Page 104 of Villainous Kingpin
“Okay, one more time,” my mother’s voice came through the skating rink.
“Your mother is merciless,” Derek grumbled, the corners of his mouth barely flexing.
He was right. She was merciless. It was almost midnight and our flight out was tomorrow. The Olympics didn't start for another five days, but we didn’t want to risk the weather turning for the worse.
The two of us came to our positions, in the middle of the rink. I rolled my shoulders, Derek did the same. Sometimes we moved so similarly, it was freaky.
I turned my head to look at him. He wasn’t a bad looking man, with his brown hair and warm eyes. He was tall and strong, just a few years older than me. But I couldn’t help but compare him to Bas. I compared everyone to him and somehow, everyone faded in comparison to him.
Brad Pitt.Nah, I’ll pass.
Theo James.No, I’m good.
Basilio DiLustro.Yes, please and thank you.Pathetic, considering he betrayed me. Clearly, my self-respect was lacking.
“Ready?” My mom’s voice stopped my handsome ranking comparison.
Both of us nodded.
The music came on. My favorite Dua Lipa song. I had to fight my mother and Derek on the choice of music. I won, though reluctantly. “Hotter than Hell” would be our freestyle, short program.
I shut my mind down, wishing Mom would let me skate with AirPods on. It was so much easier to tune out the world, but it wasn’t allowed during competitions so it made sense she forbid it during practice too.
The moment we started skating, I felt the weight lift off my chest. It was what I loved about this sport, though I preferred to skate alone. The adrenaline from the last hour of skating still pumped through my veins.
“Perfect height,” Mom commended. Derek and I flew through the air, doing side-by-side jumps together. Triple Lutz. Then the Axel jump. We had to be doing good because no corrections were shouted across the rink in her firm coach voice.
Probably another reason she wouldn’t allow me headphones while skating.
Four minutes and thirty seconds.
And we were done. It was all that took for both Derek and I to breathe hard and choppy, our heartbeats racing. Our eyes met and we both knew it. We nailed it.
He cupped my face and I had to stifle a wince.
“That Olympic gold is ours,” he beamed.
I nodded. The competition would be fierce, I knew it. But we worked hard and gave it our all. It was all we could do.
My eyes sought out my mom, our coach, sitting in the stands. A nod of approval. “We’re ready.”
We.This was for her, even before I knew the full story of what happened. I was happy about my achievements four years ago. After that, I skated to relax and get lost in it. I never imagined going back to it as a professional.
She stood up and I saw her wince, then she limped slowly down to the gate opening it to wait for us.
Derek and I headed toward her, where she already waited for us with skate guards. I took the offered plastic and slipped them over my blades. Derek did the same.
Then we stepped onto solid ground. Coach gave us her firm stare.
“Tomorrow we fly out,” she started, then glanced at Derek. “You’ll fly with us.” Uncle Brennan secured a private plane for us. It made it easier to travel for sure. And safer. Then she returned her eyes to me. “You skated your best, Star. I’m proud of you.” My mother was the only person on this entire planet who called me Star. It was my middle name, but according to her, it should have been my first. But she caved in to Grandpa. “You did well feeling the music and synchronizing your moves to Derek’s.”
I nodded, my breathing still slightly hitched.
“Do you ladies want me to drive you home?” Derek offered and I shook my head.
“No, thank you,” I told him. “I drove Mom’s car.”
My Jeep was still in New York, but Mom had a car here despite that most of the time she couldn’t drive. Her knee hurt her too much and she could never quite master driving with her left foot. She even had her knee replaced but it still bothered her.
