Author's Note- Hi. Okay. Honestly, I don't know where to begin. This is a story that I have been working on, inconsistently, for probably 15 years. I started it when I was in grade school and this story has evolved A LOT since then. But when I first started this story, I guess it could be considered Ice Princess fanfiction so that is why I am choosing to "publish" it here.

Long story short: when I was a kid I became OBSESSED with Ice Princess. That movie is what first sparked my interest in figure skating and I actually ended up competing for approximately 10 years. I'm "retired" now, as they say, and I actually don't care much for Ice Princess anymore, just because the technicality of it is so unrealistic. But this spin-off has remained close to my heart. I will warn you now… I've changed a lot. Casey is not really a factor in this story. Tina Harwood's name has been switched to Lena Hoerner because I didn't like how much it resembled Tonya Harding, even though I'm sure that was the writers' intention.

There is a good chance that no one will ever find or read this story and I'm perfectly okay with that. Part of me almost hopes that it will go unread. But this story, which I have been writing and rewriting for the past decade and a half needs to end up somewhere. I want to have it somewhere, organized and safe, and sadly, I do not think it's something I could publish through a company because of the slight similarities to Ice Princess.

Disclaimer: This story will be written as if it is a published autobiography, told by my main character and protagonist, Megan Pohl. She was Tina Harwood/Lena Hoerner's best friend and the one that Tina/Lena ultimately betrayed at the Olympic Games. I do not own Ice Princess. I do not own the character of Tina Harwood. I created the name "Lena Hoerner" as a substitute and I created the character of Megan Pohl. That's it. If anyone is reading this, I hope you enjoy. Xo, Marie Lynne

P.S. This story is going to be LONG. Just a warning. Also, later chapters will include descriptions of adult subjects such as mental illness, drug abuse, and domestic violence. Proceed with caution.

Preface | The Scrapbook

The year was 2010 and I was sitting on the living room couch, watching a rerun of the Winter Olympics which had taken place approximately two weeks prior. My twin daughters, aged ten, sat beside me; all three of us were mesmerized by the latest, greatest figure skating stars.

We are a skating family. We always have been and we always will be… I am not the type of mother that forces my children into a lifestyle they do not desire but perhaps skating is in their blood just like it is in mine. Despite the fact that the Olympics have been over for two weeks, this is probably the hundredth time we have watched South Korean superstar Yuna Kim dance across our television screen.

I did not mind, though. There were much worse programs that my daughters, Aurora and Destiny could be interested in, and I was not watching much of the Olympics anyway.

I was sitting on the sofa, staring at a scrapbook that was labeled "Skating Memories." I had not taken a peek at this book in over twenty years. It was filled with photographs of myself and my teenage best friend, Lena Hoerner.

Teenagers typically have friendships that come and go. After all, their brains are not fully developed and I can only imagine what Destiny is going to be like as a teenager. What Lena and I had, though, was not just a friendship.

Now, do not get me wrong… we were not in a romantic or sexual relationship. I want that out in the open before going any further in my story. There was nothing between Lena and me in that sense. We are both heterosexual.

But I met Lena when I was eight years old and at a terrible place in my life. If it had not been for her, I am not sure where I would have ended up and I am confident that she would say the same about me. Together, we blossomed in our skating careers and dreamt of the Olympics like any young girls do… and then we made it, just before everything crashed, literally and figuratively.

I was trying to be brave as I looked at that old scrapbook. If I had come back from multiple leg surgeries and a messy divorce, I could certainly explore an old photo album.

I glanced at Aurora and Destiny. They had no clue of the thoughts circulating through my brain, yet I had to be brave for them. I had to set a good example. Taking a steadying breath, I told myself that it had been twenty years and opened the scrapbook.

Suddenly, I flew back in time, almost thirty years ago, when I had yet to turn ten. The world was at my feet and I had no idea just how fortunate I was…