CHAD
He skates toward her.
Come on, I can bench at least two of you, I’ll just—
He scoops her up over one shoulder, holding her around her thighs.
See? No problem. Barely even feel it.
SOPHIA
Nervous-sounding laughter.Oh my God! Okay. Put me down, macho man. You have to learn how to walk before you can run.
CUT to a shot of the ice before the first group warm-up.
STEF
She stands at centre ice, one arm in a sling, the other holding a megaphone.
All right, everybody on the ice! Let’s go! We only have three days to nail this choreography before rehearsals move to full speed. Gimme three quick laps and then five minutes of stretching and we’ll get started!
EMILY and ROBBIE hit the ice first, laughing and shoving each other to try to get out of the gate faster. She quickly pulls ahead of him. The rest of the partners and contestants trickle out after them. CHAD slows halfway around the rink, as FINN sets foot on the ice. Immediately his feet go out from under him. CHAD laughs.
CHAD
Whoops! Ice a little slippery there, sport?
CHAD is too absorbed in watching FINN try to get up to notice ROBBIE coming up behind him. They collide.
ROBBIE
Hey, we’re trying to warm up here, buddy. You mind?
After several attempts to stand, FINN examines the bottom of his skate blade and curses, peeling off a strip of tape. His face is red with anger or embarrassment. SOPHIA and EMILY skate up and each take him by an arm. EMILY’s partner ALONZO grabs a leg. Another contestant joins in and they do laps carrying FINN, now laughing, around the ice.
STEF
To the camera.I really need a whistle.Or like, maybe a whip?
“I still thinkyou should let me kick him off the show,” Holly said several days later, as they were putting the finishing touches on their Pride parade outfits.
She was sitting on the bathroom counter to even up their heights, and Finn added a dab of glitter to the rainbow he’d drawn on her cheek. “We’ve had enough last-minute substitutions. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Sophia.” The partners all got paid either way, of course, but they got bonuses for making it to later rounds in the competition. If they kicked Chad off for putting tape on Finn’s skate blades—a classic hockey “prank” that felt pointed and mean-spirited coming from someone Finn knew didn’t like him—Sophia would either have to retire her season early or have even less time to get a new partner up to speed.
“But he suuuuuuuucks.”
“Preaching to the choir,” he reminded her.
With a suffocating amount of setting spray, he pronounced her finished—and just in time. “Knock, knock!” came Gail’s voice from the front door.
“I thought we were picking up your sister.” Holly frowned.
“Yeah, that was before you changed your outfit six times.” Hopefully Imogen had worn what she and Finn agreed on during their hour-long Facetime session last night, because otherwise Finn was putting her in his clothes. Or one of Holly’s cast-off outfits. He angled his head toward the door. “Come in, Ma, we’re just finishing up.”
Holly sighed heavily. “Your mom’s going to see me like this?” She bit her lip. “How do my boobs look?”
Finn pushed her butt off the bathroom counter. Maybe he should’ve addedmy stepmom is a MILFto his revised introduction to Robbie. “She’s seen them before. Go.”
Gail and Imogen had let themselves into the entryway. As promised, Imogen had adhered to the outfit they picked out: jean shorts with white sneakers and a halter top withUndeclared Majorin glittering letters. She’d sprayed rainbow hair spray on her dark curls, and Gail must’ve helped with her eyeliner, because it was flawless.
