Lyle and Larrisa. The iconic boyfriend and girlfriend skater duo. Their chemistry on the ice was what brought them to their success.
Larrisa was from St. Petersburgs Russia and moved to Michigan and continued her figure skating career there. She was partnered with Lyle, a boy from Toronto, when they were both 21 years old.
Instantly the two felt a spark and they instantly were known for their obvious love in their routines. They eventually got married at 25 and had a daughter at 26. They quit skating shortly after and now own this business where they sell Figure skating equipment ranging from blades to dresses. They make some bank.
Their only daughter. Phenomenal figure skater by the age of 4. Perfect posture. Perfect stance. Perfect balance. Graceful and passionate. All came naturally to her of course. Naturally talented in those skills. Or so the family says. It could be also because she was raised by some of the best figure skaters in the state.
14 years old. Their daughter preps for one of her biggest competitions.
"Even winning this competition, I just don't think it would even be enough." Lyle says to his daughter as she bobby-pins her hair on the way to the rink.
"That Nixon girl has been in the top since the beginning of the year," Larissa notes. "What's the point of even going."
"I won states." Their daughter mumbled.
"Stop it with the mumbling, and no you didn't win. You got Second place, remember." Larrisa said. "Silver isn't gold, and it sure as hell won't get you as far as you think. When your father and I were in our prime, we got gold medals almost every time we competed in duos. I don't see how you can't."
"Almost? Almost every time?"
"Yes, Kristen. What do you not understand?" Mrs. Bandli snapped. "Eighth grade and your just letting these losses go as if it doesn't affect our reputation. You know, you want to go to high school with the top scores. You want to be better than the seniors of Eden Hall Acdemy's figure skating team. You, Kristin, YOU! Not Nixon. And If I see her ahead of you this upcoming school year then-then-"
"We are gonna have to pull you out." Lyle finished.
"Yes, we are gonna have to pull you out. We can't be wasting our money on the prestigious school just for you to screw it all up." Larrisa turns behind in the car to look at her daughter sitting behind her. "You hear me? Your gonna have to work harder next time. I wanna see PRs today!"
"But what if i don't-" Larrisa glared at her daughter and just turned back around without saying a word.
"Bridget won't win today." Kristin says.
"I don't care if she wins. We just care if you do." Larrisa says. "Bridget Nixon could be anyone. To us she's just the daughter we should've been blessed with. But we make do. And with that, you must do better."
For years, Kristin was just trying to please her parents. Just trying to have them not be disappointed in her. Hours upon hours she would be training in the rink only to be placed right below me. If I would've known, I would've been more understanding.
Second would never be enough. The silver did not compare to the shine of gold. Every silver medal Kristin brought home would just get thrown in the trash. Every Ribbon, every trophy, every reward that wasn't glazed with perfection, trash.
Well, Kris never knew for sure where those rewards would go. Her parents would take them and she would never see it again. The only rewards that would be kept and shown would be anything gold or glazed with preeminence. Anything that proved that Kristin was only the best.
Lyle and Larrisa's impression of me was what got Kristin to despise me.
"She looks beautiful."
Kristin started hating my looks.
"Look how she glided across that ice."
Kristin started hating how well balanced I was.
"She did a triple Axel!"
Kristin tried everything she would to match every trick I had. And she hated me for it because she could never perfect it.
"I wish our daughter was her."
That was nearly the last straw.
Kristin would skate onto the ice and look up to see her parents. Sitting together, stoic, uninterested. They would be chatting with my parents, talking about how talented I was.
Kristin. couldn't. Stand. It.
She turned the tears that stung her eyes into energy and motivation. She used those emotions to help convey the inclination of her form of art. Figure Skating. Kristin was talented at what she did. Her parents just overlooked it.
Yes, Kristin was the one who vandalized the skates. But what was the bigger secret was, it wasn't her idea.
"Your not gonna beat her-"
"No, mom you don't understand, I can-"
"KRISTIN, don't talk back. You know that you can't compete with her. You will only come second."
"But mom, trust me please. I can do it. I promise. I promise I will beat her!" Tears streamed down her face.
"Ugh look at this, your fucking up your makeup." Larrisa Bandli began wiping her daughters face. "No no crying. There is no need to cry. This is ridiculous."
"But mom-"
"The only way for you to beat her is if she quits, which she is not gonna do."
"I can beat her. I can win."
"If she gets hurt, you could definitely get that medal." Larrisa whispers and looks at Kristin like the had an idea.
Kris's tears slowed. "What?"
That's when the idea was formed. And Kristin was just so desperate for acceptance and love from her parents that she risked everything, just to get the proper affection and approval from her parents. She risked her and another girls career. That was the price of perfection in the Bandli Family.
I got the man that she wanted, the love that she needed, the talent her parents seeked for. Kristin got a silver medal, that she worked really hard for, and it just wasn't enough. Out of 100 contestants, she would get second and it was never enough.
Her parents high expectations soon trained Kristin into thinking how they think. Got second place again, that silver medal would just be throw out and never seen again. Eventually, first was all she strived for. And that's exactly what she got when I was out of the picture. I was in the way of her success.
Training for her became her life. That's all she would focus on for the most part. Becoming the best figure skater her parents ever wanted. And she hated it. She was miserable. She hated the sport. She missed the joy it would bring when she was a kid. As she got older, it wasn't a game anymore. It was her life. Her life, that she didn't even want.
Kristin sat on her stairs in her house as she heard her parents arguing in the kitchen about her. Larrissa comparing about Kristen and how stupid she was for getting caught. How oblivious and immature and all this shit that she was that didn't make sense. Everything was getting blamed on Kristin. Rage and confusion and depression. All of it. Kristin couldn't handle her feelings well.
Her parents were so disappointed. They hated her. And Kristin hated herself for is. While listening to the whole argument, her head leaning against the wall, quietly weeping. She didn't know what to do. She was slowly loosing her mind, and she knew it. She knew she was gonna snap one of these days, and she did. She did the day she punched me in the face. And now she had just been living life trying to avoid anything else. She was so embarrassed and disgusted in herself.
Her parents ruined the girl. Created a monster. All because she wasn't talented enough? All because they couldn't stand looking at a silver medal that she very much tried her hardest getting.
I found all of this out by Lacey, one of the girls on the figure skating team. Lacey and Kristen had been friends for a while. I was pretty chill with Lacey, actually. But she gave me the lowdown in the library when I came back to school. She told me this cause I noticed that Kristen wasn't at school which was odd for the girl.
It turned out that after Kris got suspended and disqualified, her parents sent her away to stay with her aunt until they can get over it. It's sickening. Truly sickening.