thirty-six
CLAIRE
Crystal and Sharron are going to fucking kill me. I haven’t practiced for almost two weeks now, and like the god damn coward I am, I’ve dodged every single one of their calls.
The bruises have faded —for the most part— but the ones around my eyes and neck are still visible if you look close enough. My eyebrow has a massive scab where my father cut me, no amount of makeup will be able to cover that up.
I don’t doubt they’ll be understanding and concerned for me, but that doesn’t make this any easier. Part of me is hoping they won’t show up this morning, neither of them answered my text last night saying I would be at practice today… andthatmakes me nervous.
The doors to the rink swing closed behind me, and a cloud of air puffs in front of my face as I exhale. My coaches are waiting for me on the ice, watching me silently as I lace up my skates and meet them at the centre.
Sharron surprises me when she wraps me in a tight hug, “I was fucking worried about you” she says.
Crystal laughs, “webothwere. Don’t do that to us ever again.” I nod my head, knowing that even though they’re my coaches… they still care about me. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asks.
“Nope, I’d much rather skate and forget about my disastrous life.”
I like that they don’t question me, don’t ask for answers or push me to talk about what’s going on when I’m not ready. They let me work through everything on the ice.
My coaches are one of the few people in my life who allow me to sort through my shit by myself. I know the others push because they care, but sometimes a girl just has to deal with everything on her own, in her own time.
Crystal focuses on my technique, while Sharron is always one for flair. They balance one another perfectly, and the combination of the two of them together is deadly.
Without having to say anything, they push me harder than they ever have before. They make me skate harder, train harder, knowing it’s what I need. By the time practice is over, I’m covered in bruises, my feet are bleeding, and I feel like my body is about to fall apart.
It’s amazing.
“Ice those god damn feet when you get home, we’ve lost too much time already” Crystal says, grabbing my hand. She interlocks our fingers and places a kiss on my knuckles. “We love you Claire, you’re our shining star.”
Sharon wraps her arms around me as Crystal takes a step back, “I slipped an address into your bag. Don’t tell Crystal but I got you a little surprise” she whispers.
Should I be scared? Probably not.
Am I? Definitely.
We all walk out together, stopping for only a second when we see the rain pouring down onto the concrete. Without hesitation I make a run for my car, holding my bag above my head to avoid getting wet for as long as possible.
When I’m finally safe in my seat, I watch my coaches running to their car together. They hold hands in the rain, splashing through water in what seems to be the most rain Texas has seen in years.
They’ve never told me that they’re together, but they don’t have to. I can see the way they look at one another, the way they’re always together.
It makes me happy.
* * *
The front door slams, and I jolt in bed.
What the fuck?
Lightning flashes through the darkness of my room, thunder following shortly after. I stay still for another moment, basking in the sound of rain hitting my window.
Storms always comfort me, they always make me feel just a little bit more at home. Vancouver wasn’t always a happy place for me, but the rain storms were beautiful. When everything else was falling apart, it made me feel just a little bit better knowing that someone out there was just as scared as I was.
I tap my phone, checking the time, seeing that it’s two in the morning. I groan and tip toe out of my room, creeping down the hall towards the stairs to see what’s going on.
I sure as hell hope the wind didn’t break open our door.
The others follow shortly after me, sleep deprived and yawning. Steph has her arms wrapped around Augusts, holding on tight as she rubs sleep out of her eyes, “what’s going on?” She asks.
