It was a cold, snowy day in the middle of January when Nick finally decided to put on his old hockey skates and go out to the local rink to see if he still had the knack. With his skate laces tied to one another and slung over his shoulder, he went out the back door.
When he arrived at the rink, he saw only a few cars in the parking lot and smiled. The less cars that were there, the less people inside to be embarrassed in front of. He went in and sat down on a bench so he could lace up his skates. With one skate on, he looked up only to see someone already standing in their skates in front of him. "What are YOU doing here?"
Brian smiled down at his friend. "Same thing you are."
"Skating." Nick finished lacing up the other skate and then stood up. "And I'm not even sure if I remember how."
Brian slapped his back. "It's like riding a bike. Once you learn how, you'll never forget."
"Sure... that's what people SAY, but is it actually true?"
"Of course it is. Everybody wouldn't say it if it weren't true, would they?"
Nick and Brian walked out to the rink. "You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Nick mumbled as he set one blade on the ice and then the other.
"Well, GO already!" Brian said, giving him a hard push.
Nick flew out onto the ice, holding his arms out to balance himself. Unfortunately, his right blade hit a lump in the ice and he tripped, falling on his side. "Ouch! You bastard!" he shouted at Brian. "Like riding a bike, huh?"
Two skaters, already on the ice, stopped to look at him, while Brian quietly ducked out of the rink and back into the warming room.
"Ugh!" Nick cried, carefully pulling himself to his feet and then brushing the shredded ice from his jeans. When he looked up, there was a girl skating circles around him.
"You okay?" she asked, skidding to a stop in front of him. "That was a pretty nasty fall."
Nick frowned. Was she making fun of his skating capabilities? "I haven't done this in a while," he told her, looking at the exit. "And it's NOT like riding a bike!"
"Maybe not," she agreed, "but it will be easier if you practice a little."
"Hey," he said as if she had insulted him. "I'll be just fine on my own, thanks. I don't need much practice."
"Fine," she shrugged, skating a few more circles around him while he turned his head to watch her. "But try LIFTING your feet off the ground next time," and she just skated off.
"I lift," he grumbled when she was out of earshot. He pushed off, gliding down the center of the rink. "I can skate."
"Sure, you can," a sarcastic voice from behind him said. He tried to turn around, but stumbled and almost fell again. She laughed.
"How'd you get around so quickly?" he wondered, still struggling to stay upright. She didn't answer, but only grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her.
"Pick up your feet! You're never going to get anywhere if all you do is glide."
"I'm pushing!"
"You are not. I'm PULLING you. See?" She let go and he glided until he came to a stop. "You're not pushing. Here." She went over to him and took his arm back. "Now try."
He pushed off and she steadied him.
"See?"
"I can skate," he insisted, running a hand through his blonde hair and looking down at the ice as he slowly went along. "Are you a figure skater or something?"
She laughed. "Hardly!"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Same thing you are... brushing up, only I came back here about a month ago. I sorta told this cute hockey player at school that I was a skater when I hadn't been on the ice in over five years. He said he wanted to take me skating on one of those outdoor rinks where you just keep going around in circles. I kept putting him off because... well, like I said, I hadn't skated for a while. So, here I am, brushing up a little before our date."
"Oh," Nick smiled. "So you used to be as bad as I am?"
"Well, I never really FELL like that before, but..."
"Hey, I was pushed."
"Who pushed you?"
"Brian did."
Just as they were rounding the corner, Nick's foot slipped and he threw his arms around her to keep from falling.
"I swear, if you take me down with you, there'll be trouble."
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Brian sticking his head through the doorway. "Play along," he whispered to the girl. "So," he said loudly. "Tell me more about what a great skater I am."
The girl gave him a push, but grabbed his arm before he fell. "I'm not playing along with such a ridiculous lie!"
"Geez! Watch it! I do NOT want to fall again!" Nick said looking at her with a frown. Her brown eyes were frowning back at him as she pushed her hair away from her face.
"You're so full of yourself," she commented as she let go of his arm again.
"Ha, ha... funny, Nick," Brian finally spoke up as he emerged out onto the ice. "Have I ever told you that you have a way with women?"
Chapter 2
The Loneliness Inside
Non-Nsync Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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