Chapter 4
~Hudson~
Our training schedules mean I don’t see Riley again for the rest of the day, and though we’re both at the start-of-day session the next morning, there’s no chance to say more than ‘hi’.
In a way, I’m glad she can’t ask me what I did last night since I would have to come up with a lie.
Telling her that I scrolled YouTube, watching videos of her previous performances, might come across as a little creepy.
It’s not creepy.
At least, I don’t think it is.
I just figured I should know more about her career since she went all in with me on the story of how we met and how we’ve kept in touch over the years.
I fucking love that she played along with me, and I loved it even more when she added her own details.
Lewis has no idea we made the whole thing up and he’s still pouting over the fact that I never mentioned her before.
We’ve been training together and living together as roommates for three years, so he thought he knew everything about me.
Honestly, he pretty much does, which makes it even more fun to tease him over not knowing about Riley.
Before lunch, we finally have an on-ice session together and I catch up to where she’s warming up, her body swaying in long, deep edges around the perimeter of the ice.
“Bon Jovi?” is all I say, and Riley’s head snaps back to find me just a half a step behind her.
“What?”
“Your free skate. What made you choose Bon Jovi?”
Her free skate for this year was the last thing I watched last night. She didn’t perform it particularly well at Skate America, but it’s a fun program with a lot of potential.
Her shoulders tighten, as if she’s bracing herself against a coming attack. “My mom loves Bon Jovi. They were the first concert she ever went to. It’s what made her decide to go into a career in music.”
“She’s a musician?”
Riley’s head shakes, her ponytail swishing back and forth with the motion. “No, she’s in music management.”
“That sounds really cool.” I leave space there in case she wants to tell me more about it, but when she doesn’t add anything else, I go back to the music. “My dad’s a big Bon Jovi fan too. All ‘80s rock, actually. He still thinks of ‘90s music as new.”
“You don’t think it’s a bad choice? For competition, I mean?”
“No, not at all. It’s different, but there’s nothing wrong with being a little different. And that spiral sequence to Always is beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Her smile only flashes for a second, which is probably a good thing. I could get lost in it if it went on much longer. “Trevor thinks it’s too risky. He thinks I should have chosen something more traditional.”
That’s the first time she’s mentioned her boyfriend, and not for the first time, I find myself at odds with Trevor McDavis. “Well, I’d say he’s got bad taste except that he chose you, so obviously, that’s not true.”
Something flashes in Riley’s eyes as they meet mine, but I can’t place it. She glances away before I can figure it out. “You just say whatever you want to, don’t you?”
“That’s something that my long-time pen pal should know.” I toss a wink at her over my shoulder as I circle her. “Speaking of things you should know, has Hannah already given you the rundown of who’s who here at the club? Who you should avoid and who’s cool like me?”
Although I’m teasing, it’s not totally a joke.
Put enough super-competitive, super-talented people together in one place and there are bound to be personality clashes.
It comes with the territory, and although Riley seems a little less fragile today than she did yesterday, I still don’t want to see her make a misstep if I can help prevent it.
“Hannah minds her own business,” Riley says, which is a completely true assessment. I’m impressed she’s figured that much out already. “And while I appreciate that, I’d love some pointers.”
“Your wish is my command.” I scan the ice as we continue our warm-up, trying to decide on the most useful information to share. “Keaton Bentley, you already know, I’m sure.”
“As a skater, yes, but not personally. What’s he like?”
“Dead serious when he’s on the ice but otherwise friendly. He knows he’s the best, so he has no reason to be petty. You don’t need to avoid him, but he also doesn’t like people who try to ride his coattails. Does that make sense?”
“I got it,” she confirms, glancing back to where Keaton stands at the boards, talking with his coach. “Who’s that next to him?”
I follow her gaze. “Ryder Larkin. He loves the sport more than anyone else I know, so he doesn’t waste any time when he’s here. He’s quiet, but it’s because he has a lot going on. He probably won’t approach you, but if you start up a conversation, he’s great. No issues there.”
Riley nods like she’s filing every word away for later. “And the blond guy doing the spin?”
“James Nelson. He’s dating Jeremy Levine, who skates with Victoria Ross. James is a lot of fun at a party. One time, we…”
“Baker!” My coach yells as we skate by, and I wince. “You here to talk or to skate?”
“To be continued,” I tell Riley with a wry smile as I circle back and head over to get started on the day’s training.
Today, like most days lately, we’re going to work on my quad Salchow.
The fact that it’s considered one of the easier jumps doesn’t mean it’s easy, especially when trying to complete four revolutions in the air before landing.
Strength, timing and physical positioning all need to be spot-on to exit the jump on a smooth, flowing edge on one foot, balancing on a blade that’s only five millimetres wide.
In other words, less than a quarter of an inch of metal separates me from my ass hitting the ice hard.
“We got this today, Hudson?” Rick asks when I reach him.
My coach is a former national champion, someone who did quads back when they were still pretty rare.
These days, they’re a necessity for cracking the top ten internationally on a consistent basis, and I’m close to getting them reliable enough to put in the short program.
So. Damn. Close.
“They were working in my dreams last night,” I tell him, giving him a fist bump before skating out onto the ice to find my spot.
On-ice sessions at Riverbend are broken up so there are eight singles skaters, men and women, training on the ice at the same time.
Whoever’s running their program has the right-of-way on the ice, and the music playing over the rink’s sound system lets us know who that is.
We all know each other’s music, and everyone stays out of the way when it’s your turn.
Other than that, there are no firm rules. Through practice, you get used to knowing the location of everyone else on the ice and to recognize the signs that someone’s warming up for a big element.
Case in point: Lydia skates past me, her eyes fixed on a spot at the end of the ice, so I hold back until she’s completed her triple flip attempt before I start my backwards stroking, building the speed I need to head into my own jump.
Cool air nips at my cheeks as my blades slice through the ice, and I take a deep breath, removing all other thoughts from my head except the jump I’m about to do and what it’ll feel like when I nail it.
With the right amount of momentum built up, I check one more time that my path is clear before making the approach.
Stepping forward onto my left foot, I turn again, my body leaning to the inside of my blade as my knee bends deep into the ice, building the springboard I need to launch my body into the air.
My free leg and my arms create a circle that narrows around me as I take off, pulling together until I reach the peak of the jump and rapidly spin through the air like a tight corkscrew.
It all happens so fast that I can’t really see anything.
Through repetition and experience, my body knows when the ice is coming at me, and I unfold my pulled-in limbs just in time for my right foot to hit the ice, leaning outside of the circle in a wide arc as I snap into position to regain my balance.
“Fuck, yeah!” someone shouts and Rick lets out a whoop I can hear from clear across the ice.
That was one of the best ones I’ve ever done, and it felt fucking fantastic.
My grin is so wide that my cheeks hurt as I make my way back over to the boards. Riley is getting into place to start her program run-through, but she gives me a double thumbs-up as I skate by.
Somehow, that gesture from her makes my smile go even wider.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Rick shouts when I get back to him, giving me a high-five over the board that makes my palm sting, though I barely notice it with all the adrenaline that’s rushing through me.
“It felt really good.”
“It looked really good,” he confirms, giving me all of five seconds to bask in the satisfied glow of achievement before bringing me back down to earth. “Now, go and do it again.”