Breaking the Ice | ✍🏼

01. I Don't Even Know Anymore

"Hey, Ana" a voice that I hadn't heard in a few weeks stopped me in my tracks. I rolled my eyes, knowing what was coming from him. The usual teasing and taunts.

"What, Angus?" I questioned with a huff, turning around to face him. The smirk on his face seemed to falter slightly, but I didn't care.

Angus Armani. The boy who had only been here for just under a two years and was an absolute pain in my asse. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone, but he really needed to be punched in the nose to make that ego ten times smaller.

Maybe I should be the one that crushes it?

"Turning out more like Aiden" I heard someone whisper, but I didn't care. Sometimes I wanted to be exactly like my brother who was the best at everything he did, but other times, I wanted to be so different that we wouldn't even be considered cousins or relatives.

What he doesn't realize is that I live in his shadow; I always have, and I always will. He's the favourite child and he knows is. He uses it to his advantage.

"Aww, having a tough day?" he puckered his lips out and squatted a little, just like a mother would to a child that was actually having a bad day.

I just turned on my heel, flipped him my middle finger and walked away. I had learned not to give into Angus and his taunts. He did it whenever he saw me, and I had lost interests in playing back into his little game.

I slammed the door open to the girls change rooms, finding it practically empty. I walked over to my locker, opening the door, noticing a small note in it.

'it's probably just part of Angus's game' I thought, but I didn't realize how wrong I would be. That this wasn't Angus's game, it was a whole new game.

I slipped the piece of paper in my duffle bag, not bothering to read it, as I grabbed my team tracksuit pants and slipped them on over my leotard and skirt. I then gabbed my jumper, not bothered to slip it on just yet.

I grabbed my training shirt, slipping it over my head, while I swung my duffle bag over to the bench. I untied all of my laces on my skates, knowing I will regret that the next time I have to put them on, but I didn't care in the moment. I just had to get them off so that the blisters could stop burning.

I didn't bother taking my socks off, rather just slipping my slides on, while I swung my duffle bag over one should, grabbing my stupidly heavy school bag over the other, before kicking my locker shut.

Like, it was the last day before we go on Christmas break, what was the need to make us take everything home, only to bring it back in 3 weeks' time.

I checked my watch, realizing that I could either walk home in the freezing cold weather, or wait for my lovely dear older brother Aiden to finish his training session. I chose to wait, because I could really use the time out of the house that was huge but so empty.

Like, explain to me why rich people buy gigantic houses, style them, then are barely home leaving the house empty. I'm the only one home most of the time, but even then, I'm only home for a little amount of time.

That's a plus side to having parents away for business trips, is that you can go to your friends' houses, where their parents are mainly not home.

And to think I'm the quiet girl.

"Oi, Ana, we need one more to even out the teams" Ethan, my brothers best friend, who had a little sister, Avery, who was my best friend.

"Sure" I knew my brother wouldn't have asked me. Why would he? He didn't want me anywhere near him these days. It had become an unspoken rule at this point.

Stay away from Aiden when he's studying or even better, just don't let him know that you're at home when he's at home. Especially don't come out of your room when he has his teammates over.

I just wish my life could be how it was this time 2 years ago.

The house that I used to call home was full of decorations for Christmas time, the kitchen was constantly smelling of freshly baked Christmas treats, Aiden wasn't so bad to be around, and children were running through the house.

I missed the old times, but we all grow old and grow out of the times that we loved as just children. That's all it'll be, a time when we were children, and nothing mattered to us like it does now.

So, I slid back on my skates for another round.

---

Entering the house, I wasn't surprised to see that the Christmas decorations hadnt been put up yet, the garage was empty of both of my parents vehicles, and no sweet treats waiting for us on the kitchen bench.

Tradition had changed, I guess.

This happened last year as well; our parents had to go on a trip right at the end of our school term, decorations weren't put up until the 24th of December, when they arrived back in town and cooking was rushed that day for family that was coming to our huge house for Christmas Day.

I just wanted that to be a one off, but maybe that was becoming reality.

A reality that I was starting to hate. I had always known that this may have come, but it happened way to quickly; I was still growing up, for god's sake.

But why need parents now when they have been missing for most of your childhood, always on trips to exotic places that you don't even know about. They tell you the day before or the day of that they are leaving.

Sometimes they don't even tell you, they just expect you to be a mind reader and know what they want you to know.

"Run along" Aiden spoke. He used to tease me because I would always run inside, but now that's all it ever will be. A tease that has lost the teasing side to it.

When I didn't move, he just huffed, chucked his bag into the garage to dry from the ice, then walked off to somewhere in the house.

What a great start to the Thanksgiving break, once again.

Let's just hope that the ice doesn't break as soon as expected to.

---

thoughts?