Illicit Love

Gabriella had done everything in her being to perform first. She contacted every skater she was going up against, none of them wanting to go first. She begged the judges. She even showed up two hours early, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would get her preference for being there so early. Luckily, the Gods were on her side, because as she was delicately stretching out her recently healed ankle, one of the program organizers came in, telling her that she would be the first one out on the ice. She let out a huge sigh of relief, and continued her warm up routine to a complete, and perfect, schedule. Being around hockey players all the time made her very superstitious.

She heard the door open, but paid no attention to it, figuring the intruder was just another organizer who would fill her in on information she already knew. "Gab," Chris said quietly, peeking his head into her dressing / warm-up room. "I got you a Venti peppermint tea, instead of a Grande. I hope that doesn't mess with your routine at all." Chris walked in apprehensively, looking more nervous than she did.

"Not at all Chris. Thanks, by the way. I know finding a Starbucks isn't easy in Boston." Flashing him a small smile, she graciously took the cup out of his hands, thankful to finally have her secret calming weapon. "Can you rub out my ankle?"

Nodding his head, Chris took a seat in front of his sister, and went to work massaging and rolling her delicate ankle. "Are you nervous?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question, who wouldn't be nervous with the Olympics on the line?

"Yes and no. I'm always nervous before I go out on the ice, just a little more today given the circumstances. But I know that I've prepared so well and that I'm going to pour everything I have inside me on the ice, so I'm not as nervous as I probably should be." Chris could only smile at his little sister, proud of how far she's gotten.

Hearing the door open yet again, the two turned their heads to see none other than Gracie Gold enter the room. Taking that as his cue to go, Chris got up, helping Gabriella up in the process. "Gab, listen," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Whatever happens today, I want you to know that I am so proud of you. You are a great figure skater, and nothing will change that." Tears filled her eyes upon hearing the words she wished she heard more often than she does. She threw herself into his arms, mumbling a simple thanks into his chest before he left.

Turning her attention towards her best friend, Gabriella wiped the stray tear that had escaped off of her cheek. She was so thankful to have a support system here with her.

"And if he breaks his promise, I'll always see you as a figure skating star." Gabriella laughed before running over to embrace Gracie in a friendly hug. "I just came over to wish you luck. You're going to do amazing Gab. I can feel it." Gracie gave her a little squeeze before they let go of each other.

"But will it be enough?" Gabriella questioned, looking down at her feet, not wanting to know what Gracie's answer would be. It must be nice for her, knowing her spot on the Olympic team was practically guaranteed. "Good luck Gracie. Love you."

"Love you, too." The two quickly bid each other goodbye, now becoming each other's competition for the remainder of the day.

Quickly finding Coach Erik, Gabriella began doing land runs of her short dance routine, graciously taking every little critique he had. He was nit picking through her routine, but if it meant a spot on the podium, it was well worth it in her eyes.

After a few run-throughs, Erik left her. Gabriella retreated to her dressing room, sat herself down in the middle of the floor, and began to stretch again. The last thing she wanted to do was pull a hamstring in the middle of her routine. As she delicately stretched her muscles, she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering to her life outside the rink. She knew that it was dangerous to think about anything but skating, but with the events that had taken place before she left, it was inevitable.

Two weeks had passed since her argument with Carl, and the two hadn’t spoken since. She refused to acknowledge his existence until he apologized to her. And by apologize, she meant beg for her forgiveness. But so far, he has shown no signs of regret, even after she had gone to his apartment to pick up her things that she had left there.

Even as she sat here two weeks later, she still couldn’t believe that Carl, the man she thought she knew so well, was capable of saying such nasty things to her. His words had hit her like bricks, and left deep bruises on her heart. However, she vowed to herself that she would not allow herself to become one of those pathetic girls who become depressed once her boyfriend leaves her. Instead, she wanted this incident to light a fire of rage inside of her that she could channel into her energy on the ice.

In the few minutes before her performance, Gabriella played the argument over and over in her head. Each time that she replayed the scene, she got a little angrier. By the time Coach Erik came in to get her, she was in the perfect mindset to go out there and destroy this skate.

*****

Chris watched in awe at the little girl who had just dominated the ice. She had grown and developed her skills so much since Worlds last year. He felt himself beaming with pride as she took a bow in front of the roaring audience. He wanted so badly to just be able to run down and give her a hug and to tell her how amazing she was, but he couldn’t. He knew she wouldn’t want to talk to anyone in between her routines, not wanting to get out of her zone.

Down on the ice, Gabriella could not stop a small smile from forming on her lips. Her performance was spectacular, but she knew that she had one more skate to do before she could come to any conclusions. Skating over to the bench, Coach Erik gave her a big hug, obviously proud of her performance. Shaking her legs, she could barely retain her excitement as she waited for the judges to reveal her score. But when they finally did, she was absolutely blown away. 68.95: a new high score for her.

She let herself celebrate for no longer than five minutes, stopping to see no one besides her coach. She immediately went back to her room and threw on her warm-ups, knowing she had two hours before she needed to start getting ready to perform once again. She sat in complete silence, not wanting any other music to get into her head, reading a book. It was one she had no particular interest in. She just randomly picked it up on her way to the competition, but it would be fine to keep her relaxed for two hours.

Peering over at the clock, Gabriella noticed she had to start to get ready. She quickly ate a banana and some fruit salad, enough to hold her over until after her skate when Chris would bring her a much coveted chicken parm. Having to avoid everything slightly unhealthy for two weeks had really taken a toll on her.

Gabriella quickly went through her stretching routine again, trying to retain a sense of normalcy. She was trying so hard not the let the Olympics be on her mind, but as her next performance time grew nearer, those thoughts of a gold medal become more prominent.

As a little girl, she always dreamed of representing her country on the World Stage. Sure, she got a taste of that dream at Worlds last year, but she really fucked that up. And even then so, the Olympics is a much more prestigious event. Her dreams of standing on the podium, gold medal around her neck, and American flag behind her were dependent on this next performance. She’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous. She was about to pee her pants at any moment. But the nerves she was experiencing were only sharpening her senses, which is just what she needed right now to succeed.

Taking the ice for warm-ups, she could feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She carefully went through a series of twists and turns. She had to be careful, though, not wanting to reveal too much of her routine. She had never performed this at a competition before, and she wanted every moment of it to be a surprise.

After what seemed like an eternity, the moment was finally here. Gabriella felt like she was walking on air as she skated onto the ice, hearing the roar of the crowd as the anticipation continued to rise. Gliding towards center ice, she could feel her heart racing. This was it. This was the moment she had been working so hard for. Now was the time to give a performance of her life.

Hearing the music start, Gabriella put a sexy smirk on her face, finally being able to display a side of her personality that she had hidden from the public for so long. She went through her footskills effortlessly, yet elegantly; even her triple-triple was spectacular. Every move she made caused the crowd to elicit another applause, another gasp, another squeal. In the sequence coming up to her quad, she felt her stomach drop. So many times she had fallen during practice, and falling here would mean completely throwing away her chances. Harnessing all the power in her little body, Gabriella took a deep breath and jumped as if her life depended on it.

Visions of her on the ground flashed through her eyes as she flew through the air. She couldn’t breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. The whole arena was silent, not believing that jump that was taking place before them. The blade of her skate finally made contact with the ice, allowing her to glide perfectly into her spin element. After hearing the whole place erupt into a fit of applause, she could finally breathe again, knowing that the rest of her routine was easy compared to what she had just completed.

Throwing her arms up into the air just as the music ended, she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a few fist pumps for the feat she just accomplished. Taking her bows, she blew kisses at the crowd, giggling to herself in the process. She went to take a bow at Chris’ section last, looking up at her brother with the biggest smile possible on her face.

"That's my sister!" she saw him scream as he high-fived the others around him. Their parents may not believe in Gabriella's dream, but Chris sure did, especially after that performance.

Gabriella picked up one of the many bouquets that were tossed onto the ice on her way over to the bench. She jumped into Coach Erik’s arms, relentlessly thanking him for everything that he has ever been able to teach her. Without him, she would be nothing in the figure skating world. He may not have been a Michigan coach, but he knew how hard to push her to become her very best, something not all coaches were capable of doing.

She almost vomited when her score came up on the screen. 134.76, another record high. She was absolutely speechless. She didn’t know how she held up against the competition, not knowing a single thing about any of the other performances, but she didn’t care. This was the best she had ever skated in her entire life, and she was truly proud of her performances.

Beaming, she leaped into Chris’ arms after getting back into her room. Her smile was so big her cheeks were killing her. “I did it Chris. I really did it,” she sighed, referring to her quad. She doubted her capability to do it on the biggest stage she had ever been on.

He twirled her around a couple times before setting her down, as if she hadn’t done that enough today. “I know,” he replied, not being able to find the words to describe the emotions he was currently feeling. “And now, an Olympic sized portion of chicken parm, for my Olympics bound sister.” He grabbed the take out box off the vanity, handing it over to the starving girl.

Her smile faltered at his words. “Chris, please don’t say that,” she pleaded. He gave her a skeptical look, not understanding her change of heart. “I just don’t want to get my hopes up. What if I don’t make the team, even after that performance? I’d rather it be the surprise of my life than the biggest let-down,” she explained.

“Gab, you have got to be kidding me. You were flawless; both times you took the ice tonight. There is no way you aren’t making that team.”

“It’s not just based on this competition, though. World’s last year plays a factor, too. All the competitions do. Let’s just drop it for now, okay? I just want to enjoy this moment while I can.”

Another hour passed. Chris left her, wanting to scope out the rest of the competition, not being able to handle not knowing how Gabriella stood so far as well as she could. Gracie knocked on the door, coming straight to her room after she had performed herself.

“Don’t tell me what place I’m in! I don’t want to know!” Gabriella yelled upon seeing her friend enter.

Gracie chuckled, and took her friend into a bone-crushing hug. “I won’t. But I am going to tell you this. You’re going to be an Olympian.”

“You really think so?” Gabriella asked, starting to gain a little hope. Goddamnit Gab! Don’t get your hopes up!

“Oh come on! Gab, you did a quad! Honestly, I don’t think that’s ever been done by a female figure skater before. They have to take you! Plus, your costume is literally the definition of perfection.” Gabriella eyed her friend. She could tell she was holding back something that was killing her inside. She finally told her to spill the beans. “Ashley fell. Twice.”

Gabriella let out a gasp at the information. Ashley Wagner had been so strong throughout the year. She couldn’t believe that she had blown it at Nationals. As Gracie grabbed her hand, telling her that the medal ceremony was about to commence, she couldn’t help but to think that maybe she had a bigger chance than she thought at making the prestigious team.

The arena had been slightly transformed by her reappearance. The lights were dimmed and a three-tiered podium now stood at center ice. Everyone else there knew who was winning, except for Gabriella. It made her sick to her stomach, wanting to know so badly what the end results were. She should have just had Chris text her the results, she thought as all the skaters patiently awaited the ceremony to begin.

“Ladies and gentlemen! May we have your attention please?” Gabriella’s heart started pounding in her chest as the announcement came on. “We would first like to congratulate everyone on their amazing performances today. Please, a round of applause for all of our contestants!” Gabriella cursed under her breath, wishing that this could speed along. Looking up, Gracie gave her a reassuring smile, helping to calm her down. “And now onto our winners. In third place we have Polina Edmunds!”

Gabriella felt herself deflate a little bit. There was no way she was getting first or second. Third place was a long shot for her, too, but it was the most realistic. She wished she could run back into her room and hide, not wanting to be out here simply to learn that she lost.

“In second place, we have Gabriella Kreider!”

A shocked hand immediately went to her mouth. Her knees were wobbly and she could barely believe that she was awake and not dreaming that this was happening to her. Gracie had to give her a little shove towards the podium. Stepping onto the second highest tier, right next to her best friend on the only one above her was a dream come true. The crowd was going crazy for the three winners. She was positive that she could hear Chris’ voice above all the others. Another part of her was certain she heard Carl’s, too.