Fire on Ice

Part 10

Nikolas' POV

I honk the wheel for the fifth time while sitting in traffic on my way to the rink. Some angry douche is trying to tail me and when he swerves next to me to pass me he flips me off. I do it right back and he yells, "Fuck you asshole." He speeds away in his old pickup truck and I roll my eyes. There isn't even a point in trying to speed away since traffic is barely moving.

I'm not in a huge rush to get to the rink today because I don't want to watch Kevin putting his hands all over Nora. I stop myself before I think about her too much, but ever since she talked back to me at the coffee shop, I can't seem to stop. She has a feisty personality that is refreshing from all the girls I'm surrounded by and I can't deny she's talented. She really does have a shot at qualifying for the NIDC, but I doubt Kevin will be able to get her there.

I denied the offer when Coach brought it up to me because I like having control over my situations. With my last partner, Jessica, it was always a question as to whether she would show up or not, and I hated it. I can't put myself in that position again, especially not when I have things at stake. I also want to steer clear of distractions and I don't know what would happen if I commit myself to seeing Nora everyday. That girl is a distraction if I ever saw one.

I pull into the rink after sitting in traffic for 45 minutes to see exactly what I didn't want to: Kevin with his hands on Nora's hips and their faces so close their lips could touch. Nora looks incredibly uncomfortable and I want to kill Kevin for making her feel that way. After trudging into the locker room, I get changed and grab my sneakers to head to the weight room. I always start with an hour of cardio and 30 mins on the treadmill before I even get on the ice. As I am walking out I hear the most piercing shriek I've ever heard. I snap my head up to the source and watch as a scene unfolds in slow motion.

Nora leaves Kevin's arms for a throw spin and she is barely in the air before everything goes wrong. He spun her too quickly and she starts rotating too fast for her to control herself. She is spinning mid-air but not in the streamline way you're supposed to. She is wobbling and when she realizes that she is going to fall, she throws her arms out to catch her fall. This only makes her balance worse and she starts heading for the ice with her back to the ground. Kevin goes to catch her but misses completely and she hits the ground with a loud thunk. I can hear Kevin yelling but all I can focus on is Nora screaming in pain. Every nerve on my body tenses as I feel something pierce my lungs. This feeling is immediately met with anger. Pure rage. Who the fuck does Kevin think he is. How the fuck could he drop her. My brain goes on autopilot and before I know it I'm on the ice heading straight for her. I'm surprised I am not struggling to walk as I realize I have no skates on. Kevin is kneeling beside her trying to help her up but I get there and demand, "Hands off. Now."

Luckily Kevin doesn't pick a fight and I kneel next to Nora. Her face is streaming with tears and her lips are wobbling.

"Hey" I say in a soft voice "It's okay. You're okay." She starts going into shock and now her sobs are uncontrollable. It'll be lucky if she didn't break her back, since that took the brunt of her fall.

To at least make sure she isn't paralyzed I say, "Do you think you can move your legs for me? Just a bit?" She seems to just now register that I'm there and the look of anguish she gives me terrifies me. She shakes her head and I feel like I can't breathe.

"Just a little? Can you try just a little? Please?" I am outright pleading at this moment but I don't care. If she isn't able to skate, Kevin better hope he never sees me again, but I honestly don't know what I'll do.

She lifts her head up just a bit and I put my hand on the back to support her. She bends both her legs and I sigh in relief. Thank god.

"Okay good. That's really good Nora. Can you sit up? Do you want to try?" The look of exasperation at the number of tasks I'm giving her to do almost makes me laugh, leave it to Nora to still give me sass when I'm trying to help her.