CHAPTER 30
Ana
WHEN I REACH the women’s locker room to change, Violet is already there?
How did she get here quicker than me?
“Haven’t seen you in a while at the rink, Ana,” she says, as if it’s a question that she can’t wait to follow up with what she really wants to say. A dig that’s waiting on the tip of her tongue.
Violet starts unzipping her leotard right in front of me. Knowing that I won’t. She doesn’t know about the scar on my hip. But she does know that I haven’t shown off my bare stomach in two years. Since the injury.
“Too busy fighting with Troy to skate?” She laughs as she slips on a fitted tank top that shows off her perfectly petite figure.
“Is that what you do all day? Obsess over whether I’m skating or not?” I raise a brow at her, although remotely standing up to her still shakes me to my core.
Damnit, I’m bigger than her. Probably, stronger too. Not to mention, almost a foot taller.
But next to her, I still feel—small.
“You know, I really thought you two would be skating by now,” she chides. “But I never see you skating together.”
“He’s out of town,” I defend.
“Honey, he’s on vacation in Europe. And you’re, well…you’re here by yourself without a partner, again.” She takes a dramatic step back. “Do you think maybe he’s trying to find another girl to skate with? That would be such a shame. Who would you find to skate with you, then?”
I suck in a breath at her words. It’s there again, the ring of truth in them that sneaks up on me every time she takes a dig at me.
Is that what Troy is doing? And isn’t that what I wanted to begin with?
That was the deal we made. To look for other partners while we were forced to stand each other.
But there is no one else. I was fooling myself to think that there ever could be. And now, what if he leaves me too?
Panic starts to bubble up my throat when Violet resumes her successful ridiculing. “He must hate you more than I thought if he flew that far away just to be away from you.”
Hurt her!
Remember, Troy said that they didn’t sleep together. Which means she wanted to sleep with him. But he rejected her!
Do it! Now’s your chance. She won’t even see it coming.
Hurt her back!
Violet tilts her phone my way before I realize what she’s showing me. It’s Dimitri Larsson’s Instagram Story, and Troy’s in the background dancing with some girl, who’s wearing a sparkly butterfly-shaped crop top. Pretty sure I’ve also seen Dua Lipa wear the exact same one before.
My lips part in shock, but I can’t say a thing.
That’s when Violet knows she’s won her one-sided war. Where she throws bombs at me, and I stand there like a zombie.
And then she goes in for the final kill.
“I can ask around to find you another partner if you want. But you should start practicing a bit more if you want the next one to last. The way you left the rink today wouldn’t fly with most guys.”
“You know why I left today,” I finally speak.
“Care to tell me?”
“My bleeding elbow. Does that ring a bell?”
“Oh, Ana.” I clench my fingers into a fist at her belittling tone. “When will you let that go? It was an accident.”
“So it was also an accident when you all skated onto the ice today, the exact way you approached me that day?”
“Maybe you actually need to take a break from skating. Have you hit your head recently? I think you’re imagining things now.”
It seems her mind games are in full stride today.
Maybe it makes me arrogant to say this, but if it weren’t for those same mind games, I think Ethan and I would’ve beat Troy and Violet even in Beijing.
But she got to me. And once I believed all the horrible things she said and did to me, I lost to her.
I’m not letting that happen again this time.
_________
I reach the bench outside the skate shop to wait for Naomi’s shift to end since I’m giving her a ride home today.
Scrolling through my phone, I’m reminded of the social media story Violet showed me of Troy and that girl.
How close he was standing to her. His chest pressing against her tits.
The tight hold of his big hands wrapped around her bare hips.
My clit starts to throb at the thought of them kissing after they danced.
Then it follows with a pang of—jealousy?
Nope. I am not jealous. At all. That would mean feelings for someone I feel nothing but rage for.
He’s just hot. Really…fucking…hot. I stop my eyes from rolling back at the reminder, now embarrassed where my head’s been at lately.
At least I’ve forgotten about the events from earlier in the day involving the girls.
My attention flies toward Esmerelda. Wearing a bejeweled teal Academy t-shirt—an original design I’m sure—the famous figure skating costume designer dashes out of Faerieladle Shack, carrying heaps of silk fabric with her, ranging from the palest purple to the deepest violet, sheets of gemstones beneath in silvers to golds to berry tones.
The warm smile she extends my way brings one to my own lips.
“Hi, Ana,” she says. “How’s your summer so far?”
“Good!” I reply. “How’s yours?”
“Busy, you know, the usual.” She grips onto the fabrics tighter when they’re about to slip from her fingers. “Say, hi, to Mariam for me, will you?”
“Of course,” I say, grinning as she walks off.
Esmerelda is one of the kindest staff members at the rink. I still can’t afford any of the costumes she makes, but she’s always giving me tips for the designs I select from lesser-known designers.
Turning my attention back to my phone, I pick up on the chattering of a few younger skaters heading toward the exit.
They’re dressed in The Academy’s official merch, and my ears pick up on the summer skating camp they’re hollering about in excitement.
The figure skating camp in mention is the same one the entire juniors level looks forward to each summer.
The same ones I avoided after attending one.
The bullying from Violet and her friends at the rink and at our high school was enough.
I didn’t need to face it at summer camp, too.
Dwelling on yet another not-so-fond memory, I notice Scott lacing up his skates, probably preparing to join his partner, Natalia, out on the ice.
Katya and Max then pop out of nowhere, and the moment Katya glares at me, my eyes shoot right back down to my phone.
A 19-year-old girl’s petty stare just intimidated me. I groan at myself.
God, will this place ever stop feeling like high school?
Everywhere you turn, a new clique suddenly appears out of thin air. And it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. Every discipline, age group, and level has their own medley of cliques, and for the figure skating pairs senior top level, I know the lineup like the back of my hand:
Scott’s quiet and keeps to himself. He seems wise from the times we’ve spoken but could also very-well be a serial killer without anyone knowing it.
Emi’s also quiet, but she’s always plotting. Not in the trying-to-destroy-you kinda way that Violet does, but plotting her next big skating routine to show off a new technique she’s unlocked. Emi leaves her intensity all on the ice.
Sasha’s just all intensity, both off and on the ice, but she’s had her nice moments.
Her and Emi are actually the most welcoming members at our discipline’s senior level, but when they’re part of the crowd, they haven’t been so nice.
I think they do it to fit in, not because they’re mean.
That might sound like a cop out, but my gut tells me it’s true.
Chloe and Isabella—who you rarely see one without the other—are the gossip queens that would gladly take Tatiana, Sheerin, or Natalia’s place, should one of them fuck up in Violet’s eyes.
At least Chloe and Isabella have personalities, even if their personas are them trying to mimic the Icy Trio’s dynamic with Violet.
Natalia, Sheerin, and Tatiana, on the other hand, are all clones of one another: shallow, rude, and ready to insult you for just breathing the same air as them. The cherry on top: they aren’t even that bright.
Violet needs no explanation. She’s mean. Probably the meanest. But she’s smart. She’s always been smart.
Maybe it’s too soon to read Katya and Max.
Max seems pretty cool, but at the same time, alarmingly charming.
So it all could, very well, be an act. Katya has the edginess that anyone would envy at 19.
She already waltzes around here like she’s next in line for the throne, and with those high triple Salchows, honestly? She has a huge chance.
Haru is always ready to perform. No, seriously. He could jump right into a quad axel after only warming up for five minutes. And he’s dead serious about skating. Serious enough, that if you’re a rookie, you’ll flinch when you walk past him at the rink for the first time.
Dylan’s like the boy-next-door, who also happens to be insanely flexible on the ice. Him and his previous partner have had quite the lifts over the years before he recently switched into a pair with Chloe after his previous partner dropped out of The Academy.
Most people at our skating academy like Dylan, except for Peter, who still hasn’t forgiven his now ex-friend for pairing with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe.
Which is honestly absurd because even if Dylan was interested, Chloe’s been heavily crushing on Troy for over a decade.
A fact that everyone, including Troy, knows.
Peter’s like the class clown. I know. That sounds a bit mean. But he’s self-anointed himself with the title. Everyone breaks into laughter at his jokes, everyone except for Chloe. Go figure.
Marc, Nathan, and Antonio are like the male versions of the Icy Trio.
Silky smooth hair, perfectly clear skin, and fear-inducing smiles.
Something deep down tells me that they could be even more evil, since no one really knows what they do outside the rink.
They’re all attractive as hell, though, and each tower at six feet tall.
Ethan’s always been jealous of them since he’s just two inches taller than me. I used to think Ethan was harmless, just a tad annoying. My reflection of him has changed entirely in the past few weeks.
And Troy, well…he’s always skated like the rink was made for him, and not the other way around. He’s the god the rest of the skaters worship, and while to me it’s all flashiness, to others he’s effortlessness and greatness wrapped up into the most talked about athlete in our sport.
Replaying the top cliques at our pairs level, a damning thought hits me. Suddenly, Troy’s looking a lot better in my eyes than before…