Ice Cold

𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥

"Wait, wait- say that again. I don't get it."

"X is 3, because the radius of the circle is 2.5."

I'm sat on my bed, laptop in front of me. Lou speaks to me using FaceTime, so grins when she sees me both visibly and audibly groan.

"You're telling me it was that easy the entire time?!"

"Well, it's not exactly rocket science. That dinner must've really gotten to your head, huh?"

I pause to think about what she said, before offering her shrug. It wasn't even Blake's presence that has my mind so jumbled- I think I'm just exhausted. I was up at five to catch an early morning practice, was in school from eight to three, and was at practice again from four to six. Glancing at the digital clock embedded on my laptop screen, I acknowledge that it's already eleven.

"Shit, this thing is due in an hour and I've barely even started."

"Alright, if I send you the answers, will you buy me lunch tomorrow?"

"Done."

I wait a moment, then sigh in relief as I receive an email from Lou, containing a link to the completed document. This is the third time she's had to send me homework answers this month alone, and it's beginning to become a problem.

"Lou, you're a godsend- thank you."

"April, your skate-life balance is shit. Sure, you could be Olympic level by next year, but you'll be an Olympian who can't pass math."

I laugh weakly, though I know she's right- she always is. One thing I love about Lou is that she always tells it to me straight, no matter what, no matter how hard it is to hear. I appreciate her for that, because not many people in my life would do that.

"I'll rethink my schedule. Anyway..how are things with Katie?"

Now it's Lou's turn to groan, and I see her frowning on the screen. I raise my eyebrows.

"I thought you two were doing well?"

"She's barely free any more. I don't wanna put the effort in if she isn't willing to do the same, you know?"

My heart aches for Lou- she's the best person I know, by far, but she can't seem to find anyone that's right for her. To be fair, her standards are unbelievably high, but I don't think she deserves anything less. She's pretty, with shortened blonde hair, fair skin and bright eyes. She's funny, too- and honest. I know at least five girls at our school who would be willing to go out with her, but Lou is determined to 'let love come to her'. I've told her multiple times to get out there more, yet I can't say much, since I haven't been out with a guy in at least six months. As though reading my mind, Lou speaks again.

"And I'm guessing there's nobody involved with you right now, is there?"

"I barely have enough time for math homework- do you really think a boyfriend could fit into the mix?"

"..Fair point- the only men you could date are ones willing to be at the rink pretty much any time you're outside of school."

"Hey! I'm not that bad."

Lou is right, again- I am that bad. Every spare minute I have, I spend at the rink, purely because it's my favourite place on the planet, and it houses some of my favourite people- Carla, Lou, my friends on the hockey team..and especially Lorri, the owner of the rink. I don't see much of him any more, considering he's old and always busying himself with some activity or another. I understand why, though- keeping the rink open is incredibly expensive, especially because it's privately owned. It's skaters like myself and Lou, alongside the Blue Jags keeping the place afloat with our memberships, events and games. The rink is my home away from home, and I'd never want to see it closed.

"Whatever. I'm sleeping now- I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah, love you."

I grin, dragging my cursor to the 'hang up' button.

"Love you more."

With that, I press the button and Lou's face and voice disappear, causing everything to fall silent. I sigh and close my laptop, reaching to carefully slide it onto my bedside table. Once I'm certain it's not going to fall off whilst I'm asleep, I exhale and lie back on my bed, wriggling to get comfortable. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I feel sleep wash over me, and accept it gratefully.

The blaring of my alarm wakes me, but it takes me several minutes to actually reach over and turn it off. There is nothing I want to do more in this moment then go back to sleep, but I know I have to get up if I want to get a practice in before school. So reluctantly, I haul myself out of bed, ignoring the fact that the sun hasn't even fully risen as I shrug my clothes on. Leggings, a long-sleeved top and zip-up jacket is my go-to outfit, with gloves and leg warmers stuffed into my skate bag for when I arrive. I also remember to bring a hairbrush, lip balm and mascara alongside a sweatshirt and change of pants for when I'm done, knowing I can't show up to school a sweaty mess. Once I've filled my water bottle in my bathroom sink and popped a piece of gum into my mouth, I shove my laptop into my bag and make my way out of my room. I walk down the stairs slowly so that I make no noise, not wanting to wake my parents up as I find my way to the kitchen to grab an apple, which I bite whilst moving to the front door, grabbing my car keys as I leave. I unlock my car, hop into the driver's seat, chuck my bag onto the passenger seat and connect my phone to bluetooth, enjoying the sound of Sparks by Coldplay playing through the speakers as I reverse out of the driveway.

By the time I arrive at the rink, I'm bang on time, which I'm proud of considering it took me so long to get out of bed. As always, it's closed, but I unlock the front doors using the master key given to me by Lorri for my early-morning practices. That was our deal- I open up the rink, and I get free ice time. So, once I'm inside, I make sure to turn on all the lights, give the front carpet a quick sweep and wipe down the cafe counter. Then, finally, I sit down to take off my shoes and slide my feet into my skates, taking time to lace them up tight. I stretch, then head out onto the ice. It is completely untouched, smooth as glass. I breathe out, feeling comforted as I glide across the ice, simply moving to warm myself up. And then, wanting to make each minute of my time alone on the ice worth it, I begin.