Sticks & Spirals

The days passed and Brent Seabrook never showed up again. Andrew says he went back home to be with his family again.
I couldn’t help but be disappointed. He never called, nor texted. Was he just gone? Did he freak out, like I kind of did? Who knows.
But I couldn’t think about it, or him, for long. Worlds in Moscow were coming up in just weeks, and I had to prepare. Prepare my guts out.
I practiced almost nonstop. I’ve been away from the figure skating world for almost a year, and it was time for me to shine again. Traci says that she’s heard from the other Canadian coaches who are taking their pupils that a ton of fans plan on coming, just to see my return.
That pumped me up.
I’m ready to rock and roll.
We arrived in Moscow and still, Traci and I practiced till we dropped. Andrew came with, and my mom and Andrew’s mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, arrived a day later, the day before my first performance for the short program.
When the day arrived, I kept looking up in the stands and wringing my first outfit, which was a beautiful blue number for my short program.
I sighed. He wasn’t coming. I’m not all that important to him. He wouldn’t come all this way.
Traci strolled up to me and placed her hands upon my shoulders. “Alright, Vanna, it’s time to show the world what you’ve got. That you’ve come back stronger then ever.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ve got this.”
“Keep it simple, girl, and then we will go all out for your free skate. That’s the one that will really wow. Simple and clean, and that’ll put you at the top. Then you’ll win with your fiery performance later.”
I nodded again. “Let’s do this.”
After the person ahead of my took her bow on the ice, I stepped on the ice for a quick warm up, and the crowd in the Moscow ice rink roared with applause. I smiled internally to myself. Who needs Brent Seabrook when I have the crowd?
I glided up to the middle of the ice and put myself into my starting position.
And then the music began.
I soared around the ice, entrancing the crowd with my elegant movement. Each step was soft and simple, beautiful. Each axel was perfect, except one, where I stumbled just a bit. But I regained my composure quickly and finished with the crowd roaring my name.
Flowers and other assorted gifts, such as a stuffed animal, were thrown onto the ice and the ice girls picked it all up and put it aside for me.
I smiled and hugged Traci. “Beautiful!” she exclaimed. “A small misstep, but that’s ok. You were amazing. You had the crowd in the palms of your hands! Let’s go get your score.”
I laughed. “Ok, ok!” We rushed off to where the scores are announced.
80.50
I was leading the ladies by the end.
I cheered and laughed as I hugged Traci. “Amazing!” said the familiar voice of my cousin.
I twisted around and launched myself into Andrew’s arms. “Thank you!” I laughed happily. “Nothing can keep me from winning this.”
Andrew grinned at me, but I spotted my mom before he could say anything and I rushed towards her and we embraced. “Oh, my beautiful girl. You were just fantastic, my sweet baby.”
I looked at my mom. I was the spitting image of her, except she dies her hair a slightly darker blonde than her natural, which is my bright blonde. “Thanks, mom.”
“Beautiful, V,” my aunt said, and I hugged her too, as well as my uncle.
“Thanks guys.”
“Now you just need to rock your free skate.”
I grinned. “Wait until you see what I have planned.” I winked and looked at Andrew, who kept looking at his watch. “What?” I asked, a little annoyed.
He smiled sympathetically. “Nothing. Go get ready.”
I rushed to go get changed into my free skate outfit, the fiery black and red one as my momentum to the Blackhawks. The free skate wouldn’t take place until about an hour or so, so I practiced my combinations in the back room, keeping myself calm for the performance that would uplift my career once again.
I am back, and no one can stop me.

As I said, it was about an hour later when the free skate began. I licked my lips as I tied up my skates with the Blackhawk laces from the unknown recipient, and headed out to wait by the ice with Traci.
“Deeps breaths, Vanna. We’ve practiced this numerous times. You need your power and your fire. Your personality must show.” I nodded. “Don’t keep it simple, but at the same time, don’t push your luck with the tough combinations.”
“Ok.”
Traci looked at me. “What’s wrong?”
I averted my look from her gaze. “Nothing.”
Her look softened. “Do you with he was here?”
I licked my lips. I told her what was on my mind on the plane ride here. Everything about Brent Seabrook. “Yeah,” I whispered. “As much as I told myself I wouldn’t fall for anyone again... I did. And since he hasn’t talked to me since the sudden kiss, I bet he thinks it is all a mistake.”
Traci looked sympathetic and looked over my head, a smile creeping on her face. “Turn around, Vanna.”
I gave her a curious look, and turned around slowly. My eyes immediately went to tall, dark and handsome standing there, looking a little sheepish, with my little blonde crazy man, his cutesy girl, and Mr. Adam Burish as well.
And Andrew stepped from behind them, smiling. “Surprise.”
And even though there was four other people around him, the look on Brent Seabrook’s face had me running towards him and wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. He returned my hug just as tightly.
Adam and Kris made “oooooo” sounds at us, and I could hear Rhyne just giggling. “Shut up,” Brent and I said together, scowling at the two boys.
Then Brent looked at me. “I’m sorry, Anna. I’m so very sorry. I just...” he hesitated and looked at Kris and Andrew, who both nodded. “I was scared,” he whispered. “Scared of the feelings I have for you. I thought running was the best thing for us... for me.”
“You’re a fucking idiot.” I smiled slightly.
And he returned it. “I know. Am I forgiven? Can we start over? From the very beginning?”
I looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”
The smile on his face grew. “Hi, I’m Brent Seabrook.” He held out his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you. Laddy boy has told me a lot about you.”
I laughed and shook my head, taking his hand. “Why, hello there, Mr. Seabrook. I’m Vanna. I wish I could say the same, but Andrew seemed to have left you out in the conversations.”
“Ouch,” Brent laughed glaring playfully at Andrew, who was laughing himself. “I’ll just have to pay him back for that one.”
I smiled. “Well, I hope we can be friends, Mr. Seabrook.”
Brent cocked his head to the side and then bent forward, placing a soft kiss upon my cheek, causing me to blush. “I hope we can, maybe, be more then friends at some point.”
I blushed even more and looked into his beautiful hazel eyes. “This performance is for you.” I turned to look at Traci. “I’m switching my third triple to a quad.”
“What?!” she squealed, looking horrified. “No woman does a quad in their performance! It can’t be done!”
“It can,” I said, with a finality to my voice. “By me. I can do it. I’ve done it before. I will do my traditional spiral and lead into the quad. The crowd will love it, and I will win.” I glanced at Brent, who nodded, giving his support. “I can do this, Traci.”
She sighed. “I don’t really have a choice in the matter. Go on, then. But if you fall, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”
I grinned and hugged her. “I can do this.”
“Then go get out there! You’re up!”
“Good luck, Vanna!” Kris, Andrew, Rhyne, Adam and Brent all said. “And nice outfit!” Kris added.
“I personally like the laces,” Brent winked, and I glanced down.
I looked up in shock. “You!”
He smiled. “Took you long enough.”
I stared at their backs, flabbergasted, as Andrew showed them to the seats near the front row where my family sat to watch the performances.
“Vanna, go!”
I twirled around quickly and stepped on the ice, doing my quick warm up while the Russian before me claimed her scores.
And as with my short program, I glided up to the middle and struck my starting pose. But this time, the gracefulness was gone, and the fire replaced it. I grinned. This was going to be fun.
My free skate was filled with a lot of tricks and movements, more than the average. But this was my comeback moment, and I needed to wow.
My performance was filled with three triple axels, previously four but I replaced my last one with a quad, that I landed perfectly, multiple step sequences that varied, to make things spicier, two different death spirals, a combination spin with change of foot, a couple different camel spins, a layback, two salchows and two toe loops, and even a lutz.
But the end is where my true power will shine. I did a serpentine step sequence that went into a very powerful spiral. I ended with a bang with my hips and glided around the ice.
The final act was coming. A quad has never been done in a woman’s performance, minus warmups, and I was going to be the first. My name will go down in history.
The final steps of my free skate flashed in my brain. My take off into the quad, the axel itself, and the perfect landed where I would glide on that foot and go into a flying sit spin into my final spiral.
Time to shine.
I went into the preparation for the quad and when the time came, I launched my self into the air with the look of pure dedication upon my face. I spotted Brent’s face in the crowd just before I took off. This is for him.
I twisted in the air, my body moving in slow motion in my eyes.
One...two...three...four...
My body slowly starting coming down from the air and I straightened my right leg, preparing for the impact that would go into the sit spin.
My right skate touch the ice in which I simultaneously bent it to take in the impact.
I grinned. I completed the quad.
But then things went terribly wrong.
As I straightened my right leg, the one I injured before, I felt an instant pop from my knee. I screamed as loud as I probably possibly could as my body crumpled to the ice.
I screamed and sobbed while holding my right leg, which dangled at an awkward angle. From what I could see, which was not much since immense pain blinded my vision, Brent and all the others here to support me in Moscow rushed from their seats as the music stopped.
All I really remember after that was the feeling like I was dying from the amount of pain that I was in, and Traci rushing to my side with medical personnel.
And then my memory goes blank.