Page 35 of Ice Me Baby

“Do you—” Taz starts hesitantly. When I look up, I find him rubbing the back of his head. “Do you want us to watch it with you?”

I point to the two of them using the CD case. “The two of you?”

Vicy shakes his head. “No, the team. Well, your team,” he says with a smirk. “We can make a night of it. Make some popcorn, and you can tell us about all the amazing songs you’ve skated to.”

Taz bumps Vicy with his shoulder. “We can even trash talk the dude who hurt you.” He raises a brow at me and asks, “Are you ever going to tell us his name?”

I chuckle darkly as I put all the stuff back into the box. “You’ll find out when we watch the video. They introduce us before we skate.”

“Nice,” Taz says as he high fives Vicy. He points at the box filled with the memories of my old life. “You hold onto that. We’ll go tell the guys the plan.”

Vicy points at me as he backs out of the room. “No take backs! Meet us out front, Roe Roe.”

I glance at the stack of paperwork I still need to get done. “But I need to finish all of this.”

Taz clicks his tongue. “A problem for tomorrow. Let’s bounce!”

Looking back down at the paperwork, I debate. But it doesn’t take long for my brain to saya problem for another day.Huffing a sigh, I push away from the desk and grab the box. Vicy and Tazturn to find the others. I cup my free hand around my mouth and yell out behind them, “I want adult beverages for this!”

Vicy throws me a thumbs up as he turns the corner. Taz shakes his head and chuckles but follows. I’m not joking; I want alcohol for this. The memories of that day are still seared into my brain. Watching them play out in HD won’t be much better.

The gang has all gathered at the common house—the guys I’m in charge of anyways. The guys’ Danni oversees have already left. Perri, Merc, Gilly, and Fenni somehow managed to convince their wives they were needed at the common house for a few hours. I suppose the life of a hockey wife means accepting that your husband is often gone more than home.

Vicy takes a seat beside me on the couch, pouting slightly because he’s the only one not old enough to drink. Legally anyway. Taz and Ozzy work together to make me a fruity drink, stating that it will blow my mind. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but if it helps me get through this video... I’ll take it.

While Oli and Lewi get the popcorn ready, Tuck sits down on my other side and bumps my shoulder. I look up from where I was staring down at the CD still in my hand.

With a soft smile, he asks, “What was your favorite song you ever skated to?”

I smirk, welcoming the distraction. “My favorite song? I suppose it would have been Lady of the Worlds by Miracle of Sound.We had really cool outfits for that one. It was a fantasy-themed skate.”

He hums. “I hope you have the recording of that one in your box too. It sounds like an amazing routine.”

I nod as I look back at the disk in my hand. “It was.” I groan but get up to put the disk in the DVD player. Once it’s in, I return to my seat between the guys. A bowl is placed in my lap, and I look over my shoulder to find Oli.

He shoots me a wink before handing me a glass as well. “I hope Taz and Ozzy didn’t make it too strong.”

I give the drink a tentative sip before I grin. “It’s good.”

He nods and takes a seat on the floor in front of us, leaning back against the couch. “Let’s get this night going!”

Lewi hits play, and the screen comes alive. I’m pulled in by my parents cheering in the background. This was our short program, which was the one we did amazing in. It was going to be our ticket into the big leagues. At least that’s what I thought at the time.

All I can do now, is sit and watch the skater I used to be as she flies across the ice, unaware it would be the last time she'd ever skate like that. The screen reflects all of my dreams that slipped through my fingers like melting ice. Don’t get me wrong, I love my new job and my new dreams. I’ve accomplished so much. But you never forget your first dream. You don’t forget the pain of watching them disappear.

Old wounds, long healed and forgotten, reopen as I watch the younger version of me. A head rests on my shoulder, and I know it’s Vicy. He has a way about him that he can’t help but try to make people feel better. To reach out and attempt to spread some of his happiness to those around him. It’s often infectious, but right now, it can’t break through the old hurt.

His voice is gentle as he says, “That’s you.” It doesn’t come across as a question. More like an awed observation.

All I can do is nod as I keep my eyes glued to the TV. The short program wraps up, and the video switches over to our long program. The one where I broke my ankle. I can’t tear my eyes from the screen as horror builds within me. I know what’s going to happen, butseeingit happen offers a different perspective than experiencing it in the moment.

Vicy’s voice is hesitant as he continues, “And... that’s the guy who botched the throw and caused your injury?”

I nod again as silence fills the room. The guys know his name now. I noticed they all stiffened when he was announced at the beginning.

“You looked happy,” he whispers.

“I was,” I reply. Holding my breath, I watch as Emmitt tossed me into the air, and it’s clear that he botched the throw on purpose. He knew what he was doing; it was no accident. I watch the teenage version of myself slide across the ice while panic builds in the crowd. The camera is moving sporadically, and I can tell my dad is rushing down the bleachers, having forgotten that he’s still recording.

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