you learn it sooner rather than later, I hear it's a useful skill to have." 

He huffed, staring me down, "listen up Miss I'm an olympics skater, just because you can do some fancy tricks on the ice doesnt mean you're entitled to all of the space on the rink, you should have been watching out too!" he snapped back. 

"I never said I was genius! But if you had even an ounce of common sense then you would realise that someone listening to music wont hear you screaming get out of the way. And also, I was watching out, if you had been able to stop none of this would have happened in the first place. So don't blame your lack of skills on me!" 

He shoved me back annoyed and pushed off of my back skate and shoved him too, Mendoza, as it read on his jersey, shoved me even harder than before and if it werent for my impeccable balance I might have falln over, I pushed him back harder and before he could shove me again Viola and Charlie got involved. 

"Alright! Break it up you two!" he snapped, "Mendoza apologise for knocking her over and JJ apologise for telling him he has a lack of skills." 

Viola put her hand on my shoulder, and I muttered a half assed apology which Mendoza returned, Ida called us all over, "ladies we will be practicing another time when there are less people on the ice! let's go to the costume fittings now and then you can go on a break!" she told us and we skated back over to the opening of the rink. 

Waving goodbye to the hockey players we exited the rink and walked over to the figure skating locker rooms, as we undressed and showered I sulked looking at the huge purple bruise blooming on where my hip met my thigh. In the corner of the room I could see Elsa smirking, she turned to me, "hopefully it isnt too painful for you Julia, ida said practice tomorrow would be gruelling!" and with that she sauntered out of the locker room. 

If this hurt as much tomorrow I was actually going to kill Mendoza.