This Is Me

Part 24

Sean's blush traveled across his face to the tips of his ears. He wanted to be mad at Mark, but that was impossible. Not when he made him feel so loved. Mark pressed his lips to his in another lusty kiss. Sean was seriously considering letting Mark take him here on the ice, when Stacy's dad called down to her. "Stacy, come here and see this." Mark broke the kiss to glance in her dad's direction. Stacy raced up the steps toward the shop, where her dad was pointing to a TV out of sight. Mark climbed to his feet, sliding over to the rink wall as he called up to her. "What's going on now?" Sean slowly rose up onto his feet, watching her stare at the TV for a bit, before telling them coolly. "News has gotten around that you two are here... So, reporters are staking out the damn building. This is my fault... I had to put up the posters..." Mark rested his arms on the rink wall. He was thinking hard about something, while Sean called up lightly. "The posters for the local match? Between Mark and I?"

Stacy nodded without looking away from the screen. Sean groaned softly, grumbling out. "Great... Those vultures will have the damn place surrounded until we come out." Mark let out a heavy sigh, then turned to tell Sean. "They'll stake out the place just to be the first ones inside for our match. If we leave, it will just make it harder to come back without getting swarmed by them." Stacy turned in their direction, saying aloud hopefully. "We've got cots in the back. You guys can stay the night. Dad and I will lock the place up and tell them that you slipped out. That should scatter a few." Mark shrugged, looking to Sean as he asked curiously. "What do you think?" Sean huffed, then grinned as he looked across the ice. After thinking about it, he told Stacy happily. "If we stay. That means we can get more practice in. Which I know that I need." Stacy nodded, glancing at her dad as she told him. "Alright, so we're doing this. Let's get the rink ready for the show." Her dad clapped the chest of his friend, telling him gruffly. "That means you are on food errands tonight. Try to make it look like Stacy and I are the only ones working here." His friend nodded, playfully announcing aloud. "Pizza it is."

Sean ignored the rest of their conversation. He wasn't interested in them talking about how they wanted to set up where the reporters would sit and what information they should release. Instead, he started to slide across the ice casually. It helped calm him. He was starting to feel the pressure already. Could he do this in front of crowd again? It had been so long. Would they be disappointed? Was he getting too old for this? Would his family be in the stands this time? He didn't think so and it weighed heavy on his heart. His skate staggered on a corner when he didn't lean it into the turn, causing him to almost fall across the ice. He managed to correct himself, then slid over to the nearest wall to relax and breathe for a minute. He was just tired. He'd be fine later. Or so he told himself. Leaning over to stare down at the ice, he dug his nails into the rink wall. He couldn't calm down. His mind kept flashing to his warm-up fall. This local skate would decide everything for him. If he failed here than he had no reason to try for Regionals.

While he was frozen in almost crippling anxiety, Mark skated by and slapped his ass. Sean jerked up, his body tensing as he shouted out bitterly. "WHAT?!" Mark skidded to a stop a few feet away, telling him calmly. "Come on. Skate with me. Relax." Sean shook his head, glaring back down at the ice as he told him grimly. "I can't... This changes everything. I have to practice... I have to nail these jumps... Otherwise, my da is right and I should just stop this now before I hurt myself again!" Mark skated by again, giving him another slap to his ass. Sean jerked again, shouting out louder over his shoulder. "Quit it, Mark! I'm serious!" Mark raised his hands in surrender in response. Sean slowly forced his body to relax, when Mark skated by him again and smacked his ass harder this time. With that, it sent Sean over the edge of his control and he shoot off after Mark. Mark dashed across the ice to get away from him. Sean wanted to strangle him, but Mark was surprisingly good at evading him. Mark would switch directions easily to make wide circles away from him, leaning just out of his arms reach before gaining his speed back.