A Figure Skating Story

Decided

Okay I just want to say I am so so sorry I've been completely neglecting this story, please don't be mad! I've been going through a lot of stuff. I really hope you all understand, and I'm going to try to write as often as possible, but no promises. I don't know how long all this chaos is going to last, so for now just enjoy this next chapter!

Lizzy walked into her house and called "I'm home!"

Her mom appeared from around the corner and said "Ok, you ready for skating? I got your skating bag together and everything."

"Ya I'm ready, I can change at the rink."

When they got to the rink, Lizzy changed and started putting her skates on.

"Hey, Lizzy!"

Lizzy looked up and saw Sam walking down the hall towards her, coming from her previous lesson in the south rink. Lizzy smiled, "Hi."

"You ready for your lesson?" Sam asked just as Lizzy finished tying her skates. "Yep"

When the lesson was over, Lizzy practiced another two hours. She was jealous of the girls who were homeschooled and got to skate more often while everybody else was in school, even though most of them were older. She had mentioned it to her mom a few times, but she didn't think her mom thought she was serious. The rink was so crowded in the afternoons, and even the 5:00 am sessions weren't exactly empty. She wished so much she could skate during the day when there would be at most three other girls on the ice, sometimes none. She also heard that many people who are homeschooled graduate early, which is definitely a plus. "Maybe in middle school." Her mom had told her, in that way you know she doesn't actually mean maybe, she means she didn't take the request seriously and isn't really considering it, doesn't need it cluttering up her mind. The only hesitation Lizzy had was that she would miss Lauren and Alexis at school. Lauren quit skating last year, so Lizzy couldn't see her at the rink anymore, and Alexis never skated. Katie started about two years ago, and was just as obssessed with it as Lizzy was. Lizzy knew she would continue to be friends with Katie if she were homeschooled, but she wasn't so sure about the other two. Thinking of not having them as friends made her want to cry. She'd known them since kindergarden. But we'll be going to separate middle schools. She remembered with a sinking feeling. We could end up drifting apart anyways. That made her feel even worse. I'll decide later, I have time. She had all of sixth grade before she went to middle school.

Today was Thursday. Tomorrow was Alexis's birthday party, and she still didn't know if she was sleeping over. Maybe I should. Maybe she was right. She only turns eleven once, and I skate all the time. She would ask her mom again when they got home, not that she was really expecting much of an answer. She had already asked her mom several times, always getting the same answer, "It's up to you, it's your choice." On Saturday, they were going to drive to San Jose, about two to three hours away (they lived in the Sacramento area), too see Disney On Ice. They would get a hotel room, and on Sunday they would drive to Montery Bay Aquarium on their way home. She was so excited. They were going to see Frozen in Disney On Ice. It was one of her favorite movies. And she wanted so bad to see the otters and penguins and jellyfish at the aquarium.

When they got home, she was starving. She ran to the pantry to grab some Oreos, and when she came out, her mom said, "No, Lizzy, you need to have dinner first, then Oreos. Put them away." Lizzy made a pouty face at her mom as she headed back to the pantry. Pouty faces never worked on her mom, but she tried. Her mom just gave her a playful look that said "Really?" then turned around to grab the leftover pasta from the night before. "Pasta's on the counter." Lizzy ran from the pantry to the cabnet to get a bowl and immediately dished herself a big serving of pasta and sat down to eat.

Her mom and older brother sat down to eat after her. Her dad had died in a case of random gang violence, but she was only about nine months old at the time, so she didn't remember him. She wished she had a dad sometimes, but couldn't exactly miss a man she never knew. Her mom had told her stories of him, all sounding wonderful, which made her upset she never knew him, and angry that some random crime could take so much from her, and that the gang who did it could do so without a single thought or ever being caught. But her mom had a boyfriend, Rick, of about two years now, and Lizzy loved him. He could never replace her dad she never knew, but she loved him like a dad. Although she was old enough to remember life without him, the two had grown very close in the past two years. Rick came for dinner sometimes, but as he was the lead homicide detective, he often couldn't make it to these early dinners with the family on week nights. She usually saw him on weekends and early mornings. So tonight, it was just the three of them.

"Mom, should I go to Saturday morning practice or sleep over at Alexis's house?" Lizzy asked once again.

And, once again, her mom replied, "I don't know sweety, it's your choice."

"Ugh I don't know, I'm not good at decision making. Why can'y you decide for me?"

Her mom smiled, "Because, its not my decision to decide. It's yours."

"Alexis said they're going to eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast then go swimming."

"So I take it you want to sleep over then?"

Lizzy glanced at her brother, Max, who was remaining quiet, uninterested, as he scarfed down his food. Lizzy shifted in her seat, blew air through her nose, and said, "I don't know."

"Look if you wanna go to the sleepover that's fine. You don't have to feel guilty for missing practice if that's what you're thinking," her mom said as she took a bite of food.

Lizzy played with the food on her plate, as she said, "No, I just really want to practice. And I really want to go to the party, and I don't want to make Alexis mad at me." After a pause of contemplation, she decided a little grudgingly, "I'll go to the sleepover." It came out as a sort of sigh.

Her mom smiled and said, "Okay, you can call her after dinner to let her know."

Hey so I know this chapter didn't have all that much skating stuff in it, it was more character building. I hadn't done that earlier because its a little hard to do when you're working with a five year old haha :) So ya, remember to vote and comment! :)