by Kerry Sparks
Chapter 7- Drama at the Ice Rink
We only had a three day school week this week. Thursday would be the start of our winter break. Normally, I loved taking a break from school, but things were going so well with Tom that I could tell I was going to miss him.
“Did you kiss him yet?” Lindy asked.
“Not yet,” I said, “Did you kiss Scott?”
“Yes, but he’s not a very good kisser. It was like dog slobber,” she said.
“Really?” I laughed.
“Yeah. I’m not talking to him anymore. He’s a geek.”
Scott a bad kisser? And a geek? I let it go. Lindy was just venting. She needed to vent. Scott had issues, and neither of us had time to put up with his immaturity. We had to concentrate on the big prize…a one hundred dollar mall gift card.
Lindy held up the finished beret. It was black with a black bow.
“It’s so adorable!” I gushed.
“Thanks!” she beamed with pride.
“I think you should be a fashion designer some day,” I added.
“I’d love that!” she said.
“I’ll buy the socks over Christmas break. You can get the shoes since you’re the model. Let’s get as much stuff done as we can. We won’t have the sewing machines over break,” I pointed out.
“Good idea,” agreed Lindy.
“I have access to a sewing machine,” Francesca chimed in, “We’re going to work on our design during Christmas vacation.”
I wanted to tell Francesca to pin a rose on her nose, but I had already said this to her so many times that she had over twenty roses on her nose.
“I want my dollar back,” I said under my breath.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Nothing. Merry Christmas Francesca,” I said with a fake smile.
The bell rang. Tom waited for me outside the door. He grabbed my books and walked me to my locker.
“I’ll miss you,” he said.
“I’ll miss you too,” I said.
He kissed me on the cheek.
“I’ll call you,” he said.
“I’ll text you!” I said.
Lindy made gagging noises.
“You’re next!” I said, “Come here!”
I started making kissing noises and chasing her around the locker room area.
“Nooo!” she yelled running.
I laughed.
“Bye Lindy! I’ll call you!” I called after her.
She laughed. I love that Lindy can take a joke. This is why we’re such good friends.
***
It was the day after Christmas. I got some sweet goodies this year. I got this pink sweater that I really wanted from my mom and a VISA gift card from my grandma. My mother also filled a stocking with all kinds of goodies for me like a DS video game, a phone card for my cell phone, and a one year subscription to Tween Times magazine.
Lindy and I were going ice skating together today, and we were also going to do a gift exchange. I got her a pair of dangly earrings that looked like peacock feathers. I know she likes dangly earrings and turquoise so I think she’ll really like them. I also got her a gift card to Smoothies R’ Us at the mall because Lindy loves smoothies.
We arrived at Lindy’s house, and my mother honked the horn. Lindy came out of the house wearing (gasp!) the same sweater my mom had just bought me! It was pastel pink and had a glittery shine to it. It came with a white scarf, which was perfect for ice skating.
“Isn’t that your sweater?” my mom asked.
“Yes, but it’s so cool!” I said.
It was cool. It wouldn’t have been cool if Francesca had the same sweater as me, but this was my best friend so it was ok. I got out of the car and walked with Lindy.
“Great sweater! I have the same one!” I said.
“Sweet! We’ll have to call each other and wear it the exact same day to school,” she suggested.
“Great idea! Let’s!” I agreed.
Lindy and I climbed into my mom’s baby blue Chevy Malibu. Lindy’s present was waiting for her on the seat.
“Merry Christmas!” I said, handing her the present.
“Thank you! I have a present for you too. I’m paying for your ice skating admission today and snacks,” she said flashing her wad of bills.
“Cool! Thanks!” I said.
“Yes, thanks!” my mom agreed.
Lindy opened her present, excitedly, and absolutely loved the earrings. I smiled.
We arrived at the ice skating rink to find all of the ice skaters on the benches. Only a handful of elite skaters were allowed to skate.
“What’s going on here?” I demanded.
“The Skating Swans Club is having tryouts. The rink will be open to the public in about an hour,” said the irritated referee.
I’m sure he was tired of having to repeat the same things over and over again.
“An hour’s not so bad,” said Lindy.
“The Skating Swans…” I said dreamily, “I wish I could try out.”
Lindy snickered.
To be a member of The Skating Swans Club would be an honor. Some of the girls who started out skating for The Swans went off to skate at the Olympic trials! No one from the club had ever skated in the actual Olympics. I wished my parents would’ve put me on the rink when I was in my diapers. That’s pretty much when you have to start if you want to be the best. I wouldn’t mind being the best skater in town.
I could just picture it. I would step out onto the rink in a custom made leotard in a rich plum color, since purple is my favorite color, with little Swarovski crystals on the neckline. The cutest guy in the whole world would grab my hand as soon as I stepped onto the rink. (I would have to be a couple’s skater, of course, if I wanted to skate with the cutest guys.) And he would grab my hand, and we would start out by skating really fast. Our first move would be side by side double toe loops. Then he would throw me into the air…And then I would come crashing down on the ice.
“Ow!” I said out loud.
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your brain?” Lindy asked.
She giggled. I scowled.
“No. I just wish I was a better skater,” I admitted.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re good at soccer, and you’re pretty much the best speller in the whole school.”
“Thanks Lindy,” I said.
“Let’s go watch The Swans!” Lindy suggested.
We elbowed some boys out of our way and then went to the front wall to get a better view of the skaters. My jaw hit the floor.
“Who is that girl with the glittery skates? Is that who I think it is?” I asked.
Lindy had her glasses on today.
“Omigosh! That’s Francesca!” she squealed.
“That’s what I thought. Francesca is trying out for The Swans?” I asked in shock.
“No! She is a swan!” Lindy shrieked.
“Easy girl,” I said, rubbing my ear, “But how do you know?”
“She’s wearing the gold swan pin on her sweater. Only members get to wear the gold
swan pin,” she explained.
“And how do you know all of this?” I asked, putting my hand on my hip.
“It’s a tradition. My aunt was a swan. She still has her gold pin. She keeps it in her jewelry box. She always gets it out and shows it to me whenever I come over.”
“You poor thing,” I said.
“I don’t mind. She said she’s going to hand down the pin to me some day since she doesn’t have a daughter. It’s real gold.”
“Lucky!” I said.
We continued to watch The Swans do their spins and jumps. Francesca looked very graceful on the ice. She did a huge jump and landed it.
“Whoa! Did you see the air she got on that jump?”
Lindy and I looked at each other. Neither one of us said that. Scott Parker did.
I glared at him. I looked at
Lindy to see her reaction. You could see smoke coming out of her ears, and it was freezing outside.
“Come on Lindy. Let’s go get some hot chocolate,” I suggested.
“Good idea,” she agreed.
We ordered two hot chocolates from the snack bar. Lindy paid the cashier.
“Hey! There’s no tiny marshmallows in here!” complained Lindy when she received hers.
“Read the sign,” said the male cashier, who was probably around seventeen.
“We are out of tiny marshmallows,” I read.
“Well, that’s just great,” said Lindy.
“Lindy, calm down,” I said in a soothing voice.
“No, I will not calm down. Did you see Scott Parker? He was just drooling all over Francesca Clearwater! He just broke up with me! Where is the mourning period? And now there are no tiny marshmallows in my hot chocolate! What is this world coming to?”
I was speechless. There’s not much to say when your friend is having a nervous breakdown. I took a sip of my hot chocolate. It tasted good, but I think Lindy was right about the marshmallows. They just made it better somehow. I perked up.
“Lindy! The rink is open! Let’s go skate!”
She took a sip of her drink.
“Ok,” she said unenthusiastically.
We set our drinks down and made our way over to the rink. We both skated very close to the wall. I have only been ice skating twice, and I’m pretty sure Lindy is close to my number. Francesca glided by us.
“Hello ladies,” she said in a snobby tone.
“Ugh!” said Lindy with a huff.
I laughed.
“It’s ok Lindy. Its Francesca remember? She has to be perfect at everything, and that includes ice skating,” I said.
Lindy laughed.
“You’re right,” she agreed.
We skated a few laps. We were having a blast. We weren’t falling down, and it was fun to talk and try to keep our balance at the same time. I think Lindy forgot all about Scott.
Then Scott Parker skated by and brushed up against Lindy. She lost her balance and fell down.
“I’m sorry Lindy,” he apologized sincerely.
“That does it!” yelled Lindy.
“It was an accident!” protested Scott.
He skated off real fast. I think he wanted to avoid being slapped by Lindy.
“Lindy, I think it really was an accident,” I said, “He sounded really sorry.”
“That was no accident. He deliberately ran into me,” she said, “I’m going to get him.”
I started laughing hysterically.
“How’re you going to get him? He skates way faster than you,” I pointed out.
“Oh, I will get him!” she promised.
“Whatever you say Lindy. Are you alright?” I asked.
“Physically yes. Emotionally no,” she said.
What to do?
“Want to keep skating?” I asked.
“No thanks. Let’s go take a hot chocolate break.”
We carefully skated back to the table where we left our hot chocolates. Poof! Gone.
“Where are our hot chocolates?” she asked.
“I dunno,” I said.
Something caught Lindy’s eye. She glared and made her way over to a table where Scott and Francesca were sitting. Helpless, I followed.
“Where did you guys get those hot chocolates?” she demanded.
“Uh…I bought them,” said Scott.
Lindy huffed. I could see her face turning bright red like an angry tomato.
“Oh, so you’re buying her hot chocolate now?” she asked.
“What?” a confused Scott asked.
“Are you sure you didn’t steal those hot chocolates? You know Jen and I had two hot chocolates sitting over there, and those look an awful lot like ours!”
I groaned. This girl was losing it.
“Lindy…” I started.
She cut me off.
“Ok Scott Parker. You can have my hot chocolate!”
Lindy took Scott’s cup and dumped the hot liquid on his pants. I gasped and covered my mouth. Did she really just do that? If I had a remote control I’d push the rewind button. It all happened so fast. I just stood there in shock.
“Ouch!” he yelled, getting up real fast, “What is wrong with you?”
Lindy didn’t answer. I think she had shocked herself. Francesca only glared. I think she kept quiet so that Lindy wouldn’t pour her hot chocolate on her. Lindy was out of control! What would she do next? We didn’t have to wait for her next move. Someone tapped Lindy on the shoulder. It was the seventeen year old cashier.
“Excuse me Miss. He paid for that hot chocolate. You’re going to have to leave,” he said.
“You’re messed up!” shouted Scott, “The only reason I’m going to walk away from this is because you’re a girl. If you were a dude, I’d hit you!”
Lindy closed her eyes. I know that hurt. I tapped her on the shoulder.
“Come on girl. Let’s go call your mom,” I said.
“She’s going to freak,” said Lindy.
“I won’t tell,” I said.
“Thanks Jen,” she said.
We sat on the curb, huddled together, still shivering from the cold.
“What is it like minus five degrees out here?” my teeth chattered.
“Sounds about right,” she agreed.
I could sense the iciness in her voice. She was definitely not over what just happened back there. I wasn’t even over what happened back there. I needed to break the ice. I had to think of something clever to say…something that would cheer her up.
I started giggling.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I’m just laughing because after you dumped that hot chocolate on Scott, it looked like he peed his pants!” I hooted.
“You’re right. It did,” she said with a giggle.
Then her voice turned sad.
“But he hates me now,” she said.
“Don’t worry. He’ll get over it. One day you guys will look back on this day and laugh about it…just like we are,” I said.
“You’re right. But I was just awful. Wasn’t I just awful?” she asked, tearing up.
“You’re not awful. You just got mixed up in your emotions. That happens to me too,” I said.
“Really?” she asked, sniffing and wiping her eye.
“Yeah. I thought I really liked Scott too. He made me believe that he really liked me. He did the same to you. Now he’ll probably dump Francesca as well. She’ll probably be thanking you for dumping that hot chocolate on him the next time we see her,” I said.
“You think so?” she asked.
“I know so,” I said.
Lindy’s mom honked the horn.
“Not a word?”
“My lips are sealed,” I promised.
