Ballerina with Blades

Chapter IV

I'm...exhausted! I'm breathing hard by the time I decide to take a break. I've been at this since eight and I have been working my ass of for four hours straight. Henry had to leave an hour into the training but said he'd be back by twelve. It's twelve and he's not here.

I've had a tremendous amount of help from the tenders here at the rink. Apparently, when the season starts, the coaches would rent out the rink for practices before a game so this place is rigged for a game. All the equipment and training gear needed for practice is here, also the additional equipment that are used when major games are held here.

This Centre has been used countless times for a high school game or a league. Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs played here too, perhaps even against Lightning, that would be cool. I have to find out about that at some point. All the more reason for me to give this a chance.

The tenders helped a great deal to set everything up for me and show me the ropes. I was rusty at first, it took me a whole hour to get used to the rhythm of skating with a purpose again. Falling on my face, hands, ass, back and front multiple times. I hurt all over but hell! What a thrill! The tenders helped me set everything up and said they'd help coaching me to get the hang of it.

When I tried for defense, a few of the guys here volunteered to play as opponents. Boy did they deliver, they were all hockey players in their time at high school but life threw them a bad deal after that so they lost their passion for it. Reminds me of myself and my past.

So, we got along and it was fun for all of us. I even got a few compliments on my skates but most of all on my skill. The movement and the muscle memory in me...it felt like I was still doing this yesterday.

I've got four hours of hard training in and I'll be honest, it was the best damn training ever! Maybe even a little better than when I was dancing. I did implement my dancing technique into that of the hockey. I definitely have the upper hand here, that much is certain.

"You look exhausted!" Henry shouts from the entrance. I just look at him over my shoulder. My face tired and my voice incapable of sound. My lungs are burning and chest wheezing. I'm all red faced and sweaty despite it being nearly freezing in here.

Henry laughs at my appearance and I poke my tongue out at him. Jerk. "Laugh all you want! You'll never understand real hard work!" I yell to him. It makes him laugh harder, "Try dealing with difficult client that thinks they know better than you, that's hard work!" He shoots back.

I shrug at that, meh. I get what he means, I've dealt with people like that too. It can be real hard work and quite tiresome. "I wanna shower." I tell Henry once he reached me at the wall where I'm standing, taking a breath.

"Yeah, you smell like you need one." He answers while he scrunched up his nose at me. Well, no one ever said breaking a sweat leaves you smelling good.

"Then let's go home so I can take a shower, do some homework and get something to eat. I'm starving!" My stomach grumbles loudly right after I said that so it is indication enough to get a move on. "Okay. Should I ask them to keep the place set up for later?"

"Yeah, I'll come back here around two o'clock." He nods and walks over to the tenders to ask them about keeping everything as it is while I change out of my skates and into my boots. My feet are sore from the tightness of the skates. Maybe I'll put Henry up for a massage.

Once I've gathered all my stuff I stand up with a groan and slowly trudge over to the doors, Henry following me closely. He slides up to my side amd takes my pack from me which surprises me. He just keeps walking like he didn't do anything but in truth, he's never done something like that for me before.