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✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦ 1.4
"This is more crowded than a truckload of goats," Dwayne grumbled, trying to shift his position in the tight cluster of skaters.
"Someone better watch their hands," Julie added, her voice laced with annoyance as she tried to maintain some personal space.
"Yeah, someone licked me!" Averman suddenly shouted, causing Victoria to scrunch her nose in disgust.
"Who the hell just kicked me?" Victoria snapped, her patience wearing thin with the close quarters.
"Ugh, I smell something," a voice called from the back, prompting everyone to start sniffing the air.
"Goldberg!" the whole group shouted in unison, turning to glare at him.
"It wasn't me!" Goldberg protested, rolling his eyes in frustration at always being the scapegoat.
"No, it was me!" Dean declared proudly, raising his hands as if he'd just won a prize. The group's collective groan was almost instantaneous, the disgust palpable.
"Dean! I swear, I'm going to slap you!" Victoria yelled, glaring daggers at him, her disgust only growing.
Before the situation could escalate further, Bombay emerged from behind the group, his voice cutting through the commotion. "I don't know how to make this any clearer. You are a team. And to win this thing, you have to work as one. Now, as one, skate."
The group attempted to move as a unit, but their efforts were clumsy at best. They moved in different directions, causing the entire cluster to topple over in a chaotic heap. Victoria, unlucky as ever, found herself sprawled on top of Dean.
"Now, I like this view," Dean remarked with a smirk, raising his eyebrows suggestively at her. Victoria groaned in disgust, rolling her eyes as she tried to push herself off him.
"Everyone goes their own way, everyone falls down. Now get up and try it again," Bombay instructed, shaking his head slightly, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The group struggled to their feet, each one nursing their bruised egos as they were placed into different positions. Victoria silently thanked her lucky stars when she found herself next to Connie instead of Dean.
"Alright, all of you! Move to your right, now!" Dean commanded, trying to take charge, and the group awkwardly shifted to the right.
But Fulton, never one to be bossed around, quickly countered, "Who made you boss? Everyone to the left." His deep voice carried authority, and the group obediently shifted to the left.
"Yeah! Go left now," Victoria chimed in, her voice joining the chorus. But the coordination was still off, and they collapsed again, falling into a tangled mess of limbs and skates.
Bombay, clearly exasperated but determined, called out, "You can argue all you want, but I am not untying you until you move as one." With that, he walked off a short distance, leaving them to figure it out.
After what felt like an eternity and several more falls, the team finally began to move together, their movements smoother, more synchronized. Bombay called out directions, and this time they listened, adapting to his commands with increasing confidence.
"Now you're learning! Communication! That's it! Good, together. Move together. Charge! All right!" Bombay's voice rang with encouragement as he guided them through the drill. "Right turn."
They followed his order with surprising ease, and a smile of satisfaction spread across Bombay's face. "Yeah, that's it! That's it! All right! Knock on wood, Charlie."
Relieved, Bombay finally untied the rope that had bound them, and Victoria let out a long, thankful sigh. She couldn't help but kneel down for a moment, her muscles aching from the unrelenting tension.
Bombay crouched down in front of them, picking up the rope with a thoughtful look. "You guys are starting to look like hockey players. I'm proud of ya, team. You worked hard today," he said with a genuine smile. The team basked in his praise, their earlier frustrations melting away.
"But hockey should also be fun. Rancher Dwayne?" Bombay's tone shifted to a playful Texan accent as he looked at Dwayne, handing him the rope with a mischievous smirk.
"Yes, sir?" Dwayne responded, playing along as he accepted the rope.
"Round me up some stray cattle there," Bombay ordered, still in character, his accent thick with humor.
The moment Dwayne grasped the rope, the team's eyes widened in realization. Without needing any more prompting, they burst into action, skating away from Dwayne in a wild rush, laughter echoing through the rink as they zigzagged to avoid getting lassoed.
"My pleasure!" Dwayne responded, before skating after the team.
Victoria darted across the rink, her skates slicing through the ice as she tried to evade Dwayne's determined pursuit. She zigzagged, weaving between her teammates with agile movements, hoping to blend into the chaos of the fleeing group. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts as she ducked behind a cluster of players, trying to use them as human shields. Each time she thought she'd escaped, she'd glance back to see Dwayne closing in, his rope swinging menacingly.
Just as Victoria thought she might have bought enough time, she made a crucial misstep, slipping slightly on a patch of ice. Before she could regain her balance, Dwayne's arm shot out, catching her around the waist with the rope. With a triumphant grin, he tugged her back into the center of the rink, where the rest of the team had gathered, laughing and cheering at her defeat. Victoria groaned in mock despair as Dwayne playfully wrapped the rope around her, a wide smile on his face.
As the laughter from their wild chase settled, Dwayne took center stage, his face lighting up with excitement. "Alright, team, now that we've had some fun, let's line dance!" he declared, his Texan accent thick with enthusiasm. He demonstrated a few basic steps, his skates tapping rhythmically on the ice. "You start with a basic step to the right, then back to the left. Add in a little twist and a slide," he instructed, guiding the team through the movements. The group followed his lead, their skates sliding and gliding as they picked up the rhythm of the dance.
Soon, the uniformity of the line dance began to break down as individual team members started adding their own flair. Victoria, not one to be outdone, put her own spin on the routine. She executed a series of sharp, jazzy moves, incorporating quick spins and a playful wiggle that had her gliding across the ice with a smooth, confident style.
Her impromptu dance drew amused chuckles and impressed cheers from her teammates, who couldn't resist joining in with their own creative variations. The rink transformed into a lively dance floor, where synchronized steps gave way to a delightful mix of personal expression and team spirit, making the evening both entertaining and memorable.
Unable to resist joining the fun any longer, Bombay joined in the dancing, his movements were awkward and out of sync. He shuffled left, stumbled right, and tried to add his own exaggerated flourishes, each attempt met with a mix of surprise and delight from the team. The music continued to play, and the rink fell into a momentary hush as everyone turned to watch Bombay's clumsy yet enthusiastic performance. His face flushed with embarrassment, whilst the team laughs, making Bombay waved them off and walk away.
