Equal Ice // Harry Styles AU

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gabrielle’s POV

I wasn’t sure if Harry noticed that Bella and I were looking at him, but it didn’t matter anymore once him and the little boy he came in with started walking more into the room and out of my stare. I was about to ask Bella if she’s ever seen him here before, but I was interrupted when a lady, who I was pretty sure worked here, came up and began to speak to us.

“Would you girls like to help out a bit with some of the kids who aren’t as social yet?” the lady asked us. Bella looked at me, and I looked back at her and shrugged.

“Sure,” I answered.

“Great, just find a kid and start talking to them, encourage them to go up to some other kids. My name is Kathy if you need anything,” the lady, whose name I now know was Kathy, told us.

Bella and I nodded in understandingly of what she told us, and she smiled and walked off.

“So how about you find a kid and I’ll find one, and we’ll introduce them to each other,” I suggested.

“Wait you’re being seriously about helping?” Bella asked me.

“Um yeah, might as well, unless you want to spend the rest of the time just standing here,” I told her.

“What I want to do is leave, I don’t want to be in the same room as one of those damned hockey players,” she said, saying the last part a bit quieter.

Sometimes I really wish Bella wouldn’t hate any and all hockey players on that team so much. I knew she was still mad about what had happened a few years back, and I was too, but I wasn’t going to let it take over my judgment of people on that team for the rest of my life like Bella was doing.

I doubt Harry even knows what happened so why should I dislike him? I know Bella just fears that the rest of the guys are going to try to make him be cruel to us like they are, but Harry just doesn’t seem like the type of guy to do that, I wouldn’t dare tell Bella that though, I might imply it though.

“I doubt he’ll even speak to us, he barely even knows us,” I told Bella.

She lifted her shoulders a sighed, “I guess, whatever,”

“Okay, you go over there,” I said pointing to the left of her,

“And I’ll go over there,” I said, pointing to the right.

“Whatever you say,” she said, and walked over in the direction I pointed her in.

As I walked over to where I said I would be going, I wondered around the area a bit, trying to find a kid who looked like they needed someone to talk too. I seemed to have chosen the side where most of the outgoing kids were. I eventually saw a kid sitting by himself at one of the tables, mindlessly looking through a book.

Once the little boy looked up, I instantly recognized him. His mom used to work at the rink and every now and then she would bring him along with her. I used to teach him how to skate out on my private rink on the days my dad couldn’t come to practice with me. I walked up to him, and sat down at the table across from him.

“Hey Ben,” I said once I sat down.

He set down the book he was reading once he noticed my presence. I saw his bored face light up into a smile.

“Hi Gabrielle,” he said cheerfully as he closed the book.

“Where’s your mom?” I asked him.

“She’s not here,” I answered.

“She’s not? Then who brought you here?” I asked.

“My cousin,” he simply answered.