Jay was grinning like a fool when they pulled up to the ice rink. He loved ice skating.
They all rented skates, sitting on the benches around the rink as they put them on.
Emma hovered outside the ice apprehensively. "Maybe this was a bad idea."
"I believe in you," Jay said, standing in front of her and stretching out his hands. "Hold onto my hands and I'll guide you."
She looked up at him nervously, gently setting her hands in his and stepping onto the ice.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
He started the skate backwards, and she followed the movement his feet were making.
After a few minutes he started speed up, and Emma was laughing and looking scared at the same time. "We're gonna fall!"
"Only if someone runs into us," he replied.
Then he let go of one of her hands.
"What are you doing? I'm not as skilled as you yet!"
"I believe in you. I'm going to let go of your other hand, and you are going to skate like the goddess you are, okay? Ready?"
She laughed. "I guess!"
He let go of her other hand and she kept skating. She giggled. "Oh my god, I'm ice skating!"
"I told you you could do it."
Jay grinned, watching her skate around the rink.
"Ready?" Jeff asked Nick, who was nervously standing on the ice and holding the railing.
"No," Nick said.
Jeff chuckled. "Come on, you've got this."
Nick bit his lip, nodding. "Why not? Let's go."
Jeff grinned, taking his hand. Before they started skating, there was a clatter from the other side of the rink. They immediately looked over.
Jay was on the ice– not 'on the ice,' but physically laying on the ice– and someone else was on top of him.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," the stranger said, getting off of him. "I'm an absolute klutz, I should come with a 'Caution: Klutz' sign just to warn people-"
Jay cut him off, chuckling. "It's fine, hun. It happens." He stood back up, helping the stranger up too.
"Me, ice, and blades was not a good idea," he mumbled.
Jay laughing. "What's your name?"
"Kyle."
"Well, Kyle, would you like a bit of help? I'd say I'm pretty good."
"He's humble, he should be an Olympian!" Sarah, who was skating past, called over her shoulder.
Jay shook his head. "She's ridiculous, I can't even do a triple axel."
Kyle chuckled. "I'd love some help."
That morning was filled with laughing, slipping, and falling down a lot for all of them.
They got off of the rink, faces pink from laughter and the cold.
"I don't think I've ever fallen down that many times in one day," Nick said, laughing. "That was awesome."
Jeff grinned, wrapping his arm around Nick. "I knew you'd like it."
"Somebody's pretty quiet," Sarah teased, knocking her shoulder into Jay's. "Please tell me you got his number."
"Actually, he got mine. He asked before I did," Jay said, blushing.
"Aww," Stephanie cooed.
A car pulled up into the parking lot, and Nick froze.
"Nick? Nick, we're in the middle of a parking lot, you can't stop here," Jeff said softly.
The car had already parked, and the doors opened.
Nick hastily shoved Jeff's hand off of his waist, taking a step away.
Jeff frowned. "Nick, what are yo-"
"Nick!" a dark-haired woman who had exited the car exclaimed in surprise, looking a bit guilty.
She walked over to him, only a few feet. "We figured you'd be at Dalton, the plane got canceled due to the weather-"
"Mom, I know there wasn't a trip," Nick said softly.
"Yeah, we didn't want you to come back for Christmas because you're a fag, glad we got that settled. Can we go?" a boy, clearly Nick's older brother, asked impatiently.
"Aaron!" his mother exclaimed, shocked.
"Was anything I said not true?"
"It's rude," his father said.
Nick sighed softly. "Guys, I get it that you don't want me home for Christmas, but can you not lie to me?"
"You lied to us for years, pretending you were normal and not a f-," his mother stopped, hardly catching herself. "Not you-know-what."
"Gay. I'm gay, mom. It's not hard to say."
"Watch your tone," his father snapped.
Nick felt his eyes prickling. He hated how he could never take criticism without crying, it made him look so weak.
He shook his head. "Can you-" a dry sob broke apart his words, and he paused, swallowing. "Can you not today?" His voice broke.
"Don't you dare pin this on me, young man. And stop crying, you're making a scene," his father said harshly.
"Sorry, sorry, I-" A sob broke apart Nick's words. His tears were falling faster and harder. "S-sorry."
"I told you to stop crying!"
"Yelling at him to stop crying isn't making it better!" Jay snapped.
Nick's father turned to him. "Mind your own business."
"This became our business the moment Nick became our friend," Sarah said stubbornly.
"Guys, he's right. It's not your problem," Nick said. They could tell by the choked-up sound in his voice that he was forcibly holding back tears.
"The only problem here is you," his mother snapped.
"I know," Nick said softly. "Dad, I'm sorry for crying. I'm working on it."
"Good."
Nick's family walked towards the ice rink, leaving everyone in shock.
"Hey, Nick!" Aaron called back.
Nick looked over, immediately getting getting nailed by a snowball on the left side of his jaw.
Aaron was laughing as he continued walking towards the rink. "Every time, I swear. He falls for that every time."
Nick sighed, brushing pieces of snow and rock off of his face. He kept that side of his face away from the others, knowing he was bleeding.
"That's your family?" Jeff sounded horrified.
"Sadly," Nick muttered, tears finally falling.
"You don't actually believe you're a problem, do you?" Sarah asked worriedly.
Nick scoffed. "I say whatever it takes to get them to leave. The usually means pretending to agree." He paused, putting his hands in his pockets self consciously. "I used to, though," he admitted softly.
"They're gone, so can I...?"
"That'd be nice," Nick answered Jeff's question, knowing he was asking if he could hug him.
Jeff stepped towards Nick, wrapping his arms around him. Nick was careful that Jeff didn't touch where the snowball had hit him, but had forgotten to hide it from the others as he was doing so.
"Nick, what was in that snowball?" Stephanie asked, sounding shocked.
Jeff pulled back, eyes widening in worry. "What?"
Nick pointed that side of his face away, looking down. "It's nothing."
Jeff put his hand under Nick's chin, tipping up his head and to the right. Nick didn't fight it.
Jeff fell silent.
"Jeff? What's wrong?" Clara asked nervously. He wasn't worriedly flitting around like a hummingbird, as he normally would be.
"Rocks," Jeff breathed.
Nick nodded softly.
"You told me they were gone."
"The others are. Aaron hadn't done it since I transferred to Dalton. It was him and his friends," Nick said quietly.