New Beginnings

The ice rink was empty, quiet and, most prominently, cold. Phantom odors of sweat, cheap food and cheap stale booze floated through the air, sticking onto any visitor that braved the arena’s doors. Bryce, wearing jeans, a blue long sleeved shirt under an equally blue sweater, grabbed Payton’s hand and pulled her down the stairs to the ice. A feeling a dread caused a cold shiver to run down her spine.

“Um, Bryce, I hate to be a downer and all, b-but we’re not actually going out onto the ice are we?” She gave him a frantic look. “I haven’t been skating since high school. I don’t even own any skates.”

He grinned at her, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. “Already rented a pair of skates for you,” he shrugged. “And I’ll be right here, holding your hand. So don’t worry, alright?”

She gave him a dubious look. “If I fall and you laugh, I’m breaking your arm,” Payton warned, following him to the last row of seats where he had the skates.

“Yeah, yeah, promises,” Bryce teased, “hurry up and put on your skates.” He handed her a pair of black ladies skates before sitting down and untying his shoes. “Did you end up getting the thank you gift?”

Nodding, she sat down and followed his example. “Yeah, and Jonathan added a little extra,” she replied, lacing the skates up slowly. “Is this right?” she asked.

“No,” he laughed, “You’ve got it backwards, here.” He knelt down and tied the laces for her. “He was the one who sent it off, what did he put in it?” Payton held out her wrist, the delicate sliver watch glinting, half hidden by her black sleeve. “Oh, wow, that’s pretty,” he said, pushing her shirt back on her wrist and taking a good look at it. “Should I do the whole big brother speech?” he teased, letting her wrist go to finish his own laces.

“You do something like that,” Payton warned, “And nothing will rescue you.”

Bryce snorted and held open the gate to the ice. “After you.”

She glared at him, and walked cautiously out onto the ice. However, as soon as her second step hit the ice, she found herself laying flat with Bryce laughing above her. A tiny growl escaped her throat as she struggled back to standing. Her ass was cold and her mood plummeting slowly towards freezing.

After a few laps around the rink, Payton was able to skate without her brother holding her hand. Letting out a laugh, she started chasing her brother, beginning an old game of tag that they used to play when they were younger. It was as though she never stopped skating years before. The gliding was smooth and the ice sleek.

For hours they played, knocking into each other, falling over, it was the most fun Payton had had in a while. Finally, they moved to the bench and sat down panting. “God, I haven’t had a work out like that in months,” she grinned, out of breath.

“Yeah, that was great,” Bryce replied leaning back into his seat with a sigh.

“We should do it a little more often,” she mused, stretching her arms over her head. “Well, at least for however long you’re here in Chicago.”

“I’ve got a three year contract, so sure.”

“So what does your girlfriend, Ellie, think about you moving here?” Payton asked, unlacing her skates.

“She and her son look forward to coming here and moving in with me,” he replied. It was as though the proverbial atom bomb fell straight onto Payton. She didn’t know if she felt happy or furious with her brother. The most prominent feeling that she could identify was betrayal. Bryce was having his girlfriend move in with him? There? In Chicago? And she had a son?! Admittedly they hadn’t seen each other for so long, but he had the nerve to do the brotherly tradition to have a ‘chat’ to a guy she was interested in, then tell her that his girlfriend, who she hadn’t met, was going to be moving in with him, from another city!

“Let me get this straight,” she said seriously, turning to face him straight on. “You’re having your girlfriend move in with you, someone who I haven’t met yet, and have the nerve—the NERVE—to do the whole big brother shebang?!” he looked at her with startled eyes. “If I want ask out Jonathan, or he asks me out, you don’t get a say or anything! At least you’ve met him! You’ve got some girl, who for all I know could be some kind of tramp, moving here! Without even giving me some kind of warning about how serious your relationship is!”

“Now wait one damned minute,” Bryce responded hotly. “I don’t have to come to you and ask permission for every little detail in my life!”

“No, you don’t,” she agreed loudly, standing up once she pulled the skates off of her feet, “But I’d expect some kind of warning, or at least the consideration of being told, ‘hey, I’m really digging this chick, I’m thinking about asking her to move in with me, do you, I don’t know, maybe want to meet her before that happens?’” she gave a noise of disgust and sat down. “I’m your sister, Bryce, YOUR SISTER, is it really that hard to include me in your life?”
“I’m here now aren’t I?”

Letting out a sarcastic laugh, she pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag. “After almost five years of no contact, yeah, you’re back. But at the moment, it seems like you never left Columbus. I never thought I would say this, but you’re a real stranger. Don’t worry about giving me a lift home, I can find my own way.”

She left then, unable to stand looking at him anymore. Sure, there was a huge possibility that she was over-reacting, but was it really so hard for him to pick up the phone? The store’s number hadn’t changed since he left, and he had to have known that their parent’s wouldn’t always be at the store. He could have easily given her a message with his number on it, so that she still would be in his life. But now, more than any time that she could remember, Payton felt like she didn’t know her brother at all. Who was the man that took her ice skating? It no longer felt like the boy who she looked up to as she grew up, but like that old family friend that you knew the face of, but could never understand why your parents invited him to the party.

A loud jingle erupted from her purse, scaring the hell out of her. It was a scramble to get to it, with the small black device hidden behind a box of tampons and old packets of gum and condoms. The number was unknown. Frowning, she pressed the button to answer before the tune rang out.

“Hello? Payton Thompson speaking,” she said shakily, her voice low and husky from the shouting.

“Um, hey, its Jonathan, you know, the hockey player.” That caused her to smile.

“I know a lot of hockey players…ok, only three,” she teased lightly. “How’s life Jonny?”
“Um, good. I tried to call you earlier.” His voice was deeper over the phone. Lifting a hand to wave down a taxi, she replied.

“I was skating with Bryce,” she told him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.”

“That’s cool. Um, did you get the package? I got the address off of your employee, Lucy. She said that you wouldn’t have minded it if I sent it to your apartment.” Smiling, she slipped into the taxi and gave the driver her address.

“I love the watch, thank you,” she murmured, shaking her wrist lightly to feel the weight of the watch. “I’ll make sure that the others get their tickets too.”

“That’s great.” The two fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, idly trying to think of something else to say.

“Hey,” Payton popped up with after a moment, “Do you, maybe, want to go out some time?”