Lisa
"I don't know why I agreed to ice skating." I said.
We walked up to an outdoor ice skating rink with a mess of people skating lazy circles around the perimeter. There were children shrieking with delight, couples holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other eyes, and groups of friends giggling and pushing each other.
I hated ice skating. This was going to be a disaster.
"You're sure you don't want to skate with us?" I asked Jin. Jennie and I sat down to shove our feet into the skates while Jin crossed his legs and sipped his hot chocolate.
"I'm sure."
"Jin, it's been like fifteen years; can't you let it go?"
"I will never let it go. I'm never going ice skating again!"
Jennie and I exchanged looks and shook our heads.
"Remind me to never put my children in figure skating." I muttered.
"You would do well to remember that advice!" Jin hissed and sipped his hot chocolate.
I stood up once I'd finished lacing up my skates. When I stood up, they cut into my ankles and flared out. Jennie took one look at me and shook her head.
"You don't have them tied tight enough. Here." Jennie pushed me back onto the bench and grabbed my feet, unlaced my skates, then adjusted them to make sure that they were tight enough.
"That's very uncomfortable." I said when she was finished.
"It's supposed to be. Trust me: it's better than what you had."
I looked helplessly over to Jin.
"She's right."
I looked at him again, with my face begging him to save me. He grinned and waved.
"Have fun!" he said, while wiggling his fingers when he waved goodbye.
I threw him one more pleading look to rescue me, but he continued to grin. Reluctantly, I followed Jennie out to the rink. The moment Jennie's skates connected with the ice, she shot into the crowd, skating fluidly around the rink.
"Oh boy." I muttered and carefully edged my way onto the ice. I held on to the side of the rink and carefully made my way down the side; to say that I skated would have been a lie: it was more of a tip-toe.
After a few laps on her own, Jennie skated up to me, stopping abruptly and spraying me with ice. I glared at her and she met my annoyance with an easy smile. Her cheeks were red from the wind whipping around her as she flew around the rink.
"You've seriously never been ice skating?" Jennie asked.
"I went skating one time when I was twelve and hated it. I fell all the time so my butt hurt; my ankles hurt from these stupid skates, and I'm cold."
"You're always cold though."
"Well this is worse!" I walked a few more steps and pointedly ignored Jennie grinning at me, skating backwards like some sort of professional. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. I should have stopped at coffee and Hallmark movies."
"It will all be worth it when you see Nancy's face next Friday."
"I don't know if I believe that."
Jennie laughed and stuck her hands out. "Come on."
"No way. Absolutely not. I am not letting go of the side."
"I won't let you fall." Jennie promised. I eyed her. "Trust me, Lili."
I reluctantly gave her one hand while keeping the other firmly planted on the side. She gave me a tug and pulled me off the wall. I yelped in surprised and stumbled, almost slipping right onto my butt, but Jennie's quick reflexes pulled me into her chest and held me steady until I regained my balance.
"I almost died!" I gasped, with my heart hammering in my chest from my near fall, clutching on to Jennie for dear life.
She looked down at me with a laugh on her lips. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall."
I wrapped my arms around her and refused to let go. "I'm not letting go of you the entire time we are skating."
"You're going to make it a little difficult to move."
"Good! Let's just stand here and hug until you're ready to leave."
Jennie laughed and skated backward, pulling me along with her. All of my muscles were tightened with fear of falling.
"You might have more fun if you tried to skate." Jennie said.
"I was doing just fine on the wall before you yanked me away!" Jennie laughed. "I'm sorry I'm not some child figure skating prodigy."
"I didn't figure skate."
"What?"
"No, I never figure skated. That was Jin."
I furrowed my brow. "What did you do then?"
"I played hockey."
I pushed myself away from her enough to look her in the eye to see if she was pulling my leg. "You're serious?"
Jennie laughed. "Yes, I'm serious. Figure skating was boring, so I asked our parents to let me play hockey."
"Everything about that makes so much sense."
"Looks like there's something that you didn't know about me."
"That doesn't mean you're winning."
Jennie laughed, her face alight with delight and pulled us down the rink. I grew more comfortable and released my vice grip around Jennie's torso and grabbed onto her hands instead. She continued to skate backward, pulling me along with her. She looked over her shoulder every now and again, to make sure that the coast was clear, but otherwise she looked at me, smiling. She had this unguarded smile on her face and even if I hated ice skating itself, it was worth it to see how happy Jennie was.
