A week later, after school, Haley and Jenna met me at the rink for practice. We're on an figure skating team called The Madonnas. Our uniform is a red and pink outfit. Personally, I hate pink, but I don't really mind because I love skating and my teammates are like my sisters. We all get along so well. The more we bond, the better we all skate. I have been skating since I was eight. Jenna's been skating her whole life and Haley started when she was six. We're all really good at it. Our team hopes to make it to the nationals this year. Last year we didn't do so hot.

Right before we got back from our break, I stopped in the locker room to get another hairband. Mine broke while I was practicing. I walked down the aisle towards my locker. Rachel was busy brushing her perfect blonde hair. Jenna was retying her skates. Miley was on the phone, talking to her boyfriend. And lastly, Haley was trying to fit her thick brown hair into a tiny scrunchie.

"Haley," I laughed, "you'll never be able to fit your hair into that tiny a scrunchie."

"You're right. I hate my thick hair. It's too thick!"

I just had to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Talia asked

"Nothing. It's an inside joke." Haley snapped back

"Jeez." Talia said, slamming her locker door and then headed back to the rink.

Haley takes out another scrunchie and puts it in her hair.

"Maybe I should consider getting it straightened."

"Yeah, you should think about that." I get my skates out of my locker.

Haley finishes tying her laces and walks out with Jenna.

"You coming?" Jenna asks, from the door

"I'll be right there." I yell back

"Alright, I'll tell Ms. Rowan." And like that, she leaves.

I sit on the bench, lacing up my new, white ice skates. I'm alone in the room now. All the girls had gone back out. As I sit there, I hear someone walk in. I try and gather my stuff and throw it back in my locker. I grab my violet sweater and slam the door shut. I start walking out of the room and suddenly I bump into somebody. I look up. It's Danny.

"What are you doing here?" I ask firmly

"I asked your friend Katie where you were. She said you were at the rink. So, here I am."

"So, what, you're stalking me now? W-wait, how do you know Katie?"

"She started talking to me when I was leaving the school. She asked me how I knew you and I told her that you stopped by my house earlier. Also, I wanted to ask if you, Jenna and Haley wanna go out for an ice-cream later."

"That's so sweet. But hold that thought. I'm late for practice."

"Oh, well, good luck."

"Thanks!" I say as I run out to the rink.

All the girls were practicing their routines for the competition on Saturday. Ms. Rowan is standing at the door to the rink. She has a stern look on her face and her arms are crossed. Bad sign.

"You're ten minutes late, Miss Manson."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

"Twenty laps around the rink. Now."

"Jeez." I mummer to myself

I get onto the rink and start my laps. Jenna is trying to do a quadruple spin. A double and triple are easy for her. But a quad is tricky. You have to time it right. When I get to about my seventh lap, Haley finally skates over beside me.

"Wow, Rowan's making you do laps?"

"Yep. Twenty."

"You're lucky. Michelle had to do forty one time."

Michelle was on our skating team for six years. Now she's sixteen and in the Olympics. She's won at least twenty gold medals. Michelle's an amazing skater. Better than Jenna. Gasp.

At the end of practice, I was beat. I just wanted to go home and go to bed. The three of us walked to the locker room and then we saw the other girls crowding around someone. We walked over. I tapped Rachel on the shoulder.

"What?!" she screamed

"I just wanted to know what you guys were looking at."

"Oh, we found Miley's digital and we're looking at the pictures."

"Aw, how nice." I said sarcastically

I went over to my locker and threw my icy skates in my bag. After I changed, I saw that there was a note on the shelf in my locker. It read: "Sam, Hey. It's me Danny. You guys still on for ice cream tonight? I'll be waiting outside."

The three of us went outside and we saw Danny, up against the wall. He saw us.

"Hey!" he shouted

We walked over.

"Well?"

"Uh, sure. We'll go." Haley finally said

"Cool. You guys know any good places around here?" he asked

"We could go to Gina's and get a gelato." Jenna said, shrugging

"Alright."

"I'll pick you up and we'll walk together. Okay?" I say nervously

"Cool, I'll see you at eight." He walks away.

"Are you crazy?" Jenna screams, "We're weeks away from the nationals! Suddenly Danny shows up and he's all you think about!"

"I do not!"

"Uh, yeah you do. He's all you were talking about the way here." Haley replies

"He's my friend."

"Yeah, we get that. But what happens if he asks you out? You're gonna go all psycho on us."

"Will not."

"Sam, stop being immature."

"I'm not being immature! I'm just sick of you guys ratting on me every second!" I ran away to my house.

Haley and Jenna didn't show up at Gina's. They're probably mad at me for screaming at them. So, I went to get a gelato with Danny alone.

"Where's Jenna and Haley?" Danny says, eating his gelato.

"They're mad at me." I say swirling my frozen yogurt with my spoon.

"Why?"

"It's nothing. Really."

"Alright then."

The rest of the night is silent. When I walk him home, he tries to get me to talk again, but I don't respond. I know I'm being rude, but I just have a lot on my mind. We get to his house.

"Well, I had fun tonight." he says

"I did too."

He puts his hand behind his head. "I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

He puts his key in the lock and opens it.

"Well, goodnight."

Without thinking, I kiss him lightly on the cheek.

"Goodnight." Then I walk away. It wasn't a date. So why does it feel like it was. Jenna and Haley are gonna kill me. I just know it. If they ever find out that I kissed Danny on the cheek, they'll be so furious. All these thoughts rushed around my head.

I got to my house and slipped in the key. I opened the door and sneaked inside. My sister, Rayna, was sitting on the couch, reading a Lovely You magazine. I hate those crappy teenage magazines. Rayna is sixteen. She knows everything about anything and anybody.

"So, how was your date?" Rayna asks me

"It wasn't a date, Rae." I walk up the stairs. When I get to my room, it's pitch black. I flip on the lights and my little sister, Julie, is sitting on the floor. Coloring.

"Jules, what are you doing?"

"Colorin'." she says, without looking up

"Mom and Dad said that you had to be in bed by eight. It's ten."

"You're not the boss of me!" She hits me in the leg and stomps out of the room. I hate seven-year-olds.

I flop on my bed and open my laptop. I turn on AIM and sure enough, Jenna and Haley weren't on. The thing is, they're both always on. They've never once logged off. They must've been really ticked. So I logged off and threw the laptop on the floor. I was bored out of my mind. Soon, I fall asleep because I had nothing else to do. I hated being by myself.