We had a few more minutes before it was Emmie’s turn. The judges had to figure out Keira’s score and announce it beforehand. Off to the side, I caught a glimpse of red hair. My heart jumped in my chest, excitement and nerves filling my body. Erin let out another boo followed by the announcer saying Keira’s score. I barely paid any attention because I didn’t understand the score system. But also, Emmie was stepping out on the ice.
The sight of her took my breath away.
The most gorgeous teal dress, outfit, uniform, whatever figure skaters called it, adorned Emmie’s body. The skirt stopped mid-thigh and flowed out as she skated. The sleeves were long and sheer while the front was littered with gems that sparkled under the fluorescent lights.
She wasstunning. It was like someone reached into my chest and squeezed my heart.
Emmie’s name was announced through the speakers, earning claps and cheers as she slowly skated across the ice. Her hands were on her hips, eyes laser focused in front of her, lips moving as if she were talking to herself.
Alongside her father and Erin, I clapped and let out a whistle. I wanted to stand and let everyone know that was my girl, but I refrained. She needed to focus, and the last thing I would do was distract her.
“Can you record this?” I asked Erin as Emmie stopped in the middle of the rink. I already had this taping back on my TV, but I wanted a video of it on my phone so I could watch it whenever I wanted.
“Already on it,” she promised.
I shifted forward, bracing my forearms on my knees, eyes glued to the ice so I didn’t miss a single second. Beside me, Coach was just as still, the two of us watching the most important person in our lives.
When Emmie took a deep breath, I mirrored it like it was me out there. I watched as she twisted her upper body, skates digging into the ice and holding her position while the beginning of her song played.
Actual words, not just instruments, played through the speakers. We’d only seen two other skaters have actual lyrics in their routines, and it was a nice change. The song was one I wasn’t familiar with.
As Emmie skated, I was completely and utterly mesmerized. I’d seen her laugh, teasing me, and completely unfiltered, but this…this was something else entirely.
She moved like she had nothing to prove and everything to give, like the ice was the only place she didn’t hold anything back. Every turn, every jump, every stretch of her arms—it all meant something.
Emmie didn’t rush it. Didn’t force anything. She let the music guide her. When it built, she built with it, every moment hitting not just the beat but something deeper than that.
Her routine was everything Keira’s performance wasn’t.
Bolder. Riskier. Real.
She pushed deeper, stretched her movements a little further, and jumped in the air with more speed and power. It was like she was chasing something just out of reach, and somehow, that made it impossible to look away. When she landed her jumps, people in the stands cheered, something they didn’t do with other skaters.
It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
It wasn’t perfect.
It wasbetterthan perfect.
My chest tightened as the music swelled, her skating matching the lyrics in a way that didn’t feel practiced but instinctive. Like this was exactly where she was meant to be.
It was like I couldn’t breathe as I watched Emmie transform on the ice. The energy in the arena shifted, the air thickening as the music built to the end. Every eye locked on her as she pushed harder, faster, stronger, like she’d been holding it all in just for this moment.
I was transfixed as Emmie squatted down on one leg, the other extended in front of her as her body spun in a circle. In a move I had no clue how she accomplished, she stood up and grabbed the leg that was just extended out, pulling it behind her body and up into the air.
How she spun that fast with her leg back and above her head without getting dizzy was beyond me. I was getting lightheaded just watching her.
“I’m willing to…”The song came to its final notes.
It was like every single person in the arena stopped breathing as Emmie became a blur, the music pausing for a beat. Right when I thought she missed the end or that she would fall, she came to an abrupt halt.
Her blades stuck to the ice, head thrown back along with her arms, as the final lyrics came.
“…wait for it.”
Silence filled the arena. It was like no one could do anything but sit there, basking in that routine. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds before the entire place erupted in cheers. I jumped to my feet alongside Erin, Coach, and others around us.
I’d been to a lot of sporting events—countless hockey games and football games—but nothing compared to this.Nothingcompared to the proud feeling that grew in my chest as I clapped for Emmie.
