CANDY HEARTS | 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒

𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘

tw: mention of suicide

"alright ladies, now that you've gotten your groups for your practice sessions– you may head into the dressing rooms to prepare" daniella lange, the main official for the competition, announced to the group of figure skaters. kate sat in the corner of the room, mentally placing herself into her competitive mindset.

her parents stood behind her, much like all the other skaters. in the world of young athletes, having a mother and father like kate's was more common than one would think. though it was unfortunate.

kate stood up, taking a deep breath in as she slung her duffle bag around her shoulder. "i'll see you out there" she spoke softly to her parents, they simply nodded in response. the girl turned on her heel to head into her respective dressing room.

there was something so frightening yet so exhilarating about competition days. kate thrived on getting to showcase her skills for a prize, but the pressure that came along with it was too much to bare at times.

as she sat on the bench inside the warm locker room, surrounded by groups of girls her age– kate laced up her skates and suddenly all her worries melted away. here we go. she told herself.

as practice concluded, all the girls swiftly made their way off the ice. kate stood outside the rink, her heart up in her throat as she pulled her slim jacket tighter around her. a part of her routine was watching the zamboni lay down fresh water on the ice before the competition started, it soothed her in an odd way.

   as the large machine drove around the ice, she noticed the building beginning to fill up. she spotted her parents immediately considering they always sat in the same spot, right down in front. as she scanned the rest of the audience, a familiar boy entered her field of view.

   all the air left her lungs in one quick exhale as a wide smile graced her features. she wanted to go say hello to him, but she knew she couldn't. he looked perfect, with his hair all ruffled in messy curls, his denim jacket covering his torso as he stepped over people to find a seat.

   she hurried off into the locker room before the competition started, she had to wait a little while before her turn was up. meanwhile, nick had been taking in the sights as he just so happened to sit in the row above kate's folks.

   after about a half hour, it was finally kate's turn. "now presenting contestant number five, kate montana" a man's voice sounded over the speaker system. nick sat up straighter at the sound of her name, "yeah katie!!!" he clapped loudly. he was easily the most heard voice in the crowd, some prestigious families look over at him in disapproval.

   her eyes fell to him immediately, he had been smiling proudly at her. kate's mother turned around swiftly, eyeing him from head to toe. she opened her mouth to question who he was, but decided against it once she heard the beginning of kate's routine begin.

           slow down, you crazy child
          you're so ambitious for a– juvenile...

   kate put everything out of her mind, except for the jumps and moves she had to do for her performance. billy joel's voice serenaded the building as she gracefully flew across the ice, the triple lutz jump weighing down on her mind. falling in front of anyone was humiliating enough, but if she fell in front of nick– she knew she'd be just mortified.

   to kate's standards, she felt she had been doing a great job. but she knew she had to do whatever it took to land the final jump, she'd definitely hear an earful from her parents if she didn't.