Saturday was moving day. Addison was woken by the sounds of heavy footsteps up and down the stairs, her mom barking orders to the movers, and the clattering of things in boxes. She stayed in bed staring up at her ceiling for a few extra minutes before she couldn't take it anymore.
She quickly got out of bed and threw on some clothes, put on her wig securely, and made her way to find her parents.
"Can I please go skate?" She pleaded out of frustration. Missy stared at her in disbelief.
"You have to help with the move today Addison!" She denied, looking over her shoulder and rushing past her. "Be careful with that! It's an antique!" Dale chuckled and smiled at his daughter.
"You know how stressed your mother is." He told her. Addison groaned.
"But what help am I going to be? Mom's got control of bossing around the moving men." She argued. Dale smiled fondly at her.
"I'll make you a deal." He started. Addison waited eagerly for his proposal. "Help pack up my car with most of your stuff and we'll unload at the new house. Then you can go to the ice rink. Deal?" He offered.
"Deal!" Addison agreed, rushing back up the stairs to grab some boxes. Dale laughed and followed her more slowly.
"She's just like her mother." He mumbled fondly to himself.
XxX
"Last one." Addison announces as she drops the final box in her new bedroom. It was bare and empty. Of course her furniture would be delivered later today, but for some reason it felt refreshing. She frowned at the thought. She didn't want this move. So why would she want this new room?
She shook her head to refocus on the task at hand, getting to the arena.
"Ok, I moved my boxes. Can I go to skating now? Please!" She threw her hands together in a pleading fashion with puppy dog eyes for extra effect. Dale laughs and shoos her away.
"Go on. Just be back before dinner!" He calls because she's already rushing for the door. "Call if you need anything!"
"Will do! Thanks Dad!" She yells back as she throws her back over her shoulder and hurries out the door.
XxX
The GPS led her right back to the arena from the night before. She briefly wondered if Zed would be there today but she quickly shook off the thought. Why would he be here on Saturday morning when he was just here the night before? She was just a crazy person who used skating as an outlet. Plus. Why does she care if he was there today anyways?!
She enters and makes her way to the center rink, at a much more leisurely pace than before. As she got closer, the sounds of male voices yelling and loud crashes started to fill the small hallway she was in. She slowly peaked through the door and saw that the whole hockey team were mid practice.
She snuck in through the doorway and made her way up a couple rows to take a seat a little higher for a better view. She found herself watching one specific player who was agile and smooth on the ice.
He was obviously a superstar as he was able to beat every defender that stood in his way, either with his speed or cross overs or even stop and starts. And then it's his shot versus the goalkeeper. He draws his stick back and fires. The goalie tries to block but it wizzes past him.
Addison found herself making an excited squealing noise that she quickly covered her mouth to shut herself up. The sound obviously carried over all the noises of the other players on the ice because multiple heads snap up in her direction. Including Zed's. Her face heated up dramatically with all the boy's eyes on her.
"Hey! Looks like we have an audience this morning!" One of the other boys yells as he skates closer to the wall separating them. He was still tall but not quite Zed's height and, bigger. Like his muscles were more bulky under his gear than Zed's.
"I'm just waiting for you brutes to get off the ice so I can practice." Addison retorted, trying to look indifferent but the blush on her cheeks from the embarrassment made it hard. A mischievous glint was evident in the hockey player's eyes as he smirked at her.
"For you to practice, huh? Let me guess, you're a pampered little ice princess." He teased, leaning forward on his stick for support. Addison frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. Suddenly another presence interrupted their near argument.
"Why don't you leave the pretty girl alone, huh Ziryan?" Zed skated up and put said boy in a playful headlock. Ziryan laughed and started to play fight back before heading back towards the team.
Zed looked back at Addison who was staring at him with slightly parted lips as her heart pattered in her chest that he came to her defense.
"We won't be much longer. Then the ice is all yours!" He told her with a wide smile. She couldn't help the tug on the corners of her lips.
"Thanks." She breathed. Zed's smile gets brighter, giving her a small wave as he also retreated to the huddle. She raised a hand and her fingers made the slightest of a wave in her dazed state.
She decided to walk down to the bench and put on her skates since their practice was almost finished. As Zed promised, their coach had given them a pep talk about their upcoming game and dismissed them by each player putting a hand in the center, all of them yelling 'Go Zombies' as they started to disperse. She stood in the doorway of the rink while they left out the other end. Zed was turned looking at her, collecting his equipment absentmindedly.
She gave him a smile then slid over to the booth to put on music once again.
Ziryan comes up and throws his arm over Zed's shoulders. "You ready for the playoffs Necro? We need you on your A game!" Ziryan questioned. Zed laughs.
"I'm so ready! We're gonna crush it!" He replied enthusiastically. Ziryan smacked Zed's shoulder pads a little roughly.
"Good! 'Cause you and me on the ice together, we're sure to make it to Championships!" And with that, Ziryan had followed the others to the locker room.
Zed sighed as he plopped down on the bench just off the ice, pulling the jersey and his padding off his torso and dropping it on the seat beside him. There was so much riding on the next few games. So much pressure, so much riding on him.
His mental anxiety was cut short when her music started. The song was upbeat and catchy. It took him a second but he realized it a popular song by Sia called 'The Greatest'. He could tell this was different than yesterday's performance because of her focus on precision with every move she made. It was obvious that not a single sway of her arms or turn of her head wasn't planned. He watched her with excited eyes at what she'd do next, every time the music would build, she'd have a big trick or a spin to emphasize the crescendo. Zed was in awe.
Then, near the end during a lull of the music, she filled it with fun little dance moves that made him smile from ear to ear. Her performance skills were amazing. She knew exactly how to sell her routine. Then the music kicked back up and she was in a spin. She was going so fast and for so long that he was sure she'd fall over at any moment, but she grabbed her skate and lifted into a posed spin and went back into the earlier spin move.
And then with the slightest of shifts she's stopped and swings her arms to strike her pose. Zed immediately stands and heads back to the door leading onto the ice.
"Wow! That was incredible!" He calls. Addison seems startled for a moment.
"O-oh! I didn't know anyone was watching!" She laughed nervously. Zed chuckled fondly and made his way towards her. Even with the skin tight compression tank he wore being soaked and strands of his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead, he still looked like a dream gliding towards her. Addison felt her pulse quicken even further after the exertion of energy from her routine she'd just performed.
"Not that I have a lot of experience, but I've never seen someone skate like you! You've gotta be a prodigy or something." He praised. Addison giggled and shook her head, gesturing for him to skate along beside her.
"Prodigy? No. I just love skating." Addison denied with a smile. "My cousin, on the other hand, he is a prodigy!" Zed laughed.
"I think I'll have to judge of that." He nudged her with his elbow with a playful grin. Now it was Addison's turn to laugh.
"You can trust me on this one! He choreographs all my programs. And he's been working with me since I could walk!" Addison sighed. "I've always wanted to skate like him."
"Sounds like you really look up to your cousin." Zed chimed. She nodded.
"Definitely. He may be tough, but he is a huge role model for me." Then she looked up at him. "What about you? How'd you get so good at hockey?" She asked. Zed scoffed.
"I'm not that good." Addison's jaw dropped open and she slides to a stop right in front of him with a look of disbelief.
"You're kidding!" She exclaimed. "Hockey's never looked so easy when I watch you playing!" Zed feels flattered and that look she's giving him makes his breathing hitch in his lungs. Her eyes have the sparkle of awe and amazement. Like he was having the same affect on her. He gulped back the lump in his throat that he feared would make his voice crack before he spoke.
"How about we made a deal then?" He said, extending his pinkie out to her. She glance down at it skeptically at first then linked pinkies with him. "We'll believe each other's opinions on our sport of choice as long as we're friends." He offered. Addison laughed then nodded in agreement.
"Deal." She agreed. Zed smiled brightly, the most contagious smile in the world Addison has decided as her own smile widened.
"Zed! Locker room!" The coach yelled in aggravation. "Shower up so I can leave!" He ordered. Zed has turned to acknowledge him then back to Addison.
"I gotta go. But I'll see you at school Monday right?" He asked. Addison had almost forgotten about her new school and anxiety constricted her chest. She forced a smile though.
"Yeah, Monday." She agreed again. Zed's smile never faded as he skated off towards the locker room.
When he was out of sight, Addison sighed and skated over to restart her music. Practicing her program would keep her mind off of school. Off of everything. Just like always. But even as she went through her routine, she couldn't get the tall green haired boy out of her mind.
She found herself pushing harder as she did her tricks. Like she was motivated by him. Like she wanted to impress him the next time he watched her. It was refreshing. She normally didn't care what people thought when she was practicing. Only what the judges scored. But to skate not only for a number and for the joy of someone other than herself made her happy.
She couldn't help the smile she wore the rest of the day, even after she went back to her new house that she didn't want to move to. If it meant she'd see Zed again, she'd bare it.
XxX Monday Morning XxX
"Are you excited for your first day Sweetie?" Missy asked as they ate their breakfast together.
"As excited as I can be to have a second first day three quarters of the way through this year." She agreed with added sarcasm. Missy gave her a scolding look but Dale stepped in to interrupt.
"The plus side is that it's a fresh start for you Honey! You should think positive." He encouraged, gesturing for Missy to go along with it.
"Yes! A fresh start! Your father's right!" Missy agreed. Addison rolled her eyes but nodded anyways.
"I'm trying." She admitted. Her mind flashed to Zed on the ice with her Saturday. A small smile grew across her lips. "I think I'll be ok." She said.
Dale and Missy exchange a curious look at her sudden change in attitude. But Addison is collecting her book bag and lunch before they can ask.
"See you guys after school!" She says heading for the door.
"Be careful Honey!" Missy calls.
XxX
First days are always rough, let alone when it's at a new school, mid semester. Addison just kept her head down and tried to blend into the crowd. Which she was doing unsuccessfully.
Her pastel blue dress was not helping as everyone else wore darker colors like maroon and green, the school's colors. Things were so much different here than they were in Seabrook. Her cheeks were bright red in embarrassment and frustration that all eyes were on her as she walked swiftly towards the entrance, keeping her eyes to the ground.
Before she can even reach the door, however, she hears a familiar voice.
"There she is, Addison!" He calls. Her wide eyes shoot up to meet his. He's wearing clothing he's obviously customized, like most of the other students, with green pants and a matching jacket and a tan t-shirt underneath. One sleeve of his jacket was cut at the bicep while the other stayed long. She had to admit he looked really good in these strange clothes, that she definitely didn't get the memo about.
He was surrounded by people, he was after all a popular hockey player. None of them seemed excited to meet her, with scowls as they looked her up and down. Of course she wanted to talk to him, he was the only person she knew in this god forsaken school! But she couldn't stop the tears that filled her eyes as she turned and ran through the front entrance.
"Wow. Yeah, I'd definitely say she likes you." Eliza, Zed's best friend, chimed beside him sarcastically. Zed glared at her and took off the chase after the crying girl.