Step of Faith

Chapter XXIX: Coming together

Chapter XXIX: Coming together

I was shaking out my legs while watching the game with one eye. I still had four skaters in front of me but the nerves were coursing through my body like spiders crawling through my insides. Though, I felt confident.

Our team was a point ahead, the opposing team's star player was in the penalty box and the other guys were losing their cool so there was no doubt that we'd win. The crowd was cheering for us too.

I'd seen Jefferson's team pace into the waiting area across from me a few minutes ago and chills ran up my spine. He most likely knew I was somewhere in the rink but I was standing out of eyesight to not stress myself out.

Catherine had given me a pep-talk on the ride here, which we took on the bus together with the hockey team. How Carl and she agreed to my offer I have no idea but they had loosened the reigns on me for the past few weeks.

Not only did they let me choreograph and work on my own number, but they also let Theo pick out my dress for god's sake. The hair was Catherine's idea though. Almost always she made me put it up in a clean bun because she said it was a classic.

But today she loosely braided my hair and left the two front curls out. She said that it reminded her of how I looked when she first saw me. So I went with it.

I flitted my eyes back to the ice and saw that there were only a few seconds left of the game but the guys were still playing it out fully. It made them look determined because being cocky when the game wasn't over yet was a trait that could cost them a spot on the big teams.

Coach Wilson looked as crazy as always, I don't think there has ever been a day where this man had been calm and collected. But he has been listening to calming mantras before games so maybe it's just a matter of time until he learns what being chill means.

The buzzer sounds and cheers erupt everywhere. My heart is beating in my ears and I feel like I need to pee. But I breathe in and out and turn the music in my earphones up.

Catherine is fixing up the sleeves of my dress and I roll out my neck. The guys are walking out of the rink, and Jacob gives me a thumbs-up accompanied by a big smile.

"You'll do great, we'll be right at the side of the rink," Theo comes up to me and tips my chin up.

"You're not going to change?" I take one earphone out whilst scrunching my brows.

"Nah, I'd rather rub the tension out of my girl's shoulders," he walks behind me.

His strong hands knead the tense muscles in my shoulders, making me sigh in contentment. He knows me all too well.

In the past year, I've gotten everything I thought I'd never experience through college. I thought I'd be so caught up in my job and sport that I'd miss out on all of the milestones you dream of when you're a teenager but I got it all. A loving boyfriend, a cute puppy, and so many new friends.

I've never really had friends. At least not the ones that weren't there just because. I finally got people who were with me because they wanted to. And that was more than I could've wished for when I was a kid.

I didn't know what my future held. The only thing I knew was figure skating, it was the only thing I was good at. Now I had stuff that I only thought was possible in movies.

The future is so uncertain. It was my biggest fear, emphasis on was. Anything could happen at any time. Whether it was someone coming into your life or someone unexpectedly leaving.

I viewed the world as a horrible place filled with danger and shit after Spencer died. I didn't see the point of dreams or expectations because they could be taken away at any second. It didn't matter who you were, you could lose it all in a blink of an eye.