Ice Cold

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞

As soon as the rink has all cleared out of competition-viewers and excited parents, the team as the ice to ourselves. Usually, we don't have practice on a random Monday, but we were all here and all had our skates, so didn't want to pass up the opportunity. As always, I am the first to hit the ice, Jackson and Tyler following closely behind. None of us have our sticks or any other gear, so we just enjoy free skating around the ice. Naturally, we all incline to skate in one direction around the rink, me leading. Of course, that doesn't last long. Jay speeds past me, so close his skates nearly jolt mine. Annoyed, I glance across to Tyler, and he simply smirks and shrugs his shoulders.

"Ohhh, it's fucking on."

I crack my knuckles, bend my knees and shift my shoulders forward, picking up speed as the rest of the team finds their way onto the ice, each member sliding into the rhythm of the circle. And then, of course, there is Jay, weaving and looping around the guys. Poor Cam as to stop to avoid a collision. Deciding that this fucker needs a damned kick to his ego, I too begin to swerve around my team, yet keep a good enough distance to ensure nobody gets hurt. I can only imagine what coach might say if he finds out that someone was injured on a spontaneous skate rather than during a game or a serious practice. I think he'd have my head. I draw closer and closer to Jay, and he glances over his shoulder. I grin, noticing the way his eyes widen as he realises how much more pace I have in comparison to him. And, when he's distracted, he gets sloppy. Jay begins to focus less on his technique and more about gathering speed, to the point in which he sort of looks like a lumbering baboon. Catching up to him is effortless, and I turn, halting to a stop directly in front of him. Left with no other choice, Jay too skids to a stop, and a domino effect is caused. The boy behind Jay stops, then Cam, then the next three boys, then Jackson, then Josh, then Tyler. In the end, we've all come to an awkward halt.

"Damn, I'm good."

I say, just to be a dick. However, none of the boys appear to be listening. I frown, looking at Jay, whose gaze is fixated somewhere beyond my shoulder. I turn, and it takes me less than a second to realise why the boys all stopped so abruptly- it wasn't my skill, it was April. April, standing outside of the changing rooms, headphones on, lacing up her skates. I slowly turn my head towards Lucas, and he's already looking at me, just as confused as I am. Nobody says a word. In the silence, it becomes apparent that she's humming along to whatever song she's listening to, and hasn't noticed the entire team of boys gathered on the ice. Jay moved to step forward, and I immediately raise a hand. Jay stills.

Cam is the one to move, and nobody makes any attempt to stop him. We're all acting as though we've never seen a girl before; which is certainly untrue. What is on my mind, however, is that April has come back to skate again, not even an hour after skating in competition. It reminds me of myself. Whether I win or I lose, my adrenaline levels are always through the roof whenever a game ends, and there is only one way I know how to blow off steam- a good skate on smooth ice, music in, by myself. By the looks of it, that method applies to April, too, except we're all ruining it.

Cam reaches the edge of the ice and skids to a stop. I watch as he clears his throat, to which April shrieks in response, high pitched and terrified. We all jump, myself included. April leaps up, her cheeks warming to an embarrassed reddened colour as she looks across to all of us lined up on the ice. She meets my gaze, then immediately looks away. I feel a pang of annoyance, and Cam speaks, apologetic.

"I'm so sorry, April, we didn't know anyone would come back- it was Blake's idea."

"Hey! It wasn't all my idea."

I call out, and all eyes turn to me.

"..Okay, it was all my idea. But that doesn't mean anything..April doesn't own the ice."

"You can speak to me directly, you know. I'm right here."

I look to April, and she folds her arms across her chest. She's still wearing her dress from the competition, but she's covered it with a hoodie. However, the little sequins lined on the edge of the material are still visible, sparkling as they catch the last of the sunlight streaming through the windows. Her makeup is gone, and her tight hairdo has been loosened into a ponytail, one that I have learned from experience is her favourite hairstyle for practices. I grimace. I should not know that.

"Yeah- right, sorry- you can come on the ice. We won't get in your way."

I find myself stumbling over my words, and I feel like a complete fucking idiot. This girl has been here for all of five minutes, and she's already got my head spinning. Whatever it is that she's doing to me, it needs to end soon. Now, preferably.

April looks unnerved as she shifts her gaze across to all of us out on the ice, and I see the way she calculates whether or not it is worth it. She purses her lips, then looks down her skates, fastened tightly. She sighs.

"Yeah, fine..you'll be leaving soon anyway, right?"

"Erm...might be here for awhi- oh, shit."

Oh, God. I'm an idiot. A big fat fucking dumb stupid silly idiot. Monday. Monday means the Jones' come around for dinner. Monday means I have to put up with April for the entirety of the evening, as well as making it look as though I want to be there for the sake of my parents. I'll have to leave early, soon, to help set up for our guests. April has a least an hour to kill on the ice, but I recognise that I have twenty minutes, tops. Okay. I have twenty minutes to enjoy my freedom before I have to conform to my parents loving expectations. And so, what better way to do it than piss April off? Perhaps this way, if she really doesn't like me, my head will stop spinning whenever she's near. And so, I speak, my tone sly.

"Okay, April Fools..teach us a trick."