by Olivia West
God, she felt so guilty for saying all those mean things to Anya, and immediately texted Anya back saying how sorry she was, and how much she regretted their fight.
It seemed like in the space of a morning, she had got both her trainer and her best friend back. Things were looking up.
When Andrew and Hannah got to her old rink that afternoon, Erica had no problem with Andrew’s skating abilities.
“That was a good arabesque and Y-spin, Han,” Erica muttered to her from the sidelines as Andrew performed a freestyle program on the ice. “You’ve taught him well.”
“Thanks,” beamed Hannah, “he’s got exceptional balance. His hold-and-line while he’s doing it is just as good as Francis.”
“As good as Francis!” Erica said. “Honey, put him up against Francis at the moment and he’ll destroy him. Francis is really struggling without you.”
Hannah turned her head quickly from looking at Andrew to Erica. “Seriously?”
“Yeah! Don’t get me wrong, you know what Francis is like – a perfectionist. He’s beautiful. But his partner doesn’t complement him like you used to.”
This was surprising news to Hannah. Surprising, but not devastating. “So, you think Andrew and I can compete in the U.S. Championships as a pair?”
Erica smiled. “Oh, definitely! There’s nothing stopping you!”
Andrew’s music stopped and both Erica and Hannah clapped, their noise filling up the otherwise empty ice rink. He started gliding towards the sideline and Hannah was smiling at him in admiration, before she felt a presence behind her.
“Hello, Hannah.”
Oh my God.
“Francis.”
She turned her head and, as clear as day, he was there. No remorse for what he did to her all those months ago – just a face as cold as stone.
“I assume you’ve come back to ask for your position on the team?” he sneered.
It was Hannah’s turn to flash a signature smile. “No, actually. Erica asked me back herself.”
Only Hannah could see the subtle change in his comfort level. “Oh. Did she now?”
“Yeah. I’m just about to do some freestyle now to warm up, so if you want to stay and watch then you are more than welcome to,” Hannah said, admittedly condescendingly but feeling justified in doing so.
As Andrew returned to the sidelines and sat down on the bench, Francis joined him. “Let’s see if you still have it, Han.”
And oh, did Hannah still have it.
As the music played (a soft, tinkle of a piano and a violin could be heard swimming around the rink) she came to life, just as she always did when she was on the ice. It was strange to be skating where she never thought she would skate again… such familiar walls and people and sounds, yet she was different.
Her fan spirals made her want to scream “I did it! I did it without you!” and she knew she had nailed her flying sit spin when it felt like she was floating on air. She could physically feel herself keeping balanced in the air for as long as possible, to really give the sit spin a polished look. She didn’t have to look back to know that Erica was impressed.
When the music stopped and Hannah came off the ice, Andrew stood up. “Fantastic job, Han. I’m just going to get some water, does anyone want anything?”
Erica stood up as well. “Me! I need a coffee. Come with me and I’ll show you where the café is. You know, they do a delightful cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows around this time of year…” her voice faded as she and Andrew walked out of the door and through the corridor to the café, while Hannah and Francis were left in the silence.
“She probably only went with him because she wanted to tell him what he could improve on,” Francis said.
“Maybe,” Hannah replied, “but she is really impressed with him. I think Andrew has made a new friend.”
“He’s not perfect, Han.”
“None of us are perfect, Francis, not even you. But for an amateur I think Andrew is pretty good.”
To this, Francis said nothing. Erica must have already told him about Andrew’s lack of skating experience, she realized.
Suddenly, Francis sighed and rolled his eyes. “Are you still mad at me for replacing you?”
Somehow he always had to make it about him. “I was mad. I was mad for a very long time. But I’ve got Andrew now, and I think he’s better for me than you were.”
There was something in Francis’ face that proved her response stung him a little bit. He looked up at her then, with sadness in his eyes. The eyes that used to melt Hannah like butter and make her do whatever he wanted.
“I was wondering. If you’re not my partner anymore, then do you maybe want to hang out later? Get some food? I know this great place, the best in the surrounding area. My parents have connections.”
That was it.
The moment that Hannah had been waiting for almost her whole life. The moment when Francis asked her out.
But what about Andrew?
“Um… I don’t know. I might be a bit busy later…”
“Is Andrew your boyfriend or something? Because you know you aren’t supposed to date your professional partner when you’re under Erica’s guidance. She’ll kill you!”
Oh no oh no oh no. If Hannah told anyone that she and Andrew were more than friends, she wouldn’t be able to train with Erica anymore. She couldn’t take that risk.
Plus, after all of those years waiting for Francis to say something, she could understand why he waited until now, and she didn’t begrudge him that sensible attitude at least.
“Okay. I suppose dinner would be nice. It would be good to catch up with you, you know? Hear what you’ve been doing with your life since last time we spoke.”
“Cool,” Francis said, “I’ll text you later?”
“Sure, see you then…”
***
The restaurant that Francis chose was just as elaborate and expensive as he was. There were glass chandeliers on the ceilings, old portraits of gentry lining the walls, and candles in real candlesticks.
Hannah wore an outfit that she had had in her closet for a long time now – a purchase from her wild late teens that she thought would come in handy if Francis ever asked her out. She wore the black dress with matte black heels and a silver choker necklace with sophistication.
Francis played the gentleman and pulled out her chair for her so that she could sit down. He was dressed in a suit – the type her former fellow employees used to wear – but nonetheless he looked quite attractive.
What she did realize though, as soon as he flashed her one of those signature smiles, she didn’t get butterflies like she used to. Instead, she felt sort of guilty about going out for a meal when it wasn’t with Andrew. Hannah knew not to call it a date, because technically Francis had never said those exact words… but it didn’t change the fact that it was a date. She should have been looking into Andrew’s eyes, not the eyes of the guy who ditched her when she wasn’t useful anymore.
Francis was as cool as a cucumber, leaning back on his chair and folding his arms around his chest, grinning at Hannah while she peered at the menu. She didn’t know what half of the dishes were. It was all in French.
“I think I’ll have the pizza.”
Francis laughed patronizingly. “You can’t order pizza! This is a reputable establishment.”
Hannah raised an eyebrow. “Then why is pizza on the menu in the first place?”
Francis didn’t have an answer for that, and so gave her a stare as if to say stop talking before other people hear you.
When the waiter took their order (Hannah ordered the pizza despite Francis’ snobbish remarks) and walked away, Francis sat up in his chair a little bit and cleared his throat.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you here tonight.”
Hannah was curious, but said, “Not really. I mean, I assumed it was for a general catch-up? We used to be close, you and I.” She chuckled. “Unless when you saw me for the first time ag
ain today you realized your undying love for me?”
Francis smiled – something he didn’t do all that often. “No, actually. Well, yes I wanted a catch-up, but no to the undying love thing. I have a proposal for you.”
She giggled jokingly at the wording. “A proposal? I thought you didn’t love me!”
He rolled his eyes and he was now smiling so widely that she could see his teeth, a rare sight for those who knew Francis. “I wanted to know if you’d consider becoming my skating partner again.”
Hannah’s smile faded and she felt like all of the fun was being sucked out of the evening by a skate-shaped vacuum cleaner.
“I can’t.”
His smile faded too. “Why not? We’ve skated before. We’re perfect together.”
“Except you ditched me for another girl while I was still in the hospital.”
“And I’m sorry for that,” he said, not looking sorry in the slightest, “but if you’ve got any chance of placing in the U.S. Championships then you’ve got to stick with me.”
All Hannah could do was laugh in his face. She tried so hard not to, she really did. But she couldn’t help herself. “I need you?” she asked, her voice raised as far as it could go in such a posh restaurant. “From the way Erica was talking about you it seems as though you need me. Lucy not good enough for you?”
Francis could tell he was drowning, and so tried to turn it around. “Look, she is fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You need the best partner you can get so you have a chance of winning something, and Andrew is so not the guy to do it with. He doesn’t know anything! He has no experience. Join me, and we can take the world by storm.”
Hannah stood up and pushed her chair in, looking sternly at Francis. “Are you dramatic or what? You don’t need to worry about me, thank you very much. And Andrew got Erica’s approval so I’d think he’d be a fine partner.”
She unhooked her shoulder bag from the chair, brought some bits and bobs in, and fixed it while she talked. “You know, you actually had me thinking that you’d changed for a second there, Francis. But why else would you take a girl to the fanciest restaurant you can think of? To try to get her to abandon her partner, just so you’d have a better chance of winning a medal! I don’t want to be a part of your games. I’m out of here.”
Storming out and leaving Francis on his own in the most expensive place in the city, she felt some more of the strange weight being lifted from her. All that she had wanted to say to Francis since he left her professionally, she finally got to say. And he finally got to hear.
Chapter 12
The next day at training, Hannah didn’t speak to Francis once. Their paths crossed a couple of times – when they were warming up on the floor, quick glances from either end of the ice rink… but Hannah had no interest in being associated with him anymore. Their friendship was over, and their partnership was over.
It was a good thing that she didn’t have lots of time to focus on Francis, because Erica had some news for her.
“Hannah! Andrew! There’s something I forgot to tell you this morning.”
Erica stepped on the ice while she was talking, flawlessly floating towards the pair of young skaters, who had been working on some pair lifts.
“Good news or bad news?” Hannah asked, curious as to what was so important that Erica interrupted their carry lifts. That was a tricky session – the bravery that she had to have, and the trust she had to have in Andrew to allow him to lift her that high, was possibly the hardest thing about skating. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Andrew, but it was difficult to trust someone when so many people had let you down in the past.
“Exceptionally good news! So you know how you want to compete in the U.S. Championships?”
Andrew’s ears perked up. “Wait – you mean we are allowed to compete?” He wore a smile of pure bliss, until Erica knocked him down.
“No. Not yet. But, there is a state championship competition, and I want you two to compete.”
Hannah interrupted. “And when is this competition?”
Erica stayed quiet.
“Erica…”
She looked up at Hannah and Andrew, biting her lip. “Tomorrow.”
Hannah and Andrew’s mouths shot open at exactly the same time. “Tomorrow!” they shouted in unison.
“We can’t do that, we’re not ready.” Andrew panicked, looking to Hannah like he was a deer trapped in the headlights.
“You can,” Erica said calmly, “you have that routine that Hannah choreographed before I asked her back, and I’ve seen you both practicing it, so I know that it’s good enough to compete with. You will have no problem going up against the other skaters in the state.”
Hannah nodded. “Erica is right, Andrew. You know the routine, you are nailing all of the lifts, and there is nothing stopping us. Come on, let’s do it. You want to go to the U.S. Championships as much as I do, and this is the only way in.” Her stomach leaped in excitement for this opportunity – it was everything that she had been daydreaming about, as well as having nightmares about not doing.
Andrew sighed. “Okay. You’re right; I do want this as much as you, but I just wasn’t sure whether we were ready. That’s all!”
Erica smiled. “Oh, you’re a sensible guy, but you have no need to worry. You were born to skate, you know. I can see it when you’re on the ice. It’s time to compete.”
***
It was the day of the state competition, and the crowd was already in good spirits. Music was echoing around the large rink to fill the gaps between each skating program, and the competition was about halfway done. Hannah and Andrew were next.
Hannah was dressed in a brand-new costume, its red velvet and silver sparkles illuminating her body, already making her look the part. Andrew had on a red shirt to match, with the shape of a rose sequined on, and they were both ready to go. Hannah’s adrenaline levels were normal for the type of competition – she had done this type of thing before – but Andrew was a first-timer. His hands were shaking slightly, he had a distant look in his eyes, and he was starting to shiver.
Erica and Hannah noticed his anxious disposition and took him to the sidelines, where they managed to calm him down in less than a minute, Hannah rubbing his back so that the shivering would stop. All she wanted to do was to give him a hug and tell him that she believed in him. That everything was going to be great, because he was great.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have time, because through the speakers came a familiar sound for Hannah, which meant it was time for action.
“Next up we have Hannah Avery and Andrew Mitcheson!”
And they took to the floor.
Hannah and Andrew did not skate to the song in the typical way. You could have heard a pin drop among the crowd as they performed side-by-side camel spins and they executed the throw jump in midair with excellence. The commentators were pleased too.
“And what a brave throw from Andrew there, Hannah responded especially well to the force behind it. What do you think, Wendy?” commented a male voice from the high box in the rink.
“Oh just fabulous, Jim. Andrew gets a little too close to the edges of the rink when he’s roaming about, but Hannah keeps him in check.”
When the music stopped, the majority of the crowd stood and applauded loudly, and Hannah and Andrew did the usual bowing routine, making sure to look the judges in the eye and giving them their best smiles. It had, after all, gone really well, so the smiles weren’t fake.
As they came off the ice and the applause died down, Francis and a beautiful, petite girl passed them to make their way onto center ice. Hannah and Francis’ eyes met for a split second, and they knew what the deal was. This was war.
Once everyone had skated, the judges took a break to deliberate on their final scores for each pair. While this was happening, the generic radio music was turned back on, and the crowd were too busy singing along to Taylor Swift to notice the cold stares that Francis and Hannah were giving each other.
The rink turned into a crowded mess as multiple pairs of skates clambered on to the ice for a second time that evening. Some spectators were speaking to each other in hushed tones, but everyone on the ice was silent.
Jim and Wendy announced the scores. “Now, there are three places up for grabs at the U.S. Championships. Those that place from first to third will be able to skate at such a prestigious event,” Jim proclaimed.