Spy School: On Ice (Fan-Made)

Chapter 3

Montreal, Canada
Open Rec Club Ice Rink
December 8th
1000 Hours

We all got an early start in the morning. Well, most of us got an early start.
Me and Jawa were the first ones up, followed shortly by Chip.
Mike took his sweet time getting up.
By the time we were dressed and ready to go to breakfast with the girls, he was still snoring like a chainsaw.
Chip took it upon himself to shove ice down his shirt to wake him up.
I mean, it worked. But Mike wasn't too happy about it.
With Mike finally with us, we had breakfast with the girls and exchanged information and candidates.
When Chip brought up the girl from the hockey team, Erica was immediately suspicious of her.
"Why are we so sure it's her?" I asked.
"Remember Ashley?" Erica replied, raising an eyebrow.
"...right."
After breakfast, we headed to the nearby recreational ice rink for tryouts.
The boys tried out for hockey, and the girls for figure skating.
Jawa and Mike were naturals at hockey, of course. Chip needed some help, but he caught on.
Meanwhile, I was a hot mess.
I kept tripping over the puck, my stick didn't hit anything other than ice and myself, and I ended up getting trapped in the goal.
While Mike and Jawa were giving sympathetic "nice try"s, Chip was laughing his ass off.
"Oh man, I thought Mike was exaggerating! You are terrible at sports!" He laughed.
I huffed and sat down on the bleachers.
"Hey, look at it this way, at least now we have someone on the outside!" Jawa tried to make the best of my terrific failure.
"Hey guys! How did the tryouts go?" Zoe and Erica went up to us.
"I definitely aced it!" Mike smirked.
"I think it's safe to say that most of us will make it!" Jawa said.
"What do you mean 'most of us'?" Erica narrowed her eyes.
"You should've seen it! Ben screwed up royally! There's no way they're putting him on the team!" Chip said.
Erica cast me an annoyed glance.
"Hello, can Zoe Zibbell, Erica Hale, and Benjamin Ripley come with me, please?" One of the recruiters asked.
Me, Zoe, and Erica stood up and went with him to another room.
"Now, Erica and Zoe. You both applied for the figure skating competition. Your performances were fairly competent, however, I think a different option would be better for you both." He explained.
"While you would do fine in this competition, I feel as though you would excel even more on the hockey team. With your build and very impressive physical fitness, you both would be a credit to the team!"  He smiled.
"Sure! Hockey could be fun!" Zoe agreed.
Erica shrugged. "I'm okay with hockey."
"Great! Just head out and order your jerseys!" The recruiter said.
Zoe and Erica promptly did as he said, leaving the room.
"Now as for you..."
"I know, I failed miserably and I should never step onto an ice rink again." I sighed.
"That's...not what I was going to say..."
I looked at up him, curious to see what he's going to say.
"I mean, yes, your hockey skills are horrific..."
"But I doubt you would get far if you attempted hockey..."
"Hockey typically requires a muscular, more durable build for reasons similar to football. It can often get very physical, and players need to be able to take hits."
"And with your rather slim body type, I don't think hockey would work..."
"But despite your earlier clumsiness, I saw that you had much better agility without the hockey equipment."
"With that said..."
He took me back out to the now empty ice rink.
"I would like to ask you to show me how you skate without carrying anything."
I shrugged and did as he said.
He whistled and called me back over.
I glided over to where he was standing.
"It seems that I was correct in my assumptions. May I recommend that you enter the figure skating competition?"
I looked at him in disbelief.
"But, isn't that a girls sport...?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes, it does mainly have a female audience, but there are many equally talented male figure skaters as well! I should know, I used to be one!" He smiled.
"With time and training, I have no doubt you will excel in the competition!"
Well, it couldn't hurt to give it a try...
Besides, I still need to do my part in this mission, and I sure as hell can't do it with hockey!
Alright, let's do this!
"Where do I sign?" I asked.
The recruiter's smile widened as he took out a clipboard for the competition entries.
I signed my name to the next blank space.
"Practice starts tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp! Basic leotards will be provided!" He said.
"Thank you!" I waved goodbye and headed out.
I took off my ice skates and checked them back in.
I walked back to the hotel where everyone was waiting for me anxiously.
"So? What happened?" Zoe asked.
"I signed up for the figure skating competition!" I told them.
Chip coughed on his hot chocolate. "You? Figure skating?"
"Can't be any worse than I am at hockey." I shrugged.
"Regardless, it's good that we have people on both sides now." Erica said.
"But Ben, that means you will have to investigate the figure skaters on your own."
I expected her to say that...
Well, someone has to do it...
"I know, I will." I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice.
"At least now you'll surrounded by pretty girls!" Mike pat my shoulder.
"Oh wait~!"
I quickly covered his mouth.
Mike's right, though. Now that I'm in the figure skating competition, I won't be able to hang out with Merlyn as much... That sucks...
Well, I guess now the mission has officially begun.

Candidates
————
-Resentful skater girl
(I really need to learn her name...)