Fire on Ice

Part 15

Nora POV

I close the door to my apartment with a heavy sigh. I pull out my phone and pull up Coach's contact. 

"Hey, what's up Nora!"

"Hi Coach, listen....um could you tell Nikolas that I want him at the rink tomorrow. I think I can get off of work for a day."

"Oh, about that, I completely forgot to tell you this, but I was talking with Nikolas and I think you guys should go to the gym tomorrow morning instead of hitting the rink."

"You mean like, me and Nikolas working out together?" I say holding back a laugh in disbelief.

"There's more to skating than just dancing on ice you know. It would get your stamina up and build up those muscles. Going together will also hopefully ease out the tension you too have built up."

I hesitate for a couple of seconds before agreeing, "Okay. Sure."

"Also, Nora, I could pass you his number. It would be easier than me being the intermediary. You two keep using me as a messenger."

"Oh....umm...no, it's okay." I say even though I don't particularly have a reason for not wanting him to give me Nikolas' number other than Nikolas being a raging asshole. Also, I would rather wait for Nikolas to give me his number himself. Petty. I know. I can hear Coach chuckling on the other side

"Well, see you tomorrow kiddo."

"Goodnight Coach." I reply.

Just as I am about to hang up, Coach chimes in at the last second, "Hey, Nora."

"Yea?"

"Are you okay?" Those three simple words is all it took for everything around me to begin shaking again. Did he hear something in my voice? Was I being that transparent? At this moment all I wanted to say was, "No." No, I am not fine, nothing in my life is fine right now. And I only have a limited amount of time to try and help my mom. Despite all this, I respond with, "I'm fine." I don't want to dive back into tonight by explaining everything to him.

He seems to hear through my voice, "I'm always here for you Nora."

"Thanks, Coach. Goodnight."

"Night." I hang up the phone and start getting ready for bed.

                                                                                                *   *   *

It's 5:30 am and I'm standing outside my apartment thinking about all the ways I could get away with murdering Nikolas. Coach sent me the details about the plans for today yesterday night. And Nikolas insisted on going to the gym at 6am. Something about only working out early in the mornings. Nikolas would not budge and I did the one thing I do best when people are being difficult: I make things just as difficult for them. I told him I was only going if he drove me since no busses near me run at 5 fucking 30 am and I would have to walk a good deal to get to a route that did.

So now I'm waiting outside at 5:35 am for one of the most intolerable people on this planet to come pick me up so we can then proceed to spend the entirety of the following 2 hours working out together. And honestly I don't mind a nice workout, I workout almost everyday. And I would be perfectly happy getting to the gym, putting my headphones on, and staying in my own corner doing my own routines. But, instead Coach made it extremely clear that the whole point of working out together from now on would be to work on our synchronization, build our teamwork, help us push each other apparently, but most importantly it will help us to "form a bond". In other words we have to be practically attached to the hip: spotting each other, synchronizing parts of our routines, timing each other, and all that lovely stuff.