October Academy

Chapter 41

Perry and I walk inside, carting our shopping bags with the lingerie brand plastered all over them. When Gladys' eyes reach mine, they shift down to the bag, then back up at my eyes.

She says, "I hope you're being safe," with a smile.

My face goes bright red, especially as Ben and Callum appear in the dining room. I pray to God Callum didn't overhear.

I usher Perry up the stairs to drop off our lingerie before even greeting them hello.

"Girls, dinner's ready!" Gladys calls from down stairs.

I send Perry an anxious look. She nods to assure me.

We walk down the stairs quickly. Ben is at the foot, waiting for us. With wide arms, he wraps me into an embrace and I can tell he's missed me. He kisses me roughly on the cheek then says, "I missed you, sister."

"I missed you too, bro," I can't help but giggle. "I'm sorry for not visiting more."

"You have nationals! Don't be sorry. You're dedicated and I admire that. I should've come to watch you train, I should be the sorry one."

I hug him tighter. "I love you," I say and he repeats it back to me.

I let go of him and walk past Callum. "Coach Carver," I say to him with a small, indifferent nod. I give him a smile, the kind that neglects our past, the one that renders him as nothing more than a teacher at my school. Not a boy that kissed me. Not a boy that brushed his hands down my neck. Not a boy that wiped away my tears and bashed a man that hurt me.

Perry says hello to Ben and Callum and I can't help but notice how awkward she seems. She's never been socially confident, but she's always gotten along well with Ben. I think that maybe having not seen him for so long put her out of practice.

She warms up more when we sit down for dinner. Gladys sits at the head of the table, Perry sits beside me. Ben sits across from Perry. Callum sits across from me.

Gladys has made egg lemon soup with chicken: Ben's favourite. She looks at him with adoration, as though she's as proud of him as his real mother ought to be.

I wonder if she'll ever look at me like that, or if I'm just a disappointment to her. I know she's proud of my skating, but as a person, I don't compare to Ben. He's a genius, he's charismatic, he's charming, his music is incredible. I would vote for him as president.

Even at October Academy, Ben was popular. He was a scholarship kid, but he fit in with the cooler crowd. Even Darcy wouldn't be ashamed to hang out with him.

"Finally finished exams?" Gladys says to Ben.

"Yep, one more semester down," Ben smiles. "Only four and a half years to go."

"Are you enjoying it? That's the most important part," she says.

"I love it," he sips a big spoonful of soup, "Thanks for having us, this soup is amazing."

Gladys blushes. "So, how have you been settling into October Academy?" Gladys turns to Callum.

"It's been hard warming up to the kids," he says, looking at me as he says kids, then back to Gladys, "they loved their old Coach."

"They were very fond of him," Gladys recalls. "But I'm sure with your talent and reputation it won't take too long to break the ice."

Ben and Callum laugh at her pun.

I look down at my soup, using all my will power not to bite hard onto my spoon and break my teeth.

"Coach Goscicki was really inspiring, he's hard to top," I say, just to spite Callum.