Ro laughed at the joke Alex made as the group laced up their skates. It really had been funny, but Ro slipped into one of her moods where she couldn’t stop laughing. Whether it was because she was exhausted, or because she hadn’t been happy in a week, she wasn’t sure. She just couldn’t stop. Everything each one of her friends said was funny. She didn’t want to stop laughing: it made her feel good.
She wanted to run out of breath. She wanted her stomach to ache from laughing so hard. She wanted her cheeks and mouth to hurt from smiling. Alex was laughing as he shook his head and said, “Here we go again. She’s in one of those moods.” Matt asked her if she was okay, truly concerned by how she could laugh so much. Alex muttered, “It wasn’t that funny…” after which she laughed harder.
Ben placed his hands on her shoulders and crouched down, facing her. Ro could see that it was with great effort that he put on a serious face. Ro attempted to smother her giggles, knowing that he was going to say something. Ben was cracking, so before he dissolved into his own laughter, he said, “You concern me, child.” Ro couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. Her and Ben were always ‘concerned’ about each other: it was their private joke.
As the group headed out onto the ice, all of them were laughing. All of the guys took off easily, leaving Ro and Hanna to fend for themselves. Both girls yelled at them until they came back, ready to teach them both how to skate.
Mico got out of the car and walked through the doors, letting the door shut in Alexia’s face. He was no gentleman. They rented their skates because neither owned a pair and turned towards the benches near the rink to put them on. Mico scanned the rink, looking for people he might know. As far as he was concerned, it was all he could do not to turn and run. His stomach squirmed uncomfortably as he stiffened visibly.
“Coming? Mico? Baby?” Mico forced himself to regain control. With an impish smile he reluctantly walked towards Alexia. He put on his skates and tried to pretend he wasn’t uncomfortable. He knew he should be paying attention to Alexia, not the girl he had genuine feelings for. Although Mico told himself he was just being cautious in putting off getting onto the ice, the sensible part of himself reminded him he just didn’t want to look like a fool.
He couldn’t put it off when Alexia held out her hand. He was led out onto the ice, towards his bittersweet fate.
After being on the ice for a few minutes, Ro and Hanna had managed not to fall each time the boys would whiz by and try to knock them off balance. Though they were laughing, Ro wished the boys would stop before she fell down and made herself look stupid. As the guys conversed on their way by, Ro realized they were contemplating on who was going to make the girls faster.
Alex teased her on his way by, “You’re so slow!” She yelled to his retreating form, “Then why don’t you help me?!” To Ro’s disbelief, Alex circled back with a smile on his face and replied, “If you insist.” Matt followed to help his girlfriend.
Alex slowed her down by holding her waist in a gentle grip and pulled her towards him. “Well, for one thing, your blades are crap. But they’ll be okay…I guess. Alright, when you skate, you don’t push hard enough to glide, which is what you need to do. Try it,” he pushed Ro forward, keeping her close to him. He tried to push her hips down hard enough to make a difference without hurting her. “Yeah, that’s better,” he said, “Try to glide, not run. Yeah, that’s great. Just keep gliding, and try to catch up!” Alex took his hands off of her slowly and she shivered. She wanted them back where they had been. Nervous butterflies flew around her stomach.
He was still skating behind her, and that made her even more nervous. She lost her concentration and slipped. To her mortification, she began falling. Familiar hands grasped her waist and cradled her stomach above her belt loops. She was hovering about two feet from the ice. “Did I mention you should try NOT to fall?” Alex’s voice murmured close to her ear. She blushed and shivered.
Burning Broken Bridges
Start from the beginning
