Chapter 1

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.

~Vince Lombardi

Tris POV

From the outside, an ice rink looks like a pretty boring place. It isn't until you spend every minute of every day in it that you learn to appreciate it for what is. For the beauty it lets us show, or the games it lets us play, or the good and bad memories we take with us when we leave it. Trust me, I've had my fair share of all of those.

Despite everything, my best memories haven't come from a local ice rink. They come from the rinks that house the most prestigious ice skating tournament in the USA. The US skating open. That's the one.

Standing outside my home rink, I think back to the time I've spent skating in competitions. Personally, I try to be confident when I perform, but lately, I've been a bundle of nerves. The US skating open is coming up in twelve months, but this year, we'll be skating for something bigger. We'll be skating for the opportunity to represent our country in the upcoming Olympics. They'll be held in Los Angeles in two years. It may seem far away now, but you'd be surprised at how fast time seems to pass as you train to achieve your dreams.

Turning, I walk away from the rink and make my way to the mall. It's a good thing that I have some time to relax. Christina is forcing me to go to the mall with her, which is always an exhausting trip. Shopping isn't my favorite pastime, but I've been a bit stressed out lately. I'd go anywhere as long as I feel relaxed when I get back.

I told Christina that I'd meet her at the mall. I didn't see the point in dressing up like a doll for a trip to the mall, though Christina thought otherwise. When she saw me, she commented on how casual I looked.

"Where's your sense of style, Tris?" she said. "You look like you're going to the park."

"At least I don't look like I'm going to walk on a runway," I retort. We both glare at each other before breaking off into a fit of laughter.

"Come on," she says. "We've got some shopping to do!" I groan as Christina pulls me into the nearest clothing store.

Various clothing stores later, Christina decides that by buying a new dress, I'll be stress free. I can't say I follow her logic.

"Do you see me worrying about the next competition, Tris?" she asks. "No, you don't. That's because I buy clothes. It keeps me focused on something else. You have to buy something. I know you'll relax as soon as you do."

"I'm not sure that's the best solution."

"Yes it is. Here, try on this dress." Christina hands me a knee length black dress as she pushes me into the dressing room.

I sigh as I try it on. At least I'm not buying it. I walk out, and Christina squeals.

"Tris, you look so beautiful! You have to buy this!"

"I don't think I'll ever wear it."

"Fine, then I'll buy it for you!"

"Okay, I'll get it," I said, putting my hands up in defeat.

The following morning, I meet Christina at the ice rink. Our skate coach, Anna, was already there. She smiled at us, and waved us over. I spotted her assistant, Will, over snack bar. That kid was always eating. And he said that he used to play hockey.

"Christina, Tris," Anna says to get our attention.

"Yes!" we reply loudly.

"I want you two to practice your routines. Practice the short skate now. We'll work on your long skates later this afternoon. If you place at the next competition, I have no doubt that you'll make the Olympic team."

I skate over to one of the two large rinks the facility has. The hockey team usually practices on one, but we usually don't have conflicting schedules.

I hear Christina laughing, and turn to face her as she walks towards me on her way to the other rink.

"Flirting, I see," I tease her as she walks past.

"It's the most interesting thing I get to do all day," she teases back.

"Does it beat getting to watch the hockey team practice?"

"It gets close."

We both laugh, and I wave goodbye as I slide on to ice. Finally, I feel at home. I begin to focus on my short routine. The song I'm skating to is Let it go from the movie Frozen. It seems a bit childish, and not mention cliche, but it's just such a perfect song for the routine. It has a powerful message, not to mention the fact that it's about snow and ice.

As the minutes turn into hours, I still haven't done a single run that I'm proud of. I've seen Christina's routine before, and it's amazing. I glance over my shoulder to see Anna and Will watching me. They're both whispering to each other, but they look proud of my progress. If only I could make myself proud as well. I powered my way through the rest of my practice. I focused on my jumps. It had been twelve years since I mastered my first jump. Now, they all seem to come effortlessly. Well, they seem effortless most of the time.

"Hey Tris!" Anna calls out.

"What?" I say.

"Try to look like less stiff."

"Sorry! My nerves must be getting to me." Usually I skate with ease. It's been awhile since I've looked stiff while I practice. Of course, Christina's always been better at it than me. Anna says skating stiffly makes a routine seem forced. Skating with ease gives a routine more pizazz.

"There's no practice tomorrow! We have something else planned. Don't forget to come by for the long routine later today!"

"Alright, Anna. I won't forget!"

"Good work, Tris. See you later."

"See you!"

I put the covers on my skates as I toss them in my bag. I walk outside, the bright sun warming up my cold body. I see the Chicago hockey team making their way to the rink. Most of them seem nice, but they're always fighting about something, and they're super competitive with each other. My brother, Caleb, is on the team, and he's always talking about the other players. Zeke and Uriah Pedrad are the jokers of the group. They're friends with Four, who's pretty silent. Rumor is that Four's not his real name. No kidding. Then there's Peter, aka the bully of the team. Al's the last member, and he just drifts around.

As they walk past me, I wave to Caleb. He smiles at me, and continues his conversation with Uriah. Or at least, I think it's Uriah. I start to walk again, but before I can take more than three steps I collide with another body. I fall over, and look up to see Four standing in front of me. Glancing around, I notice that all the other hockey players were already heading inside the rink.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"It's fine. Playing hockey does have it's benefits."

I stand up, nod, and walk away. Smooth. I see Will walking towards me. No doubt he saw that, but it really doesn't matter.

"Nice, Tris," he says as he reaches me.

"Shut up." I playfully push his shoulder.

"I know the hockey team is bothersome, but what did Four ever do to you?"

I glare at Will. He responds by giving me a wide smile as he chuckles.

"What are doing here? I know you're not here to see your old team into the rink."

"I'm waiting for Anna. I need to ask her something."

"About?"

"You'll see."

"Does it involve me?"

"Maybe."

"I won't take that. Say yes or no, or else I won't leave you alone."

"Sure you will."

"Try me." Will tries to move to get a better view, and block him every time. I match every single move he makes.

"You're going to miss her," I say in a singsongy voice as I continue to block Will. "Why didn't you ask her in the rink?"

"I couldn't risk you or Christina eavesdropping."

"Does it involve me or not." I see Anna walking in our direction. Will sees her to.

"Fine," he says. "It does, but it shouldn't be anything difficult. I gotta go."

I step out his way, and he runs over to Anna. As soon as I get home, I call Christina to tell her the news

"Looks like your stubbornness finally paid off," she tells me with a giggle.

"As long as I don't have to get trampled by the hockey team, it shouldn't be too bad."

"Or moved to another rink."

"That too. Or kicked out of the skating program."

"Or run over by camels." I can't help but laugh at the absurd comment. "How will they get a camel?"

"You buy them from the Camel-lot. Duh!"

"Camelot is King Arthur's kingdom, not a place to buy camels, Christina. I'm positive that they don't sell camels there.

"Well, there goes that idea. It's not my fault I've only been taught by a hired tutor."

"We had the same tutor, smarty pants."

I can hear Christina's cellphone chime on the other end. "Will just texted me. We have to skate tomorrow. He's got something planned."

As she says that, I hear my cellphone chime, meaning that I just got the same message. "I'll you there. Bye Christina!"

"Bye Tris!"

I put my phone down. A list of possibilities runs through my find. I don't know what shenanigans we'll have to deal with tomorrow, but I sure hope, despite myself, that it's something fun.

That's Chapter one. I finally edited it. Yay! It's so much better than the original! Life caught up with me, and I barely finished this chapter the first time, so I'm glad that I finally fixed it. I wanted to publish one chapter in each story by tomorrow. Thanks for reading. Remember R&R

~DauntlessPokemonRide