Status: Completed
Sticks & Spirals
Hard Skating
Weeks passed and not much else happened, except for the court date in which my restraining order request was granted. All of the Blackhawks cheered for me, and Steeger planned a party. Although, I think he just wanted an excuse to throw a party before summer hit. The Hawks were going into the Conference Finals against Detroit next week.
As for me, however, I was in deep, intense training. I was going to make my return to Worlds this summer, which meant I had a lot to do and perfect in just a couple months.
“Triple axel, spiral, triple toe loop,” Traci barked out as loud as she could in the large ice rink that was The Edge. “Layback spin following!”
I grinded my teeth as I preformed what Traci told me to do, but it was a very subpar performance. I fell after my toe loop, and my attitude in the layback spin was lacking.
“Vanna,” Traci sighed, running a hand through her hair. “We need you to get all your skills down perfectly before we can begin putting a routine together. You don’t have much time.”
“I know,” I said, frustration pouring into my voice. “I’ll practice more.”
Traci looked concerned. “You already practice four days a week. You need to rest your body too. You are coming back from an injury.”
“It’s been months!” I threw my hands up. “I think my body can take a full training regiment now.”
Traci looked worried, but then her face hardened and her chin was tilted in the air. “Fine then,” she snapped. “Six days a week. Sundays off.” I nodded and didn’t complain. “Now, besti squat, NOW!”
That I could do with ease, and even though my form was perfect, Traci started saying that my positioning was off, but in order to humor her, I fixed what was not actually wrong. And because my form was perfect, I fell on my ass due to her critique.
“Get up!”
I growled and did so. Why was she so pissed off that I want to train harder...
“Catch-foot camel into double.”
I did it, stumbling a bit after the double, but I didn’t fall. That was an improvement.
“Horrible!” Traci shouted, looking red in the face. “Again! Everything I just said, again!”
“What is your problem?” I shouted, skating over to her. She looked livid. “All I wanted was to train more so I can be ready. Why are you so furious with me?”
“Because you are trying to take your training into your own hands!”
“I am not,” I shrieked. “I only requested to train more so I can be ready for Worlds!”
Traci stared daggers into my back. “Pivot into pancake. Follow up with twizzle into rittberger.”
I swallowed my defiance and did as Traci told me. I actually did it fairly well, especially since loop jumps are not my specialty.
I’m a spiral girl.
“Spiral. Don’t stop until I say so.”
I skated and positioned myself into my spiral. I brought my leg up into the air and bent over my hip, gliding elegantly. When I lost my momentum, I just switched feet. I did it for about five minutes before Traci had me abruptly stop.
“Enough. Cool down and be here at seven A.M. tomorrow.”
I stared harshly into my coach’s back while I did a quick cool down lap. I noticed my cousin standing by the ice door, so I wandered over to him and say down on the step near him to take off my skates.
“What did you do to piss her off?” he asked in a teasing tone.
I glared at him, and he put his hands up in defense. “I told her I needed to train more than just four days a week. My knee is fine. I can do a full out regiment. And then she went all haywire on me.”
“You let your temper get the best of you, as always, didn’t you?” Andrew asked in a teasing tone.
I pushed him and tied my laces together before stomping away.
“Where are you going? I drove you here!” Andrew yelled, trying to catch up. “Vanna! Wait! How are you going to get home?”
I kept walking and by the time I exited the rink, Andrew gave up. The Blackhawks held their practice here today, so I was hoping that someone would still be around.
“V.” I turned to stare at Brent Seabrook. I haven’t seen a whole lot of him since the incident. Only at the games, because I’ve been so busy, and the Hawks were on a long road trip previously.
I tried to ignore how my heart immediately sped up as he looked at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes. “I need a ride home. I don’t want to be in the same car as Andrew right now.”
The defenseman chuckled and waved to Duncs before beckoning me towards his own vehicle. “Another fight?”
“Yes.”
“I think you guys are more like siblings than cousins.”
I shrugged. “We kind of are.”
Brent raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else on the matter. “So,” he redirected the conversation. “How are you?” I knew his question had a double meaning.
“I’m fine. I feel more safe than I have since I broke up with that bastard.”
I noticed the small smirk that appeared on my driver’s face. “That’s good. Very good.”
I shrugged again, letting a somewhat uncomfortable silence stretch on. It’s only uncomfortable, because around him, I’m not sure what’s going on. Not really.
Are we friends? I don’t know, we fight a lot.
Do we just pretend to get along? We wouldn’t pretend when it is just us.
Does he care about me? He must. He saved my life. And I’ll never forget the expression he had on his face that night. I swear to God that he was going to kill someone. Well, Daniel, and I know I would have let him.
My dilemma likes to just stare itself in my face.
“Are you ok?” Brent asked, looking at me as we were stopped at a stoplight.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?”
“You seem out of it.”
I shrugged. I’ve been shrugging a lot today. “Yeah, I guess I am. My muscles hurt.” A lame excuse, but at least it’s a truthful one.
He smiled softly as he turned into the parking lot of the apartment building that my cousin and I live in. I noticed that his spot was vacant. Yes! That leaves me with the apartment, at least for a few minutes.
Brent stopped right at the door to the apartment and unlocked the doors. “Will I see you soon?”
Was that hope that I see in his beautiful eyes...?
I mentally smacked myself. Get a grip, Vanna.
I gave the Blackhawk yet another shrug. “I don’t know. I have a pretty hardcore skating schedule as I prepare for Worlds. So I guess we’ll see.”
Brent nodded and he gripped my hand suddenly, and only for a moment before saying farewell.
I got out of his car and watched him leave the parking lot, trying not to notice how cold my hand felt without him touching me, even if it was only for a second.
I’m losing my mind over this boy.
As for me, however, I was in deep, intense training. I was going to make my return to Worlds this summer, which meant I had a lot to do and perfect in just a couple months.
“Triple axel, spiral, triple toe loop,” Traci barked out as loud as she could in the large ice rink that was The Edge. “Layback spin following!”
I grinded my teeth as I preformed what Traci told me to do, but it was a very subpar performance. I fell after my toe loop, and my attitude in the layback spin was lacking.
“Vanna,” Traci sighed, running a hand through her hair. “We need you to get all your skills down perfectly before we can begin putting a routine together. You don’t have much time.”
“I know,” I said, frustration pouring into my voice. “I’ll practice more.”
Traci looked concerned. “You already practice four days a week. You need to rest your body too. You are coming back from an injury.”
“It’s been months!” I threw my hands up. “I think my body can take a full training regiment now.”
Traci looked worried, but then her face hardened and her chin was tilted in the air. “Fine then,” she snapped. “Six days a week. Sundays off.” I nodded and didn’t complain. “Now, besti squat, NOW!”
That I could do with ease, and even though my form was perfect, Traci started saying that my positioning was off, but in order to humor her, I fixed what was not actually wrong. And because my form was perfect, I fell on my ass due to her critique.
“Get up!”
I growled and did so. Why was she so pissed off that I want to train harder...
“Catch-foot camel into double.”
I did it, stumbling a bit after the double, but I didn’t fall. That was an improvement.
“Horrible!” Traci shouted, looking red in the face. “Again! Everything I just said, again!”
“What is your problem?” I shouted, skating over to her. She looked livid. “All I wanted was to train more so I can be ready. Why are you so furious with me?”
“Because you are trying to take your training into your own hands!”
“I am not,” I shrieked. “I only requested to train more so I can be ready for Worlds!”
Traci stared daggers into my back. “Pivot into pancake. Follow up with twizzle into rittberger.”
I swallowed my defiance and did as Traci told me. I actually did it fairly well, especially since loop jumps are not my specialty.
I’m a spiral girl.
“Spiral. Don’t stop until I say so.”
I skated and positioned myself into my spiral. I brought my leg up into the air and bent over my hip, gliding elegantly. When I lost my momentum, I just switched feet. I did it for about five minutes before Traci had me abruptly stop.
“Enough. Cool down and be here at seven A.M. tomorrow.”
I stared harshly into my coach’s back while I did a quick cool down lap. I noticed my cousin standing by the ice door, so I wandered over to him and say down on the step near him to take off my skates.
“What did you do to piss her off?” he asked in a teasing tone.
I glared at him, and he put his hands up in defense. “I told her I needed to train more than just four days a week. My knee is fine. I can do a full out regiment. And then she went all haywire on me.”
“You let your temper get the best of you, as always, didn’t you?” Andrew asked in a teasing tone.
I pushed him and tied my laces together before stomping away.
“Where are you going? I drove you here!” Andrew yelled, trying to catch up. “Vanna! Wait! How are you going to get home?”
I kept walking and by the time I exited the rink, Andrew gave up. The Blackhawks held their practice here today, so I was hoping that someone would still be around.
“V.” I turned to stare at Brent Seabrook. I haven’t seen a whole lot of him since the incident. Only at the games, because I’ve been so busy, and the Hawks were on a long road trip previously.
I tried to ignore how my heart immediately sped up as he looked at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes. “I need a ride home. I don’t want to be in the same car as Andrew right now.”
The defenseman chuckled and waved to Duncs before beckoning me towards his own vehicle. “Another fight?”
“Yes.”
“I think you guys are more like siblings than cousins.”
I shrugged. “We kind of are.”
Brent raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else on the matter. “So,” he redirected the conversation. “How are you?” I knew his question had a double meaning.
“I’m fine. I feel more safe than I have since I broke up with that bastard.”
I noticed the small smirk that appeared on my driver’s face. “That’s good. Very good.”
I shrugged again, letting a somewhat uncomfortable silence stretch on. It’s only uncomfortable, because around him, I’m not sure what’s going on. Not really.
Are we friends? I don’t know, we fight a lot.
Do we just pretend to get along? We wouldn’t pretend when it is just us.
Does he care about me? He must. He saved my life. And I’ll never forget the expression he had on his face that night. I swear to God that he was going to kill someone. Well, Daniel, and I know I would have let him.
My dilemma likes to just stare itself in my face.
“Are you ok?” Brent asked, looking at me as we were stopped at a stoplight.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?”
“You seem out of it.”
I shrugged. I’ve been shrugging a lot today. “Yeah, I guess I am. My muscles hurt.” A lame excuse, but at least it’s a truthful one.
He smiled softly as he turned into the parking lot of the apartment building that my cousin and I live in. I noticed that his spot was vacant. Yes! That leaves me with the apartment, at least for a few minutes.
Brent stopped right at the door to the apartment and unlocked the doors. “Will I see you soon?”
Was that hope that I see in his beautiful eyes...?
I mentally smacked myself. Get a grip, Vanna.
I gave the Blackhawk yet another shrug. “I don’t know. I have a pretty hardcore skating schedule as I prepare for Worlds. So I guess we’ll see.”
Brent nodded and he gripped my hand suddenly, and only for a moment before saying farewell.
I got out of his car and watched him leave the parking lot, trying not to notice how cold my hand felt without him touching me, even if it was only for a second.
I’m losing my mind over this boy.