“In the past, I would’ve said yes, but he’s changed. It’s something you’ll have to discuss with him. After I help you clean up some of the scrapes, I’ll give you two some privacy. The one on your chin is pretty gnarly.”
Frankie’s hand went to her chin. Glancing at her finger, she noticed a few dots of crimson-red blood. “How did that happen?”
“Welcome to my world. I ask myself that every time I play hockey.”
“I’ve got it!” Charlie exclaimed, rejoining them a moment later. “Where did you cut yourself? Does it sting? Let me help.” He dropped the kit and zealously tried to unzip the rim of the first-aid kit.
“Bro, let me. My hockey kids and the students from the skating academy have given me ninja-like first-aid skills.”
Charlie relented. Leslie methodically opened the bag and slipped a pair of latex gloves onto her hands. “Let’s look at your knees first, bro.”
“But Frankie—”
“You’re worse off than her.”
“But—”
“Please.” Frankie batted her eyelashes at him.
“Only because you asked me so nicely,” he huffed.
“Thank you.” She pecked him on the cheek, then started stretching. “Ugh . . . my muscles are already starting to stiffen. If we decide to skate more today, I’ll need a couple extra minutes to warm up again.”
His eyes widened. “You’re thinking about running the program again?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“I think we should postpone it.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“That’s not a reason.”
Leslie cleared her throat. “I just remembered, I have to make a quick adjustment to tomorrow’s staff schedule.” She snapped the gloves off and handed both of them ice packs. “Ice whatever hurts for ten minutes. I’ll be back.” She quickly made herself scarce.
“She could’ve come up with a better excuse.” Charlie glared at the ice pack. “It’s warm.”
“You have to break up the beads inside to activate the chemical reaction.”
“Oh.” He cracked his ice pack and stuck it on top of his kneecap.
Their chests rose and fell as they sat still. The only sound was the crinkling of the plastic wrapper on the ice pack.
“If it were my choice, I’d want us to get right back out on the ice,” Frankie said. “But my vote doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with it. We’re a team. Any decision we make, I want us to both agree on. So, I’ll ask you again. What are you thinking? Why would you rather postpone the skate?”
“Because I screwed up.”
“Charlie, what happened out there was not your fault.”
“You’re wrong. I was too amped up and lost my footing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mistimed the release.”
“We’ve both fallen on jumps before. It’s a part of figure skating.” She cracked another ice pack and placed it on her hip, sitting with her right leg stretched out on the bench. “Neither of us can be perfect every time we skate. Ice is slippery.”
“I know that. It’s just when I tripped and my grip on you slipped, for a few moments, I thought that you might—”
“Have hit my head?”
