Skating Into You [Off Campus]

1

The ice cracked softly beneath my skates as I landed.

Badly.

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw started to ache. I pushed off again immediately, not allowing myself even a second to rest. Music pounded through my headphones, drowning out everything else-the world, my thoughts... even that unpleasant voice in my head that constantly reminded me that it wasn't enough.

It was never enough.

I glided across the ice, took a breath, and jumped again.

Takeoff.

Rotation.

Landing.

Better.

But not good enough.

I stopped sharply. The edges of my skates cut into the ice, leaving a thin scar behind me. For a moment, I just stood there, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I clenched my fingers into fists.

Second place didn't exist.

It never had.

At least not in our house.

"One more time."

My father's voice echoed through my head so clearly, it was almost as if he were standing right beside the boards.

"If you know you can do better, you have no reason to be satisfied with this."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Then I pushed off again.

This time, faster.

Harder.

More precisely.

The world around me blurred into cold shades of white and blue. There was only me, the ice, and the rhythm of the music guiding me forward.

Exactly the way it was supposed to be.

No thoughts.

No distractions.

No mistakes.

Except the harder I tried not to think about anything else, the louder the voice in my head became.

How much time was left until the next competition.

How much I still had to improve.

How many girls were better than me.

How many places stood between me and first.

Between me and a perfect performance.

Between me and finally making my father proud.

Takeoff.

Rotation.

Landing.

This time, I stumbled.

My skate slipped beneath me, and I threw my arms out to regain my balance.

"Shit," I muttered.

The music kept playing, but I wasn't listening anymore. I stopped in the middle of the ice and wiped a hand across my forehead.

My hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, but a few strands had already come loose, sticking to my sweaty skin.

I needed to try again.

I pushed off once more.

But this time, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

Someone.