Change of Heart - Yuri Plisetsky x Reader

Chapter Twelve

I can't pretend I wasn't absolutely crushed by this road block. I really did try to be optimistic about it, but the reality of it hit me every day when the clock struck eleven and I had to grab my crutches and hobble to the ice rink. Obviously, I wasn't actually able to work. I just wanted to be around the ice. Maybe for motivation? For an uplifting mood to sweep me off my feet? Whatever the case may be, I'd begged my parents to let me keep going to work. The kids were no trouble, I told them, and Alina really needs me to look after them while she's working. They'd agreed (hesitantly, may I add), so I still visited the ice rink each day.

Yuri had been texting me frequently, but oddly enough, it wasn't just about my nutritional health. I'd gotten a couple texts the night I broke my ankle; Asking me if it was a fracture or a sprain, asking if I was feeling faint, stuff like that. Surprise, surprise, he also made me drink lots of water when I got home ("to prevent fainting").

But after the broken bone issue was dealt with, we'd talked about other things. I'm not sure why I thought confiding in Yuri would be a good idea, but he seemed to be a shockingly good listener. He didn't blame me for breaking a bone (which my parents were surely doing behind my back), or scold me for being too reckless (again, something my parents definitely thought), or try to relate to or belittle my problems. It was sort of nice being able to rant so freely without judgment.

There had been no time for me to dwell on this strange behavior, however, because after I'd finished spilling my feelings out, Yuri informed me of some good news: Alina was coming back.

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Anticipation pushed me forward as I tirelessly crutched on, using those stupid metal sticks to take me as far as my stamina would allow. Alina had gotten back from the airport last night, and I was chomping at the bit to see her again. Not only that, but I was anxious to find out if her grandmother had recovered or not. On the night that she had her stroke, we'd all been so crestfallen that I hadn't bothered to ask how serious it was. Today would be the day I found out.

Reaching the stairs of the ice rink, I glanced around anxiously to make sure nobody was watching before making my slow, treacherous way up the steps. The last thing I wanted was for somebody to see me struggling and come to my aid (the second to last being somebody watching me hobble up the stairs and pitying me). Fortunately, I made it up alright, and with some difficulty I was able to shove the door open and shimmy through.

Alina emerged from the back room to greet me immediately.

"(Y/n)! Oh my god, what happened to your leg?" She exclaimed, excitement morphing into concern the moment she saw the state I was in.

"Ah... I fractured my ankle," I replied, self-consciously tucking my injured leg behind my healthy one. "It's really no big deal. How have you been? Is everything okay, or...?"

To my relief, Alina nodded.

"Yes. My grandma's still in convalescence, but she's getting better." After a moment, she frowned. "Anna was pretty bummed out, though."

I cocked my head to the side, smiling apologetically.

"She'll be alright eventually... Especially since you were there to support her!"

Alina agreed, but her thoughts already seemed to be elsewhere. I could imagine all too well what she would ask me next.

"So... What happened to your leg?"

I sighed. This was one of the many things I'd feared while thinking about the upcoming months: Pity. Rather, being constantly asked questions and fawned over out of pity. All I'd done was push myself a little too far, and suddenly everybody was worried about me. Alina, like every other human being I'd met so far, couldn't help this instinct. It's in our nature to be curious, especially about the bad things that happen to our friends and family, but I really wished at that moment that she would just drop it and pretend everything was fine.