The Hockey Star and the Ice Princess (Complete)

Ch. 9 - Embarrassment

Rachel's landing wobbled and her skate slid out from under her and she hit the solid hard ice right on her hip, so hard that it knocked the wind out of her lungs. She slid face down across the freezing cold ice for a second before she finally came to a stop. She groaned and winced as she pushed off the ice and got up as quick as she could and she was relieved to see that Coach Sumners hadn't turned around and didn't see what she had done. She was sure she would've been in huge trouble. She looked over at the faces of the hockey players that were waiting at the rink gate to come in and her face flushed red with embarrassment. 

The look on her brother Spencer's face was one of pure shock. He looked just as surprised as she was that she fell like that. She couldn't believe she fell on a double. I mean a double! Really? Those used to be as easy for her as riding a bicycle. Her pride and her ego couldn't accept what just happened. She used to be considered the best female figure skater in the world and now she had fallen on a double lutz.

"Work on your spins for the five minutes we have left!" the coach shouted from across the ice as he turned around. 

"Yeah, okay," she said, letting out an exhale and shaking her head, still in disbelief over what just happened. 

She started off doing an easy standing spin and then lifted her leg up behind her as she spun before letting it go and then crouching down low, spinning on one skate with the other leg out in front of her. Then she stood up and tucked her arms in close to her body and spun so fast that the room around her was a blur. After a few seconds of that she stopped, digging her toe pick into the ice and her head was spinning and she felt super dizzy. 

"Oh wow. I'm not used to that anymore. My brain feels like mush," she laughed, feeling a little nauseous and wobbly on her feet.  

"It's going to take a while to get used to it again, but you'll get there. I know you will. Come on. Let's get off the ice so the hockey players can have it. Meet me up in my office so we can talk before you leave," he told her before skating off towards the gate. 

When he opened the rink door and went through it the hockey guys piled onto the ice and her brother Spencer skated over. 

"Hey! Are you okay? That fall looked pretty brutal."

"Yeah I'm fine. Other than a bruised ego," she laughed. "I'll probably be sore as hell and have some bruises from it tomorrow though."

"Ok. I was just checking. I've never seen you fall that hard before." 

"I haven't fallen that hard in a LONG time. I'm starting to think this comeback isn't going to be as easy as I thought," she groaned, lifting up the edge of her shirt and seeing the red scrape up  her side.

Cain skated up and stood beside Spencer, looking down at the scrape she was showing her brother. 

"Don't let it get to you. You're bound to fall a few times before you become great again," Cain smiled. "Now get off my ice princess. I've got a hockey practice to run. I have to show these boys how real men play hockey." 

"Oh yeah?" Spencer laughed. "Bring it on. You and the other coaches are going down. You're all old and tired and worn out." 

"He's only 24. That's hardly old," Rachel laughed. 

"A lot older than 18!" Spencer teased. 

"Well you two have fun," she said, shaking her head with a smile as she skated over to the rink door and then sat down on a bench and pulled on her blade covers and clipped them into place before heading to Coach Sumner's office. 

She knocked on his door and when he said 'Come in!', she sat down across from him in the black leather seat.

So I wrote down a list of things I want you to do," he said, handing her some papers. "Here's your new diet. I want you to go to the grocery store tonight and buy all of these items and eat ONLY these things. Absolutely NO ALCOHOL!" he said sternly.