Fire on Ice

Part 3

 Although I don't care what Nikolas thinks about me, I'd rather not have him think I am an incompetent dancer. I did take a two-year break because my mom had so many health scares that I thought I'd lose her while I was skating. I was worried she would pass away and I wouldn't be there. But now that her condition is more stable and with so much reassurance from my mom, I decided to jump back in because I missed it so much. Skating is a part of who I am, and I don't want to lose it almost as much as I don't want to lose my mom. Almost. When I am done changing I get to the rink and spot Sebastian. He is standing next to the red-haired girl and seems to be heavily flirting with her. Does he do this with everyone? When I reach them they both turn around to acknowledge me.

"Nora, right?" The red-haired girl says first, "I'm Gigi."

"Nice to meet you, and I thought your name was Gianna?"

She grimaces, "Yeah, but no one calls me that except for my mother. Just call me Gigi."

I smile, "Got it. Well Sebastian, I'm ready to get started when you are."

"Alright let's do it." He pushes off of the ledge to skate to the right side of the rink, but not before kissing Gigi on the cheek, making her face turn a color close in shade to her hair. She giggles nervously before waving to me and skating away. I smile at their interaction and skate over to Sebastian.

"So, what's the plan?" He asks.

"Well, I'll be straightforward with you. I'm training for the NIDC and I need someone who will put in long hours to get there. Furthermore, we just met, and the partners we will be competing against have probably known each other for years so we're already at a disadvantage-"

He cuts me off before I can continue, "Whoa Nora chill out. We're gonna be totally fine. I know that we just met, but don't worry. I'll put in the work." He eases my worry a little, but his easy-going attitude is slightly concerning. I take a deep breath, deciding I need to have more faith in him.

"You're right."

He smiles, "I know I am." Even though there are other skaters on the rink, we find a spot that is not occupied and warm up. I stretch my body before we get into position for more lifting. Although it is too early to start choreographing, halfway through our session I ask, "Do you have any ideas for choreo?"

"Uh, not really. But I'll think about it." I frown slightly but let it go. Coach walks out of his office and catches our attention.

"So, how is it going?"

"Good." We say in unison and smile at each other. Sebastian definitely seems to have a better attitude than Nikolas, and I am grateful that our partnership ended up not working out.

"Well, I want to see how well synchronized you two are. Practice doing some laps next to each other."

Sebastian and I get into position and start doing laps. The longer it goes on, the more worried I get. We aren't in sync at all and Sebastian has to constantly slow down so I can catch up. After a few minutes we are only halfway around the rink and my face is red. I stop skating for a minute and Sebastian notices. He skids right next to me and we both look at each other with the same expression on our faces. I try to smile at him but from his reaction I can tell I didn't do a good job.

"Let's just regroup and try again." He suggests. I nod my head. We get back into position, but after a few moments our skates get caught in each other and we both fall to the ground.

"Ow! My ankle!" I yelp as we crash on top of each other.

"Shit, sorry Nora." Sebastian apologizes. We untangle from each other and Coach rushes over.

"Nora what's wrong?"

"My ankle, but it's not too bad. I can keep going." Coach gives me a nervous look before insisting he look at my ankle before we keep going. After I'm given the all clear, Coach says, "Okay how about we try that again later. Let's just do some solo practice today. Sebastian, go find Gigi and work on your choreo for States." He nods and says sorry again before skating off the rink. I turn to Coach in confusion, "Sebastian is competing in States?"

"Yeah, he and Gigi are competing together."

"Oh my god, why is he wasting time with me? He should be focusing on that."

"No, no he was completely fine when I asked him to partner with you. But, I'll probably work with you individually for the next week until States are over."

I nod, still feeling guilty. Coach and I do a private session and it feels just like old times. He used to coach me when I was in high school before I left for college. I practically lived here. We work on my technique since that has suffered the most in my two-year hiatus. By the time we are done, I am completely tired. We bid goodbye and I head to the bus stop straightaway, too tired to change. As I am walking I see Nikolas in the parking lot, unlocking his car, a shiny black Mercedes. Of course he's rich; the arrogant ones always are. I roll my eyes and keep walking to the bus, eager to get out of his presence.

Once I am on the bus, I sit nearest to the back, since my stop is last. Since tomorrow is Wednesday, I have a double shift at the café tomorrow so I'll only get to the rink around 9. I rub my eyes and think about how I am going to make this work. Instead of sitting here and being stressed I close my eyes and try to catch a few minutes of sleep. 

Author's Note: 

Chapter Three! We hope you guys are liking the story so far, and please message us with any suggestions! 

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