Crash

Catch me if I fall

"Have you been tracking the other couples?" Penelope asked breathlessly as she put her hands on top of her head, trying to recover after her own performance. "I saw Ben and Lisa's names on the program. They won at Nationals last year."

Jasper nodded, passing her a bottle of water. "They're up first. If they do well..."

"We could be screwed?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Penelope gritted her teeth. "Fantastic. Did you see your mom in the crowd by the way? You didn't tell me she was coming."

Jasper couldn't help but smile to himself, shooting a glance upwards to the stands. A small middle-aged woman with the same blonde hair and sharp eyes was sitting in the fifth row, holding a small sign that read: 'Go Jasper and Penelope!'

"She surprised me. Didn't know she was here until I finished my set."

Down on the ice, Ben and Lisa were taking centre stage. The music began, and just as she'd expected, they were flawless. There weren't many dancers who made Penelope truly nervous to compete against, but these two were certainly an exception. To watch them reminded her of why she loved dance in the first place - the beauty of it, the way a story can be told in a way that made emotions look easy. For a moment, she couldn't help but feel like an imposter, somehow sneaking her way into the big leagues without the talent to be there.

No. She did deserve it. Penelope had worked her ass off since she was four years old to get here. Her grandmother had taken her to competition after competition, she had given up school, her social life...there wasn't anything that she wouldn't have given to be here. Now, she was so close. One dance stood between her and the career she'd always wanted. Ben and Lisa weren't going to scare her off now.

They didn't have long to prepare. A quick costume change later and a run through of the lifts on the practice mat and they were ready.

"You really think we're ready for this?" Penelope asked him as they stood at the side of the rink, vaguely watching the pair currently skating a mediocre dance. "We've only pulled this routine off a handful of times."

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"...you drop me, I hit the ice and break my neck."

Jasper looked appalled. "No pressure, then."

Penelope's eyes drifted to the screen above them. The camera was panning across the crowd as they began to applaud, cheering as the current couple took a bow.

"Smile," she said through gritted teeth as their faces appeared on the screen. She couldn't hear the commentary, but she could predict it would be about her. "They're watching us."

Jasper put on a cheesy fake smile. "Great. Unfortunately, we have bigger problems. We're up next."

****************

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Penelope repeated the phrase over and over again, trying to calm her nerves. Jasper's hands rested on her waist as they took their position on the ice, waiting for the lights to dim and the music to begin.

"Hey Jas," she whispered as she put on her stage smile. "Promise you'll catch me if I fall."

Jasper squeezed her side. "Promise."

The lights dropped. Penelope felt her mind focus as the first beat began, she and Jasper perfectly in sync as they started to move. To the crowd, they were a synchronised blur, dashing across the ice, spinning into lifts and jumps with flawless technique.

It was going so well. Everything was falling into place. They hit every mark, didn't miss a beat. Everything built up to the final lift, the overhead pull-through spin that had plagued them for so many weeks. They'd gotten it right before. They could do it again.