CHAPTER 5
Ana
FOR A SECOND I forget the magnitude of the predicament I’m in until his voice tickles against my ear. “Morning.”
“Save it.”
Troy laughs.
“Did it not occur to you that you’d have to smell me too while we skate?” I lift the side of my see-through baby blue skirt that reeks even worse on the ice.
“Oh, but I came prepared.” He reaches into his pocket, revealing a small white tube. “I got this extra minty lip balm to use.”
“That one?” I lift my eyes in excitement as quickly as I drop the act. “Right.” Grabbing said lip balm, I hurl it across the rink and into the bleachers.
“Not even a day in and already cheating?” He tsks.
“If anyone’s cheating, it’s you. Sneaking in before opening hours was—”
“Genius?”
“Lazy.”
“Okay, wow. You won this first round.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t even done anything yet.”
“Exactly.” He points a hand toward me. “Just your voice has already tainted my day.”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, Coach Sokolov interrupts, “Okay, Troy, Ana, start practicing your warmups, and after we can discuss your new routines.”
Troy and I scurry toward the edge of the rink. “I skate on the right,” I announce.
“Maybe with Ethan, but with me, you skate on the left side.”
“Oh yeah?” I take my place on the ice, intentionally on the right side.
Troy skates around me, reclaiming his spot. “Yeah.”
“Guess again, princess,” I jab as I take back my position that’s now pressed to the edge of the rink.
We both twist over our shoulders to the sound of Sokolov’s firm clap. “If you two don’t start warming up in the next five minutes, you’re going to skate for an additional two hours!”
“You hear that?” I warn. “Better get your head out of your ass, or you won’t have enough breath left in you to skate.”
“It might be good for you, though,” he chides. “Your skates could use all the practice they can get.”
Troy purposely speeds up, underestimating that I’ll catch up with him in a few seconds. Which I do.
“Speed was never your strongest suit,” I throw.
“Is that right?” His eyes narrow, his shoulder edging along mine.
He shoots straight past me again.
To his credit, it takes me about fifteen seconds to reach him this time, finding a boastful grin on his face.
“Now that you mention it,” Troy goes on, “you should really start working on your death spirals.”
What’s wrong with my death spirals, is my next thought, but repeating it out loud would mean hinting validity at his feedback and,
Rule #1: never show weakness.
So I opt with, “And why’s that?”
“Your posture,” he says. “Unless you’re trying to look like a flamingo.”
My mouth drops while his lips widen.
“I’ll fix my death spiral when you do a twist lift without squeezing your butt cheeks at the end.”
“Thinking of my dick and staring at my ass.” He covers his chest with a palm. “I’d say you were in love but that would mean you’d have a heart.”
The cold air makes the burn on my cheeks sting.
“Bite me, Larsson.”
“I’m pretty full right now. Maybe some other time.” He skates past me.
Again.
Rage courses through me, on the verge of bursting. Thankfully, we’re skating in opposite directions now, or so I thought.
Troy plunders back to my side, but ahead, an inch away from crashing into me.
“You’re in my way,” I push. “Move.”
“Here’s a thought. Skate around me.”
I lift my eyes at him. “Will that make you disappear?”
“No, but it’ll make you disappear.”
We’re skating side by side now. “I know not getting what you want must be a foreign concept to you, but just because your last name’s plastered on the rink doesn’t mean I’m going to appease to your demands.”
He lifts his attention off the ice and toward me. “Everything’s adding up now.”
“You finally realized why you’re so irritating?”
“That maybe Ethan’s the reason for all of this. Here, I thought it was Violet. I’m sure he’s relieved now.”
Any remaining confidence I had deflates into a sharp sting, losing my pace, watching his frame drift farther away.
_________
I must have jinxed it because a Violet run-in was looking to not be in the cards for today, until I snap my locker shut to find her organizing her items for practice.
Maybe if I walk away really slowly, she won’t even notice I’m here.
Wishful thinking.
She greets me. “You know, you could always leave and join another academy. Don’t feel like you’re stuck here.”
How noble of her.
I take a crack at her code. “You want me to leave so you can manipulate everyone freely?”
“So we’re on the same page. Good.”
I sling my gym bag over my arm. “I’d save your energy for bonding with your new skating pair, Violet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”
“Oh, Ana. I only want what’s best for you. Remember, you already disappointed everyone at the last Games. Wouldn’t be smart to repeat that same mistake.”
Condescension floods her words, but there’s a trace of truth in them that replays Troy’s comment about Ethan in my head.
Unlike with Larsson, with Violet, or any member of the Dupont family, something always holds back my responses, a filter of some sort censoring my raw feelings.
Maybe because they tap into my insecurities, so obtusely, it’s hard not to buy into them.
Maybe my best is behind me.
I stride off without a reply.
Ignore her, you always have.
_________
Two years later, and I’m still behind from my expected credits. A brutal injury will do that to you. By the end of summer, though, I’ll be all caught up, if things go according to plan.
My second summer course isn’t the same breeze as the elective I’m taking, and our professor, in particular, isn’t as subtle as she thinks.
“Ana, do you have a moment?” Professor Beckham calls as students rush out the door.
The one day I decided to sit in the front proved to be a mistake. “Yeah, sure.” I reply, bringing my notebook and physics textbook to my chest.
She removes her glasses. “I wanted to discuss your last few exam results.”
Feeling my back tense, I clutch my books tighter. “I know, I’m working on improving them. I promise. I’ll have more time this summer to catch up.”
“No, no, your grades have improved this past year. I’m quite impressed, actually. Whatever that period of lower scores was, I knew it was just temporary. Even the most brilliant students have their moments.”
“Right, well, just trying my best to balance everything.”
“Oh, I know.”
I want to say, do you?
Beckham continues, “I’m sure it’s a lot of work to find time to study in between skating, but this is your future.
And I’d hate to see a bright young girl like you throw all your energy into something that is, well, fleeting and has a shelf life.
” She slides her glasses back on. “Physics has stability that will last far longer than a career on the ice. I respect it, I do. But you’re more talented than that. ”
“Thank you.” (??)
“You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to seeing what you write your winter paper on.”
“Yeah, me too,” I reply, making a mental note to add winter paper to the unremitting list on my calendar.
_________
The peeling leather of my Toyota Camry sticks to my fingers as I try to change the radio station, accidentally landing on the one program I’ve been desperately trying to avoid since yesterday:
Intro: You’re on air with the Faerieladle Waves Pod!
Tessa: Did you hear there’s a new skating pair in town? Violet and Ethan will now be competing against Ana and Troy next Winter.
Corey: I’m still shocked, but I personally think it’s an upgrade. For Troy…Have you seen Ana?
Kyle: Are you crazy? Violet’s way hotter
Jess: Don’t lie. They’re both hot, bro.
I feel bad for Troy, though. I heard it wasn’t mutual. And Ana hasn’t been doing as well as she usually does.
Philip: No, she’s back now. Her injury was small, and I personally think she’s sweeping the Gold.
Corey: Well, she kinda has to. She’ll be, what? 27 by the following Games, and wouldn’t that be a bit old? No offense.
Lisa: That’s very true.
Tessa: I dunno. She’s the crowd favorite for a reason
Jess: No, that’s Violet.
Philip: No, Violet’s the crowd pleaser, and Ana’s the favorite. She’s been everyone’s Ice Princess since PyeongChang.
Diana: I just can’t wait to see their costumes. Let’s be honest, most of the fun is what they’re all going to be wearing.
Miguel: She’s got a point there.
The infamous Faerieladle Waves Pod.
The campus radio station turned podcast, now gossip headquarters for anything and everything that has to do with Faerieladle students, sports, and general pop culture, has just dropped their latest episode.
When they’re not busy spreading rumors or announcing the newest invitees for our academy (somehow) before the skaters have even received their navy envelopes, they spend their time anointing their crown jewel of the season—which girl at our rink is currently ranking above all.
The Campus Radio loves to be ahead of the game, and with that passion comes careless responsibility, the tip of the summer, when the gemstone, the dazzler, the shiniest diamond—all names they like to use—is selected by a highly private subset of their team.
But the unofficial official title the town yields with is the Star, the Star of the upcoming season.
The girl—either in pairs skating, ice dance, or singles—who’s sure to make waves all over rinks across the world, setting the trends on and off it.
Skating wasn’t always this way—heck it was never this way.
But the Duponts changed the entire game, adding so much glamour and luxury combined with an unmatched level of high-endurance training that this (skating) became a whole new spectacle.
A mirage of an icy wonderland, helmed by the greats and shimmered by their envied roster.
And the town, along with the rest of the world, loves to follow each move the Star makes, loves to observe the moment her edges start to chip, her sparkle starts to dull, waits on the tip of their seats for the new dust of silver to be dipped in bright gold.
Every June she’s announced right before training season.
Before the sea of competitions even begin.
Which is sort of their whole point because the decision sets the tone of the entire season, Olympic or not, fans and gossip hoarders needing to know who they’re going to root for this season, this year and the next.
The top costume designers must know who they will craft the most impressive costumes for, which girl will receive the shiniest dresses, which will wear the silkiest gloves, which will glimmer the brightest on the ice.
The selection of the Star became so outlandish that it attracted even more elite members of society to attend competitions, filling once half-empty stands.
With a packed rink comes a whole new wave of suffocating pressure.
And this year?
Training season during an Olympic season makes for the worst double-edged sword.
Because this is the time the Campus Radio team becomes insufferable—inescapable—especially in this town.
Especially with who they chose this year.
Faerieladle Soirée—the exclusive subset of the Radio and anonymous column who selects each year’s Star—made the announcement on the team’s annual social media post stamped with their signature pale blue butterfly, breaking the Internet last week when a certain Dupont was crowned this season’s dazzler.
Violet Dupont earned the coveted praise ahead of a major Olympic showdown this upcoming winter and the Waves Pod won’t shut up about it.
Hence why I’ve been trying my best to avoid their channel for the time being.
But it’s hard when they’re the one-stop shop for every juicy bit of intel.
With recent popularity, the Station has exploded into a social hub for the inside scoop on a variety of things. Meaning, the second news breaks from The Academy and rest of the sports world, they’re going to talk about it.
When I was spotted in London having dinner with top British Formula One driver, Lance Norris a year ago, an “insider” told the Waves Pod he broke up with me because I wouldn’t go down on him.
Lies. Because we weren’t even dating, went on one date, and I’m not the one who wouldn’t accommodate the other sexually. He was cute, though.
I’ve heard far worse on the Campus Radio, so I breathe in a sigh of relief that—for now—the noise isn’t as loud.
Switching to the alternative music station, my phone buzzes as I fasten my seatbelt. I miss the call, but find another notification waiting for me:
New Voicemail:
Hi Ana, it’s Stephanie. I’m reaching out from the Faerieladle Wellness Center. I wanted to follow-up with you and see how you are doing after your last orthopedic appointment. Please give me a call back. Thank you.
I put down my phone.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
In.
Out.
You’re okay, Ana.
You’re okay.