Ice Queen

Chapter 4 ~ "What's done is done"

Nate

There's nothing worse than coming to the rink before school. I need to pick up my skates, I dropped them off to get the blades sharpened but they were so backed up it took almost a week to get them back. I wouldn't be wasting any time doing it either, my back-up skates weren't as nice.

Today is Thursday, the week has been boring to say the least. Sabrina's threats of dumping me for not telling her I loved her had of course turned out to be false. She was clinging on to me now more than ever and I wanted her to give me a bit of space.

I'd turned sixteen two days ago and mom and dad gave me my first car. I was so happy, I wouldn't have to take the bus to practices now. 

I hadn't heard anything back from Sasha or her brothers, I know I didn't deserve to either. Why would she tell me anything? I wished I could tell her in person but I seriously doubted her brothers even passed on the message. I'd been lumped in with Jake and his nonstop teasing and none of them saw me as anything other than an enemy.

I walk to the counter to wait for my skates, it's been a long time since I've been here this early. Then I can hear the distinctive sound of sad classical music coming from the rink. I furrow my eyebrows, taking my skates and walk to the edge of the seating around the rink.

"Again Sasha, you're not placing your arms properly!" I see Sasha's dad standing around the boards with his arms crossed. I think he's actually gotten much scarier than the last time I saw him. He yells something else out in Russian and I watch the vein in this forehead almost explode out of his skin.

Sasha spins beautifully, looks focused but the beauty of the spin is cut short by her dad telling her to stop.

"I've had it Sasha! I'm done I can't do this anymore when you refuse to listen!" He yells and she shrinks back. "You find another way to school this morning, you'll be lucky if I pick you up from your practice tomorrow night!" He storms up the steps out of the rink, towards me and I duck behind a wall watching him leave the rink and drive away.

When did Andrei become like this? I knew he always pushed her and worked her but I didn't know it was this bad. I come out and look back at a lonely Sasha leaning her face against the glass surrounding the rink.

She stands up a second later and skates over to the music hook up. She pauses the cold classical music and looks for a second before finding something else. Out of nowhere, loud, upbeat music comes from the speakers and Sasha starts skating around.

I watch her use the space around the rink with fun steps and spins. She skates....differently than she just did. It looks like she belongs out there instead of like she's being forced to repeat steps. I watch her skate over and pull something out of her hair, seconds later it's falling around her shoulders. She shakes it out and unzips the sweater she's got on.

I can see her arms and back and how strong they are. She moves around the ice with a smile as she does a few simple tricks and really throws herself into it.

I haven't seen her like that in years, I don't even know the last time I saw her smile like that. I don't know the last time it looked like she was having fun on the ice. But when she skates like this it feels like her, she's got all the same precision and elegance that she normally does but she looks approachable, confident.

I slowly walk down the stairs, getting closer to her I watch as she does one small jump and lands it with a smile. Her blonde hair whips around her as she skates, flowing in the small breeze created by her skating.

Then the music ends and she stops quickly in the middle of the rink taking a few deep breaths. She smiles and runs her hands over her face before going back to turn off the music.