Frostbite

Jennie Wilson is an insanely talented figure skater. This fact alone is enough of a reason for why I chose her as my pairs figure skating partner. The fact that she's brilliant and genuinely kind is an added bonus. She stands just below my eyes at 5'4" and tries to compensate her shortness with heels that are inches high. She grew up here which is why we moved here. It was more convenient for everybody.

I'm not complaining, really. 

The knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts and I swing it open to reveal a classily dressed Jennie. The green and white striped sweater dress brings out her eyes and hugs her body in a way that's just perfect. This, plus the four inch white Jimmy Choo's on her small feet, make me nervous for the fitting ahead of us. 

Kinna's doing the final measurements for our outfits for our upcoming competition. Two very fashionable women in the same room with free reign over a design could be okay. Or it could in disaster.

I step aside and lead her inside before giving her the grand tour of the new house. Kinna meets us in the kitchen and beams. "Hi guys! You ready?"

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to this all week. Finally hanging out with someone who doesn't worship the Hockey team will be a nice refreshment." Jennie laughs arily.

I groan as we follow Kinna down into the finished basement which she claimed as her living quarters/studio. "Don't tell me my new school is that kind of school."

"I'm sorry, Cage. I really am." Jennie sighs. "I wish it weren't. But hey, you'll have me!" 

"As if I won't be spending enough time with you." I joke, nudging her hip. 

We laugh together and it feels good. Jennie is probably the one person in the world who even vaguely knows how much skating truly means to me. It's a rare thing to find. 

Kinna whips out her hot pink tape measure and makes us change into our almost finished outfits. Gasping as I look into the mirror, I run my hands down my chest and feel the silky smooth material rub against my skin. The mere thought of having the fabric rush around me as I fly over the ice is enough to make me shiver. 

"Kinna, this is beautiful." I beam, turning this way and that, admiring the grey and blue costume as it shimmers in the light.

Jennie stands next to me in an equally fabulous outfit. She swishes her hips and giggles as the short skirt of the dress brushes against her upper thighs.  "This has got to be the most glamorous thing I've ever had the pleasure of wearing."

"Why, thank you. That means a lot coming from you." Kinna beams. "Now get over here so I can finish this."

We stand still, side by side, and talk calmly for the half hour Kinna pins and sews our outfits. I find out that the new school contains a lot of the unexpected. Hockey players are worshiped instead of football players and the chess club is made up of the coolest kids in school. A lot of these things surprise me. Considering the number of schools I've been to, this is an extremely weird concept.

The second Kinna is finished she orders us out of the costumes and we begrudgingly oblige. As soon as we're back in street clothes I turn to Jennie. "Do you wanna go out to lunch? My treat?"

"That'd be great! It'll give me an excuse to stay out of the house for a little longer." She laughs. "My brother went to our last competition and has been hounding me for Greg's number ever since."

I wrinkle my nose as I climb into the drivers seat. "Ew. Why does he want Greg's number? One, his technique is completely awful. Two, those pants were totally too tight. Plus he's not even cute. If you're gonna be a gay figure skater, at least do it right."

"You mean, like you?" Jennie laughs, joking.

"Yeah, like me." I laugh along. She guides me to the nearest Denny's. Just because we're figure skaters doesn't mean we can't let loose once in a while. I smile at the false thought, knowing that Uncle Isaac will have my head as soon as he finds out where we went. He's got me on a strict diet. Competition is about to get serious and I can't slack off. 

Except for now.



"Micajah Stevens!" Uncle Isaac's voice bellows and I jump, sending my spoon clattering to the table. Sunday mornings are when I usually get to splurge a little and eat sugary cereal instead of the egg white, chicken, and spinach omelette he usually makes me eat. Don't get me wrong, it's really good, but it gets monotonous when it's the only breakfast you can eat six days a week. 

"Yes, Uncle Isaac?" I answer warily.

"I know you're not consuming sugar after what you did yesterday." He scolds, walking into the room, cleanly dressed in jeans and a green sweater. 

"It was only a couple mozzarella sticks. And a salad! You can't get mad at me for having a salad. Jennie had a burger." I protest.

"And I'll talk to Jennie later. Right now I'm talking to you. No, I can't get mad at you for having a salad but I can be furious at you for having mozzarella sticks. Do you know what they are? It's fried cheese. Thousands of calories and hours of constipation that will completely fuck your skating. You know better Cage!" 

I hang my head, knowing he's right. "I'm sorry." 

He sighs and rests a hand in my shoulder. "Just don't let it happen again. You can't afford to be so reckless." 

I nod and watch wistfully as he takes away my cereal and places a power bar in it's place. "Eat this for breakfast. I'll make you a light lunch and then your dad will make something full of protein for dinner. The ballet class I signed you and Jennie up for starts in an hour so go get ready." 

I groan when I realize that I completely forgot about that and am no longer in the mood for class, but quickly silence myself and run to get ready when I see the look on Uncle Isaac's face. 

Ballet and figure skating are so closely similar that you'll very rarely ever come across a skater who doesn't also do at least a little ballet. It's much safer to practice throws and turns on hardwood floors than the ice anyway. 

Ella's School of Dance is a quaint little building nestled between a music store and a coffee house which makes it very popular. Auditions are required. It didn't take much for Jennie and I to get in.

I park around the back and enter through the back door, away from the main lobby. Since I'm already dressed, I go straight into the main studio where Jennie is already stretching. I greet her happily and drop down beside her to help stretch out her lower back. Mrs. Ella arrives not long after and we're immediately thrust into a two hour long private session that's much more vigorous than I had anticipated.

Once we've cooled down and changed back into street clothes, Jennie clutches onto my arm excitedly. "I know you've already been to the rink but I wanna take you myself. Show you all the secret stuff." 

I eagerly agree and follow her directions to the rink. She links her arm through mine and pulls me into the building which is significantly quieter than it was last time I was here. I breathe in the fresh smell of cold air and exhale with a sense of adoration. I can't wait to watch the hours slip by as I'm gliding across that smooth surface. It gives me a fresh sense of purpose. One that I refuse to take lightly.