Off The Ice

Chapter 24

"Lorelai, I can't do it. We've been at it for over a week straight." I whine as I fall on my ass for the second time in literally thirty seconds. We've just started practice and Lorelai had me start trying my quad toe-loop. "I'm not even landing my triple axel." I argue as I stand up. 

"Hey, a triple axel is the hardest jump there is in the female category. Only one woman has ever landed it in competition and we're going to change that. And you know what else we're going to change?" I look up at her with my hands on my hips. "We're gong to change the fact that NO female figure skater EVER has landed a quad in competition. Honey, you almost have it. Your leg muscles are freaky above average for a female figure skater which is amazing. You have the strength, you just need the speed to get you all the way around four times. And as for the triple axel, you have that one too. You have strength, you're just missing speed. Now what I want you to do is this: You always pull your arms into your chest but you keep them out to the sides. I want you to pull your arms straight across your chest like you're pushing your boobs ino your costume with an X." I laugh and she smiles. "I'm serious. Now go around and try the triple axel with your arms all the way in." I demonstrate the arms she wants me to do and she nods. "Yes now go."

I do as she instructs while she skates over to Louis and Ellie's coach. I see her whisper something to him and then Louis and Ellie skate over to the side of the rink, all four of them watching me. I gulp before moving my skates.

The ice glides under my blades as I propel myself forward. I prepare myself for the jump and hoist myself into the air, tugging my arms in and turning as fast as I can to get around the three and a half times it takes to complete a triple axel. 

I swear everything is in slow motion. I can feel the cold air whipping my face and my legs as my dark green leo-skirt flies up from my spinning. I feel like I'm traveling through a wind tunnel. As usual, I get the slight dizziness that comes from being a figure skater when I spin.

I don't notice that I actually did it until I'm landing smoothly, the way I'm supposed to, and not on my ass. I let out a deep breath of disbelief with my mouth wide open as my arms go out to my sides in a T form to balance my landing. 

I recover from my jump and spin around to face everyone who's staring at me with smiles. "I told you..." Lorelai sing-songs. "You're doing this for competition definitely. Now this year you need a triple, an axel, and a triple combination. We're doing triple lutz and triple axel for your first two requirements and as for the combination, I want to throw it near the end of the program. Everyone does their combos at the beginning because they have more stamina, but imagine how many points it will land you if you do one in the middle and then do a second one in bonus time. This is going to take a lot of endurance. I want us to practice until six o'clock everyday this week to get you prepared for Saturday. And I want you going on runs to buikd up stamina. I've already talked to your mom and she thinks it's a good idea too." Lorelai says while skating with me over to our side of the rink so Louis and Ellie can continue their practice as well. 

"Yes ma'am." She glares at me and I stick my tongue out. 

"Now, we're running your routine, with the triple axel, and we'll substitute the quad toe loop for a triple right now until we can land that one too."

"Kay." I nod before taking my starting position on the ice. When one of us, either myself or Louis and Ellie, runs their routine, the others continue skating and practicing, but we try to keep to the opposite side of the rink as the other moves so we can practice with the full rink. It's become a great system. 

We run my routine straight until lunch. I skate to the rail to step off and put on my soft guards. I balance on the rubber instead of the blade as I walk over to my bag in my locker to switch my shoes. As I sit down on the bench in front of the wall of lockers, the door of the rink flies open and a punk-looking guy with more tattoos and piercings than Harry, Louis, and Niall walks in. He walks straight to the rail and leans over to have a chat with Louis and Ellie. "Hey Sutton, come here!!" Ellie calls over. I stand up in my street shoes and walk over to the three of them, standing next to stranger guy.