I peekedout onto the rink and watched as Brittney Howard flew across the ice. If I were still a single skater, she’d be my direct competition. Her technical skills were just shy of perfect and her coach had relentlessly trained grace and fluidity into her programs. I’d tried early on befriending her—wanting another skating friend outside of Nicola, Louis and obviously Asher, but she’d made it very clear that she wasn’t looking for friends. And I’d accepted it. I understood the energy and focus it took to be the best, but when I saw her being overly friendly with everyone else who trained at our rink, I’d been hurt.
As her music came to an end, we watched her close out her program and then bow to all sides of the audience before skating off to where her coach waited for her. Her scores would be high—they always were. I caught sight of Nicola and Louis, and gavethem a small wave and thumbs up. Louis grinned and waved as Nicola nodded her head in acknowledgement. Things weren’t the best between us since Brittney’s arrival—tense—but I wasn’t going to be the one to end the friendship…even if it wasn’t the same as it used to be.
The overhead screen showed Brittney’s face—cheeks tinged a reddish-pink from exertion, her chest heaving and a few rogue blonde pieces of hair stuck to her forehead. Her scores were predictably high and would most likely guarantee her a spot on the next U.S. Olympic Team.
The announcers invited Nicola Camden and Louis Grant to the ice, and I clapped, and Asher whistled. I nudged him with my elbow, and he chuckled.
Nicola and Louis looked good together on the ice. Her brown skin complimented the jewel tones of her costume so well—both vibrant and vivid under the fluorescent lights. She glittered and glimmered out there. She’d added frosty white to her dark plaits, and I envied the effect it created.
Next to her, Louis’ tall build, pale skin and black hair looked almost like her antithesis. His outfit was just as royally and vividly colored as hers, and Iknewthat their performance would be outstanding. In Pairs, they’re technically hard to beat—their precision is incredible. But while they look good together and can stay in sync, their artistry sometimes lacks. They don’t tend to exude the chemistry that people wanted and had come to expect in recent years. It had become wildly popular to romanticize skating pairs—there were whole online fandoms.
I’d seen pieces of this performance, and maybe Asher and I should be worried—it was their best to date.
Nicola and Louis’ music started and they took off, sweeping and circling around each other. The technical difficulty of the skills they’d included in this program would score them high points. I watched as they spun out into the middle of the ice andcompleted their final movements with expert precision as the final notes of their music fell over the crowd. They bowed a few times before skating off the ice.
Asher wrapped his arms around me, and I grinned when it was announced they scored high. They deserved it after that performance, and it just meant that we had to score higher. My smile slipped when Britney headed our way and Asher’s arms fell from around me. I stood there a little awkwardly when Asher drew her into a quick hug.
“You were great,” he said as he let her go.
Brittney grinned and reached out to squeeze his arm, and I tried to not let the hug affect me. It had taken me a minute to notice, but now I only ever saw how often they touched. I took a deep breath and gave her a smile.
“You looked good out there,” I said, meaning it.
I may not like her, but Brittney had talent, and I knew how hard she worked. Nicola and Louis walked up to join our little group.
“You guys were great too.” I said, reaching over to squeeze Louis’ hand.
They were both still breathing heavily, but all grins.
“You’re still going to beat us point wise,” Louis said.
Brittney huffed.
I looked over just in time to see her roll her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. I felt myself flinch, bracing for her impact, when Nicola interrupted her.
“When you land the quad, I think Louis and I are going to have to wish the Olympics goodbye.”
Louis put his arm around his partner and gave her a little shake. “ It just gives us more time to get better than these two for the next games.”
They were clearly joking, but I wasn’t dumb enough to think that therewasn’ta bit of underlying professional bitterness.
Brittney scoffed, and the sound wasn’t lost on anyone.
“You guys were perfect out there—out scored just about everyone else. There’s no reason we don’t all go to the games,” I said.
Brittney scoffed again, and this time everyone looked at her.
“What?” she asked, incredulously. “We’re just supposed to accept compliments fromthe great Aimee Bryant, figure skating’s Golden Child?”
Heat suffused my cheeks and my gaze dropped to the ground. The crowds of spectators were getting louder. The announcer said our names over the speaker, calling us to the ice.
“Brittney, come on,” Louis said. “There’s no reason to be rude.”
I could feel eyes on me, but I didn’t look up—I didn’t want to see Brittney glaring or ignoring my friends who were trying to stick up for me. I also didn't want to see Asher not doing a damn thing. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
She huffed, pushing past me—purposely bumping into my shoulder. I stumbled, Asher catching me, keeping me on my feet. For a little while, the wasps in my stomach had been quiet, but now they were back—my whole body feeling on edge. Part of my brain told me that it wasn’t a big deal that Asher didn’t always come to my defense in these situations, but they seemed to be happening with more frequency. More vitriol and he often just stood there quiet. More than once I’d confided in him that I didn’t like how Brittney treated me—that I didn’t understand the hostility. Yet here we were again, in a situation where I was being harassed by her, and he said nothing.
The wasps turned to pricks of irritation.
