A/N: Hello again, everyone! Expect a bit of hockey-practice sweetness this chapter!
Also, Ms. Stitch isn't from Lilo and Stitch, though I do love that movie—just happens to have a similar name. I don't think Stitch would be the best teacher, haha. :)
Riley blinked. Hockey? On ice? She remembered that it involved a stick and a small panel of some sort on the floor, and that Joy and her parents were all skilled at the sport. She knew the idea of the game was to hit the panel right into the opposing team's goal, like soccer. But doing it on ice? The thought of it made her nervous. She didn't even know how to swim yet—heck, she only knew what swimming was when Joy had mentioned it at their first time at the park!
Joy noticed Riley's expression of uncertainty and rubbed her hand over hers. "Don't worry, I'll teach you the basics. It's as easy as riding a bike!"
Riley just stared at her. Joy mentally smacked herself in the forehead.
"Oh, right..." she muttered sheepishly. "You didn't learn that yet either...But still, it'll be fun!"
"But walking on ice?" Riley asked in disbelief.
"It's a little complicated at first," Joy agreed, "but it's a great experience. I used to teach Fear how to handle it when we were younger!"
"Fear does ice hockey?"
"No, more like figure skating," Joy corrected. "I'm the hockey expert. Although he gets to wear the nicer outfits, apparently."
Riley giggled at this, never imagining him in anything more than his knitted sweaters and bowties. The thought of running her feet over her ice really did sound interesting, and Joy seemed really eager to teach her.
"Okay, I'm up for it," she finally said.
"Great!" Joy said happily as she started the car. "Let's get there while it's still early!"
Soon they were backing out of the school parking lot and on the street once more. Riley peered toward her future school, the image of Bing Bong forever embedded into her mind. She felt more confident about her placement exam now.
During the drive, Joy yammered on and on about how she and her friends would hang out at the rink sometimes. She talked about the first steps she taught Fear, involving having to hold his hand throughout the process. It took about a month or so before he finally managed on his own, and soon enough he was skating like a pro. She added that he did enjoy hockey, but Joy was the expert, making a shot almost every time.
She mentioned how sometimes it was girls against boys, with Disgust having to become referee just to keep it even. It was a lot like soccer, and sometimes Fear was able to out-maneuver her and Sadness. These stories intrigued Riley even more, fueling her desires to give the sport a shot herself.
It was some time before they reached a wide stadium that exceeded about a dozen feet of windows. It was glossy black on the outside, which was able to give off their reflections like mirrors. And atop the roof functioned some sort of machine that worked like a breathing apparatus into the building. Frost and other white stuff coated itself over it, which Joy explained was ice, and that it was making the entire building cold along with its rink.
The girls exited out of her car before heading toward the entrance. Fortunately for Riley, there were no other people around to notice her. However, once they entered through the doors, a few workers glanced in their direction. Riley kept her head low, eyes concealed by her locks of blonde hair as she and Joy made it to another doorway.
She immediately clung her arms around herself, shivering at the sudden drop of temperature. It almost felt like yesterday when she had been caught in the rain and nearly died of hypothermia (which Panic explained the moment she woke up in the lab). But this was a different kind of chill. It was affective, but not in the way that made her worry it could kill her.
Once they came into the main section of the building, her eyes rose as she drank in the crystal clear "pool" that occupied the entire area. It was incredibly white, it sparkled, and it looked completely flawless save for some scuff marks, indicating it had been used recently. Stadium chairs surrounded the rink, which was protected by walls with glass to ensure proper concealment.
She exhaled, and white smoke seeped out of her mouth. Her eyes widened as it faded away. She turned to Joy who looked as if she was about to burst with excitement.
"Isn't it awesome?" she squealed.
"Yeah," Riley responded, "it looks pretty cool."
"Alright, let me just grab some skates," Joy aid before hurrying off.
Soon she returned back with note just two pairs, but also a couple of wooden sticks and a black circle in her
palm. She gestured Riley to reach the edge of the rink before seating her at some nearby chairs. Riley watched in fascination as Joy removed her shoes, carefully slipping on the skates. They felt thick and rather heavy, but Riley was able to move them even with her delicate strength. Joy, of course, was always barefoot, so it was almost as if her skates were light on her own feet.
"Alright, let's get you on the ice!" she instructed.
Riley's eyes widened before turning to the rink. It looked so beautiful but intimidating. She reached for Joy's outstretched hand and gripped it. She found herself wobbling a bit as they neared the ice. She watched as Joy slid onto it with ease, able to stand perfectly while Riley's other hand gripped the edge of the wall.
"It's okay, Riley," Joy said gently, "just take little steps. Put one foot first."
Riley did just that as she lifted a heavy leg toward the ice. Placing it as carefully as she could, she gasped aloud when it nearly slid right off her body. She did not expect that, the rink being so slippery. Joy gripped her arm as she aided her weight.
"Easy...easy..."
Riley bit her lip, holding onto Joy as she allowed the emotion to pull her further into the rink. Her knees felt shaky, and the ice beneath her was like walking on paper. She never let go of her friend as Joy carefully hauled her further into the ice.
Finally, they were within some good distance. She still clung to Riley as she dragged the sticks and puck to their sides. The blonde allowed her to release one of her hands, and Riley found herself forming a triangle with her legs. Joy mentioned how the first time Fear made a split; Riley did not want to know what that was like.
"See?" Joy encouraged. "It's not that bad!"
"It's so hard!" Riley exclaimed, gripping the yellow emotion's hands tighter and fighting the urge to hug her tightly, fearing they'd both fall if she tried.
"Just hold on, let the ice guide you."
Riley gasped once more when Joy tugged on her. When she found herself moving, it was almost so frightening that Riley could have started crying. But she held her tears back as she slid a bit more, keeping her legs perfectly straightened as Joy moved her about.
"See?" Joy said gently. "The ice is your friend!"
The ice is your friend.
Joy's words echoed in Riley's head as she focused on holding tightly onto her friend. At the moment she wasn't sure how friendly the ice seemed. She felt a bit threatened, like her feet would give out any second.
"Just focus on standing..."
Riley nodded, trying to keep herself steady.
Joy pulled Riley along like that for a while before instructing her to try moving her legs.
"Just put one foot in front of the other," Joy encouraged. "Like walking! But don't lift your feet, just glide!"
Taking a deep breath, Riley did as Joy instructed, a bit tearfully. But though her steps were slow at first, with Joy's guidance the pair were soon skating along at the speed of a leisurely walk.
Noticing after several minutes that Riley was getting more confident, Joy looked at her and gave her hands a squeeze. "Riley, I'm gonna let go of you now, okay?"
"What?!". Riley nearly stumbled, her legs wobbling. "Why?!"
"Just to see how you do! Don't worry, if you fall I'll be right here to catch you, okay?"
Riley held on tighter, wide-eyed and scared. If she let go of Joy she'd fall for sure!
"Riley?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Do you trust me?"
Riley swallowed, looking Joy straight in the eyes. "Yeah."
"Okay, now careful, easy... relax, Riley..."
Slowly so as not to startle the girl, Joy let go of Riley's hands. For an instant, Rilry nearly stumbled, the lack of support a bit frightening. But she focused on keeping her legs mobile.
Left. Right. Left.
Joy stayed in front of her the whole time, her glow reflecting on the icy surface. "See? Not so hard!"
Riley dared herself not to look down, feeling a smile creep up on her face. She was skating. She was actually skating without holding onto her friend for support.
It was terrifying. And yet somehow exhilerating.
Joy was positively beaming at her friend's progress. "You're doing great, Riley! You'll be shooting pucks across the ice before you know it!"
Riley steadied herself before looking over at Joy. Her friend beamed at her happily, and Riley managed to return a smile.
"Alright, let's just practice some skating right now," the yellow emotion suggested. "This was exactly how Fear started out before I taught him hockey. Next thing we should work on is speed."
Riley gulped. "Speed? As in going fast?"
"You'll be fine," Joy assured her. "Remember, one foot first, slide, then the other, repeat."
Not a difficult phrase to forget as Riley watched her display on the ice. It marveled Riley how graceful Joy was being, practically flying around the rink as she showed her the first steps. With those delicate yet fast feet, she managed a twirl, her yellow dress fluttering like a marigold in the air. Riley gawked in amazement, feeling the skates grow heavier on her feet. How could she ever do anything like that?
Joy skidded to a halt, grinning at her. "But no pressure! This took practice, just like you'll be doing so we can make you more familiar with the ice."
"Like how you taught Fear?" Riley asked.
"Just like him," Joy nodded before extending her hand. "Just hold on, and I'll show you."
Riley obeyed before linking herself to her. Joy carefully tugged the other girl forward, gliding backward while Riley automatically followed. The younger girl kept her gasps of panic to a minimum, reminding herself to keep steady as the ice beneath scraped against her skates. Joy hauled her at a steady rate, careful not to go fast until Riley was truly ready.
She managed to circle her around the rink, taking the time to help her friend adjust. Riley struggled, but was coping well as she held tightly onto Joy. Her knees wobbled every now and then, but she was just starting to get the hang of it.
"Okay," Joy began carefully, "can I let go of you now?"
Riley almost wanted to protest this suggestion. However, after some thought, and she looked down at her feet, she nodded.
Joy's lips pressed together a she slowly released Riley from her grasp. Moving ahead to give her more room, she watched as Riley's knees wobbled a bit, but managed to push herself. She took slow paces at first, but then dared to go a bit faster. She nearly stumbled that one attempt, but she managed to catch herself. Joy began to notice some more confidence in her eyes.
"Hey!" Riley exclaimed, hobbling a bit but able to glide at a certain angle. Her hands held out to create more balance, her weight shifting left and right. "I'm...I'm actually doing it!"
"That's it, Riley!" Joy cheered. "You're doing great!"
Determination bubbled in Riley's belly as she kept going. Joy cheered, almost bouncing her skates on the ice as Riley sped a little. The blonde actually laughed, feeling as if she was flying. Placing her feet firmly upon the ice, she scraped over the surface, throwing shredded ice in all directions as she moved.
"I'm doing it!" she cried. "I'm actually doing it!"
"That's great, Riley!" Joy said. "You're really getting your speed!"
However, as she observed, she noticed that Riley was moving a lot swifter than she thought.
"Okay, you're going a little more than you should..." she said uneasily.
Riley steadied, having not heard her as she pushed harder on the ice.
"Riley, careful, you're going too fast!"
The blonde looked toward her before realizing that all was nearly a blur. She yelped before flailing her arms about, unable to put her skates to a stop. Joy hadn't taught her that yet.
"Help!" she cried, swerving around the rink.
Joy thought quickly, knowing that Riley would crash if she didn't help. She skated closer, calling out. "Bend your knees like you're gonna sit down!"
Riley's heart was pounding, but she tried to steady herself and bend her knees slightly. She could feel herself starting to slow down, but not by much.
"Try to lean away from the direction you're going!". Joy knew that if she got close to Riley at the speed she was going now, they'd both crash.
Riley was going at such a speed that she almost wasn't sure where she was going, but bending her knees had helped a little. Starting to zoom toward the left side of the skating rink, she moved a little tithe right to balance her weight.
"You're doing great!" Joy encouraged, able to skate more alongside her. "Now try pointing your toes inwards into a V-shape!"
Riley was glad at least that she knew what a V looked like. A little hesitant at first, Riley slowly dug the edges of the skates into the ice and pointed her feet inward.
Joy skated in front of her, holding out her arms. "Okay, don't worry, Riley, I'm here! You're doing great!"
Riley was relieved that Joy was there to catch her if needed, but she was able to finally slow down her momentum enough to stop. She stood in the center of the ice, looking at Joy with an absolutely exhilarated feeling rushing through her body.
"I, I did it!". Riley's smile was about as wide as Joy's, punching the air in victory. "I actually did it!"
Joy felt incredibly happy at Riley's enthusiasm. "Think ya can start it up again?" she asked with a grin.
For the next 30 minutes, the two of them practiced skating along the rink, getting more into how the blades of the skates moved along the ice.
Riley overcame her initial shakiness, and soon found herself loving it, with Joy's careful guidance always there to assist her. Her lanky limbs allowed her to stretch and move almost effortlessly when she got going, and found that it had knocked soccer off the top spot on her list of favorite sports.
Joy skated along with Riley to the edge of the rink, retrieving the sticks and pucks needed for the greatest sport on ice. She offered Rilry a challenging expression.
"Ya up to really trying some ice hockey?"
Riley's eyes lit up, and she nodded her head as she managed to stand up properly. "Sure! Let's get started!"
Handing her a stick, Joy skated on her opposite side before dropping the puck onto the ice. Riley gave her a curious expression before glancing at the ice.
"Okay, so you got the skating thing down," Joy analyzed, "now let's see how good you can hit."
"Is it like kicking the ball?" Riley asked, gripping her stick.
"Something like that, but rather you hit the puck with this," the yellow emotion gestured, waving her stick. "Like soccer, you try and hit it into the other team's goal."
"Did Fear have a really hard time with this?" Riley asked.
"At first," Joy chuckled. "Anger wouldn't stop beating him at every game. But soon Fear started getting goals into his net."
Riley gazed at her stick, which she clacked on the ice with a thunk. Gripping it tighter, she steadied on her skates while Joy handled the puck.
"Let's see how hard you can hit," Joy began. Although she wouldn't be surprised because yesterday's game said a lot about Riley's strength. She was getting stronger the more she played sports. "See the puck? Just hit it as can as you can."
Riley obeyed before skating toward her. She fiddled with the stick a bit more as she neared the puck. Joy watched in anticipation as the younger girl positioned the end of her stick right behind it.
Finally, she whacked it as hard as she could. The sound echoed throughout the building. However, she made a misstep and only pushed the puck an inch from its location. Riley groaned in frustration, to which Joy comforted with a pat on the back.
"Hey, hey!" she said soothingly. "It was a simply mistake! No one's perfect! Just try again!"
Riley grunted under her breath, eyes blazed toward the puck that was mocking her. Gripping her stick even tighter, she lifted the end upward. Then slammed right into the puck.
A lot harder than she expected as it glided across the ice with a loud skid. It was practically flying as it nearly went to the end of the rink! Joy's eyes widened in amazement, before turning to Riley who rubbed her forehead, some sweat producing.
"That was awesome!" Joy exclaimed. "See? That felt pretty good, huh?"
Riley smiled sheepishly. "I guess I don't know my own strength..."
"Well, you're pretty strong, kid," the emotion chuckled. "Soon you'll be kicking Anger's butt the next game we play."
The mention of the person who pained Riley's confidence may have not been the best thing to say. But Riley shook it aside, knowing that it was just her and Joy. Fear and Sadness were on board, but for the last two, she really couldn't see any friendship.
"So how about this," Joy said coyly, positioning her stick opposite Riley's, "let's play one round."
"What do we do?" the other girl asked, noticing the playful expression on her friend's face.
Joy grinned. "See who can hit the puck into whose net. See those red lines?" She pointed toward the ends of the rink where red marks were embedded into the ice to determine distance. "Whoever's can hit the puck straight past their opponent's goal wins the round."
Riley gazed from left to right. She would have to do a lot of skating and balancing if she wanted to succeed. And Joy was patient and fun, so there really wasn't much worry. She turned to see Joy had the puck in her hand, dangling it over their sticks.
"Ready?" she asked.
Riley paused for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Here we go!" Joy announced as the puck fell from her hand.
It landed with a clack between their sticks. It was practically a blur when the emotion managed to skate around Riley and slid the puck under her stick. The blonde's eyes widened before she hurried after her.
Both began to laugh as they raced around the entire rink, Riley hot on Joy's heels as the latter kept the puck under her surveillance. As the 11-year-old observed, Joy always kept the puck in her path by clapping the end of her stick on one end onto the other, like a knife chopping onions. The blonde kept that in mind, certain she could master it in time.
Recalling soccer, Riley swerved around Joy before clacking her stick with hers. The emotion was surprised by this action, but was very much proud before their sticks wrestled. It was a moment before Riley managed to push hers aside, taking this opportunity to grab the puck from her.
Shooting across the ice, copying the technique Joy had used, the yellow emotion grinned as she followed her. She was really getting it.
Riley grinned as she circled around the rink, getting more absorbed in this new sport. Hockey seemed a lot more passionate than even soccer, and she adored the chill air of ice surrounding her. No wonder Joy loved it so much! It was more fun than any sport with a ball!
"Riley!" Joy called. "Now's your chance! Make a score!"
Riley looked up, seeing an open space. She might have been a long distance from the other end of the rink, but she took the chance anyway. Raising her stick, she slammed the puck with all her might.
Just as Riley had hoped, it leaped right off the ice. The puck then landed with a large clink before sliding across. And made it just a bit over the red line.
Riley blinked, stunned. "I... I did it!". She found herself grinning as broadly as Joy was, feelings of exhilaration overflowing her mind. Part-human makeup aside, she felt lighter, freer, as if whatever human nature that had been part of her vanished, leaving only the pure energy of an emotion in its wake.
She found that feeling came to her when she was at one of her happiest moments. And this was one of them—perhaps it was from all the energy she had exerted through skating and having her first shot at hockey, but the feeling seemed stronger than it had before.
And she loved it.
"Alright, Riley!" Joy cheered, spinning around on her skates and meeting her friend on the ice. "You totally knocked that outta the park!"
"We're not in the park," Riley said, looking a bit confused.
Joy chided herself for remembering Riley had little knowledge of expressions and tended to be literal-minded. "It's an expression. It means you did a really great job!"
Riley found herself blushing at her friend's compliment. "I did do great, didn't I?"
"You're like a natural!". Joy then skated over to the other side of the rink and retrieved the puck, placing it in front of them. She gave Riley a challenging smirk.
"Up for Round 2?"
The day went by, and Riley made sure just to focus on herself, Joy, and the ice. If any others came in, she tried to force herself to ignore them, letting the thrill of her new favorite sport command her attention.
Though she possessed no outer glow of her own, the way Riley felt as she nearly flew across the ice almost gave Riley a vibe as if she had one like any other emotion. Or maybe the brightness of Joy's own aura was just brightening her mood.
It always did.
By the time the pair returned home, the stars twinkled in the sky above and the bustling city lights helped light their way home.
Delight, of course, was thrilled to see them.
"We'll, you two were out late," Delight said with a gentle grin. "I bought you guys pizza in case you were hungry!"
Riley felt like this day was just about perfect. Hanging with Joy, learning ice hockey, and eating pepperoni pizza—somehow her life since she started living with Joy had its mostly up moments.
"After we eat," Joy added to her friend who was hungrily eating the pepperoni-covered pizza,"we can work a bit more on reading for school!"
Riley nodded in agreement, unable to stop herself from smiling as she swallowed.
"Oh, by the way, Riley," Delight said, "I made an appointment to talk about your registration and for you to take the Placement Test." she paused. "And, well..."
Riley looked at her.
"I need to bring you there along with me. You need to take the test there."
Riley's eyes nearly hit the ceiling the moment she said that. While she had been aware that to take the test required an appearance, it still frightened her that she really did have to appear before them. She had hoped maybe she would take the test from the comforts of the house, but she had to make herself known sooner or later.
She gave a stiff nod, unable to produce words as Delight rambled on about how nice the administration was. Despite the facts given about how it was rated one of the top schools in the district, Riley felt that it won't be for long once she was present. After all, she was going to sit among individuals, which she looked nothing like. Part of her wished Joy could be with he, but the emotion had an education of her own. With people she knew and who adored her.
Riley had no one there. Well, save for maybe Mr. Bing Bong himself. The thought of him eased her a little.
As the warm pizza smelled across from the dining room, she kept reminding herself of her improvements: math, history, reading, and especially sports. It would be dishonorable to throw all that work away in the moment of anxiety. While she and Joy sat down with huge slices on their plates, she kept positive.
After all, like Joy said, there was always a bright side to everything. The bright side to this appearance requirement would be that she wouldn't have to wait any longer to show herself. That and see Mr. Bing Bong again. She secretly kept her fingers crossed she would be in his class.
"The test isn't that long," Delight assured her as she ate her slice. "It's a mix of everything you've been learning. Mostly just reading so they can see how good you are with it."
"It's not really scary," Joy added, "when I took it, the test was a breeze! You take it, they look at it, and then you're in school."
"Just like that?" Riley asked, raising a brow.
"Of course," the other girl promised. "I mean, my friends have done it, and they were pretty satisfied with the results. And with how much we've been learning, I'm sure you'll do better than great!"
Her words comforted Riley's uncertainty. After all, Joy was usually right about these sort of things. While winning all of her friends over was a boon, this Riley knew was very true.
"And just think about it," Joy chirped. "You'll see Mr. Bing Bong again! That's the best thing about going to my school!"
Riley actually smiled at this. She really hoped to be in his class.
Delight peered into the living room to see the girls sitting on the couch, a stack of books on the coffee table. After pizza they were back to teaching Riley the basics, and this time they were focusing on reading. From what she noticed, Riley was doing an excelling job with her vocabulary, and soon conversations would be much easier with her.
The older emotion noticed the old history book she lent Joy earlier. A guilty feeling emerged once more at the pit of her stomach.
Let the child learn everything there was to know about life before she really had to accept a new one. Delight kept reminding herself that Riley's transfer wouldn't be so bad. After all, she would meet people just like her, and the alienation would cease, and she might become happy.
But at what price if she had to leave her and Joy?
Delight was still unsure if she could even resume the mission. Aggravation had put a lot of time and effort into this project, and he refused any alternatives. He asserted that Riley was their chance for a whole new discovery and even more. To Delight, it was like breaking up a family.
Panic had tried to assure her that Riley would understand. Even Joy. But even if her own daughter smiled about this, Delight knew that the happiest could become the most miserable in seconds.
Sighing, she turned away from the living room to give the girls some space. Let them enjoy what time they had before it all came crashing down.
A/N: Well, next chapter will be Riley's little placement text, and we'll see how she does with that! See you ext chapter and remember to review!