Frozen Hearts

Chapter 8

[Flashback]

The sound of the crowd seeped in through the walls of the locker room and Barry tried his best to drown it out. This was his pre-game ritual. After everyone made their way towards the exit to wait for their grand team entrance, he stayed behind in the locker room for five minutes to get himself centered before he joined them. In his hand he held a picture of Iris that he took after her first game as a cheerleader. She was in her red and white uniform and down on one knee with her hands outstretched on either side of her as they held on to her red pom poms. Her hair was held up by a crimson ribbon and her face smiled back in a playfully seductive look. He missed her more than he could put into words. He longed to see her again, to hear her laugh, to catch her in his arms on the ice and revel in the notion of her undivided trust in him. He thought about calling her but judging by the fact that she hadn't returned any of his texts or his letters he felt it would be best to stay away. Give her some space. He just didn't know how much more space he could give her. It had been two years since he'd left, two years since they'd last spoken, how much more time did she need.
He let out a sigh of frustration and passed his hand over his hair.

"Why won't you talk to me Iris?" he asked the picture.
"Don't you know how much I miss you? How much I..."
*Love you.* he finished the sentence off in his head not daring to say it out loud, never out loud. Saying it out loud would be admitting a truth he'd been trying to hide all this time. A truth that would consume him and leave him completely trapped because there's nothing he could do about it. Yet another frustrated sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes to get his mind back in the game. He thought about they're last event together, how beautiful she looked, how her hand slipped naturally into his, how her eyes glimmered in the spotlight. He conjured up his inner perfectionist and felt his chest warm with the sudden determination to win.
"I won't let you down Iris." he whispered.

"Iris? Did you say Iris? Sounds like my ex girlfriends name," comes the obnoxious voice of none other than Eddie Thawne. Barry opens his eyes clearly annoyed at the interruption.
"What do you want Thawne?" he growled not trying to hide his disillusionment.
"Nothing, coach just sent me back here to get you Allen and what do I find?" before Barry had a chance to register what was happening, Eddie snatched the picture from his hand. A satisfied grin spread across his face once he set eyes on the beauty in the image and Barry felt a knot of disgust form in his stomach.

"Well what do you know? It is my ex girlfriend," Eddie laughed as Barry ripped the photo from his grasp and turned towards his locker to put away.
"Dang Barry, did you hit that?" he asked with an amused smile and the disgust seemed to increase.
"Shut up Thawne!" Barry warned. He'd always hated the narcissistic pric. If they weren't on a team together he would have kicked his ass six weeks to Sunday on the firts day they became team mates.
"Uh huh, OK so I'm gonna take that as a no and you know what? Judging from that picture you didn't miss out on much. Now though..." he let out an obscene whistle that made Barry's fingers curl deep into his palms till they formed a tightly wound fist at his side.
"Trust me man, her jugs..." Barry shut him up with a single blow to his lower jaw which sent an unsuspecting Eddie realling back.
"What the fuck man? Its not my fault I got to tap that ass and you didn't," Eddie yelled back his hand nursing his undoubtedly injured chin.
"Don't you dare speak about her like that ever again! Do you understand?," Barry cautioned him before he slammed his locker shut and started walking away. He didn't make it further then three steps before he was ambushed from behind. Eddie's arm wrapped around his neck, robing him of air and sending his anger flying through the roof.
"What are yah jealous huh? Jealous that it was my name she yelled out? Jealous that she begged me to fuck her? That it was my hand that fisted her hair while she sucked my...." Barry had heard enough.

He struggled his body around until his back faced a wall and he ran backwards into it, his assailant absorbing all the impact. Eddie let go but Barry was too far gone to care, no one talked about Iris like that. Especially not some dick head who didn't know her. He landed on to the man's jaw yet again before injuring his left eye and lip. Without a breath he held Eddie by the shoulders and kneed him where it hurt. Eddie howled in pain as he bent over and fell and if it weren't for the sudden interference of their team mates Barry wasn't sure he would have stopped there.
"Allen! What are ya nuts?!" screamed the coach, his voice booming with anger.
"Sorry coach. But he asked for it."
"Yeah well sorry's not gonna cut it! Get out of here you're off today's game!" he hollered sobering Barry up real quick.
"But coach..."
"Up...up, up, up, up. You don't get a say in this. Get your ass out of my face before I permanently kick you out of this team."
Still energised from the fight and dissapointed at the evenings events Barry shot Eddie a hateful look before he grabbed his belongings and banged the lockers on his way out...

He could still feel a trace of residual anger burning inside him as he thought about that night. After watching the day turn into noon on the West's porch Barry had finally gathered enough strength to make his way back to the hotel. As soon as he got in he made a break for the shower, hoping that the warm water paired with the showers pressure would massage the days events off of his body and relax his tense muscles. But he had no such luck, the picture of Iris's hurt expression kept flashing at him everytime he closed his eyes so he got out, dried off, wrapped himself in a bath robe and reached for his wallet. From it he took the picture that had been his lucky charm until that night, and seeing it took him on a trip down memory lane. Atleast this expression wouldn't make him crumble with guilt.

He admired the picture (that he'd already committed to memory) for hours until a message on his phone brought his attention back from his thoughts. It was a message from Snart. A request...well rather a command, to have Barry meet him at the rink. Barry was confused to say the least but after the day's events he was too tired to protest and simply got dressed and headed out. He found Snart cheerfully chatting and sipping a cup of coffee with his old skating coach, Cecile Horton. Those seven years seemed to barely have touched her and if not but for the obvious swelling of her expecting belly he would have said she looked exactly the same.
"Barry?! Is that really you? Gosh what a dashing young man you've grown into," she squealed when she saw him approach. Barry smiled genuinely and bent down to hug her, the feeling some what nostalgic.

"Nice to see you too Madam Cecile," he said taking a seat opposite his agent on the other side of her desk.
"What nonsense, it's just Cecile now. As much as it pains me to say I am no longer your skating coach," she says with a playful wag of her index finger. The three shared a comfortable laugh that was interrupted by Iris's arrival.
"Iris," Barry uttered shocked and his eyes, like hers opened wide. She looked exhausted and her eyes were puffy and red, a clear indication that she'd been crying. Barry worried if those signs of distress where because of him and hated himself for putting her through such pain regardless of whether or not he was to blame.

"Aunt Cecile...?" Iris sang, her brows scrunching up in confusion.
"What's going on?"
Cecile and Snart exchanged meaning full glances before the elder of the two ladies spoke.
"Well, Barry. Iris. Snart and I, we..."
"Have a proposal for you." Snart finished for her before taking a sip of his coffee to let his revelation sink in.