𝗙𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗢𝗜𝗗𝗦 ❨𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗆 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌❩

i. 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗇𝖺

𝗶. 𝖿𝖺𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗈𝗂𝖽𝗌: 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗇𝖺
"catch me if yo𝘂 can!"

AS I LANDED ON MY TOE PICK, I let out a deep sigh and my hand reached to push back hair that fell out of my bun. It took me a moment to catch my breath before I skated over to the bench to take a drink of my water. As usual, I was at practice for figure skating. Today I was focusing on perfecting my double salchow.

Bringing the water bottle to my mouth, I surveyed the rink. There were around seven girls skating around, jumping and stroking and spinning. When it's just practice, we're friends and acquaintances. But during competitions, it's every skater for herself.

There was one girl, however, Laura Barrett. We met through figure skating and did almost everything together. Although we weren't able to go to the same school or hang out constantly of practice, we were as close as two could be. She helped me with my jumps, I helped her with her spins. Laura and I talked about everything from the drama on our ice to what the Hawks were up to.

The Hawks shared the ice arena with us. While the figure skaters stayed on the rinks on the left, they stayed on the Olympic sized rink on the right. Well I mean the rinks were around the same size, it just feels that their Coach Riley makes it seem so much bigger than it truly is. The figure skating team and the hockey team don't get along, nor do they interact often. When they do, it's insults thrown again and again. But what happens in the hockey world doesn't concern and faze me.

To be fair, I wasn't technically supposed to be skating at New Hope since they redrew the district lines. I was on the cusp of being given to the arena that the famous Ducks skated at, I was lucky enough to have lived close enough to continue to skate here. I grew up on this ice, it's all I've ever known. It's all I ever care about, other than the usual family and friends.

Figure skating is my life. Although theatre is more of a hobby, figure skating is something I want to pursue and do professionally. I adore being on the ice, spinning cannonballs and jumping toe loops. However on stage, it'll be just me and the scene. There's nothing I love to do more.

Laura stops in front of the wall, spraying me with ice and breaking me out of my trance. I send her a playful glare as I close my water bottle. Laura simply sends me a mischievous smile while she waits for me to come back onto the ice. To annoy her, I pretend that my skate is loose and I reach down to retie the laces. She scoffs. "Flo, we both know that your laces are tight enough to skate in, get back on the ice!"

I returned her grin with my own that rivaled the Cheshire Cat. My face contorted into one that showed deep pensive before I stepped back on the ice. Quickly doing a turn on my rocker, I faced Laura with a raised eyebrow. Her expression mirrored my own, Laura quickly following after me. Laughter bubble in my chest as I picked up speed, moving backwards. Occasionally looking backwards to make sure I don't hit another skater, it was now a game of cat and mouse.