Page 34 of Ice Me Baby

I can’t help but replay the song and sing along while I do my office work. After the accident, I didn’t know what my reason for being was anymore, but after months and months of physical therapy and watching hockey, I knew I was made for the ice. The ice is a part of my very soul, and no matter what happens, I will find a way to be a part of it.

The last lines of the song pass over my lips, and I can’t help but smile. I might have forgotten how to be happy for a while, but I’ve finally found happiness again. During a pause between songs, I hear a knock on my door.

I look up to find Taz and Vicy standing there, mouths agape. My cheeks heat as I remove one of my ear buds. “Uh, how long have you guys been standing there?”

Taz swallows before shaking his head with a wide grin. Though the smile looks forced; it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Long enough to know that you are coming to karaoke nights from now on.”

Embarrassment fills me, and I groan. I’m not saying I’m a bad singer, but I’m by no means a professional. “And when are these karaoke nights?”

“Monday nights after practice,” Vicy answers, still looking a bit shocked. He wipes a hand down his face before adding, “We won’t take no for an answer. We will drag you if we must.”

I hum as I try to gather a bit of my dignity. “Right... anywho. Is there a reason you knocked on my door? Shouldn’t you two be in practice?”

Taz nods. “We ran a few drills, but coach could tell we were distracted. He knows about your whole situation and let us go early, so we can help move your stuff out of the apartment.”

I’m speechless and not entirely sure how to respond. Vicy seems to know what’s going through my head because he adds, “The whole team helped. Don’t worry we didn’t go into your stuff or anything. Danni packed up your room.”

Taz snorts. “She’s quite the packing queen. She’s already talked to Max, who is trying to find somewhere closer to our place since your stalker obviously knows where your apartment is now. Your current building doesn’t have much in the way of security, so Max is looking into a place somewhere a little safer.”

Vicy doesn’t let me get a word in as he adds, “We were able to get all your stuff in the basement of the house. Tuck and Ozzy stayed behind to clear out one of the extra rooms and get it ready for you. We got your essential stuff with Danni’s help.”

I’m silent for a moment, trying to process everything. I could have easily moved my stuff to my parents' house while I tried to find a different place. But it seems the team has taken it upon themselves.

“Roe Roe?” Taz asks hesitantly.

I shake myself before saying, “Yes. Um... okay. That’s a lot to process. Everyone didn’t have to do that.”

Taz shrugs. “We wanted to. You’re part of the team, which means we take care of you, the same way you take care of us.”

My eyes begin to burn, and I pinch my leg to prevent myself from crying. There is no way I am going to cry about this rightnow in front of people. Maybe when I’m in the shower and by myself. “Right... okay.” It’s then that I notice the box in Vicy’s hands. I point to it and ask, “What do you have there?”

He lifts it as he answers. “Danni found it in the back of your closet. She said to tell you she was sorry, but her curiosity got the best of her.”

I sigh, realizing exactly what that box holds. “Did you guys look?”

They both shake their heads no. Vicy walks into my office and lays the box on my desk. “The look on Danni’s face told us that it was private.”

With a chuckle, I reach for the box and open it. Inside holds the memories of my ice-skating career. Every video my parents took, along with pictures of Emmitt and me. I look up to find Vicy and Taz trying to peer into the box, curiosity painted across their faces.

I snort as I pull out a few pictures and lay them on the desk so they can see. I also take out a few CD’s that contain the music from each of my competitions. The guys immediately grab for the pictures.

I search for the CD with my last competition on it. The moment I find it, I let out a deep sigh. I haven’t watched the video. I never wanted to see the moment my dreams shattered across the ice like my ankle.

“Roe?” Pulling myself from the dark thoughts, I look up to find Taz with an arched brow, pointing toward the CD in my hand. “What’s that?”

Biting my lip, I stare back down at the small square case that holds the worst day of my life. “It’s the video of my last competition,” I answer quietly.

“The one where you broke your ankle?” Vicy asks.

I nod but keep my eyes on it, debating if I want to finally watch it. I suppose I could watch it alone, but that would probably leadme down a spiraling rabbit hole of trauma I don’t want to revisit. “I’m debating if I want to watch it or not.”

“You’ve never seen it?” Taz asks quietly.

“No, I... I couldn’t watch it after what happened. To be honest, I forgot about the box until now.”

“Well... shit,” Vicy says. “Sorry, Roe. We can put it back; we didn’t mean to bring up horrible memories.”

I wave my hand dismissively. “No. It’s okay. I should probably watch it. It’s been long enough.”

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