Page 57 of Ruin The Friendship
To no one’s surprise, Calvin breaks first. “Would you care to share with the class?”
“Nope,” I say, popping the P. “Like I said, I have a plan. I don’t want to jinx it, so I’m keeping it to myself for now.”
“You’re no fun.” Calvin taps the top of my skate with his stick.
“This whole thing has awoken the romantic in me, what can I say?”
“I love romance,” Trigg says with a dreamy smile.
Calvin kicks at the ice, and I wonder what that might be about, but I don’t get a chance to ask as Coach blows his whistle, signaling the end of our brief break.
25
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
LYDIA
SIXTEEN WEEKS PREGNANT
“Good!”
My student, Anna, lands perfectly on the outside edge of her blade, gliding backward with her arms outstretched and a wide smile on her face. She’s been trying to nail the axel for nearly an hour, and she finally did it.
“That was perfect. Now, do it again, exactly like that.”
She nods, a mask of raw determination on her face as she skates around in a circle, gaining speed to perform the jump. When she does it perfectly for a second time, I squeal, clapping my hands.
She skates over to where I’m standing at the bench, and I wrap my arms around her.
“That was amazing! You’ve got it down.”
Anna breathes heavily. “I want to keep practicing.”
“Go for it,” I say, waving to the ice.
Her determination reminds me of a younger me, before I lost the love I had for competing and learning new skills. As much as I love skating, I reached a point where I didn’tlove it the way I used to, and I decided to cut ties with competitions and training before I lost the joy the sport brings me. Now, I get to share the love I have for it with kids and teach them new skills, watching them grow into amazing athletes.
When she does it perfectly three more times, I call it for the day.
“Great job. Next week, we’ll add another element. But you’re doing amazing, Anna.”
“Thank you.” She hugs me again and steps off the ice to where her mom is waiting.
“How did it go today?” Anna’s mom, Kali, asks.
Kali and I used to skate together as kids, throughout high school. We always got along well, encouraging and supporting each other's successes rather than seeing the other as competition.
“Great. She’s a fast learner, a lot like you were,” I say pointedly. “She’s determined and focused. She’ll be ready for regionals in no time, if she wants to compete.”
"Really?" Anna chimes in, a hopeful expression on her face.
"Absolutely." We talk for a few more minutes about a possible program for her to work toward competing in.
Watching my students gain their skills and grow as skaters is my favorite part of my job. I only coach one to two nights a week, but it’s one of the best parts of my week.
When I wave goodbye to Anna and her mom, I head down the hall to the admin hall of the rink, unlocking the door to my office. It’s a small room, nothing fancy, but I love the little touches I’ve added to it. Pictures hang on the wall and sit on my desk of me with my friends, with Fletcher, and even with my parents.
The photo of my parents and me stings a bit, but Ihaven’t had the heart to take it down. I still have hope they’ll come around. I want our relationship to be better, and for my child to have their grandparents, too.
