A Crack in the Ice

Chapter 22

Three days later, I was standing on the outside of the rink at Megasport Arena. The last time I was actually here was my senior year debut.
I held my breath for a brief second as Sarah took to the ice, the final performance for the day. She was already qualified for the Grand Prix Final, but I didn't want her to flub up her performance just because of that fact.
The music then began, and Sarah started her routine.

"How much did I miss?" Yuri asked as he walked up behind me.
"Not much," I mumbled as I crossed my arms. "...why are you late? Viktor was here well before you."
Yuri let out a nervous chuckle as Sarah went into her Flying Sit Spin, which was done perfectly. "That's a long story...let's just keep it at I slept in really late because I was tired last night."
"...okay. No more details, please," I said, shaking my head to get an image out of my head.
Yuri only sighed as we continued to watch Sarah's performance.
She was almost done, as she was getting ready to go into her Quad Toe Loop Triple Lutz combo. I watched, nervous, but she was able to pull it off. I clenched my fist, and watched as she finished the routine, and I noticed she was breathing heavily.
I immediately ran over to the Kiss and Cry, waiting for her.
"...that was intense," she huffed as she sat next to me.
I nodded. "You did great out there. I'm sure you'll get a really good score."
She nodded, leaning her head on my shoulder.
At that, an announcer came on over the intercom. "And the score for Sarah Calian's Short Program, 69.57."
Sarah sat up, and gave me a proper hug. "Yes! I knew all that hard work would pay off!" she said with a smile.
I slightly chuckled, hugging her back. "See? What did I tell you?"
She giggled, and gave me a quick kiss. "I never said I doubted you."
I sighed and stood up. "Come on. The others are waiting for us."
She nodded, and we went back to the others.

===

Later that day, Sarah, Yuri, Viktor and I were all in the room I shared with Sarah, playing a game of Cards Against Humanity. The reason we were doing this was that it was about two in the afternoon, and we weren't meeting up with Kolya until six or so for dinner.

I had won the last round, so it was my turn to be the Card Czar.
"Hey, so have either of you proposed yet?" Viktor asked as everyone drew new cards.
I shook my head. "Nope. But I have a feeling it will happen sooner rather than later."
Sarah nodded in agreement. "Yeah. At this point, it's literally a game of Who's Going to Propose First."
Yuri chuckled. "That seems like it would be a very interesting game."
"It most definitely would be," Viktor said with a nod.
I sighed. "Okay. The card is...'Next from J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of blank."
The other three snickered a bit, and I was honestly scared of what was to come. But within a minute or two, they all gaveme their cards, and I shuffled them up.
"This is going to be a good round," Sarah said.
Yuri nodded in agreement. "Indeed it will be."
I sighed. "Okay. Here we go...Next from J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of full frontal nudity. We also have Next from J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Russian...oh god, Russian homemade porn," I said trying not to burst into laughter. "And finally, Next from J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of my inner demons. Oh, come on. This one is so easy," I said with a snicker. "The winner is obviously Next from J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Russian homemade porn."
"Yes!" Sarah said with a giggle. "That was my card. Which means...I now have fifteen points, and I win!"
I sighed. "That was really a good one, Sarah. Wanna play one more round to determine second?"
Viktor nodded. "Sounds good to me. I mean, you still have, what, three hours until you meet up with your grandfather?"
I nodded. "Exactly. Now, Sarah, it's your turn. Pick a card, Card Czar!"
She sighed and picked a card from the top of the pile, and almost immediately snickered. "Oh, this is going to be the best final round in the history of Cards Against Humanity. Blank was invented in Nazi Germany."
I looked over my cards, and quickly found what my answer was going to be. 'The worlds worst human being.'
I quickly gave my card to Sarah, and Viktor and Yuri did the same.
Sarah took a deep breath. "Okay. Here we go. Mental illness or narcotic addiction was invented in Nazi Germany. We also have The worlds worst human being was invented in Nazi Germany. And finally...Auschwitz was invented in Nazi Germany." She bit her lip. "Okay. Mental illness or narcotic addiction is out for sure. Now, will it be Auschwitz or the worlds worst human being..." she said, glancing between the two cards.
I looked over at Yuri. "Who ever wins, it'll be a great win either way."
"You can say that again," he said with a nod.
"...okay, I got it," Sarah said after a brief moment of silence. "The winner of this round is...The worst human being was invented in Nazi Germany."
I clenched my fist. "Yes. I knew that card was going to win."
Viktor sighed. "Nice job, Yurio. You deserve that win."
"So, that card was yours?" I asked.
He nodded. "Indeed it was."
Sarah got up and stretched. "...that was fun, but I think it's about time Viktor and Yuri leave. I don't know about you, Yurio but I need to get ready for tonight. I don't want to be all hot and sweaty when I meet your grandfather."
I nodded. "Point taken. Yuri, Viktor, I guess I'll see you later?"
Yuri nodded as they both got up. "Indeed. Have fun."
"We will," I said as they left the room.
Once they were gone, Sarah sighed. "All right. I'm going to jump in the shower real quick."
I nodded. "Go right ahead."
With a final nod, she went into the bathroom and closed the door.