6.00am. No alarm.
I was a total early bird. Waking in the small hours of the morning. I had plenty of time to get to the sports centre and even longer to do homework.
It soon came to 10.30
I left with a wave and jumped on a bus.
I passed my school and in 15 minutes I had reach the large sports centre.
It was 11.01 by the time I got to the ice.
Yakov was waiting by the public ice. "Good morning Nina."
"H-hello.."
He jestures and unlocked the door going through.
A few of the ice skaters were packing their things up.
However the Yuri guy waited by the rink looking angry. Leaning against the rink walls with hands in the pockets of his tiger print jacket. "YAKOV! WTF DO YA WANT?"
Yakov raised an eyebrow at his language. "I want you to teach Nina here to Skate."
He blinked at him, then me. He face became angry, "HUHHHH?!" He roared, eyes like slits. "why the hell should I?"
I flinched and he scowled angrily.
"You've been skipping practise, late today and yesterday."
The boy turned his glare to his coach. "By 10 minutes only!" He spat.
"20 today, 10 yesterday day, 45 on Friday, 5 minutes the day before and 2 hours on Wednesday.
When? Tell me Yuri Plisetsky, When Were You Last Here On Time?"
"Tuesday," Yuri shrugged aggressively.
"YOUR DIDN'T TURN UP!"
Yakov yelled.
The boy at least had the decency to look slightly shameful, or was it resentment?
"Fine," his voice was like a growl.
He made to take off his hoody. "Keep that on," Yakov said, "I doubt you'll be going that fast today." Yakov raised a hand in goodbye and left through the exit door.
At first neither moved. Finally he stepped onto the ice. "Come on brat."
Letting the brat insult go with a mental piano falling on a Yuri's thick skull, I walked unsteadily over, almost tripping twice. "Why are you skates so loose?" He deadpanned.
I looked up supprised. "h-Huh, are they wr-wrong?"
Wow, I can't even put skates on correctly.
He made a spin around gesture. "To the benches." He ordered.
"O-ok." where had his temper from earlier gone?
He walked briskly with practised ease ahead of me.
"Hurry up brat."
Ignore the brat insult. I told myself.
He told me to sit and I did.
He knelt down and grabbed my foot. "keep still brat." he muttered.
"Don't call me Brat!" Feeling slightly flushed I looked sharpely right. I was never that sociable, how could I talk to him now that I had squeeked defiance? don't be rediculous, i told myself angrily, you know you wouldn't talk to him anyway.
He clipped the buckles. I took a deep breath and looked down on the top of his head. Longish blond hair fell over one side of his face. He pulled the buckles tight and clicked them shut.
"That's... tight." HAH, Yes! I said Something, and I meant to say it!
"Needs to be. Otherwise you'll damage your ankles." He Spoke Back!? YES! I was having a conversation with a stranger.
"Oh." Well done Nina, not only do you fall over, walk funny and fail to put on shoes but damage your bones. Real smart. But at least your talking to him. win for the shy-uns hey?
He sighed. "Next foot."
I was too slow to move apparently and he pulled it onto his lap. I wanted to snatch my leg back but restrained myself.
"Your leg and nose?" He said
"Huh?"
"Leg and nose?" He raised his voice. "Are they... fine?"
Was he... checking my injuries from yesterday? I should add those to my list of iceskating no can does.
"They're f-fine."
He grunted and dropped my foot on the ground. He stood and walked back to the ice.
I trailed after, regarding the ice rink with distrust. Cause seriously I swear ice just doesn't like me.
"Hurry Up!"
It took at least 10 minutes for me to get on. I had one hand clutched on the side, knuckles white.
"Let go Of the side." He growled.
"N-no!" I hissed. He was getting angry, and frustrated.
He grabbed my hand and tugged me firmly. "No!"
He stopped pulling. Instead moving closer.
"Look, uh, Nina right?" I nodded regarding him suspiciously.
"Ill hold your hand. You won't fall."
Damn, playing the nice guy card. He obviously wasn't a nice guy with all the cussing and yelling and kicking. Just his attitude on the whole really. And he called me a brat, he's the brat.
"I won't let you fall."
"O...k..." this time when he took my hand, i pryed my fingers from the edge. Flexing them back into shape.
I immediately slipped. He pulled me up by my arm.
"Wow, you really can't skate can you?"
"No." I mumbled. What was it first clue genius. My knees buckled against one another as I struggle to stay up right. I swear the ice moved on it's own. Damn stuff. Yuri grabbed my other hand. "Seriously?" He grumbled.
He held both my hands from behind me. He stood at least a head taller.
"Slide your left foot forward." He told me. He voice was too close for comfort. "Now right."
Slowly we shuffled across the ice. It was slow going and tedious. Every time I slipped he pulled me up straight, helping me to keep going forward, I'm pretty sure I was Hyperventilating. Wait, did he just laugh? i heard another little, "pft," behind my and scowled. sorry for not be an ice primmadonna ballarina. Mr Gangsta Ice Fairy. Moving from one side to the other was ok, nice even. I looked back. We were half way across! Lulled into a false sense of security I was not ready for the sudden pull of my left hand and
"Now turn."
"Now what?!" With a squeak and a tumble i ended up on my tummy. Yuri next me one hand on the ice, both feet still on the ground. "s-sorry," i squeeked.
He glowered, "why the hell is this so hard for you?"
taken back i reached for answer but as always no smart ass comment came to mind, never the badass, the extravert, the cool one. Nope, i was the shy one, the intravert, "s-sorry," it's his fault he wanted me go turn?!
He stood up with ease. Offering a hand. I placed mine softly in his. I didn't want to touch him. He might get angry, then again he might get angry if i didn't. His hand curled around mine and pulled me to my feet. I didn't want to look at him either. I was clumsy and awkward. He was mean, but also elegant in that way I always wished I had.
I clutched his hand back as nervous shaking made my legs stiff. "relax," he grumbled, half guiding half dragging me to the edge where he pushed me out of the rink first and then followed. "thats it." he said.
"ok, um... thanks."
"Start slow, your so nervous you'll tire quickly."
As we pulled off their skates and tied up trainers someone poked there head through the entrance door. "Yuri, practise starts in 30 minutes. take a lunch break. Nina, you can go with him. He has an unlimited meals card for this month." Yuri opened his mouth to dispute but I beat him.
"n-no thank you. I have to eat lunch with my family." I turned to yuri, bowing slightly. "Thank you for your help."
"it's'ohkay," he grunted.
"oh, and Yuri," Yakov said. Yuri raised his head with a 'what?' glare, "your teaching her same time next week."
"HUUHHHH!?"
"s,s,sorry!" i squeeked as he yelled, he ignored me and glared at his coach as Yakov simply stared back. neither backed down. "um..." i got no answer. Finally Yuri sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair.
"Well," Yakov said, obvioulsy pleased with the result. "We'll see you next week on saturday and sunday?" He asked me.
"ah! yes, um thank you, thank you so very much, I am very happy for such help." i grabbed my stuff and evacuated before the hot headed boy could explode.
"Bye," I breathed half way down an empty white corridor. Skipping a happy jig into my run. Maybe next time I could actually go Ice skating with my friends?
I knocked on the door going into the training skating rink. I was still sporting a bruise from yesterday. Yakov opened the door. "your early!" he smiled, "i hope your habbits will rub off on your teacher."
He pointed to Yuri who was still stretching. He obviously hadn't been here long at all.
He jestured her to sit down on the bench and watch. Today only Yuri and a female skater were here as it was sunday. The others didn't have to come. The female skater performed a triple lutz. Yesterday's lesson had been a serious of falls and being yelled at by Yuri. Hopefully today would be better.
"So Nina, out of interest, why do you want to learn how to skate."
I blushed and looked down, "My frinds keep inviting me to the disco skating thing every friday but..."
"you can't skate?" he offered,
I nodded, "it would be... embarissing and i would probably hurt someone else if i fell, which i would," i mumbled.
He nodded, "so you go to school near by?"
"yes, 10 minutes by bus."
"AbbeySaints school?"
"no, Blue mills acadamy."
"good school," he murmured. "The arts academy right?"
"Yes," I nodded.
He left me so he could correct the woman's poses. yelling at her and then at yuri while he practised on the bar. He was really flexible. LIke wow-ouch. No human should be able to do a split like that.
Their lesson went as normal, failing, falling, Yuri grumpy and I half scared of him.
As I laced up my trainers next to him on the bench. I pulled something out of my pocket. Hand shaking. this could be a really bad idea. "h-h-here." I squeeked, He raised an eyebrow. "a thank you... g-gift."
he took the small box and started to open it. I looked away. this was weirdly embarissing. "s-s-s-orry if y-you dont like it, i th-thought maybe...," i wanted him pull it out. "well uh, You see.. all yours personal stuff..." i pointed at his hoody, "has tiger or leopard print on it."
He inspected the wrist sweat band. Orange with black stripes.
I started to figit when he stayed silent. SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!
"Thanks," he murmured, looking away, "it's cool."
"o-ok! G-great. I gotta go so um bye!" I made a hasty retreat and speed walked away.
Yuri stared at the wrist band a little longer. It was really cool. it matched his fashion and he could wear it during practise without getting told off by that damn Yakov. Speak of the devil. His coach walked up, "you have a friend waiting downstairs." he told Yuri. "In Moonstone cafe."
Yuri stood, pulling a hood to hide his face. "thanks."
The cafe had big windows over looking the sports field outside on one side and sliding doors onto the walkway above the tennis courts. He spotted a familiar figgure in the corner. "Otebek?"
he raised a hand. "heard you were training a novice."
"Huh!?" Yuri frowned. "yeah well. calling her a novice is being nice." Otebek raised an eyebrow. "she constantly falls, she can't go anywhere by her self on the ice. her only redeeming quality is gift sense. That and she has no clue about famous skaters so has no clue who i am."
"gift?"
Yuri raised his arm and pulled his sleave back, "a thank you gift." he pulled it off.
"whats that inside?" Otebek asked.
Yuri looked up, "inside?" he folded it insideout. Yuri was stitched in black inside. The letters were spiky and in a cool font as well, It was just his first name.
"looks hand done." Otebek said.
"seriously?"
AN
HELLO!
I hope you like this so far.
Next chapter: victor and Yuuri are here!? A misunderstanding and Nina finds a new art subject.