I glided across the ice with ease, my motions like a graceful swan due to my new skates. I had loved ice skating since my mom first put me into it as a toddler, and I had always wanted to pursue it professionally. I hadn't had the chance, of course, because of Mom's financial condition, but now with Dad supporting me, I was sure that I could even get into the Olympics if I wanted to. "May!" I skated over to where my private coach was leaning against the board. "Yes, Miss Elsa?" "I'm telling you, you're just not built for solo skating. You should really get a partner." I looked down at my toes. "If you think so." Miss Elsa smiled. "We have a skater who's new in town, just like you. His name is Leo Hart. He could be one of the candidates for your partner. Would you like me to call him and ask if he would like to pop by the rink tomorrow?" I shrugged. "Sure." "So, how was practice?" Dad asked. "Miss Elsa told me that you're trying out for pair skating." "It's not official," I clarified. "The guy she set me up with is just popping by the rink tomorrow to skate with me. It's up to Miss Elsa if he's a worthy partner or not." "Well, how are those new skates?" "I literally spent the entirety of practice breaking into them," I chuckled. "Is Collin home? I forgot when he was leaving." Dad smiled sadly. "Yeah, since school's starting soon, he's gonna have to go back to college in a couple of days, but I'll get his phone number for you, so you two can chat. But, you know that you can talk to April too. She's closer to your age than Collin is." My nose wrinkled, and I shook my head. "April's the last person I want to talk to. She's so rude to me all the time. At first, I was excited to have a sister, but now I prefer my older brother more." Dad sighed. "I've been trying to talk to her about that, but you know how she is. She's going back to Canada soon anyways, so she won't be a problem for you anymore, I can assure you." "She's not a problem, I just don't understand why she hates me so much." Dad reached for my hand, but out of habit, I snatched it away. I immediately regretted it once I saw the hurt on his face. He cleared his throat. "Anyways, apparently it's because her boyfriend just moved to this town, and they're in a long-distance relationship. She's really upset that she has to go back to Canada with him here." "Oh." I wondered who her boyfriend was, and if I'd meet him once school started. I took a deep breath, then rapped on the door twice. "What do you want?" April's glare was as hot as a bullet. "Do you need help packing?" April's perfect eyebrow shot up. "The maids have already taken care of it. And I know you're too absorbed in your new skates and private coach to care about helping me pack. What do you really want?" I fidgeted with my hoodie. "Well, I was hoping you could tell me about Harbor View. I only just moved here, and I thought it could give us some quality time as sisters." "Look," April said. "I never /wanted/ you as a sister. You and your broke mom don't deserve Daddy's generosity, so you should really just go back to living in the dump where you belong." I was extremely taken aback and offended by her harsh words. "How dare you talk about Mom like that! She's your mom too, you know." "She's no mother to me," April insisted. "I don't associate myself with people with no status, let alone poor people. Besides, Daddy already has a girlfriend, and I already have to deal with /her/ status in society." "What? Dad has a girlfriend?" This information was new to me. I knew that there was no way he and Mom were ever getting remarried, but it was hard to believe that he had a girlfriend. "Yeah, and she's your coach." My eyes bugged out. "MISS ELSA?!" "Yeah, I know right...so messed up..." "Ugh, this just made my life a load harder," I groaned. "Anyways, Vivianne was coming up here to call you down for dinner, but I told her that I'd tell you since I was coming anyways." "Who's Vivianne?" April asked. "Uh, your personal maid?" This wasn't surprising though, since April regularly forgot the names of the household's staff, usually bossing them around using "Hey, you!" "Oh, the new girl?" She smoothed down her skirt. "I guess." "Well, tell Daddy that I'll be down in about fifteen minutes." "But the food will be cold by then," I said. "I need to put on my makeup, and the chef can just make another meal for me." "You take fifteen minutes to put on your makeup?" I asked. "That's a little absurd." "What's absurd is the amount of time you're standing here arguing with me," April snapped. "Now shoo." Back in the dining hall, Dad was on his laptop typing while at the same time shoveling food into his mouth. Collin was reading a book, and I decided to start a conversation to break the awkward silence. "So, Col, whatchu' reading?" I asked while taking a sip of my fruit punch. Dad seemed to take interest in this question, since he shut his laptop to stare at Collin.
"Yes, what are you reading, Collie? I thought we talked about this. You're not supposed to read at dinner. There's a reason that every dining room has a table. We're supposed to talk, like a family." Collin rolled his eyes. "I'm merely studying. It's always good to study." "But you're at the top of your class," I remarked. I didn't wanna say anything to get him into further trouble, since I knew he wasn't really reading. He had cut out the pages of the book in his hand, replacing them with a phone. "Hey, miss me?" We all turned our heads to see April in a Gucci outfit, looking like she was going to a party. "Why do you dress so properly in your own home?" I was genuinely curious about the answer. "Because, there are servants here that need to be reminded who they are serving, stvpid," she said, checking her nails. "April," Dad snapped. "What did we talk about? Don't call your sister names. And treat the staff with respect." "Sorry, Daddy. But Maybelle here is a little annoying brat." "It's May," I hissed. I was stiff and awkward the next morning at the rink. I couldn't bring myself to look Miss Elsa in the eye, or even speak to her without turning as red as a tomato. "May, are you alright? You seem a little...off today. Is it nerves?" I shook my head. "No, ma'am. Speaking of nerves, is he almost here?" Miss Elsa nodded. "He just called me, and he'll be arriving in about five minutes, more or less. Keep on breaking into those skates so you're ready for him." I nodded and did a figure eight for show, a few crossovers, and one spiral. But just as I was about to do a one-foot spin, I was knocked off balance as a sudden voice called out "Good morning!" and I fell flat on my face. "Oof!" I looked up to see Miss Elsa and a boy around my age grimacing at me. The boy already had his skates on, and he stepped onto the rink, doing a camel spin before extending a hand towards me to help me up. It was only after I brushed myself off did I realize how devastatingly handsome he was. He looked like a literal Greek god, with his beautiful sea-green eyes and perfectly chiseled face. And I could see how ripped he was right through his shirt! The first thing I said to him was, "Your eyes are so cool," after which I instantly turned a beet red, and he chuckled. "Why, thank you." His eyes lingered on my face a little, and I blushed harder. "Woah, you're really pretty." At that point, my face was so hot and red I was sure not even an ice bath could cool me down. Despite that, I tried my hardest to keep it casual. "Uh, thanks. You're not too ugly yourself." The boy chuckled again, his laugh like a bubbly spring. I swore I could've stared at his beautiful face for the rest of my life if Miss Elsa hadn't stepped onto the rink at that moment and pulled us apart. "Ahem. May, this is Leo. Leo, May." "Nice to meet you, May. Is that your nickname or-" "It's short for Maybelle," I injected hurriedly. "Oh, that's pretty," he said. "Why don't you have people call you Belle? Isn't that what it means in French? Beautiful? I think it describes you pretty well." I blushed again. "My mom calls me Belle sometimes, but most people call me May." "Ah, I see." Miss Elsa clapped her hands together, a signal for us to pay attention and focus. "Okay, let's warm up with some forward stroking and crossovers in holds." At first, it was a bit awkward since I wasn't used to pair skating, but Leo obviously was, and he guided me well enough that I didn't look like an absolute fool in front of Miss Elsa. Soon, we were moving on to lifts, and I was giddy and nervous at the same time. The moment Leo placed his firm, strong hands on my waist, I squirmed like crazy before finally regaining my dignity. I could tell that Leo was strong, because he lifted me with ease while retaining a proper skating technique on the ice. "Nice, Leo! I can't say the same for you though, May! Keep your spine straight!" Miss Elsa called from the barracks. I grunted, straightening up. While the lesson progressed, I realized I was learning more and more about how Leo's body worked. Although he was muscular, he was thin, so he was more elegant on the ice than I had given him credit for. And he also moved with the quiet confidence of a skater who had been professionally skating for years. I was so jealous. "You know, you're pretty good for someone who just started skating professionally," Leo said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, well not all of us need private coaches and fancy skates to skate well. I guess it's just a skill issue for you, Leo." To my surprise, instead of getting angry, Leo just chuckled. It was making /me/ irritated how laid-back he was. Like, was he so good at skating that he didn't have to worry about anything? But the way he made sure I didn't trip or lose my balance, the way he watched my every move, it gave a new meaning to my ice skating passion. And that's when I knew pair skating was perfect for me, just like Miss Elsa had said.
