Adrenaline Rush

Prologue

Authors Note: unedited and didn't get a beta read. sorry lol

Having the same song on a loop for five hours a day, for seven days a week gets annoying. Each beat played is crucial in knowing your placement in your routine and yet it's so easy for me to drown it out. Easy enough to sing another song to spice things up in a consistent and sometimes boring routine.

"Arms, Ness! Don't start getting sloppy on me now," My mother yells from the centre of the rink as I exit out of my Axel. I feel my body begin to wobble and straighten my arms to fix my coordination. However, the attempt is a dunce as I feel myself begin to fall and make sure to fall on my side.

"Ness you know how to do an axel, stop making silly mistakes," Mom scolds as she skates over to where I fell. Instead of getting up, I lay on the ice and feel the soothing chillness spread on my face. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Sorry," I swipe at my face for any residue and get back up. "I got bored of the music and guess I wasn't paying enough attention."

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to yourself. You're only hurting yourself." Mom grabs my arms and does a quick once over, as she typically does when either Adrienne or I fall.

As I get older, I begin to have more and more access to technology and able to practically have the world at my fingertips. In saying, my browser history is filled with youtube videos of my mom and sister skating anywhere, everywhere. Whether it'd be at Nationals, Prix, World Champions or Olympics, they'd be replayed and analysed repeatedly. That's how I noticed moms obsessive compulsive disorder develop over the years. Starting from as young as eighteen, it would be a habit that developed and got worse over the years – and only to the eyes of those close around her, including me. Even if my mom denies it, I think it developed from all the falls she had, which makes her behaviour to always check and recheck cuts and falls.

"I know, but it'll also hurt you. God forbid you have your youngest not attend the Olympics!" I roll my eyes and give her a goofy grin. She slaps my head and shoves me to continue my routine.

Skating has always been a thing for the females in my family, ever since my great grandmother moved from France. She found the love of her life at an ice skating rink, and once they got married and had kids, they taught their children. Having it romanticised, my grandmother continued the tradition through to my mom, and through her past it on to me and my sister. However, the competitive spark started with my mum when her coach of then-to-be ten years spotted her at some local program. Winning multiple titles, including bronze at twenty-three, gold at twenty-seven and gold again at thirty-one, she apparently knew she would return to the Olympics and worlds, but as a coach. Then came my sister, Adrienne, who won junior grand prix twice, came second at worlds at nineteen, and won silver at twenty at the Olympics. However, at only twenty, did my sister decide to retire. It was a decision that shocked everyone, excluding my mother. I was only ten at the time, but mom seemingly knew that she was going to.

"Are you ok, Ness?" My mom asks as I exit off the rink and slide on my pink blade guards.

"Yeah I'm fine, the music is just getting a bit annoying." Mom stares at me for a moment then shakes her head and dramatically exhales.

"I thought picking a trendy song would excite you." She brings up her hands and jokingly does jazz hands. "I'll never learn. Your sister always wanted to use the latest songs."

"I'm not Adrienne," I cross my arms and start heading over to the girls change rooms when I hear mom grumble something in return. By picking the latest songs, this means that I will always be hearing the song, whether on-ice, or off-ice, at school, at home, even on the radio.