Crossing Blades - 3. Chapter 3

There was a distinct noise coming from the dressing room whenever Bruce took a shower. People couldn’t tell if it was shrieking or singing. Of course it was the latter. Ellie stood at the door and knocked on it from outside. She wasn’t quite sure what the noise was but she had to knock. It was starting to piss her off…

“I’ll be a minute” He finished up showering and then he continued to sing…

“Shut up! We are trying to practice over there and all we can hear is your singing…”

“Oh sorry!” He stepped out the shower and placed a towel around his waist and dried himself. “Give me a second I will be out. You know I like to take my time!” He slipped on his silky underwear, his favourite pair. He always liked to be the star, the one that everyone noticed. He had a reputation, you see, he wasn’t the innocent little church boy who skated at the weekends that everyone thought he was. He was much more devious. But he believed that it wasn’t to be revealed to the general public. They were to be shown, as Ellie says to the girls “ Tits and Teeth girls, Tits and Teeth”. He also put his rehearsal trousers and shirt on and walked out of the door.

“I’m here…” He smiled turning to look for Ellie. “Are you there….” He then looked down at the floor and noticed her laying there. He had obviously knocked her over. He had a habit of doing that to people by accident.

“You really are a fuck up aren’t you?”

“I can’t help being clumsy.”

“Shut up. Get on that ice. 3 laps of the rink. Now.” She kicked him in the shin from the ground as he began to walk away towards the ice. Limping slightly. She always knew where to hit them right. She stood up slowly and walked over towards the edge of the ice rink and began to scream instructions at the four people she was training.

Alesha. An average girl. Never will have the potential that Kathryn had. She had to keep her around because according to the association she had to have “mixed abilities in ice troop so that equality is observed.” Kathy thought “What a load of bullshit.”

Mariana. A very talented girl but didn’t speak very well. Kathryn was the only coach who would take her on. Of course there was the bullshit about equality for all but it was all a lie. If you were good, you were trained fully. Extra sessions. Personal tutoring. Everything. If you were awful, then you were given the minimum. Ellie was once a star. She was once the queen of the ice world. Sadly, she had to retire from professional status and become a coach because of the fall of ’98. The Winter Olympics of 1998. She was performing her routine to “Take Five” and she lost balance and fell over crashing into the judges platform breaking several bones and majorly spraining the bones in her spine. She was told she would never walk again. And yet she did. She started to walk again in 2003. And she began to train them once again.

Andrew. A brilliant pairs skater but not so good on his own. She usually paired him up with Alesha for the “Second Place” competition when Kathryn danced with her prodigy.

Then there was Bruce. He was one of her more qualified ice dancers but appeared to be more of a figure skater. Able to do quite dangerous lifts and never losing the rhythm. But he wasn’t the prodigy of Kathryn’s work.

Her prodigy was long gone…

His name was Roberto. She found as soon as he touched the ice, he lived a dream that he had for years. Then he found god…

And his training wasn’t kept up with…

She lost that one. She was determined not to lose another one.

“Coach.” Alesha called her out of her daze.

“Yeah, Alesha.” She was quite a tall girl with long blonde hair and very defined appendages especially her chest cavity.

“I want to try for the competition next month.”

“You are not ready.”

“But I feel as if I am”

Ellie started to put her ice skates on and said “You will not be ready in time.”

“But Coach…”

“I said you will not be ready so be happy with it!”

“Why?” Ellie finished putting her skates on jumped over the barrier onto the ice.

“Because you don’t have the grace for the role yet.”

“But inside I know.”

“Do you believe in yourself?”

“Yes… well.. I think I do…”

“There you have it. An old friend once told me “Never act on anything that has disbelief written all over it.” So there you have it. You are not ready. It is only when you believe your technique will be perfect. Now. Show me some movements.”

“But I haven’t rehearsed improvisation”

“Well now you are going to do some”

“Okay coach.”

“Ready and go”…

Ellie was ready to test her, this was to decide if Alesha took Kathryn’s place in the regionals in the next month. A competition that Kathryn won every year. And Alesha never placed. Ellie was taking a risk but she knew…

It will be entirely worth it…