Ties of Skis and Skates

Chapter 4

Glaucia slid before the red stop line and planted her poles firmly on the thinly covered mat to keep from sliding. She craned her neck back to the oncoming lift chair so that it would not hit her unexpectedly. High speed lifts could knock someone off the loading zone if they weren't paying attention.

"Hold on! Slow the lift down!" The lift operator slammed a yellow button with sigh. It slowed down to a third of its original speed. A few people, already on chairs, turned back to glare at whoever caused the lift to slow down.

Irritated, she shuffled to the left to give the other skier space. A familiar blue ski suit, or at least what her goggles showed as blue, stopped before the line. The stranger gave a satisfied thumb up to the lift operator.

Hitting a green button this time, the lift sped up to its original speed. Both skiers sat down just as the chair came to scoop them up and pulled the safety bar down as they were carried up to the top of the hill.

The skier in blue pulled his goggles down to rest below his chin. "Hi, Glaucia!" Sky chirped happily.

Great! Now I have to ride up with him for the next seven minutes! Glaucia whined to herself.

"Hey, can you sit with us at lunch today? With me and Kaiden, I mean," Sky asked, "You have the same lunch as us, right?"

"Stupid block schedules," she muttered to herself. "Fine, I'll join you guys," Glaucia said with great displeasure. It's not like she had a choice in the matter. If Lucy caught wind of her rejecting an invitation like that, the pink eyed demon would bury her in ice.

The blue haired male continued to speak, "Why are you right now? We only have to practice five hours each week, yet you're out here for more than twenty."

"Have an issue with that?" She threw the bar up and placed her hand at the front of the seat before pushing off the lift chair.

"No..." Sky mumbled as he watched Glaucia round a tree to plummet down a black diamond.

. . .

Kaiden slung his backpack over his shoulder with a sigh. The past few days were extremely brutal. Trisha has been on and off him, despite having other things to do. He was about to shoot the two-faced girl to the moon.

"Kaidy!" He visibly cringed. "Is it true? Is it true you want the Ice Queen to be your partner? You can't do that!" Trisha clung to his arm with a pout, "It wouldn't be fair!"

"You have June, so suck it up," he spat, shaking her off, "Now, please, leave me alone."

"But Kaidy! I need to know!" She stomped her foot in emphasis. Kaiden marched off towards the dining hall before it could get more dramatic. He signed in annoyance, looking for Sky.

"Where the heck were you?" Sky shouted with Lucy and Glaucia behind him, "I told you not to be late!"

"Sorry. You-know-who decided to jump around." Glaucia could guess who Kaiden was talking about.

"Oh," Glaucia and Sky said in unison, "Her."

Lucy stood there in confusion. "Oh! Got it!" Glaucia snorted at the brunette momentary slowness. These moments were getting a bit too frequent; even for Lucy. Then again, she never sleeps... much like majority of the students.

The quartet started for the meal line, only to turn around at a loud bang. It was the cafeteria's swinging doors, and who emerged from them? The one and only Trisha Gorden.

"Kaidy!" Glaucia raised an eyebrow at the sickingly sweet pet name. "Why did you run off like that? I was trying to have a serious conversation!" The dirty blonde whined incessantly.

Sky laughed kindly; a little too kindly. "Yeah, keyword: trying." The smile on his face was so forced to the point where the corner of his mouth seemed like they were going to tear.

"Trying? I was having a conversation," the blonde retorted.

"Most likely a one-sided one," Glaucia added under her breath.

Trisha threw a sharp glare at Glaucia. Zaps of lighting shot between the two females like a lightning storm. The hate between these girls could not be measured with mere words.

"What was that, King?" The green eyed girl sneered. Releasing Kaiden's arm, she moved to stand in front of the smaller girl. An indirect challenge was sent when Trisha tried to dominate Glaucia with her height.

"Nothing, Gordon... just that you are an over-controlling, pushy psychopath!" Glaucia snapped at the taller girl.

"Psychopath? Sounds like you!" Trisha barked. Sky and Lucy grabbed Glaucia by the arms and dragged her outside.

"Let me go!" Glaucia flailed around, "She deserves it!" The small girl slammed her elbow into Sky's abdomen and managed to pull out of Lucy's grip. She ran back into the building, away from the cold weather.

Just as she entered the cafeteria once more, Glaucia found herself up in the air. "Let's go back outside to cool your head," Kaiden said. He had picked up the skier and put her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"No! I want food!" And to tear off Trisha's clown face! She tried to get down. "I don't need to cool my head down!" Glaucia struggled, but failed. Kaiden finally sat her down a good distance away from the cafeteria.

"I need to ask you something important." He stopped her before she could run off again. The Italian clasped her hands in his.

Glaucia sighed from her spot on the bench. "What's up? You're acting strange," she commented. Other than hugging her clingy older brother Tristen and causing harm to bothersome males, Glaucia had never touched a male so intimately.

"Meeting you has changed my world like no one else has done. You treated me differently than most do. You've opened up new views in my world," Kaiden started.

Uh-oh. Glaucia did not like where this was going. She wanted to run away so badly, but she knew she couldn't.

"I've never felt this way about someone before, but it is the best feeling I have ever felt."

Please don't ask me out! Please don't ask me out! The raven haired girl cried like a mantra in her head.

"Glaucia King, will you do me the honour of..."

Here it comes!

"...being my ice dancing partner!"

The girl felt a brick of ice fall on her head. So he's not asking me out? That's good... she thought, but then realized something, Oh, no! He asked me to skate with him! This is even worse than asking me out! Glaucia began to overanalyze the situation and started freaking out.

"I... um," she looked down at her feet, "Yes?" she mumbled, "Maybe? Wait, I don't know..."

The tall Italian chuckled, and cupped Glaucia's doll-like face in his hands, "Take all the time you need, Tesoro."

"I don't speak Italian..." she began to mumble off again.

"Figured that much. Now, shall we humiliate Trisha?" Kaiden asked, offering his arm. He had been waiting for a moment like this. Even if Glaucia didn't accept, he still had a partner to chase off that harpy.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Glaucia, who ignored his arm, started plotting the female skater's death. She sprinted for the cafeteria.

"Wait! Don't we need to think this through?" He ran after her, but was too slow.

AN:

Eclipse: Yeah... This one's a bit short... and late... Sorry about that. Waltzee and I finally got off for thanksgiving break on Friday and I crashed as soon as I got home. Not to mention the fact that I spent most of today(Saturday) sleeping. So Waltzee could not be here this time since she is on a cruise. So yeah, I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving and spends that day with their family.

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