A Crack in the Ice

Chapter 28

The next morning, Sarah and I were waiting for her turn to take to the ice. It was the final day of the Grand Prix Final, and Sarah had herFree Skate next.
Sarah sighed as she slightly adjusted her gloves. "I shouldn't sweat this. I mean, I've secured my spot pretty well on the podium."
I nodded in agreement. "That you have, but I wouldn't doubt Lilith's ability to come and catch back up with you. She's gotten pretty darn good."
Sarah sighed. "She has. Well, it's just about my turn. See you at the Kiss and Cry, okay?"
I nodded. "Got it."

As Sarah took to the ice, I gave her a nod, and she nodded back, assuming her starting position.
"She's looking good," Lilith suddenly said from behind me.
I nodded, not even turning to face her as the music began. "Indeed she does. You'll have to really step up your game if you want to beat her."
Lilith chuckled as she stood next to me. "Oh, trust me Yurio, I have a feeling that tgis year will be one of the closest Grand Prix Finals in a long time. Heck, it'll be even closer than the one you beat Yuri in."
Elyse then walked up on the other side of me. "Lilith, if you think it'll be easy to defeat Sarah, you'll have to think twice."
"Oh? And why might that be?" she asked, a smirk on her face.
Elyse gave her a look. "I'll tell you why. Sarah is one of the best figure skaters that I know. She won't be beat so easily."
I slightly chuckled. At this point, Sarah was at her main step sequence, which was about a third of the way through the program.
"You know, I've been thin about something," I said with a sigh.
"What's that?" Lilith asked.
I blew a strand of hair out of my face. "I've been thinking about how damn well her theme is intertwined with her song selection."
Elyse nodded. "You can say that again. I've known Sarah for a while, and she's got a good ear for music, let me tell you."
Lilith sighed. "Normally I'd say otherwise, as she is my cousin and all, but I have to agree. And when she finds a feeling to convey, nothing can stop her from doing it."
I nodded and grit my teetb as Sarah exited her Quad Toe Loop, which she didn't land quite right. "I know we're going to have a great life together."
The three of us then watched in silence as she finished, and she luckily didn't make any other mistakes, and I quickly ran over to the Kiss and Cry, and Elyse followed me, and I didn't bother stopping her. She had every right to be there for Sarah as she stepped off the ice.
"You did great out there!" Elyse yelled as she gave Sarah a hug.
Sarah smiled as she hugged her back. "Yeah, I did great...except I messed up on my quad toe loop."
Elyse shook her head. "I don't care about that. All that I know and care about is that you did amazing, and it was even better than what I saw in Skate America. I'm proud of you, you know."
Sarah smiled. "Really?"
Elyse nodded. "Of course. I'm your friend. I'm sure Yurio is proud of you as well."
My face went red at Elyse's comment, slightly embarrassed. "Y-yeah. Of course I'm proud," I said with a smile.
Sarah slightly chuckled as she broke away from Elyse. "Oh, looks like someone's embarrassed, huh?"
"Sh-shut up..." I mumbled.
Sarah only smirked at me as the announcer came on over the speakers with Sarah's score. "And the score for Sarah Calian's Free Skate, 129.68, bringing her total score up to 201.38, keeping her in first."
Sarah threw her fist in the air. "Yes! Hah, have fun trying to beat that, Lilith," she said with a smirk.
Elyse nodded in agreement. "You can say that again. She'll have a really hard time trying to best you with an even higher score."
We then left the Kiss and Cry, and we had about an hour and a half before Lilith's performance, as there was going to be an hour or so intermission after the next skater.

===

We had gone one of the various food vendors to grab a bite to eat. I was having a chicken sandwich, Sarah was eating a cheeseburger, and Elyse was eating chicken nuggets. I wasn't sure where Viktor and Yuri were, as they went off in some other direction for lunch.
"So Sarah, if you had to sum up your entire figure skating season in one word, what would it be?" Elyse asked.
Sarah bit her lip, lost in thought for a moment. "Hm, that's a hard question. However, if I had to sum it up in one word, I'd probably say...spiritual."
"And why's that?" she asked.
Sarah sighed. "You see, I've had a lot of time to reflect this year. It really was an amazing journey for me. Hell, I never even thought I'd set foot on the ice this year after I had sprained my ankle."
I nodded in agreement. "I'd say the same thing. I'm surprised you've held up. You're very resilient, you know that, right?"
Sarah nodded. "I've heard that a lot. In fact, doctors have even said that to me."
Elyse then looked at me. "Um, can I talk to you for a second, alone?"
I nodded as I stood up. "Of course you can. Sarah, I'm going to go back to the rink with Elyse. Whydon't you stay here and clean up?"
Sarah nodded. "Got it."
Elyse nodded, amd followed me into the rink.

Once we got there, Elyse and I took a seat down by the rink, as we had access passes and such.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked her.
Elyse sighed as she took a deep breath. "Well, I don't know if Sarah will think of this, but when you guys start planning your wedding, I have a suggestion for you."
"Oh? And what's that?" I asked, curious.
"When you two start talking about a dj for the wedding, mention me. I want to be there as the dj, but I want it to be a surprise."
I slightly scratched my head. "Um, how can it be a surprise if I bring you up as a suggestion?"
Elyse sighed. "It's quite simple, actually. Just use my dj name when you talk about it. I mean, I'm pretty darn sure that she's never heard of it. If she asks where you've heard of me, tell her you did some research on the internet, and found me."
I nodded. "That sounds all fine and dandy, but there's one problem. You never told me what your dj name is..."
Elyse nearly face palmed. "Wow. How could I forget. It's MelodyManiac. Though I usually shorten it to Mel."
I nodded. "MelodyManiac or Mel, got it."
As it just so happened, Sarah came over to us at that moment. "Hey, everything okay?" she asked.
Elyse nodded. "Just so happens we're done speaking."
I nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's wait for Lilith's performance, and then watch the awards ceremony, and then pack up and head home."
Sarah nodded. "Sounds like a plan."