Adam stumbled into the ice arena and went straight to the front desk to sign in. Then he ran into the coaches room to change his skates, and got onto the ice just in time for the lessons to start. He looked around and didn't see Beth anywhere.
"You're late." He heard behind him. He turned around to see his favorite coach standing there, Shane."
Adam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks. I didn't know that." He said.
"Beth is in her office, probably calling your principal." Shane sneered. "Its not a good idea to stay out all night and then show up late when you are sentanced to community service."
Adam shot him a look. "How the hell do you know where I was last night?" He asked.
Shane smirked. "I have my ways." He told him. He then smirked again when he looked over at the boards. "Doom's day." He said, and then skated off.
Adam turned around to see Beth getting onto the ice. He held his breath as he watched her skate over to him.
"You're late." Beth told him, her usual happy voice was gone in exchange for a rather stern tone.
"I'm sorry." Adam said. "My alarm didn't go..."
"Adam don't lie to me." Beth told him. "I'll talk to you later. After this skating lesson, meet me in my office. For now, you can help Heather coach again."
Adam hung his head and nodded. He watched Beth skate off with an angry look on her face. He shook his head and then pushed off to go join Heather.
"Hey." Adam said quietly as he skated to Heather.
Heather looked up, and practically dropped her clip board when she saw him standing there. "Um, Adam...Hi." She said as she went back to taking roll.
Heather put the clip board back onto the board and then looked at her students. "Okay guys. This is Adam and he is going to be helping me today."
All six kids, who looked about eight or so, looked at him and waved. Adam smiled back.
Adam stood there watching Heather coach for the next half hour. He hated it as the minutes came down to "doom's day" again. He wasn't happy.
"Okay guys!" Heather yelled. "Free skate! I'll see you next week."
Adam stood there by the boards. Not wanting to move. Heather came over and picked up the clipboard next to his arm.
"Whats wrong?" Heather asked.
"Nothing." Adam said.
"Nothing seems pretty upsetting." Heather told him.
Adam shrugged. "I was late...and I'm in trouble." Adam admited a moment later.
Heather looked at him a minute. "Yeah...I had a feeling. I saw Beth talking to you earlier." She said. "You didn't look too happy."
Adam sighed. "Yeah...I'm not exactly wanting to talk to her right now." He said.
"Well...You better go sooner than later." Heather advised.
"Yeah I know." Adam said as he skated off.
"Good luck!" Heather called after him.
Adam stopped a second. There was something about the sweetest in her voice that sounded very sincere, and almost like someone actually cared about him. He turned and smiled at her, even though she had already gone off to help some little kid with something.
Adam kept the small smile on his face until he walked back to Beth's office. He knew that he was in big trouble. He slowly walked into the room where Beth was sitting at her computer.
Beth looked up and saw him standing there. "Hello." She said. "Take a seat."
Adam had heard that line so many times at school before. And he knew that trouble was coming. He sat down in the chair, trying not to look upset.
Beth stared at the computer screen for minute. Then she shifted in her chair and looked at Adam. "You were late." She told him a moment later.
"I know. I'm sorry." Adam said. He didn't know what the big deal was...He was there to the class on time. So what if he wasn't on the ice 5 minutes early?
"Sorry you were late, sorry you lied, or sorry that I'm not going to let this slide?" Beth asked.
Adam had never heard Beth sound so angry. He didn't know what to say to her question. He just sat there.
"I know you don't want to coach. But you have to be here. You have to arrive on time, and you have to treat this like a real job." Beth told him firmly. "You just used your 'Get Out of Jail Free' card...and there's only one in the deck. Pull this again, and I will call Dean Buckley."
Adam bit his lower lip. He was five minutes late! He didn't miss the class, he helped Heather, and he didn't punch Shane! He wanted to throw the chair against the wall.
"I know you hate me right now. And thats okay." Beth said. She turned back to her computer. "You can go now."
Adam stood up and walked back over to the ice rink. Now the majority of the ice had cleared except for a few kids and coaches.
Adam took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the ice. He pushed off and shoved his hands into his pockets, holding both of them in tight fists. He slowly stroked around the rink. Then again half way around, picked up the pace a little bit, gradually getting faster and faster. He soon took his hands out of his pockets and flew around the rink so fast that he could have sworn he broke a new speed skating record. Thankfully, no one got in his way.
Adam skid to a halt by the barrier. He put his hands to his knees and tried to catch his breath. His face was red, his eyes were filling with tears, and he still wanted to punch something. Sometimes the speed skating helped his anger, and sometimes it didn't. This was one of the times that it didn't.
Adam slowly lifted up his head, his side hurt badly, he wanted to spit, and he felt like he could drink a whole bottle of water in about five seconds. He closed his eyes and grabbed his side as he quietly winced in pain. When he opened his eyes, he was almost embarrassed to see Heather standing there.
"Hi." Adam said, still short of breath.
Heather smiled lightly. "There's a trash can right there," she pointed to a spot behind the barrier.
Adam nodded. He went over and spit in it. He noticed that Heather looked away as he did so. He then wiped his forehead on his sheelve and sat down on the bench.
Heather stepped off the ice, and walked five feet over to him and handed him a bottle of water. "Here." She said as she sat down next to him. "Thought you might want this."
Adam took the Dasani bottle and opened it. He took a sip and then poured a little bit of it onto his head. "Thanks." He said a moment later.
Heather smiled and just sat there with him.
Adam took another sip of water and just sort of looked at Heather out of the corner of his eye. Why was she sitting there next to him? He barely spoke to her, or knew her at all. Why was she being nice to him?
Adam looked out onto the ice and saw...Shane...How he hated that boy. Not only was he showing off, but he was skating with a girl...A cute girl none the less.
Adam looked at the girl, almost shocked. She was tiny, probably about 5'3 at most without the skates and weighed maybe 100 pounds, 110 at most, but yet she still had curves. Her hair had obvisously dyed to a honey blonde color was highlights. She smiled and it seemed to light up the ice. (a/n: yeah yeah. i know she sounds like a mary-sue. but i swear she is not! she's just modeled after my old skating buddy. who actually inspired the story. so yeah.)
Shane took her hand and skated around her. He followed him and they did back crossovers hand in hand, he then pulled her closer to him and she lowered her hands to her hips. Shane then skid at he turned and threw the girl into the air.
Adam almost choked on the water that was in his mouth as he saw this tiny girl be thrown about six feet into the air and then spin around like six times. Sure he had seen girls skate before, but never be thrown like that.
Adam coughed and his eyes watered. He was able to see the girl land the jump and then be picked up and spun around by Shane. And then she kissed him...Right on the lips. The gay guy was just kissed by the most attractive girl on the ice. Life was so unfair.
"Heather...who is that?" Adam asked, pointing to the two, who were now skating forward doing hand in hand edges.
Heather smiled. "Thats Riley." She said proudly. "My sister."
Adam's jaw almost hit the ground. That girl was Heather's sister? They didn't look much alike. Heather was skinny; the unhealthy kind of skinny, not the thin kind of skinny. Her hair was a dark brown, and their facial features were not much alike. Although, their eyes and smiles were the same. No doubt both of them were attractive, but not exactly in the same way.
But still? Riley went to his school, and he never saw her? Was that possible? Did she wear a baseball hat and sunglasses at school? Adam couldn't believe that he had never seen her the whole four years he had been at that hell hole.
Adam watched as the two began to skate backwards together. This time he took her by the hips and threw her up over his head. She spun around in the air, then came back down and he caught her.
"They're pretty amazing...aren't they?" Heather asked him.
Adam nodded. "I honestly have never really watched people skate like that." He admited.
"They're amazing." Heather said. "They came in 5th at the US Nationals last year."
"Not bad." Adam said, some what impressed...with Riley. He still thought Shane was gay, and hated him.
"They practice after the learn to skate classes." Heather told him randomly. "If you ever wanted to stay and watch them practice."
Adam shrugged. "I might hang around to watch them sometime." He wasn't sure if he actually meant it though.
"We'd better get back onto the ice." Heather said. "You don't want to get in trouble again."
Adam looked up at the clock. It was in fact 5 minutes before the next lesson. "Good point." He then stood up and threw the water bottle in the trash can.
Heather smiled at him shyly as she followed him out of the box. She started to skate off, and Adam just smiled. She was very sweet, and he couldn't help but wonder why she was so nice to him.
Adam ended up helping a girl named Katie coach for the next session. She was older. About 24, and she was trying to be like Beth. But was not really as nice as Beth, more fake. And she didn't like Adam...But that was okay. He wasn't too wild about her either.
Adam was extremely excited when the session was over and he got to go take off his skates. He wiped off his skates, threw them into his bag, and walked out of the coach's room without even looking at another one of the coaches. He didn't want to see Beth.
Adam walked out to his car and put his bag into the trunk. He was about to get in the car and take off when he noticed that he wasn't wearing his watch. He quickly remembered that he took it off while coaching with Katie and put it on the barrier.
"Damn." he thought as he walked back into the arena. He mumbled under his breath and cursed at himself for having to to walk back into the building.
Adam pushed through the doors to the rink. He looked at the ice. There were three people on the ice. Riley, Shane and Beth. The ice was fresh, with barely any marks on it. The best sort of ice to skate on. Adam walked around the rink on the matting. He looked out onto the ice and saw Riley and Shane doing forward crossovers together. They broke apart and began doing turns in unison, then both tapped back with their foot and then sprung into the air, spun about three times and landed in complete unison. Adam almost tripped, he wasn't paying attention to walking, only the two skating. Okay...He was watching Riley.
Adam looked at the floor for a minute, so it wasn't obvisous he was watching them. But when he did look up again, he saw the two spinning together. It looked really...interesting.
Adam quickly found his watch, but took his time putting it on...So he could watch Riley.
Now the two were doing something where Shane was practically sitting, and pulling Riley in a circle. He watched as the two exited the element, and she tripped.
"Watch the exit!" Beth yelled from the side.
Adam stood up and began walking towards the exit again. He continued to walk and watch the two skate. They were now doing one of those huge overhead lifts that they completed with ease.
Adam noticed the two were skating towards the direction he was walking. He pretended to be looking at his watch when he looked up for a brief second at the two, who passed him on the other side of the barrier. Shane wasn't paying much attention to him...But he saw Riley look directly at him, and smile.
For the first time in a long time...Adam froze when a girl smiled at him. He watched them skate as they once again did another side by side jump.
Adam walked out of the building and out to his car. Smiling the entire time. He drove off...and could hardly wait till next Saturday, when he would see Riley again, and possibly help her coach.
what happens next? i'm working on it! oh yeah...and the secret...that will be told in later chapters. still building on it. don't worry. its coming!