Broken Ice {w.b.}

Chapter 26

The days following were crucial. I felt as if I had just stepped onto ice for the very first time. My old skating coach was called thanks to my mother and father, who have stopped fighting since my dad had to go back to California. Basically, we had to start from the very beginning which meant balance.

My balance was the hardest thing since the accident, I think. Sure, I have a prosthetic foot to support my body and help my good foot, but it was just hard. I kept falling and I could never stay on my feet for more than twenty seconds. But after two days of skating from one end of the rink to the other, I finally got the hang of it.

Then came my jumps. My coach suggested I push off with my bad foot and use my good foot to land and glide. Well, that's easier said than done. Since it was my right foot that was removed, and I always used my right foot to glide after I land from my jump, it was a very, very, very tricky thing to do. But, just like my balance, I began to get the hang of it.

To sum everything up, I used every second of every day to prepare myself for this competition. I needed to be good, I needed to be perfect. I am representing my home town, and all my friends will be watching, after all.

"Jasmine Black, you're on in five minutes!" a woman called down the hallway. I looked over at her just as she was walking back to wherever she came from. I pulled out my phone and got on Twitter, deciding to send out a quick tweet before I stashed my phone away in my bag for however long this was going to take.

Jaz_Black: I go on in five minutes! Thank you 5ers and everyone who has been supporting me through this, I <3 U! :) Oh, and IM5, thanks for everything.

After I sent the tweet, I zipped my phone up in a pocket on the side of my duffle bag and stood up. I used the wall as support as I walked down the hall, since I was wearing my skates and it was difficult to walk.

The girl that had went on before me was just exiting the rink when I got to the edge. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Directly across from me were the four judges and two TV cameras. One to broadcast to America, the other for the rest of the world.

My name was announced, and I felt my heart start to beat faster. A spotlight was turned on me, following me as I skated to the center of the rink. The sparkles on my light green dress reflected the light from the spotlight, making small circles of light appear and move on the dark ice around me.

When all the lights cut off, leaving the one spotlight on me, I waited patiently for the music to stop. When it did, I began my routine. This time, I wasn't going to mess up, this time I knew what I was doing, and I knew the rules of this competition. If I want to do a triple axel, then I won't get disqualified, and I checked the rule book to make sure.

I did my first jump, pushing myself off with my right foot and doing a double axel, then handing on my left foot and gliding in slowly around in a circle. The cameras followed my every move, just like the spotlight and the judge's eyes. My routine wasn't that long, only about two minutes, so i had to make it count.

From what my mom told me, the three of them were seated to the left of the entrance, so I made my way over there. Just as I was told, there they were, seated in the front row. I had decided to do something special, just because they were right there. So, I picked up my speed, and jumped right in front of them. I spun three times then landed easily on my good foot.

When I was doing a small spin near one end of the rink, my feet slipped out from under me and I fell on my butt. Cursing to myself, I climbed back up on my feet and continued like nothing had just happened. That's one thing my coach had reminded me about; I can still hear her words in my head. "Don't make a big deal if you fall. Just get up and keep going, like no one even noticed."