Meant For You

seventeen.

Nola Scott

I always thought the saying "New Year, New Me," was stupid. In fact, I never participated in it. Not until now at least. If high school me was about to listen to the information I was getting ready to tell my parents, she would go insane. I'm not even joking in the slightest. But after my phone call after Christmas with coach Laurel, my whole life changed in a matter of seconds.

There was no longer any time for anything that wasn't skating. My life would be skate, sleep, and repeat for the next three months. I had to compete against the best competitors in the world to get to the Olympics and with the way I'm skating right now? I should be bowing down at their feet for being able to share the same ice as them. A part of me was scared out of my mind for the months to come, but determination swallowed that fear whole.

My whole life just started and while I cared about a lot of things, figure skating was the most important one. It had been my saving grace since I first got on the ice at the age of four. After I got on ice once, I never wanted to leave it. Almost fourteen years later, I still feel the same way. Figure skating has saved me multiple times and I try not to imagine my life without it. As much as I love school, nothing comes close to the love I have for figure skating.

This is why I've decided to take the semester off to focus on preparing for Worlds.

I took a good amount of time to think about my decision and pronounced that this would be the best thing for me. Trying to juggle both would send me over the rails. Because this time, I'm practicing for Worlds. Not just some meaningless competition. This is bigger than school. This is bigger than a lot of things.

There's a plan set in my head about how I'm going to go about this because I don't know the reaction I'm about to get. Mom and dad were both extremely passionate about school when they were in college so they may have biased opinions on my decision. It's not like I'm never going back to school. I am, just not until the fall. Hell, I'll even take summer classes if they want. As long as I can get the spring off.

Taking a deep breath, I turn off my car and hop out of it. When I enter the house, it's quiet. The kids started school again today and it's only one in the afternoon so no one's home. I figured Kayce would be here but I texted him and he said he was out. Lucky for me. I didn't want my siblings to be here and possibly listen to this conversation.

"Mommy, dad!" I shout as I walk through the house. Opening the door to the kitchen, both of my parents sit on stools having a conversation. They have full-on smiles that don't fade when they see me. "Nola! What are you doing here on a Tuesday?" Dad is the first one to ask me. I walk to the front of the island to be directly in their view, a huge smile on my face.

The day I asked coach about helping me get to my dreams, I told dad I had exciting news and if he can withhold from telling mom until I got more details. I didn't think the details would come on New Year's Eve but they did and I'm so ready to share with another person who isn't Miles Dempsey.

Yep, a couple of days later and Miles is the only person who knows. I knew telling my parents would be more of a challenge for me which is why I've been keeping the information to myself but I'm ready to let it out.

"Guess who's going to be competing at Worlds in March?" I say in almost a whisper. They react quicker than quick, both blue eyes widening. "What?!" Mom practically yelps and stands up causing dad to follow in her footsteps. "You?!" Dad adds. I nod my head and point a thumb back at myself. "Me!" I shout excitedly. My mom cheers like a schoolgirl and rushes to my side, wrapping me in a tight hug.

I laugh in her hold and I feel dad come up to wrap both of us up, suffocating me in the process. "Granola, that's amazing!" Dad says. After a couple of seconds, they pull away and mom grabs my face. "How? When? Why? What?!" She asks all the possible questions and I can't help but chuckle. My heart bursts at their reaction. I already knew they'd be happy and excited for me but experiencing it is even better.

"Okay, so, I talked to coach Laurel a couple of days ago and you know she has her connections in the skating world. Trust me, I was more shocked than you guys when she told me she got me the spot. I couldn't believe it, really. I'm sure I sat in shock for a good thirty minutes before I was able to form a coherent sentence. This is huge. Huge!" I explain, long story short.

Mom's eyes start tearing up and I frown. "Mom," I mumble, walking over to hug her. Dad rubs her back as I wrap my arms around my mom who cries. "I'm just so p-proud of you, Granola," she says through tears. "I know, mommy, but I still hate seeing you cry." Pulling away, I wipe her tears with my thumbs. "This is a good thing, so please no tears." Mom nods, smiling. "These are happy tears."

Dad smiles, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You don't even know how proud we are, Nols. We know how much this means to you meaning it means the absolute most to us," he tells me. His words make me feel that much greater and I hope he stands by them when I tell him the next part. "That's not all," I start, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"There's more?!" Mom smiles. I nod, but there's no smile on my face to match hers. "It's coming up so soon. I mean March isn't that far and I don't feel half ready yet. This is going to take up a lot of my time and I really want to give my all into it, guys. This is bigger than anything I have going on in life which means I'm going to give it my one thousand percent effort and attention. So..." I pause, preparing to face their wrath after their praise.

"I'm taking the semester off from school. I promise I'll be back in the Fall! Even the summer if that makes you guys fee-"

"Nola!" Dad cuts me off and I wince. "We understand, baby. You don't have to convince us," mom finishes for him. I stumble back a bit, their words catching me completely off guard. "Really?" My voice comes out softer than usual. They both nod. "You're right. Something like this involves dedication. We rather you not put ten percent into school and ninety into skating. One thing at a time. You can always finish school, it's not going anywhere," mom adds.

The biggest weight falls off my shoulders and I'm sighing out loud. "Oh, thank God. I was scared you were going to call me reckless for a minute." Placing a hand over my heart, I close the distance between myself and my parents, hugging both of them tightly. "You guys seriously don't know how much it means to have you on my side. I've been dying to tell you guys for days now," I admit.

Mom smiles genuinely. "We want all of you guys to follow your dreams. Don't think I don't remember you watching the Olympics when you were a tinier baby than you are right now, shouting all these terms and saying that was going to be you one day." Her eyes get glassy again. Dad rubs her shoulder in comfort. "Do whatever you have to do, kid. Just know that we're always here and we're not going anywhere regardless of what happens at Worlds."

That has mom nodding in agreement. "Win or lose, we're here. And if you fall on that ice, you're getting right back up and trying again because this is only the beginning." This time, it's my eyes tearing up. It doesn't take long for a tear to slip down my cheek. "You're going to accomplish all your dreams, Granola. I know it," dad says, wiping my tears for me.

A smile finds its way to my lips and I nod. Miles was right. Sometimes all you need is someone who believes in you. I happen to have two of the best people in the world behind me and they're the only ones I need.