Oh, What a Plot Twist You Were
Paisley
“Dad’s got the music for my free-skate program already.” Gwen stretches down to touch her toes.
Gwen’s dad is her trainer. She told me that he used to skate himself before starting to work for iSkate. One of the reasons why one of her childhood dreams was to be accepted to the school. On the one hand, it has its advantages, because they know each other and trust each other one hundred percent. On the other, she said, training’s the reason they get in each other’s hair a lot. “‘Castle on a Cloud’ fromLes Misérables.”
“Oh, that’s going to be a melancholy program,” Levi says, standing in the fitness room behind Aaron who’s stretching his back. Aaron has done the splits on the floor and is stretching out his palms in front of him.
“Gwen’s programs are always melancholy affairs.” Aaron’s voice sounds muffled, as, thanks to his stretch, his nose is pressed against the ground. His red bangs streak the floor. “Like Natalie Portman inBlack Swan, but on the ice.”
“Bullshit.” Gwen tosses Aaron a scathing glance. “I’m not disturbed.”
Her reply is acknowledged with a mocking laugh. Not from Aaron or Levi, but Harper, who is pushing her hands into the wall next to us and has lifted her right leg into the air. “That’s news to me.”
Gwen snorts before giving Harper a fake smile. “Apropos new, Harper. Pay attention to your fake boobs. Otherwise they’ll burst the next time you’re lying on the ice after trying another Lutz. It’ll be all over the news.”
“That did it,” Levi murmurs.
I look from Gwen to Harper, who is staring at the wall, her nostrils flared.
“I think ‘Castle on a Cloud’ is nice,” I say in the hopes of taking down the temperature in the room a bit. “The melody is so pleasantly soft.”
Gwen doesn’t respond. Her mood unnerves me. Has something happened? She closes her eyes and leans her forehead to her shins. Suddenly she shakes her head and straightens back up. “Excuse me.”
“Gwen.” I am already halfway up and ready to go after her when Levi’s fingers softly take hold of my wrist and stop me.
“Don’t.” His eyes are sympathetic. As if he knows what’s going on with Gwen.
Confused, I return his glance. Even Aaron turns his head toward him and frowns.
Harper emits a nervous groan. “What a drama queen.”
Now she’s really getting on my nerves!
“What’s your goddamn problem?” I hiss.
A provocative smile appears on Harper’s face. Instead of looking at me, she lifts her leg a little bit higher and touches the wall with the sole of her foot. “I don’t have any problem, Paisley.” She lowers her leg, turns to me, and shakes it out. “I’m just not afraid of making enemies for being honest.”
“Paisley!”
I whirl around. Polina is standing in the doorway to the fitness room staring at me with narrow eyes. “Follow me.”
I take a deep breath, shoot Harper one last disparaging glance, and follow my trainer down the hall into the ice rink.
“Where are your skates?” she asks, her head tilted halfway over her shoulder.
“Umm. Still in the stands, I think. Why?”
“I want to practice something with you.” Polina nods to the second folding chair in the first row where I’d left my skates after training. “Put them back on.”
“But training’s over,” I reply sheepishly, with the uncomfortable feeling that I’m going to miss Gwen. She wanted to take me to the Winterbottoms’. “Can’t we do it tomorrow?”
Polina’s look is that of a beast of prey. “Your second day and you want to give up already?”
“What? No! Why would I…”
“I told you it wouldn’t be easy. Discipline and ambition, remember?”
