Page 47 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
Laying back down on the ice, I watched it, adding a couple of simple effects in the app. That sort of sucked, but it was a start. I sent it to Clark to get his opinion.
“Are you dead? Should I call Steve?” a sweet, female voice said.
“I’ll get off. Whoops. I’m so sorry.” I scrambled up from the ice. Steve? Who was Steve?
“You are one of Steve’s, right? One of the goalie interns?” The small, red-headed omega in figure skates, a hoodie, and beanie stared at me with big green eyes.
Oh, that Steve. I never thought of Coach Atkins, the head coach for the Knights, asSteve.Sometimes we explained the goalie development program asgoalie interns.
“Hi, Cait. Um, yes, please tell Coach Atkins I’ve been working so hard in the off-season that I’m dead.” I grinned. Coach Atkins’ omega was half of one of the most beloved figure skating pairs ever. She was very busy coaching skating, but sometimes she came to the Knights’ games and sat in the family section.
Her head cocked. “Why were you figure skating with hockey equipment? I was spying. One of my pairs canceled, and I was bored.”
“Being silly. It’s just something I do for fun sometimes. My friend wants me to put them up online, so I was feeling out some stuff.” I was a little embarrassed that she’d seen me do that.
“Go on then. I have time.” She leaned against the glass and took a sip of her water bottle.
“Um, sure. I mean, yes, Coach.” What else could I say?
I did the routine, then stopped and looked at her, nerves bouncing around. This had been choreographed haphazardly, and my technique was no longer perfect.
“You were one of Klavdiya’s? Because, wow, those jumps.” She eyed me and took another sip of water.
“Vail Russo,” I told her a little too quickly. I’d hated skating for Klavdiya and it irked me that you could still see her in my technique.
“Oh. You’re one of theirs? I didn’t know they trained betas. Huh. I’ve never met you.” She frowned.
“I stopped in high school. Anyway, I was always running off to play hockey with their mates.” Those had been a good few years, living with my grandparents, playing hockey, training with Vail, and living my best life away from my dads.
When my mom got sick again, I came home. After she passed away, everything went to shit.
“Oh, right. They have two retired hockey players as mates.” Cait nodded. “I forgot that. Why figure skate if you wanted to play hockey, or could you not decide?”
“My dads thought it would make me an omega if they forced me to learn all the things my omega sisters did. Didn’t work.” I grinned, but that grin hid pain. Because of their disappointment and their expectations; not to mention the expectations of others.
“Oh.” Her face softened. “I had a student like that once. Watch your knees. Also, your prop is messing with your momentum on the turn. You might want to change the placement.” She waved at the ice. “From the triple. No music.”
Cait ran me through the routine over and over, critiquing my technique, fixing the choreography, and working my ass off. Sweat ran down my face and my calves burned.
Then we ran through another one of my potential routines. By then, Connor, the other half of her pair, who was also in CoachAtkins’ pack, had joined her. Both of them were changing my choreography, and telling me to tuck my chin, extend my leg, and watch my elbows.
“Good job. You should put them up. Remember what I told you.” Cait patted me on the shoulder.
“Yes, Coach.” I wiped my face with the hem of my T-shirt. “Thanks for the lesson. I appreciate it.”
I knew how much a session like that cost.
“Happy to help,” Cait told me. “Please, let me know when you put up the videos, and I’ll repost.”
“Really? Thank you so much. Both of you.”
“You’re going to put it up? I’m proud of you.” Tenzin stood there in his hockey skates. “Let me know when you want to film it.”
How long had Tenzin been there? He wasproudof me? Aww. My whole body got warm and fuzzy.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him. “I think I will.”
Chapter Fifteen
