Why Not?

ch. 2

recap; Copland is forced to go ice skating with her family, and she falls on her face while continuing to be laughed at.

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I looked up to see where the laughter was coming from when I locked eyes with a teenage boy.

"Are you going to just stand there and laugh, or are you going to actually help me up?" I asked the boy, finally sick of his jeering. He tried to contain the rest of his laughter as he pulled me up from the ice, maintaining perfect balance the entire time.

"You know, it's weird for someone who has absolutely no skills on the ice to willingly come to the rink," he said to me after I stood all the way up and brushed the ice off of me.

"Yeah it is. That's why I didn't come here willingly."

The boy snickered and looked around, "Seems to me like you're here alone," he remarked, "And that makes it voluntary."

I pointed to my family, rolling my eyes. "Would you look at that! My family's here! What a coincidence!"

"Okay, okay sorry," he stated, putting his hands up in defense. "I didn't realize... What did you say your name was?" The stranger asked me, looking confused.

I gave him the same look, "I never told you my name? But I'm Copeland. And you are?"

"Reese," he said smiling at me; aka the first time this kid has looked at me without laughing. I nodded and half-smiled back at Reese and started to slowly move towards my family, who hadn't noticed any of this by the way.

I "skated" away, finally reaching my parents. I did a little fist pump thing when I was able to get there without the wall's help, to which I heard a snort behind me. I turned to see Reese smiling at me again while shaking his head.

"Not much to be proud of," he stated, blankly.

"Eh.. Baby steps," I told him as I left again, this time trying to go around the entire rink without using the wall at all. Halfway around the rink, I leaned too far forward.

And again, I was face down on the ice.

And again, Reese was there behind me, laughing.

This time, however, he helped me up without having to question him.

"Okay, sorry sweetheart, but I can't really take this anymore. I'm teaching you to skate so I don't have to worry about you falling all the time," he said, after I got to my feet again.

"I never said you had to worry about me," I said, a slight smirk on my face. Reese just rolled his eyes.

"C'mon clumsy," he reasoned, holding his hands out for me to hold. "You're supposed to pick up your feet as you push off. Basically, if you push off with your right foot, you pick it up as soon as you push. Like this," he explained, gracefully moving forward as if this was as easy as breathing.

"Ha. Yeah, okay. I know how to do it, stupid. I'm just bad at actually doing it," I elaborated on my inability to ice skate.

Reese laughed at me (again) and took my left hand in his right. "Just try it," he said, pushing off with his right foot before I tried the same. "Good job!" He exclaimed after I properly executed that move; (note the sarcasm.)

"Why, thank you," I half-bowed for Reese.

"Oh no no no. I don't want you falling again. Stand up straight and push off again," Reese instructed, suddenly becoming serious.

"Good. Now, after you do that with your right foot, you do it with your left. And eventually, you're just going with the flow."

"Excuse me, but that is impossible. I'd rather just go sit outside the rink. Thanks anyways Reese," I told him before heading to walk out of the rink.

"No way Cope. The only way you're leaving this rink is if you skate to the exit," he decided, cutting me off.

"Since when are we on a nickname basis?" I joked.

"Since you took my offer. Come here. We have some work to do, clumsy."

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A/N: THIS STORY IS NOT GOING TO BE ABOUT ICE SKATING!
These chapters are dragging and I apologize :-(
Basically, the next chapter will spice things up okay yay !!
Thanks for reading!