From that moment Laurel had made a promise to herself that she would become a world-class figure skater, just like her grandmother. She kissed the picture gently before returning it to its place.
Her alarm brought her back to reality and she jumped out of bed quickly. She had a full day of classes ahead of her though and even though skating was her passion, she was beginning to enjoy law more and more, especially with Paul to help explain the stuff she didn’t get.
Her and Paul were pretty much inseparable during busy school days and on this day like many others they popped to their usual diner to re-fuel.
‘’Hamburger with fries and a peanut milkshake please!’’ she grinned at the waitress.
‘’Oh sorry honey, we’re all out of peanut butter. That guy just bought the last one,’’ and she waved her hand towards a guy slurping noisily at the table next to them.
He turned round and grinned. It was Ben. Of course, she thought. Typical. ‘’You snooze, you lose, sucker.’’ He sneered. ‘’Want some?’’ he waved the huge tumbler in front of her and she tried to grab it without luck. He then drained the last of its contents, slammed it down on the table, and walked off without looking back.
‘’Are we still on for tonight?’’ she yelled after him, but he was already halfway out the door. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought he was a little bit jealous.
‘’You’re not meeting up with that guy, seriously?’’ asked Paul, concerned. ‘’He’s such an idiot. All brawn and no brain,’’ he smirked.
‘’I… erm… yeah I know,’’ said Laurel, ‘’but we have a kind of arrangement. I’ll tell you about it another time. It’s nothing though, really. It’s not like I’ve got the hots for him or anything!’’ she lied.
Back at home later Jennifer was giving her a hard time about her continued nighttime escapades at the rink.
‘’Seriously, you’re not coming out again?’’ Jennifer complained, tugging at one of her dark curls. ‘’You’re getting so lame! And you look tired. I think you’re training too much.’’
‘’Tell Minds and Amy I’m sorry ok, and I will definitely, definitely be out Friday night ok, promise! I’m doing this for my grandmother, remember.’’ Laurel apologized as she rushed off for another session at the rink.
She heard Jennifer sigh as she closed the door and she felt bad. But there was nothing that could keep her away from the rink. Or away from Ben for that matter, but she still hadn’t entirely admitted this to herself.
Their sessions had started with resentment and an icy face on his part but after a couple of evenings’ work she could tell he was starting to enjoy himself. And she was learning fast too. Her awkward axel landings were a thing of the past and she could spin faster than ever before. She couldn’t wait to see where their training would lead.
‘’Hey Mr. Grimsby,’’ she yelled to the security guard as she swung through the doors. He had forgiven her for sneaking in and they were now firm friends.
Ben was already on the ice, making circles, and she ran down the steps towards him. ‘’Private Pompoms you’re late! Get on the ice right this second and give me 20!’’
He liked to pretend she was his soldier, and him the sergeant major of course.
She grinned, ‘’Sorry Sir, right away’’ and she laced up her boots, jumped on the rink and did 20 push-ups, no problem. She could feel his eyes running over her body while she was pumping up and down and it thrilled her no end.
But as she jumped up again his face was all seriousness and they started the session without further ado.
‘’Are you going to that party next Saturday?’’ she ventured as they were on their way out, ‘’You know, it’s meant to be like, the party of the year. Everyone is going.’’
‘’I’ll probably be there,’’ he said non-committedly and shrugged his shoulders, ‘’I dunno. It’s a long way off. But yeah I guess you’re right. One night off from training is a good plan. From now on we won’t work on weekends. Friday and Saturday nights are all yours.’’
‘’But I didn’t mean…’’
‘’No it’s fine. See you tomorrow, same time. Don’t be late.’’
He seemed preoccupied. ‘’And remember,’’ he turned round, ‘’Careless talk costs lives.’’
Nice, she thought. But on reflection she supposed that she was blackmailing him. She thought about their banter while training, their brief snippets of conversation on the walk out, and the moments when their eyes caught each other’s and lingered for a moment longer than they should have done.