Page 1 of Ice Me Baby

Chapter One

When you’re sixteen, dreams are everything. My dream? Make it to the Olympics. Be the next big figure skater. And I am on my way. The scouts are here to see Emmitt and me. We are the top skaters in our league, and this is the last year we can compete before they raise the senior division age limit. This is our last shot; we have to make it this year.

Emmitt bumps my shoulder with a smile. “You ready, Izzy?”

I smile back with a nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They always say never get involved with your partner. Keep it professional, they say. But I’ve known Emmitt since I was six. We met on the ice and have been inseparable since. He has never given me a reason not to trust him. But I didn’t realize just how far he would go to become a star figure skater. How far he would go to avoid having to drag me along beside him. He wanted the spotlight. Alone.

We rocked our short program, and our long program is all that’s left to do. It is the most important because it showcases our lifts. This is the program to show off our skills and make sure the scouts notice us.

I shake my hands out, trying to get rid of my anxiety.

Emmitt laughs as he looks down at me. “Got ants in your pants, Izzy?”

“I’m trying to get the nervous energy out before we step on the ice. I don’t want it to ruin the routine.”

Emmitt slips his hand into mine, giving it a squeeze. “I’ve got this. Trust me, Iz?”

I arch a brow at the ridiculous question. “Of course.”

He nods. “Then don’t worry.”

Huffing out a sigh, I nod. “Right. We’ve got this.”

Before we know it, it’s our turn. We glide out onto the ice, and I can’t help but smile at the rush I get from stepping on the ice and the feeling of freedom consumes me. We take our starting positions, ready for the music to begin. I take a few deep breaths before the music blares from the speakers, sounding like the beginning of my end.

I land every jump, and Emmitt holds strong for every lift. We had decided to save our throw-jump for the end. It is a risky move, but it increases the difficulty of the program. We’ve perfected the move, and I landed it every single time in practice. The points will be worth the exhaustion.

The moment Emmit grabs my waist, I know something is wrong. He isn’t holding me in the same spot as we’ve practiced, but I’m already up in the air before I can do or say anything. He released me too high. My mind tells me not to overcompensate for the error. All of my training says not to try and fix the error. Just land as best you can. That’s what I’m supposed to do.

My body decides otherwise. I try to shift my weight so when I land on the correct foot, I can then distribute my weight to my other foot once on the ice. In theory, it should have worked. In theory, lots of things should work. In reality, it didn’t work.

My scream echoes through the rink as I land on the edge of my blade and fall. I slide across the ice, but the only thing on my mind is that my ankle hurts. The pain is unbearable.

Tears stream down my face as I force my eyes open and look down to take in the damage. My ankle… my… my ankle! It’s wrong! It’s so wrong! No. No, no, no, no, no!

When I look up again, I find Emmitt staring down at me, his face blank of all feeling and emotion.

“Em?” My voice trembles from the pain.

His eyes meet mine, finally. Then they widen as he takes in what happened. “I… I… I’m sorry. He made me.”

My eyes narrow, and my breaths come quicker as I try to think past the pain. “What are you talking about?” There is something in his tone that I’ve never heard before.

“My dad. He told me to ruin you, so I could become the best skater alone.”

My eyes widen and my entire body freezes.He… he turned on me.“You did this on purpose?” Medics begin to surround me, but I’ve grown numb from the shock. My best friend. My boyfriend… betrayed me? He ruined my life to ensure he got ahead.

“You did this!” I point to my ankle with a shaking hand the best I can. “You ruined my life, Emmitt! Why?!” I yell at him.

The medics try to calm me down, but there’s no use. I’m making sure he knows exactly what he did. Unfortunately, I know there’s no way to prove he caused the ‘accident’. His parents are rich and can claim it was an accident.

As more people surround me on the ice, I watch him slowly back away. But I’m not done with him. I scream, “You have taken everything from me. I’ll never be able to skate again! Never skate, Emmitt!”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers before he turns and skates away. I watch as my best friend leaves me broken on the ice with the medics trying to put me on a stretcher.

I give in, slumping forward and allowing them to move me however they want. Tears continue to stream down my face as it fully sinks in that I’ll never be able to skate the same again. I know my ankle is shattered. It will require pins for stabilization at a minimum. If it’s as bad as I think it is, I’ll need a plate put in as well.

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