Morning Shift

Ice Skates

        When Jonah asked if Nicky had ever skated before, Nicky lied straight to his face for reason's he didn't want to talk about.

        He had never ice skated. Hell, he'd never even worn skates. The thought of balancing on two thin blades in a glorified frozen pool scared the shit out of him. He always wondered why people found hockey so fun at Westview, because to him it just looked like an exhausting combination of golf and soccer in funky shoes.

        But there he was, lacing up Jonah's extra skates beside the frozen pond a minute down the road from Happy's on Sunday afternoon after Jonah and Priya finished their morning shift. He glanced over at the other two, who were already gliding effortlessly around, and decided he wasn't going to let Priya show him up.

        Nicky took a deep breath and stood up, but fell back down after he wobbled like a baby deer for a few seconds. He tried again, only to step foot on the ice and slip, and then his skates were in the air and the back of his head was being slammed against the mushy grass.

        Jonah chuckled and came to an effortless stop right in front of Nicky, holding out his gloved hand. "Need some help?"

        "I'm fine, thanks."

        "You're lying down on the ground."

        "I'm aware, Jonah."

        "C'mon," Jonah said, shaking his hand, "I wanna help."

        Nicky scowled, but took the other boy's hand anyway, letting him pull him up from the ground until they were both standing up on the frozen pond. Nicky went to move back, suddenly noticing their close proximity, but froze when he felt two hands on his waist, steadying him.

        "What are you doing?" He asked.

        Jonah shrugged. "You'd fall again on your own. Here, wrap your arms around my neck. Like we're dancing."

        "What? Fuck no," Nicky said. He could feel his ears heating up under his wool hat and his heartbeat getting faster and faster, but he refused to let it get to him. He wasn't about to admit that Jonah's hands on his waist wasn't the worst feeling in the world— no, he'd rather fall on his ass again.

        But Jonah moved in closer, wrapping his arms around Nicky and placing them on the small of his back. Even through his cozy North Face, Nicky could feel the warmth of his hands dancing up his spine.

        "Put your arms around my neck or this is gonna be really awkward."

        Nicky bit his lip, his eyes darting to the trees, to the playground, to the snow, anywhere but Jonah's brown ones. Finally, though, he groaned and lightly placed his arms on Jonah's shoulders, letting them hang loosely, just in case Jonah was suddenly blessed with the ability to read minds and figured out what Nicky was trying to avoid thinking about.

        "Good," Jonah said softly, "now I'm gonna push off backwards, and you push off forwards, but not real hard. Lightly, otherwise we'll both go down."

        He wanted to protest— he really did. He opened his mouth to do so, but absolutely nothing came out. It was like the part of his brain that made snappy comments shut down and deserted him without any knowledge of how to talk like a normal person. So, instead of fighting it, he did what he was told, watching his feet as Jonah and him skated around slowly, leaving marks on the ice as they quietly circled around the pond.

        At one point, Nicky looked up at Jonah and saw him with that crazy contagious smile he always seemed to have, but this time, it was just for Nicky. And that's when Nicky realized he was smiling, too. Just a little bit, but enough for Jonah to catch on.