by Magan Vernon
“I told you,” Becca sang as she stole a curd from my bag.
“Glad you like them,” Diane said with a huge grin on her face, looking at me like a proud mama bear. I couldn’t remember the last time my mom ever gave me that look, even when I made it to The Games.
The announcer called over the speakers that the first pair of skaters were up and the crowd rang in applause as a couple in very sparkly outfits went to the center of the ice.
“How long does this usually take?” I asked Becca between cheese curd munches.
“Hours. I usually bring a book to listen to,” she whispered, stealing another cheese curd.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Just enjoy your curds, and we can take bets on who's gonna fall.”
I winced at the word ‘bet’ and how casually Becca said it. Sure, the girl had no idea about my bet for her sister, but it still sat funny in the pit of my stomach.
This may have all started as a bet, but now I was getting in deep. I was sitting for hours with this girl’s family. Eating their farm-made cheese and having them smile and act like I was a part of their happy little gathering. This could all blow up in my face very easily if I wasn’t careful.
“What the hell was that?” Becca asked, leaning back and staring at me with her eyebrows furrowed.
“What was what?” I muttered.
“That look.”
“What look?” I feigned innocence.
Becca rolled her eyes. “You acted like you ate a rotten piece of cheese when I talked about a bet. Afraid I’m going to make fun of one of your old girlfriends? Maybe that Canadian chick with the huge forehead?”
I laughed, letting go a deep breath I had been holding in. “I’ve never heard Alexis referred to that way and she’s not my old girlfriend. We just used to hang out.”
“Hanging out meaning fucking?”
Diane’s hand reached across the seat, swatting Becca in the leg. “Becca! Language! And keep your voice down, some people want to watch the Swedes!”
“Fine,” Becca whispered and turned toward me, leaning in. She smelled like cheese, sweat, and a hint of hair products in her wildly crazy hair. “So, what’s the story with you and Alexis? When Kelly and I googled you, she may have stopped at the basics, but I looked a little deeper. She was in a lot of stories with you. Good and bad.”
I rolled my eyes, really not wanting to go into anything Alexis especially since things had a way of getting back to her. If I wanted a chance at a sponsorship with the shampoo company, I had to play nice. At least for now. “We’ve grown up together on the slopes. Yeah, we had a thing going on but not anymore. Okay? I like your sister,” I blurted the last part without even thinking.
Becca leaned back and smiled. “Good. I hope it stays that way.”
I hoped it did too. For this Wisconsin family’s sake and my own.
***
When Kelly and Logan finally took the ice, it seemed like hours later, even though it was probably only about an hour since I got there and ate a bag of cheese curds.
Kelly and Logan skated to the center ice, both shimmering in their glitzy outfits. In the pictures, I’d seen of her online she always looked so poised and confident. But now that I knew her, I saw that hard exterior was a front. That the girl underneath was insecure but hid it with her icy bravado. She put her head up and smiled a fake smile, looking out into the crowd. I swore she saw me in the stands. It couldn’t be right because there were thousands of people. But I met her gaze anyways and winked. That was probably my first mistake. Or my fiftieth if I was counting.
I didn’t expect her to miss two jumps or to look right at me when she missed them. She probably didn’t actually see me in the crowd, but I felt that jolt of electricity as soon as I saw those clear blue eyes and bright smile. This girl was going to be the death of me, and she didn’t even know it.
This was supposed to be just a bet. A bet I didn’t even want to go through with. But even with only a few times hanging out with the girl, I was starting to fall and fall hard. I’d never laughed as much or went out of my way to spend time with someone like her. I’d never gotten to know a girl’s family like I had with hers. I knew nothing about Alexis or her parents other than they were filthy rich and worked in the oil industry. I wasn’t exactly the kind of guy that a girl brought home to meet her parents. Especially not dairy farmer parents who brought me cheese curds.
After Kelly’s performance, I looked down at my phone that had a bunch of messages from the guys and social media notifications. “Hey, guys, sorry to cut this short but I gotta jet,” I muttered.
I stood up without looking back and heard Becca fumbling behind me. “What? You’re not going to stay? Maybe get dinner at a real restaurant with us or something?”
I shook my head. I wanted to stay and talk with the family. Dinner that wasn’t microwaved also sounded awesome. But I couldn’t keep leading them on like this. Them or myself.
“Naw. I have to get ready for giant slalom tomorrow,” I said.
“Maybe we’ll see you there!” Becca yelled after me.
“Yeah, Maybe.”
***
Trying not to think about Kelly or her family, I got my board ready and suited up for giant slalom that next night. Slalom was my only event, so I had to make sure I didn’t mess up and got in my practice, landing every spin, ollie, and grab. And my parents also made sure I didn’t mess up.
“He looks tight, doesn’t he, Rob? Too tight. I think he needs to loosen up on that last turn,” Mom said, not so quietly to Dad.
Usually, they stayed out of my way and didn’t bother coming to practice, but I guess since this was The Games, they wanted to but in every step. That also included showing up at my morning talk show interview. I felt like a little kid being reprimanded the entire time and wished the news reporter would have just wanted me. But the only reason I was a story was because of my pseudo-relationship with Kelly and my Olympic parents. A medal would change that. I just had to keep my head in The Games today and not think about the blonde skater, who I thought about way too long in the shower thing morning.
“I’ll see you guys at the finish line,” I muttered to my parents, grabbing my board and heading where the other boarders were gathered. Some people were still doing interviews, but we were about to start up with the first run, so everyone was getting their game faces on.
Mom and Dad barely nodded at me and continued their conversation, staring at me and whispering as they headed to the crowd of spectators.
I let out a deep breath and got out my headphones as I approached the other athletes. I had a playlist for each run, and this first one had more Katy Perry than I wanted to admit to, so I wasn’t letting anyone see my phone.
“Hey, Canada didn’t know you invited your girlfriend to watch you biff,” The Italian boarder whose name escaped me said, laughing as he looked down at the crowd. I put my phone up and followed his gaze.
There were hundreds of people against the fence watching us, but Kelly stood out amongst them all in her dark blue coat with her light blonde hair, spilling out of a white beanie. She wasn’t alone, though, Logan and Becca were right beside her. I expected her parents to show up and breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t see the happy Americans in the crowd. I didn’t think I could keep up this lie, this bet, and have to see their smiling faces. And my parents weren’t anywhere near Kelly, so that was a plus. Another thing I didn’t have to deal with.
“Hold this a second,” I said to my coach, Ricky.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ricky asked.
“I’ll be right back, I promise!” I yelled but had already started making my way out toward the crowd.
The announcers were still doing some pre-performance interviews, so I knew I had the time to at least get in a little chat.
“Come to make sure I miss my jumps too?” I yelled, jogging toward Kelly.
Her eyes widened, and a slew of people aimed their camera phones at
us.
I stopped, leaning on the fence and smiled. “How am I supposed to get in my jumps when I’m going to have to look at that smile? Unless of course you aren’t smiling and just booing me.”
“Blake, what are you doing?” Kelly whispered.
“Well, I was coming down here to say something, and then I got distracted by this head of blonde hair,” I said, taking off my glove and running my fingers through the silky strands.
Her face turned bright pink as she nibbled on her bottom lip. I had to stop staring at her mouth, or I was going to be sporting some major wood.
“Don’t you have to go and get ready or something?” she asked, her eyes darting everywhere but in my direction.
“That depends if my favorite skater gives me a good luck kiss and agrees to a date tomorrow,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows. The quicker I got her alone, and on a date, the quicker this bet would be over. Then I could move on with my life. I didn’t know if it was what I wanted to do. I was falling hard for this girl, and I couldn’t admit that to anyone, even myself. And if I kept spending more time with her family, the harder it would be to leave. And, truth be told, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. This was way more than a bet now. This was me really falling for this girl and her American family. This was real.
Kelly shook her head, but she smiled slightly. “You’re crazy! Go! Everyone’s going to be waiting on you.”
“Nuh Uh, not until I get my good luck charm. You don’t want me to miss getting on the podium, do you? If I don’t get that good luck kiss, it could be bad for all of us,” I said, leaning closer and tapping my bottom lip.
“Blake,” she whispered, her face turning an even brighter shade of red as she glanced behind her.
I looked in the direction of her stare and saw a few national TV cameras on us then the crowd started erupting in a chant. It took me a minute before I realized they were yelling “Klake,” that hashtag I made up.
“Come on, Kelly, we can’t leave the crowd waiting,” I said, leaning in, my lips so close to hers I could practically taste her cherry chap stick.
She sighed and whispered, “Fine,” before she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to mine.
It was just a peck, but it was warm. Inviting. A kiss that heated up my entire body and made me aware that she tasted and smelled better than anything I’d remembered. Her sweet scent of marshmallow and mint surrounding me as I went in for another kiss, putting my hand on the back of her head and opening my mouth slightly just to get another taste.
That was when the crowd erupted into applause and whoops, and she pulled away, putting her head down and her face redder than the flag on my jacket.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow after our morning practices,” I said, squeezing her arm before I headed back to Ricky.
“Way to get all eyes on you, Blake,” Ricky said, smacking my back and handing me my board.
“Hey, gotta make an entrance,” I said.
He laughed. “Yeah, let’s hope you don’t mess it up now that you’ve got your blonde distraction in the crowd.”
“Don’t worry. I always get the girl and land the jump,” I said, giving him a wink before looking at the red-faced girl in the crowd.
This was definitely turning into something more than just a bet. I just didn’t know how much.
***
Landing a silver medal in giant slalom wasn’t hard, figuring out where to take a girl on a date in the Olympic village was like trying to land a triple cork and not look like an idiot.
Usually, the only place I needed to take a girl was back to my cabin, and she was pretty happy with some whiskey and a backrub. That could work for Kelly or she would probably slap me.
Either way, I didn’t want to just get this girl in the bedroom. She may have started out as a bet, but the more time I spent with her, the more time I was starting to really like the stuck up skater.
No, that wasn’t right. She appeared stuck up, and that was the first thing I thought about the girl with the nose in the air. But I learned she was driven. All she’d known her entire life was skating and had never lived a life outside of that. Maybe sheltered wasn’t the right word, but the girl had to get out, and if I didn’t have to approach her for the bet, she might never have. But I couldn’t tell her about the bet. As soon as I did, she would go right back to the girl who hated everyone that wasn’t her skating partner, who I wasn’t even sure she liked that much. I wanted to see this girl keep smiling and to be the one to make her smile. So, I couldn’t mess up our date.
Our date that was all I could think about while I had to have an awkward obligatory “family celebration” breakfast with my parents that morning after my run. I think the place was supposed to be Americanized Korean food but everything tasted the same, and I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to get this over with, so I could get out with Kelly. I didn’t know if I wanted to get over my time with her or prolong it. My head was going in a million different directions and by the time the day was over I was pretty sure I’d need multiple stiff drinks.
“So, Blake, we’ve heard there have been some rumors about you and an American figure skater. The one who we saw you kiss on the big screen at giant slalom,” Mom said not so subtly raising her eyebrows as she put down her wine glass.
I smirked, swirling my fork in the sauce covered noodles. “Yeah. I’ve been hanging out with Kelly Johnson.”
“Any chance she’s shared contacts to her sponsors?” Mom asked.
I groaned. “Really? That’s the first thing you ask? Not ‘Oh is she just a fling or are you serious?’ But about sponsors? You have to be kidding me right now.”
Mom blinked hard. “What? It was merely a question. Do you want me to ask about your love life? If you’ll be moving out of the house now that you have a medal and maybe a shot at some sponsors? That is if you continue to board or what else you had in mind.”
I blew out a deep breath. “Kelly and I are friends. I haven’t asked about sponsors and, yeah, with the medal money I plan on putting a down payment on a house somewhere. Maybe New York.”
Mom’s eyes widened at the last part. “New York? As in America? Is it really that serious with you and the girl?”
I didn’t even know where the idea of New York came from. I’d toyed with the idea of moving to America for years. I always thought it would be southern California so I could be near the mountains or the beach. But with Kelly in the back of my mind, New York just came out. And the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t sound half bad living near her. Maybe starting something. That is if anything happened after The Games. If this really was more than a bet.
I shrugged. “Maybe. I guess I’ll see what happens after my next event.”
***
Without really thinking where I was going after breakfast, I found myself at the rink just as Logan was leaving. Kelly was already back at her room; I guessed getting ready for the date I was supposed to take her on in an hour.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped out of the men’s locker room.
I pushed off the wall I was leaning on, realizing that I looked like a creeper hanging outside of the men’s door, especially since I was still dressed up in a button down and dark jeans from breakfast instead of the warm ups everyone else was in. “Um, yeah, which is why I’m here to talk to you.”
Logan glared. “If you’re about to tell me that you’re going to ditch Kelly today, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to freaking hear it. She fucked up at qualifying, but if because of you, we’re off the podium, I don’t even fucking want to know until I’m beating your ass because of it,” he said, pushing his backpack up on his shoulder and starting toward the doors.
I walked in step with him and shook my head. “No, man, not at all. The opposite actually.”
Logan stopped and turned toward me, his brow still furrowed. “And what’s the opposite of that?”
I blew out a breath and ran my fingers through
my dreads. “Look, you’re like the only friend Kelly has besides her sister. To be honest, she’s too damn good for me, and I can’t just take her to some bar in South Korea again and expect that to impress her.”
It was true. I could probably take her to a bar again, pound some drinks, and get back to my cabin. But if this was the last shot I had with her, then I had to take it. I knew how easy it would be to avoid her after this. If I finally had all of her, then I’d admit how this started. I’d just have to figure out how to say it without sounding like a dick.
Or I could never tell her. We could go on this date, be happy, and then once The Games were over I’d go back to Canada, and she’d go back to New York. If I was lucky maybe I’d have a house by the spring and we’d reconnect. No bet around us. At least that sounded good in my head, but I knew it would be hard to stay away from her, no matter what.
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Blake. It’s not like there’s a lot of fancy restaurants around the Olympic village,” Logan said, shaking his head.
Realization dawned on me, and I nodded, forming an O with my lips. “Oh, I get it. This explains everything now…”
“I beg your pardon?” Logan crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’ve been going along with everything because you secretly like Kelly and you’re hoping I fail at this so she can fall into your arms and you can be the good guy to save her. I get it, man, and I don’t want to…”
Logan raised his hand and cut me off before I could say anything else. “I don’t have feelings for Kelly that way. I love her as a sister and teammate, but that’s it.”
“Okay…” I said, drawing the words out. Figuring this guy had to have some other ulterior motive than just winning gold medals with this girl. I guess maybe that was all it could be. That’s how I thought Kelly was. Just in it for the gold. Then again, people can surprise you.
Logan sighed, running his hand over his face. “It’s her sister, okay?”
“What?” I couldn’t have heard him right.