Frostbite

The best thing about getting new skates is . . . everything. The sturdiness and stability and glide and just- everything. There is one bad side though. Breaking them in. I was never one for properly breaking in new ice skates. The result has always been a few blisters but I never mind. 

This time though, Uncle Isaac refused to let me wear my new skates during the competition unless they were properly broken in. It didn't put me in the best mood, but I guess his fears are valid. I can't afford to mess up this competition just because I was too stubborn to break in my skates the right way.

There was no way that my new skates would be ready by Sunday, so my clever way around his little rule is to break them in but not really. I mean, I'll be able to skate precisely, but my feet are guaranteed to be killing me afterwards. I don't really care. Beauty is pain, and god my skates are gorgeous.

The competition is taking place a few towns over so a mini road trip is in order. Jennie, Juliet, Benjamin and I are in Jennie's CR-V. The two girls are in the front while I'm curled into Benjamin's side in the back. He's running his fingers through my hair, calming any and all nerves I have about competing. 

When we finally get to the rink, we all pile out and head inside the busy lobby. Halfway to our assigned room, I hear my name being called by a familiar voice.

"Cage! Cage, over here!" Suddenly I'm being yanked into a hug. 

"Grant!" I squeal, hugging the taller skater tightly. "It's great to see you! I didn't know you'd be here!"

He shrugs and let's go of me, leaving one hand resting on my arm. "I wasn't going to because my ankle is still sore from the accident, but my trainer is amazing."

I grin and send Benji a look. He doesn't seem too pleased with Grant at the moment. "That's great. Have you finally nailed the triple lunge?" 

"That, and the quadruple axel." He says excitedly.

"Oh wow." My eyes widen. "That's amazing progress. I'm excited to see your routine."

"And I'm excited to see yours!" He grins, pulling me into another spine crushing hug. When he lets me go, Benjamin steps up and wraps his arms around my waist possessively. 

"Oh, Grant, this is my boyfriend, Benjamin." I giggle. "Benji, Grant."

"Nice to meet you." Benji says, a little tightly. 

"You too." Grant shifts from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I've got to get back to my team but I'll see you later, yeah?"

"I'll be upset if you don't." I smile, watching him leave. When he's successfully out of ear shot, I turn in Benjamin's arms and give him a stern look. "What was that for?"

His eyes widen innocently. "What?" 

"You know what." I accuse.

"Excise me if I don't like another guy putting his hands all over my boyfriend." He pouts adorably. I resist the urge to coo, settling for kissing him instead. 

"You're so cute when you're jealous."

"How can I not be? You're just so damn adorable." He murmurs, kissing me again. I feel a blush creep up my neck and I press myself into his chest. "Aren't you competing against him anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah." I nod.

"Then why did you act like his best friend?"

"Just because we're competitors doesn't mean we have to hate each other." I roll my eyes, pulling away. "He's a good friend. We've been skating together for years. I'm genuinely happy for Grant."

"I'll never understand this sport." He grumbles. I smile. He just called figure skating a sport for the first time. 

"You don't have to understand it," Jennie pipes up. "You just have to love it. Now come on. It starts in five minutes. We're not up until last but Kinna will kill us if we're not dressed and ready soon."

I follow her to the locker room, leaving Benji and Juliet to find seats, and we head to our designated dressing area. Kinna's latest masterpieces are gold and black. Jennie's skirt is impossibly long, creating the illusion that she can't possibly skate but in reality, allows for more movement than almost any other outfit. It's black with gold trim. Her shirt is tight and gold, with a swirly black design running from one hip to her shoulder and down her back.

My shirt is the same only in reverse colors and my pants are black with a gold stripe running down the side. They're also very, very tight but allow for as much movement as ever. 

When we're done dressing, Kinna comes in to do our make up and hair. Jennie has a simple ponytail which Kinna curls classily. My hair is spiked with hairspray. Both styles are sprayed with gold glitter. She does our make up the same, gold eye shadow and black liner. Kinna really has a thing for matching.

We watch the competition from beside the rink, Benji on my left and Jennie on my right. My boyfriend attempts to distract me from the competition but I need to watch this. As long as I know what I'm up against then there's little possibility that we won't place high. 

Everyone here is really good and pulls high scores but I'm not worried. I know we're better. We can do this. Besides, this is the first time Benjamin is really going to see me skate. I'll be damned if I don't place first. 

Soon enough our names are called and we skate into the middle of the rink, basking in the premature applause. I place my hands on either side of Jennie's waist and hold her against me tightly as she wraps one arm around my neck and positions the other on my waist. 

In any other situation this would be seen as crossing some sort of line as best friends, but everyone in the skating world knows that intimacy is key in competition.

The music begins and we spring into action. Starting off slow and gradually moving faster. We rarely lose contact with one another, and when we do, our movements match perfectly. While there aren't any big jumps, there are some very challenging and impressive lifts and acrobatics. 

The entire routine was choreographed amazingly. All flowy movements and constant contact, which is great for the song Miss Ella chose. Personally, I think it's perfect. Judging by the applause, I'd say a lot of other people think so too. By the time the routine is over, we're both panting for breath and the audience is going wild. 

I can distinctly hear the cheers of Benjamin over everyone else though, and that makes me smile wider than ever. We skate off the ice hand in hand and I'm swept off my feet almost immediately. Benji kisses me gently before setting me down so that Daddy and Kinna can squeeze the life out of me too.

Uncle Isaac grabs my hand in one of his and Jennie's in the other, leading us to the score room. "That was really amazing you guys. By far the best performance I've ever seen by you two. There's no way you won't place first."

His words ring true when our scores are blinking on the screen. We've got the highest by a long shot. Reporters rush around us before our family can, and we're stuck in interviews for close to an hour. Once the adrenaline fades, I realize that I'm exhausted and my feet really hurt like a bitch. The one and only bad thing about competitions is the way I crash afterwards. 

Jennie and I change back into our street clothes and then collapse onto a bench, waiting for our team to finish getting things in order so that we can leave.

Benjamin slides onto the bench next to me and rests an arm around my shoulders. "I don't know much about figure skating or anything, but you did amazing."

"Thanks." I mumble, leaning into his side.

"Are you okay?" He asks worriedly.

"Yeah, just tired. And my skates weren't fully broken in. I've got like, five blisters." 

"Oh baby. You should know better than that." He says sympathetically.

I laugh. "That's the price of beauty."

"Well you're gorgeous so I'm not sure I understand." He winks.

Uncle Isaac finds us and rolls his eyes at Benjamkn before telling us that we can go now. Before I have a chance to stand, Benji is crouched down in front of me. 

"What are you doing?" I question.

He shrugs. "Giving you a piggyback ride."

Without hesitation, I crawl onto his back eagerly and wrap my arms and legs around him. He stands and grabs onto my thighs for support, carrying me effortlessly to the car. I press little kisses to his neck here and there and enjoy the soft whimpers of pleasure coming from him. 

Once he settles me into the car, he climbs in after me and pulls me against him. He's just so comfortable and warm and perfect that I can't help but to fall asleep.