“You kids have fun last night?” Martha laid her hands on Morgan’s shoulders.
“It was all right.” He raised his glass to his lips.
Martha ruffled his hair, Morgan trying to push away her hands. “You need to cut this mop.”
“Stop.” Morgan wrestled away then smoothed down his messy, blond locks. His eyes then turned to Sam, who seemed to appear magically from another room. Sam glared at his friend then his sister. Anne wasn’t with him and, judging by his disheveled appearance, she hadn’t stayed over, either.
“Morning, Sam.” Gwen sent him a wavering smile.
“You need to cut yours, too.” Now on the other side of the bar, Martha was cooking. She pointed a spatula at Sam.
“I like Morgan’s long.” Gwen sent Morgan a flirty smile. His hand slipped between her legs, rubbing her thigh and making her giggle. But instead of raging, Sam just rolled his eyes at the play and turned to Martha instead.
They ate breakfast with the Tanner’s then went home, Morgan tagging along. The boys went to Sam’s room, Gwen to hers. Hearing a knock, Gwen turned to the door. It opened slowly, her mother leaning against the doorframe. She pushed it the rest of the way open with a stiff hand. There was a very angry expression on her face, but she didn’t say anything.
Gwen looked at her in confusion before going back to rummaging in her drawer.
“Gwen.” Joan’s voice was deep, and though it was low, there was a cat-like growl to it that showed she was in a lot of trouble. Her mother had never used that tone with her. It had always been reserved for Sam, who was constantly misbehaving.
“What?” Gwen narrowed her eyes, defensiveness in her tone.
“Your coach asked for an extra practice for this afternoon. She needs to talk to you about something.”
“Oh…kay…” Gwen shrugged her shoulders, still not seeing the point of her mother’s anger. “I’ll get ready then.” She went to turn, but her mother’s voice stopped her.
“Don’t you pull that innocent act on me, young lady.” Joan wagged her finger then shut the door behind her.
“What?” Gwen shook her head as she shrugged again. “I never said I wouldn’t skate. I’ll get ready.”
“Your coach called me, and I didn’t know Hailey’s number, so I went to her apartment.” Joan’s smile grew when she saw Gwen’s expression. “And you weren’t there. Her boyfriend informed me you hadn’t come home with them.”
“I…” Gwen’s fingers tensed around the sweater in her hand. Her mother signaled for her to elaborate. “I went to Morgan’s with Sam and Anne,” Gwen caved. “And…I slept on the couch in the basement with Anne.”
“Thank you.” Joan let out a deep sigh. “Anne told her mother she was staying at our house.”
“She did?” Gwen looked confused.
“She called me this morning looking for her.”
“Sooo…” Gwen bit her lip, not quite sure what else to say. “Am I in trouble? Sam was there, so me and Morgan didn’t get any closer than sitting next to each other.”
“Get ready,” her mother’s voice was stern. “Full costume.”
“What?” Gwen’s jaw dropped. “For practice?”
“Now, young lady. Be in the car in ten minutes.”
Rolling her eyes, Gwen threw her sweater back in the drawer and went to her closet to grab her things.
Leaving Gwen, Joan walked to Sam’s room. She knocked on the door. When he opened it, she smiled at him.
Joan’s voice was soft, but scheming, “Morgan?”
Morgan turned. “Yeah, Mrs. R?” His unfailing, upbeat tone didn’t waver.
“Did Gwenie stay at your house last night?”
“It was my idea, Mom,” Sam interrupted. “We went to Morgan’s to play some games, and Gwen and Anne fell asleep.” He playfully nudged Morgan’s shoulder. “Girls tap out early. Wusses.”
“All right.” Joan sighed. Her face then brightened. “I’m taking Gwen to Charleston. We’ll be back tonight.” She then whispered, “Don’t either of you tell her, or I won’t get her out of the house.”
“You’re taking her to a competition?” Sam spoke sarcastically, “She loves those things.”
“As long as she’s not the one competing.” Morgan’s eyes narrowed on Joan.
“Hush, Mr. Tanner.” She motioned for him to be quiet.
“She’s gonna be pissed.” Sam chuckled as he studied his mother’s face. “You’ll have to yank her onto the ice like you did last year. Gwen doesn’t like to compete, so why do you keep pushing her?”
“This isn’t a competition. It’s a tryout.”
“For what?”
“A very good coach is offering his services for free twice a month to the girl he thinks is the best. I have to get Gwen those lessons.”
“Good luck.” Morgan snickered. “She’s gonna bail on you.”
Joan ignored him. “I brought some leftovers home from the party last night. They’re in the fridge. Nick’s gonna be workin’ all day, taking the decorations down at Langley, so you boys are in charge of Robby.”
“Ready, Mom.” Gwen appeared in the doorway. She was wearing her costume, the fabric stretched tight over her muscular body. She sent Morgan a grin. “Bye, Morgan.”
He smiled slyly and waved at her. “We got a rematch tonight, remember?”
Gwen laughed, covering her mouth as she danced on her feet slightly. “Okay.”
“Rematch for what?” Sam looked at Morgan in displeasure.
“Racing.” Morgan played it off, but his wicked grin gave away his naughty intentions.
“We’re late.” Joan hurried Gwen to the car. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the rink, the Roberts living in Vinton, a suburb of the larger city near them.
When Gwen watched them pass the turn and continue out the highway, she became confused. “Mom, you totally missed it.”
“We aren’t going to the Kats’ arena, honey.”
“Then…” Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “Where are we going?”
“Charleston.”
“Mom,” Gwen’s voice deepened. “I’m not competing in those big competitions.”
“You’re not competing. You need to get over this ridiculous fear of yours. You’re a great skater, Gwen.” Her mother’s voice had a hint of desperation in it. “I don’t want you to waste that.” Gwen groaned and glared out the window. “Dellings says she has never trained a skater like you. You’re better than any she’s seen in these bigger competitions—ones you refuse to attend, by the way.”
“Mom, I don’t want to compete. I’m not ready.” Gwen’s eyes showed her stress as she pleaded. “I can’t stand the idea of being stared at by all those people. Judged. I just can’t.”
“Now, Gwenie, it’s not like that at all. You’re overreacting. Dellings got you some practice time on the ice in Charleston. She’s gonna meet us there. Then, after watching the other girls, you’ll see you are just as good as they are.”
“No competing?” Gwen sent a sideways smile, her voice soft.
“No competing.” Joan smiled.
It took four hours to get to Charleston, which was one of the hotspots of figure skating. Gwen had watched competitions there with her mother since she was a kid. It was where her love of skating had begun. But Gwen had never been on the ice there, and the thought had her shaky.
They walked into the arena, which only had a few people littering it. Most were families of girls that practiced. There was a man watching the girls closely, writing a few things on his clipboard. Gwen didn’t think much of it, her eyes turning to the girls skating. There were three of them to one coach. They were stumbling a little on their moves, ones that Gwen knew she could handle fluidly.
“Those girls are at the same level as you. You’re sharing their ice time today.” Joan mother pointed to a few girls gathered at the end. Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but her mother continued, “Let’s go over there.”
Joan rushed Gwen over to Dellings, who was s
tanding near the other skaters. As soon as they saw Gwen in her homemade costume and skates with thick, black and red hockey laces, they scoffed at her a little. Gwen looked away and tried to ignore the whispers.
Then, Joan looked at Gwen’s skates. “Gwenie,” she whispered. “Take out those laces.”
“Why?” Gwen looked at her in annoyance as she did her stretches. “They’re my lucky laces.”
“Forget about the laces.” Dellings pointed to the rink then glanced at the man with the clipboard. “Get on the ice. You have two minutes to wow me.”
“But…” Gwen nervously looked around. Three other girls were now skating, hogging the space. “There’s too many people. I can’t.”
“Now.” Dellings’ voice was stern.
Gwen took one cautious step out. The other girls were doing all the same tricks she could do, skipping their practice routine. She froze, her body shaking as she watched. Dellings was yelling at her, but she didn’t move.
Instead of letting her stand there, Dellings shoved her forward. The other skaters glanced at Gwen, the attention making her feel even worse. Getting close to Gwen’s ear, Dellings’ voice was almost venomous, “Get out on that ice now, Roberts.”
“I…” Gwen was terrified, and it showed in her eyes.
“Five laps.” Dellings finally got Gwen to move, the easy action something she could perform. A song came over the loud speaker, filling the arena. The other girls’ coach was shouting orders, but Gwen couldn’t hear Dellings over the noise. Skaters were whizzing past her, each one trying to get the attention of the man analyzing them.
“Pay attention, Roberts!” Dellings shouted. She looked extremely frustrated, her face slightly red. Gwen was making her look bad, and when Gwen tripped a little, Dellings palmed her forehead in annoyance. The “two minutes to wow” were up, and the high-level coach she was supposed to catch the eye of was now following one of the girls that was skating on the left end of the rink.
“Porky!”
Gwen turned to the loud-mouthed, hockey star. Morgan smiled when she looked his way. He was standing on the sidelines, a water bottle in his hand. “Land me one of those triples!”
Gwen was now paying attention to him instead of her coach. Joan was livid and quickly made her way to him. Gwen skated over too, a giant grin on her face. Her confidence grew with his presence, something Joan noticed right away. Gwen was loosening up.
“Triple or nothing, babe!” Morgan laughed, his hands cupped around his lips.
Gwen nodded then started skating, making sure to stay on her side of the ice. First, she landed an axel, and after a few seconds of free skating, she landed a perfect triple. Morgan cheered her on. Dellings was shouting orders at her, but Gwen was having fun instead. She was showing off for her boyfriend, her spins getting tighter, her axels more fluid.
Without knowing it, she had captured more eyes than Morgan’s. Now, amidst a very tight, fast spin, Gwen’s agile body bent backward, her hand grabbing her skate. Her body straightened, her leg bending upward with her body in a smooth, fluid motion.
She spun like a top, her form perfect. Once she had slowed, she gracefully let go of her skate. Straightening, she spun a few times until she came to a stop. Then, she skated away, sending a flirty grin to Morgan. He responded by giving her catcalls, which Joan yelled at him for. His hockey mouth was not appropriate here.
Gwen did a few more jumps, her routine getting more complicated as she showed off for Morgan. With each howl from his lips, she tried harder to please him, landing one jump after another. After a very animate routine of her own making, she slid to a stop in front of Morgan, holding a finishing pose.
Gwen heard the music stop, and the other girls’ coach yell. She was very angry that Gwen had shown them up, but Gwen didn’t even notice. She didn’t know she was competing, either. To her, this was just a test to get her over her fear of skating at public events. Her nervousness had melted away with the entrance of Morgan, something that Dellings was now taking advantage of, rather than fighting.
Dellings shouted orders at her, and Gwen performed perfectly. The high-level coach was standing near Dellings, his soft voice telling her what he wanted to see. Gwen was so enthralled in her skating, she didn’t notice. And now that the other skaters had exited the ice, she didn’t have to worry about bumping into them, either.
Joan balled her fists near her lips as she watched her daughter. Gwen looked amazing, her every move perfect and fluid. This was the skater that could beat all, the skater that Gwen’s fear was afraid to share.
After ten minutes, Gwen was very tired. Dellings was working her harder than ever. Coming to a halt, Gwen’s chest was heaving, her body covered in sweat.
Gwen’s eyes moved from Dellings to the other coach. He was grinning, a very excited look in his eyes. Putting a shaky hand on her hip, Gwen asked the woman, “Good?”
“For now, yes.” Dellings smiled. Her happiness hadn’t carried on in her voice, Gwen thinking she still hadn’t pleased her.
Gwen released a tired sigh, her lips pouting. She then turned and skated slowly over to Morgan and her mother. As she did her cool down routine, she flirted with the handsome center, Joan going over to talk with Dellings and the other coach. They were chatting animatedly, the high-end coach seeming very excited about Gwen.
But Gwen didn’t notice. Her eyes were glued on Morgan.
“You should’a skated in that Kats’ getup you wore last night.”
“It’d match my laces.” She stuck up one of her skates, shaking it. “They’re lucky. I’m never taking them out.”
“Yeah, and when I play for the Avengers, you’ll get a new set.”
“Okay.” Gwen smiled at him sweetly. She placed her skates in her bag then slipped out with Morgan. When her mother glanced her way, she panicked a little when she realized Gwen was gone. A few minutes later, Gwen returned. She was wearing new clothes, her long ponytail falling over her shoulder. She was flirting with Morgan, the pair glued at the hip as they walked back into the arena.
“Gwen.” Joan’s voice made the young girl jump. “Unhook yourself from that boy and come here.” She grabbed Gwen’s arm and pulled her toward Dellings. “Mr. Harmon.” Presenting her daughter, Joan smiled brightly. “This is my daughter, Gwen.”
“Hello, Miss Roberts.” Mr. Harmon shook Gwen’s hand, his eyes studying her. She was heavier than most skaters, but her frame was solid and tall. “How old are you? Nineteen?”
“Seventeen,” her mother corrected.
“I’d love to train you, Gwen.” Mr. Harmon’s smile grew wider. “Would you like that?”
“Well…” Gwen looked apprehensive. “I already have a coach.”
“Excuse me?” Mr. Harmon narrowed his eyes.
“Gwenie.” Joan’s voice shook. “Mr. Harmon wants to train you for regionals.”
“Regionals?” Gwen’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. You tried out to be my next skater.” Harmon motioned to the other girls, who were glaring at her. “You’re the best. I know you’ll go far.”
Gwen swallowed hard, her eyes darting from her coach to her mother. “I guess.”
“Good.” Harmon nodded. “I’ll meet with you twice a month until next year. Dellings will meet with you a few times a week as well.”
“Okay.” Gwen’s voice grew softer by the minute. She was terrified. And it meant a lot of skating. This was no longer fun.
****
Gwen was babysitting her nieces. Her mother and her older brother, Dean, had gone to church, something Gwen and Sam had stopped doing when they were old enough to protest. It didn’t help that their father didn’t go either. Gwen watched the kids, but didn’t mind because they usually behaved.
Both her nieces were fast asleep in the other room, while Gwen did her homework with Morgan in the living room. They weren’t getting much studying done, as Morgan’s hands were all over his girlfriend. There was constant giggling, and Gwen’s voice carried upstairs.
&n
bsp; Robby glared at the pair as he bounded down for lunch. Morgan had Gwen on her back, his hand down her jeans, his lips attached to the flesh of her neck.
“Eww.” Robby rolled his eyes, but he never looked away. “Go upstairs and do that.”
Morgan raised a hand, flipping off the youngster, as he continued to kiss Gwen. She saw it, and speaking to her love in a giggling voice, she pushed his arm down and put it back around her.
Sticking out her neck a little, Gwen looked at her brother, Morgan’s long, blond locks tickling her nose. “Lunch is on the stove, Robby.”
“And you’re on the couch.” Robby sighed, shaking his head as he walked past. He muttered under his breath, “Teenagers are gross.” He went into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of mac and cheese. The kids loved it, and Gwen couldn’t cook much else.
Coming in the back door, Joan’s expression was very stern. She was with Dean and Sam, who she picked up from his part time job at the auto store. She took off her coat and hung it in the closet near the door.
Sam moved into the living room and said hi to Gwen and Morgan. The pair was now studying, but Morgan put down his pen to talk to Sam. The boys immediately got into a conversation about the Kats, and Gwen turned on the television.
After a few minutes of small talk in the other room, Dean was ready to leave. Joan walked out with him to the car, helping him put the girls inside. Then, she returned to the house. She looked at the boys before narrowing her eyes on Gwen.
Feeling the glare, Gwen nervously looked at her mother. Gwen’s hand was on the remote, a popular game show blaring in the background. When she saw her mother’s fists go to her hips, Gwen knew she was in trouble. “Mom?” She quickly mustered up an innocent face.
“I talked to Anne and her mother at church today.” Joan was suppressing the anger in her voice, her upper lip stiff.
“Did she say she had fun at the party?” Gwen put on a cheeky grin and tried to make light of the conversation. When Joan’s expression didn’t soften, Gwen tried again, “Mom…” Setting down the remote, she turned her body toward her mother. “You knew I slept over at Morgan’s with those guys.”
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