Page 8 of The Fall

I roll my eyes. “Gee, thanks.” Then I direct my response to Logan. “I tried it once and… it didn’t go well.”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

I may have screamed at the top of my lungs for the entire twenty-five seconds I was submerged in the ice water. You’d think since I’m on the ice every day, I’d be able to handle an ice bath.

“I think we should try it again. It’ll really help with the soreness. I used to do it after every practice,” Logan says.

“Are you asking me if I want to try it again, or are you telling me I need to do it?”

“I’m never going to make you do something you don’t want to do, but I am strongly suggesting you try it. Both of you.”

“Damn it,” Max whispers, realizing he’s been included in this, too.

I sigh. I have heard that ice baths are beneficial, which is why I originally tried it. It might not hurt to give it another chance. “Fine.”

This pleases Logan. “Good. Bring a bathing suit tomorrow, and we’ll do it after practice.”

I hope I don’t regret this.

After we finish stretching, we head to our lifting room, where we move through a series of lifts while Logan watches us and takes notes on his phone. It feels like we’re being judged in a competition, the way he watches us with such intensity and then looks down at his phone. I imagine he’s writing ‘they suck’ or ‘not trying enough’ or ‘her leg looks like a wet noodle.’

“You can stop glaring at me, Savannah,” Logan says when I hit the mat after one of the lifts.

“I’m not glaring at you.”

“So your face naturally scowls while you’re doing lifts? I’ve got to admit, the judges won’t like that very much.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s a little unnerving to have you staring and then writing down notes.”

“You should be use to that by now. How many competitions have you been in? You’re welcome to see what I’m writing, though, if it’ll make you feel better. I’m just jotting down what lifts seem to be your strongest and a few things I’d like you guys to try.”

He seems genuine, but I still don’t trust him. I grab Max’s hand and start the same lift over again. Max hoists me onto his shoulder and then lowers the front half of my body, head down toward the ground and holds me in place.

My ribs are going to be sore tomorrow from all of these lifts, but we do them again and again until Logan tells us he wants to see them on the ice. So, we get our skates on and do the lifts again. Max and I have done these so many times that they should feel like second nature. Normally, they do, but for some reason today, something feels off. Maybe I’m not positioning myself right, or Max’s hands aren’t in the right spot.

I’m not sure what it is, but I can feel it. And by the look on Logan’s face, he can see it too.

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” he calls out as he watches one of the videos he took of us.

I skate up to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

He sighs and closes his phone. “Why does something have to be wrong? Go home, Savannah. Get some rest. Tomorrow the real training begins.”

He walks off, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell that means.

FOUR

LOGAN

“I fucking hate you.”

It’s the third time Savannah has said that to me in the twenty seconds she’s been submerged in the ice bath. Max chuckles beside me, wrapped in his towel. He went first in an attempt to show Savannah that it wouldn’t be too bad. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very convincing with all the wincing and deep breathing he did while in there.

“Yeah, I’ve gathered that,” I say flatly, keeping my eyes on the timer. “Alright. Times up.”