Chapter 25 #3
Tora continued without hesitation, entering twizzles and step variations, then rotating into rapid one-foot spins, lifting her leg into a needle-like position as she accelerated.
From that controlled speed, she flowed directly into a flawless triple flip, then continued into a triple loop, landing each element with a confident smile.
Tora entered another spin, swinging one leg like a hammer in a wide circular motion.
She lifted it up in front of her, quickly extending into a split position, showing both grace and flexibility as she rotated on her toes.
Her hands framed her face playfully, and she smiled gracefully, completely immersed in the program, enjoying every second without visible tension. She was in love with the moment.
She jumped into a butterfly, parallel to the ice, and then flowed into a seated spin, one leg bent at a sharp angle.
After a quick transition, she changed direction, spinning the other way and earning both applause and extra points for the difficulty of the variation.
Her arms lifted above her head as she smiled warmly at the audience, drawing even louder cheers from the arena.
“They’re about to pee their pants,” Alisa hissed under her breath so no one could hear.
She kept watching, her eyes locked on Tora’s legs, the blades, the precision of every edge. She searched for mistakes, for literally anything she could hold onto, but the only flaw she could see was herself… for judging her girlfriend’s performance instead of supporting her.
Tora entered a spiral sequence, arching her back deeply and carving shapes into the ice with her hands, almost like she was painting in motion.
It looked almost magical, mesmerizing under the music.
She continued into a choreographic glide, rolling low across the ice on one knee, spinning fluidly on one arm, and the audience responded instantly with delight.
She was already smiling, fully in control of the ice. Everything she did looked effortless, as if the ice belonged to her.
Alisa stood up from her seat without realizing it, watching the Olympic champion as the realization settled in—Tora had already surpassed her.
Tora glided through another sweeping movement across the ice, still smiling.
Alisa couldn’t believe it.
Tora had won.
When the program ended, Tora glanced briefly toward Alisa, then immediately turned to her coach and parents, who rushed to embrace her in the Kiss & Cry area. Everyone was overwhelmed with joy.
And Alisa’s heart broke further.
Every crack that had formed earlier now split wider, tearing her apart from the inside, the feeling of being a “bad girl” for not supporting her, mixed with the burning belief that Tora had hidden something so important from her. That she had known. That she had said nothing.
Everything was falling apart inside her.
Everything was going to hell.
Alisa turned away. She couldn’t watch Tora live her best life anymore while she herself had ruined hers in a single moment on the ice.
Tora had received a score of 95.57, taking first place at the end of the day after all the skaters had performed. First out of thirty. Phenomenal.
And that realization landed like a final blow.
Tora moved toward her immediately, trying to catch up before Alisa could leave.
“Alisa, wait!”
Alisa stopped abruptly and turned around. Her face was twisted with anger, disappointment, and betrayal, all collapsing into one expression. Her eyes carried something close to hatred.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’d be competing with you…” Tora began, breathless. “I thought—”
“Why did you hide it, Tora?!” Alisa cut her off immediately. Her voice cracked, but she wasn’t crying, she was shaking. “Why are you doing this? Is it to mock me? Was it all a game to you? To bring me onto the ice, humiliate me, and break my heart?”
Tora tried to stay calm, keeping her voice steady despite the tension.
“I wanted to tell you, but I realized that if you knew I would be your rival again at the Olympics, you might lose motivation… you might think you weren’t worthy of competing, that you wouldn’t want to go at all.
You were not in a good place mentally, and I didn’t want to take away your joy also before your performance.
I thought it would affect you negatively… ”
“So you decided to stay silent,” Alisa snapped, her voice rising again. “To hide it, and then just show up in the six-minute warm-up like it’s nothing? Are you out of your mind?”
“You don’t understand!” Tora raised her voice for the first time.
“I don’t understand? Are you serious?” Alisa hissed, turning away sharply. She took a step back, then another. “I don’t want to see you. That’s it. The conversation is over.”
She walked away.
Tora didn’t follow her. She stood still for a moment, then turned in the opposite direction. Her parents were waiting for her outside those corridors, ready to share the moment with her, to celebrate the joy of her performance, her victory, her first place in the short program.
She had earned it. She had skated cleanly, and the score proved it.
But behind her, the space between Alisa and Tora had already broken.