Sitting on the high stool, I used my thumb to smudge the charcoal of the grapes. Grabbing my rubber I added shine to the bowl, apple and grapes.
Almost done.
Yet something was off. Maybe I had been here too long. I checked the time. Art class had ended an hour ago.
A knock on the door, "Nina."
I turned to face a friend. She leaned against the wall as she did when ever she had to come remind me to leav school before it closed. "Are you coming?" She asked. "We are going to get cake an' coffee and then go ice skating."
I shook my head. "N-no. sorry... I uh have family dinner,"
She scowled and sighed. "Ok, but next time for sure. You have charcoal on your face."
"I-I do?"
She tapped her right cheek, "here,"
I stood and headed to the sink. "Thanks." I grabbed a flannel and rubbed my cheek as she prattled on about the ice skating championships. Something about how her idol had won and how so and so had not participated this year.
"Gone?" I asked.
She stopped gushing and gave me a thumbs up. "It looks like you've been punched in the face."
"Thanks Natasha." I said sarcastically, dumping the flannel back in the sink. "I'll walk with you to the cafe but then I have to go, sorry."
Natasha shrugged, "it's cool, the others are waiting outside."
I grabbed my coat and shouldered my school bag. Outside it was snowing lightly. I wrapped my scarf around and pulled on my gloves as my breath curling like smoke against a mid blue sky. I breathed out heavily. enjoying the sight of my warm breath weaving away.
"Hey Ali, Vera." Nat called, zipping up her yellow pocker dot puffer jacket over her school uniform.
"Hurry up Nina, you look like you've been punched." said the ever kind Vera.
"i know."
"Were you drawing.?"
"Uh huh."
"Deserter here isn't coming... again." Natasha said, waving red nails in my direction.
"s-sorry."
"Ha, DESERT-er." Alisa giggled. She rolled her eyes at our blank faces. "we're getting cake? desert."
Vera groaned and turned to me, "Why?" Vera asked, cocking her hip.
"Family dinner, unlucky." I answered. Shrugging.
"Third in a month?"
"Um yeah."
"Along with you family movie night, visiting grandparents and you dog being ill... twice. And what about the weekend? Are you free on the weekend?"
"Uh well. she eats anything and everything," at least that was true. "and no, I uh... plan to go somewhere. shopping. mums birthday."
"It's fine." Alisa smiled sweetly. "Let's just get DESSERT shall we?"
Natasha stomped her foot into the snow, "ITS NOT FINE!" she stormed ahead. "Your hiding something, AND ALISA DROP THE STUPID DESSERT THING."
Alisa made last ditch effort to help me, "Tomorrow is valentines day right?" She said, "Vervara, are you and Grigori going somewhere."
"Yes, cinema, café, the usual. But don't try to save her sorry butt," she pointed at me. "Ice skating why not!" She yelled.
As they stopped at the cafe Alisa turned to me.
"Next time you have to come." Alisa begged.
"Yeah, you can arrange the time and place." Natasha backed up.
"Oh dear!" Vervara smirked. "Look who's not getting out of it next time."
"So promise?" Ali prompted
"O-okay."
How could I say no? Anyway; we had several exams before then. I had time.

The ice rink was empty. Although it was open from 6.00am to 9.00pm few people came this early. The changing rooms opened 20 minutes before the ice and I sat already changed. It was a large sports centre. I once did dance here. Ages ago. Hip hop. That me was long gone. I was too shy to express myself in such an outgoing manner as dance. So I drew instead.
I swapped my trainers for skates at the desk and headed onto the ice. There were 3 ice rinks here, 1 was public, the other two could be rented out by ice skating coaches or for party's however one had a dance room joined and both dance studio and ice rink had mirrors unlike the public one and smaller one. Instead this one has a disco ball. All had speakers for music as well.

I took a deep breath. Clutching the side a placed one foot on the ice. Suddenly here, this seemed like a bad idea. On valentines day everyone was with someone but me. Natasha had planned this mixer quadriple date thing with a friend out of school and together they gather about 8 people in total. 4 boys and 4 girls. I wriggled my way out of it with another excuse. So everyone has a date. I on the other hand, was trying to teach myself to skate. Alone. On Valentine's Day.
My foot slipped slightly but I stayed upright. What did that book say; skating for dummies.'Just push off and go. It's like gliding and walking.'
"Just push and go." I murmured. Repeated it again but louder.
"And go."
I pushed my first foot forward and let go of the side. Bad idea. A few seconds of gliding and I fell flat on my butt, "OW!" Yeah ice was damn cold and I slipped every time I tried to stand, my foot was stuck beneif me. Ouch, that hurt.

I managed to stand. Shivering I tried to move. Slide one foot forward. I did.
It shot out from under me. And I had to slam my hands down to stop from crashing.
There was no way I could go ice skating with my friends like this. I'd be dangerous.
My legs hurt where they had stretched and my hand ached where the gloves had slapped the ice.
"Ouch."

I sat on my bum and shimmied over to the side. Grabbing it I stood up again.
With one hand on the side I dragged myself along. The skates were barely under my control.
With a scream I went down. I hit my nose against the floor and yelped in pain.
"Ow ow ow ow ow." I was kneeling and holding my nose. Tipping my head back to stop the blood flow. Wow, I was incredibly bad at this... Amazingly superbly fail-worthy bad.
"Tch," somone grumbled above me, "Are you ok?"
I looked up to see green-blue eyes covered in blonde hair. He frowned. "What the hell were you doing?"
I held my nose as I stood up. With help from the wall.

"Skating." I mumbled.
He scoffed. "Didn't look like skating to me."
I hated this guy already.
He left me in the rink and walked towards the metal door at the side of the room.
He kicked the door hard and it boomed. "Yakov! Open Up!"
He wasn't answered. He kicked it twice more before yelling. "Yakov!"
I started to make my way off the ice as the door opened. "PLISETSKY!" An old man opened the door. "YOUR TEN MINUTES LATE WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!"
The boy stuck a finger in his ear. "Ahh Shut up!"
I tried to make it pass them to the other door. "Who's that?" the old man asked.
I flinched. "I don't know." The boy grumbled. "She just did the best skating fail ever."
Just ignore the asshole. I told myself.
"She was even holding onto the side. What kind of kid lives here and can't skate."
"Yuri!" The man reprimanded.
I tried to walk with as much dignity as I could to the door. However... it's quite hard with blood dripping down your chin.
"OY kid?" The old man called,
"Iceskatefailbrat!" The young one yelled. I turned my heel. "What?" Ooh, that came out loud, this is embarissing, i never speak loudly, i hate it when im loud. what was i thinking, I was so loud. so so loud. it even echoed.
The old man answered. "Come here. Your nose needs first aid. And your leg."
Leg?
I was about to walk off, I could do first aid at home. I looked down at my leg and thought better of it. I did not have a big enough plaster for that.
I stomped my way over and followed them into the room.
A few people glided around the ice. Some were stretching of the side lines.
"Yuri go stretch." The man said.
The boy shrugged and walked off, pulling his tiger hoody over his head. He wore similar clothes to the others in there. A black t-shirt and leggings but he had a whole gangsta etire over the top which had no part in the other elegant skater's wear.
"Come sit here girly." The man ordered.
He sat on a bench and opened a green first aid box.
"Let's deal with your nose first. Wipe it on this."
After my nose was wiped up. He told me to roll up my trousers to deal with the cut on my shin.
"Why were you skating?" He asked.
"P-pardon?"
"If you were going to hurt yourself why didn't you get help? Surely at least one of your friends can skate?"
I shrugged as he washed my cut clean.
"I couldn't ask my friends." I mumbled.
"Why?"
I shrugged again.
"It's... embarrassing. They're all really good."
The man looked at me curiously. "I take it your not a fan?"
I frowned. "A fan of ice skating, I'd like to be able to skate. I think."
"I meant of the brat," he pointed to the blond boy who was making his way onto the ice.
My confused face said it all, he sighed and smiled. "That's fine, He rather people didn't freak out. why not watch us practise," he pointed to the ice rink. The blonde guy: Yuri, joined the others and skating along on one foot, moving smoothly across the ice.
"If that's ok." I said.
"Sure." The man smiled. "Yuri!" He called the boy who spun to a stop and faced him. "What!"
The man stood and walked. "Lets practise that new piece shall we." He gestured the other skaters to move. Some simply hoped over the side and other glided to the gates.
The music started up, violin as clear as the ice and piano a string of heart beat to the song. It started slow and steady but as the violin grew stronger and journeyed up the scale the tempo sped up like
"Woah." I breathed as he performed a jump. The song slowed, sped again and he never faulted.
It went on and on. And then it ended, i was disappointed when he stopped moving. it had been so fluent, so controlled.. so emotional... like painting but on the move and not confined by a frame but by a rink.
The music stopped as he did and the old man; Yakov, asked him do redo small sections of his performance.
He came to sit next to me.
"Good?"

"Yeah! Amazing!" I said. "Are you a coach?"

"Yes,"

"So you train all these people? Do you teach... as well?"
He laughed, "not for a long time. Last time... must've been my own child. I have trained some big shots however."

"Really? Who? Actually I don't think I know their names... or faces."

"Mm really," he rubbed his stubbly chin, "well yuri over there got pretty famous last year, and Viktor.."

"Victor?"

"Never heard of him?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"No? I don't think so."

"Good good," Confused i nodded lightly, why was it good? "now I can offer you some instruction."

"What uh no really! It's fine I can't trouble you." I panicked.

"No trouble, for me anyway, after our morning practise which ends at 11.00 one of the skaters ignores my advise to keep the muscles warm but not overly active." He smiled. "I think this could be the ticket!"
I blinked at him. "I can only do today and tomorrow if it's really ok."

"School I suppose?"

"Yes."

"That's fine, do you need to go."
I checked the time, "no not for a little while,"

"Stay and watch if you like," he turned to face the group of skaters. "STOP YOUR DWAUDALLING AND MOVE!"

I left the sports centre, giving back the skates and changing out of the leggings.
My phone quacked in my pocket, (no notification sound is as good as the duck) a text from a friend. It was Alisa.

turn around (*^*)/

I did. Oh gosh. Alisa waved at me with happiness, running up, "Nina! what are you doing here?"
"oh, i uh.. seeing a friend." I covered. "what happened to your quadruple thingy?"
"Oh, they are all back there, we went ping pong-ing?"
"uh, yeah." I squeaked. Looking at the way she pointed.
"Weren't you taking your dog to the vet this afternoon?" she asked.
Panicked, I turned to run, "Ali I'll tell you later. Bye!"

Alisa turned to face the group as they came out, "Natasha I just saw Nina and she ran away."

"she ran?"

Next time: Nina gets a skating teacher and he is anything but happy with the situation.

Hope you enjoyed it.
First chapter pretty meah but it will get better!