Chapter Five Daphne
“ G ood job, Amber!” I praise one of my students for her flawless toe loop and axel.
We’re doing one-on-one practices with the students, the group divided between Melissa and me. Each student is performing three skills back-to-back as a test to see if they’re ready to move on to harder maneuvers.
Thankfully, the parents have been really receptive to my arrival. Although I think a big part of that is thanks to Melissa’s compliments. I’ve dealt with parents far less understanding with anything we do, so this is a nice surprise. I wasn’t sure how I’d be treated, coming in mid-training.
The rest of the students in my group complete the skills perfectly, and pride blooms in my chest. There is nothing as rewarding as this, I swear. I just want to do this for the rest of my life, and luckily enough, I’ll be able to.
Lifting my palm up, I skate to everyone. “Great job, guys! You nailed it!”
They are all smiles and joy as they give me high fives.
Amber raises her hand, and I nod at her with permission to speak.
“Are you going to do it, Ms. Daphne?” she asks softly.
I puff up my cheeks. I guess if I expect them to do it, then I should do it myself. Besides, these tricks aren’t as taxing on my leg as the more advanced skills, so it should be just fine.
“Do you think I can do it?” I ask in a sweet and eager tone.
She nods while one of my other students shakes his head with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Hey!” I scold him playfully.
They all start giggling.
“Which one’s first?” I ask the group.
They all respond in sporadic shouts, “Toe loop!”
“That’s right!” I smile, bending one knee and kicking my other leg back.
In one smooth movement, I spin, lifting off the ground by, like, an inch before landing and gliding back on my other skate.
The nerves in my leg ache as I land from that minor movement, and a different kind of pain shreds my heart. My pulse begins to race, and my breath quickens. Putting my hands on top of my head, I forcefully take a deep breath, trying to stay calm and collected so as to not freak the kids out.
“Daphne,” Melissa calls out, and I can hear the worry in her voice.
It’s not that I can’t perform skills. It’s just that they can be really painful at times, and the likelihood of me tweaking something again is so much higher since my leg will never be the same.
Muscle memory only goes so far when the muscles are out of practice and my leg is held together with a hope, a prayer, and a few screws.
It’s more so just frowned upon than forbidden.
But I can’t look Amber in the eye and not do what she’s asking of me; she’s too convincing.
“Yeah?” I turn and face her, finding a look in her eyes similar to a glare I’ve seen my mom make.
“Everything okay?” She skates over with her hands clasped behind her back and face drawn taut.
“Yes, ma’am. All of my students aced it, and Amber asked me to go next. I couldn’t say no.” My cheeks warm at the situation and being called out by Melissa.
“Well, Amber, what’s your verdict?” Melissa turns to the little blonde girl with bangs.
She lifts one pointer finger into the air and makes a zero with the other. “She nailed it. Ten out of ten!”
Melissa claps. “Well, there we have it.” She turns back to her group and waves them over, quickly joining our circle. “Great job today, everybody. Next session, we will begin learning a new skill.”
A few of the kids gasp with excitement and quietly cheer. It’s adorable, watching their faces light up.
“We will see you all on Friday. Remember to drink your water and get good rest.” She starts giving out high fives, our usual dismissal to each individual kid.
One by one, they skate off of the ice, greeted by their parents until only Melissa and I remain.
She stops beside me, and we watch the kids and guardians leave. “You’re such a natural with them, you know? That’s not something you can teach. The skills? The practice plans? Sure. But you can’t teach that extra sparkle. And you’ve got it in spades.”
My heart warms at her genuine compliment. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She leads the way off of the ice to where our bags are waiting. “How would you feel about riding solo on Friday?”
“Are you serious?” The pure glee in my voice catches me by surprise.
“Yes, very. The kids already love you. The parents like you. And you’re more than capable. On one condition.”
We step off the ice and sit on the bench, undoing our laces and changing into our shoes.
“And that is?” I wait for the other shoe to drop.
“You keep your skates on the ice.” Her eyes flick over to mine in a stern warning.
“It was just a toe loop.” I chuckle and shove my skates into my bag.
“This time. But if you let those little ones tell you what to do, you’ll never stop,” she says kindly.
“I know my limits. I promise,” I assure her.
“As do I. Skates on the ice, or I’ll keep you on probation forever.”
She stands up and grabs her bag, and I grab mine.
I know her concern is coming from a caring place, but she’s not in my body. She doesn’t know the pain I bear or the things I can and can’t do. And she certainly doesn’t know how hard it is to not be able to do what I used to even though, mentally, I feel like I can. It’s my body that fails me.
I want nothing more than to run through one of my old routines and get lost in the performance.
But I can’t.
Not anymore, and I’ve accepted that as much as I possibly can, but there are days that I feel like a thousand pounds on the ice. Like I’m perpetually grounded with no hope of flying ever again.
My silence is deafening, but I eventually give her an answer. “For now.”
“Until we discuss it again?” she counters with raised eyebrows.
“Deal,” I agree with a smirk.
If there’s anything I inherited from my mom, it’s her stubbornness and willpower. When we want something, we stop at nothing to get it.
Technically, Melissa’s only referring to practice time.
What I do outside of that time wouldn’t apply, right?
“Good.” She beams. “I’ll still be around the building during practice on Friday. But you’ve got the ice to yourself with the class.”
“Can’t wait,” I respond genuinely, feeling excitement building inside of my chest.
We walk out of the rink together, and thankfully, Mason isn’t leaning against my Jeep today. I had a hard enough time ignoring him before.
As much as I know that he doesn’t deserve my affection and attention right now, it doesn’t mean that a part of me doesn’t want to give in and open myself up again.
My step stutters when I realize there’s still a Holt with perfect blonde hair outside of my vehicle. But I don’t want to punch this one in the face.
Maeve lights up when she sees me and waves. “Hurry up!”
“Have a good night,” I murmur to Melissa before parting ways with her and heading to my bestie.
“What are you doing here?” I laugh, jogging over, my ponytail swishing across my shoulders. “Get lonely?”
“Well, yes, duh . You know I have attachment issues, and the rink is, like, two miles from our place. I needed a good walk anyway. But alsoooo, look at this.”
She flips her phone around, and I read the bolded name and text she has pulled up on a dating app.
Jackson Ridley.
It clicks in my mind, and my jaw drops. “Holy shit. Like the North Stars pro hockey player, Jackson Ridley ?”
She nods so aggressively that I worry she might get whiplash. “Yes!”
She swipes her finger up the screen, and pages of messages between the two load. They clearly aren’t struggling to find things to talk about.
“Maeve, I was gone for, like, two hours …” I break off, laughing out loud.
She shrugs with pink cheeks. “What can I say? We hit it off.”
“I see that!”
“Celebrate?” she asks with a menacing look, her chin tipped down and eyes locking on mine. “Maybe a little girls’ night in?”
I shove her shoulder as I unlock my Jeep. “You’re dumb. Every night is a girls’ night in for us.”
“Yeah. BUT I am not usually talking to the Jackson Ridley. And I need your help flirting.”
“Oh, girl, from the looks of it, you’re doing just fine.”
She walks around my Jeep and hops in the passenger seat.
“But yes. Are we out of popcorn? I have to stop by the grocery store to grab a couple of things before going home.”
She nods and steals a sip from my water bottle.
I throw my bag in the back before hopping into my seat and driving out of the parking lot to Hy-Vee. “Start a list.”
“Ready!”
We spend the next five-minute drive creating a small grocery list, consisting of everything a girl needs—snacks, a few meals, more snacks, fresh fruit, salad kits, ice cream, and energy drinks.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I swear if you’re trying to play matchmaker right now, I’m going to kill you,” I growl, spotting Mason’s blue Ford Ranger in the parking lot.
She holds her hands up with fear in her eyes. “ You picked this place. I didn’t suggest anything!”
Rolling my eyes at her and huffing out a breath, I kill the engine. “Well, I’m going to be an adult about this. I’m not going to go to a different store just because he’s here.”
I cock my head to the side, contemplating that decision, apparently long enough for Maeve to feel the need to slap my arm.
“Oh my God, no . Just get out of the car. It will be fine.” Maeve laughs at me.
“Fiiiine.”
Grabbing one of my reusable HomeGoods bags I always keep in the middle console, along with my wallet and phone, I join her outside.
The sun steals my attention away from Mason.
Gosh, it’s beautiful right now. So many shades of red, orange, and yellow flowing through the sky like waves.
“Daph!” Maeve pulls me from my stupor, and I shake my head, refocusing on the task at hand, my mood instantly dropping at the reminder of where I’m at and who else is here.
“Coming!” I jog to her, looping my arm in hers. “Okay, but did you see that sunset, Mae? It’s stunning.”
She grins. “Every sunset in the Midwest is pretty.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy each one individually.” I scoff.