Tales From a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess

by Rachel Renée Russell

  I took a deep breath and stepped forward to meet my destiny. I was so nervous, I thought I was going to lose my Egg McMuffin.

  I’d managed to get through the first two practices without Victoria tossing me out.

  But short of a major miracle, I thought it was finally the end of the line for me.

  Once she actually saw me skate, or more correctly, TRY to skate, I was SO out of the show.

  “Final call!” Victoria said sharply. “Chloe, Zoey, and Nikki!”

  As we hustled onto the ice, Victoria watched us like a hawk. I tried my hardest NOT to fall.

  We were just about to get into our starting positions when suddenly there was a major disruption from the stands. . . .

  I skated over, grabbed Brianna’s hand, and escorted her back to her seat!

  “Brianna! Are you trying to get us kicked out of the show?” I hissed. “Sit right there and DON’T! MOVE!”

  She gave me her saddest puppy-dog eyes. “But, Nikki! I want to slide on the ice with you, Chloe, and Zoey!”

  Victoria looked like she was going to blow a gasket. But since there was a camera crew nearby, she just stretched her lips into a cold, mannequinlike smile and batted her eyes really fast.

  As I turned to go back on the ice, a guy in a blue uniform stopped me.

  “Excuse me, but I have a flower delivery for a Victoria Steel. It’s from the mayor’s office. I was told to leave them at the front desk, but it’s closed. Do you know who she is?”

  “Sure, she’s right over there,” I said, pointing.

  Victoria appeared to be doing an impromptu live interview with a TV reporter.

  “Well, I don’t want to interrupt her. But I’m running behind schedule on my deliveries. Could you do me a favor and see to it that she gets these?”

  “No problem!” I said.

  He placed a beautiful bouquet of two dozen pink roses on the seat next to Brianna.

  “Oooh! Those are really PRETTY!” Brianna squealed. “Are they yours?”

  “No, they‘re for that lady over there!” I said, pointing to Victoria. “I have to give them to her.”

  “Nikki, can I give them to her?” Brianna asked excitedly.

  “Don’t even think about it! Stay in your seat!”

  That’s when I got the most brilliant idea!

  “Actually, Brianna, it would be a BIG help if you’d take these flowers over to Victoria!” I said happily.

  “Goody gumdrops!” she cheered.

  “But I need you to be really careful with them. I’m going to wave at you when it’s time. Okay?”

  “Okay. Can I smell them too? I bet they smell like cotton candy! Or bubble gum!”

  I took my place on the ice next to Chloe and Zoey, but I was so nervous, I couldn’t think straight.

  Just as the music was about to start, I waved at Brianna to signal her to take the flowers to Victoria.

  Only Brianna just smiled and waved back at me.

  I waved at her again and this time pointed at the flowers. But Brianna just waved and pointed at the flowers too.

  JUST GREAT !!

  As music blared over the speakers, Chloe and Zoey moved gracefully over the ice.

  But I stood there in my pose, waving my arms in slow motion and wishing I could skate over and strangle Brianna.

  After what seemed like FOREVER, Brianna finally got a clue. She snatched up the bouquet of roses and trudged off toward Victoria.

  Brianna tugged on Victoria’s coat, and when the woman turned around, a wide smile spread across her face.

  “Psst!” Chloe whispered. “Nikki! SKATE!”

  I took off gliding across the ice, immediately lost my balance, and fell to my knees.

  Brianna smiled and handed Victoria the bouquet of flowers.

  “For me?” She gushed like she had just been awarded another gold medal or something.

  Then I tripped over Chloe’s foot, collided with Zoey, and slid across the ice on my butt. It was . . . SURREAL!

  Totally flattered by Brianna’s borrowed gift, Victoria grabbed a pen and paper and gave Brianna her autograph.

  And because Brianna was equally as vain as the celebrity skater, she insisted on giving Victoria HER autograph too.

  Then Brianna gave Victoria a big hug.

  Of course the TV cameras captured every second.

  It seemed like all that gushing, hugging, and smiling went on, like, FOREVER. Or at least, long enough for us to finish our routine.

  Once again we struck a FIERCE ending pose and waited breathlessly for the verdict.

  When Victoria finally turned around and faced us, she was practically glowing.

  Hugging her bouquet in one arm and Brianna in the other, she smiled and said . . .

  As Chloe, Zoey, and I blinked in astonishment, Brianna cheered for us. Very loudly.

  But, hey! Who were WE to disagree with the great and wonderful Victoria Steel?

  And her, um . . . trusty sidekick, Brianna!

  So right now I’m NOT that mad at Mom and Dad about this whole babysitting thing.

  The amazing thing is that I actually SURVIVED THREE whole practice sessions with THE Victoria Steel, BANSHEE DIVA of the figure skating world!

  Now if I could just make it through our entire performance tomorrow, Fuzzy Friends Animal Rescue Center will be saved and Brandon won’t have to move away.

  I’m so NOT looking forward to publicly humiliating myself by tripping, slipping, and stumbling my way through our routine tomorrow.

  But I’m willing to do whatever I have to do.

  And I’m STILL really worried that MacKenzie is going to pull some kind of stunt at the last minute to get us kicked out of the show.

  Even though she hasn’t said anything to me since our little blow-up in the bathroom a few days ago, every time I see her, she just stares at me the way a very hungry snake looks at a mouse.

  That girl is RUTHLESS.

  She’ll do just about anything to anybody to get whatever she wants.

  I will be SO relieved when the Holiday on Ice show is finally OVER!

  !!

  TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

  OMG! OMG! OMG! I cannot believe what just happened! I guess I should just start at the beginning. . . .

  The Holiday on Ice show is well-known for its fabulous costumes. And this year Victoria Steel borrowed them from the private collection of a famous, award-winning Broadway producer.

  At 9:00 a.m., everyone met with the wardrobe manager for a final fitting and costume check.

  Chloe, Zoey, and I were skating to the classical holiday piece “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker.

  That was because Chloe and Zoey were dying to wear a superglitzy costume like the heroine in The Ice Princess.

  Well, my BFFs got their wish! The fairy costumes Victoria selected for us were AMAZING!

  I almost fell over in shock when MacKenzie actually complimented us.

  She said she loved our gorgeous costumes and they were her very favorites.

  After our fitting was over, we spent the morning at a swanky spa getting manicures and pedicures. Then we visited a salon for hair and makeup.

  Talk about GLAM! We were ready for the cover of Girls’ Life magazine!

  After we grabbed a quick lunch, it was almost 2:00 p.m. and time to head back to the arena to get dressed for the 4:00 p.m. show.

  Even though I was a nervous wreck about skating in front of a thousand people, my only goal was to finish that routine. Even if it killed me.

  Then Fuzzy Friends would be awarded the money and Brandon could stay at WCD !

  But unfortunately, what started off as a great day was quickly ruined when we realized . . .

  OUR SUGAR PLUM FAIRY COSTUMES WERE MISSING!! AND IN THEIR PLACE WERE . . .

  CLOWN COSTUMES?!

  When we reported the situation to the wardrobe manager, she and her staff spent thirty minutes searching for our fairy costumes.

  But they were nowhere to be fo
und.

  I had a sneaking suspicion MacKenzie had something to do with the disappearance.

  She had this nasty little smirk on her face and was snickering at our new costumes. But I had no proof whatsoever.

  Apparently, Victoria had ordered the clowns and three other costumes but had decided not to use them.

  All the extra costumes had been picked up by a delivery service at noon to be transported back to New York City. But SOMEHOW our costumes and the clown ones had gotten switched.

  This meant our beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy costumes were already halfway back to New York City by now.

  We were devastated! Chloe and Zoey were so upset they started to cry.

  “Come on, guys!” I said. “Don’t be upset. We can STILL do this!”

  “But I was really looking forward to being an Ice Princess!” Chloe whimpered.

  “Me too!” Zoey sniffed.

  “But don’t you see? This is about more than just looking glamorous. We’re doing this for Fuzzy Friends. Remember?!” I said, trying to give them a pep talk.

  “And, yes, I know!” I continued. “These clown costumes are freakishly ugly, and we’ll probably look scary and a little insane. And the kids at school will make fun of us for the rest of the year, and we’ll probably be an embarrassment to our parents. But look at the bright side . . .”

  Chloe and Zoey looked at me expectantly. “What’s the bright side?” they both asked.

  “Well, um . . . actually. It’s . . . um. Okay! So maybe there ISN’T a BRIGHT side! But a lot of nice people and cute little fuzzy animals are depending on us! Just ask yourself, what would Crystal Coldstone, the Ice Princess, do?”

  Suddenly Chloe wiped her tears and placed her hands on her hips. “Well, Crystal would kick butt and send those Vambies packing! That’s what she’d do!”

  “And she’d wear a freakishly ugly clown costume if it meant saving humankind!” Zoey added.

  Then Zoey lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “The art of the clown is more profound than we think. . . . It is the COMIC mirror of tragedy, and the TRAGIC mirror of comedy—André Suarès.”

  FINALLY! I seemed to be getting through to my BFFs.

  “Come on, girlfriends!” I said. “LET’S DO THIS THING!!”

  That’s when we did a group hug!

  It was a little weird going from glamorous Sugar Plum Fairies to a pathetic clown posse, but as we got dressed we tried to keep a positive attitude.

  In spite of the new costumes, we decided to keep our original music and skating routine.

  Especially since we’d been practicing it for the past two weeks.

  Soon Mom and Brianna came back to the dressing room to wish us luck. When Brianna saw our new clown costumes, she got really excited.

  “Hey, guess what? When I grow up, I’m going to slide on the ice and be a scary, stupid-looking clown too, just like you guys!” she gushed.

  I think that was a compliment, but I’m not sure.

  Brianna picked up my cell phone from the dressing room table, and her eyes lit up.

  “No, Brianna. I told you NEVER to touch my phone unless I say you can. Remember?”

  “Pretty please!” Brianna whined. “I promise I won’t break it.” Then she shoved my phone behind her back so I couldn’t reach it.

  “MOM!” I whined even louder than Brianna.

  “Brianna Maxwell!” Mom scolded. “You know the rule. Your sister’s cell phone is off-limits unless she gives you permission. Now hand it over!”

  Brianna gave Mom her saddest puppy-dog eyes and then pouted like a two-year-old. But she finally surrendered my phone, and I snatched it from her.

  “Me and Miss Penelope think you’re a MEANIE!” Brianna said, sticking her tongue out at me.

  “Fine. Then YOU and MISS PENELOPE can NEVER, EVER play the Princess Sugar Plum game on MY phone for the rest of your LIVES! So THERE!”

  Then I stuck my tongue out at both of them.

  “Okay, girls! That’s enough!” Mom scolded Brianna and me.

  I placed my phone back on my dressing table.

  But when I saw Brianna watching me like a hawk, I stuck it inside that cute little pocket on my purse and stuffed my purse in my backpack with the rest of my clothes.

  Just as Mom and Brianna were leaving, the assistant stage manager announced that the show would be starting in forty-five minutes. All of us skaters had to check in with the stage manager across the hall.

  “I gotta use the bathroom!” Brianna whined really loudly. “NOW!”

  She was SUCH an embarrassment!

  Chloe showed Brianna and Mom the door to the bathroom in our dressing room.

  Then we rushed off to check in.

  When we came back to our dressing room to grab our skates and start warm-ups, we saw a note posted on the door.

  The wardrobe manager had found our costumes! We were so happy, we did a group hug and started screaming.

  “OMG! They finally found them!” I screamed.

  “Just in time!” Zoey screamed.

  “We’re going to be Ice Princesses after all!” Chloe screamed.

  “LET’S GO!” I yelled as we took off running down the hall. “We only have thirty minutes before the show starts!”

  Suddenly Chloe stopped.

  “Wait! I’m going to grab my cell phone so we can call our moms and let them know they found our Sugar Plum Fairy costumes. Plus, we need to wash off the clown makeup and put on the fairy makeup, and we’re going to need their help!”

  “Great idea!” Zoey and I exclaimed.

  Storage Area C was on the other side of the arena, near the hockey player locker rooms. All team practices had been canceled due to the ice show, so the halls were dark, shadowy, and strangely quiet.

  “Is it me, or is this place kind of creepy?” Zoey said nervously.

  “We’re just going to grab our costumes and get out of here,” Chloe assured her.

  “Okay. Storage locker fourteen, fifteen, sixteen,” I counted out loud, “and seventeen! Here it is, guys!”

  The closet was closed by a simple latch on the outside.

  We opened it and peered in. It was even darker inside.

  “Don’t be skurd!” I teased. “It’s just a walk-in storage closet,” I said as we all stepped inside.

  “Is there a light in here?” Zoey asked.

  “Hey! Let’s use my cell phone,” Chloe suggested. “It lights up!”

  She held it up high in the center of the storage area, and it cast an eerie green glow.

  “Thanks, that’s a lot better,” I said. “Okay, I see hockey sticks, pucks, and ice skates. But no Sugar Plum Fairy costu—”

  The huge metal door suddenly slammed shut. Then I heard the outside latch slide into place.

  KLA-CHUNK!

  The clatter of quick footsteps echoed right outside the door and then down the long, empty hallway.

  Chloe, Zoey, and I stared at one another in horror as the gravity of our situation slowly sank in. Then we had a massive meltdown and started pounding on the metal door like crazy.

  “Help! Someone! We’re locked in here! Let us out! Help! Help!” we screamed frantically.

  But it became quite clear pretty fast that whoever had locked us inside was not coming back anytime soon.

  We’d been set up. There were never any Sugar Plum Fairy costumes in locker 17.

  And all we could do was watch nervously as the green glow from Chloe’s phone got dimmer and dimmer.

  “Sorry, guys. I think I forgot to charge my phone. But I think I can make three or four calls before it goes completely dead. Any suggestions?”

  For about thirty seconds it was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop.

  “Let’s try calling our moms first,” Zoey offered.

  “Good idea!” Chloe and I agreed.

  But it wasn’t. All three of their phones went straight to voice mail. Which meant they were probably already turned off so as not to ring during the show.
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  Still, we each left a detailed voice message.

  The GOOD news was that at the very worst, our moms would retrieve our messages AFTER the ice show was over and come looking for us.

  So it was just a matter of time before we got rescued.

  But the BAD news was that we were going to be stuck in the storage locker for two very long, dark, spooky hours until they showed up.

  “One call left. If we’re lucky!” Chloe announced, staring at her phone.

  “Well, I think we should call 911!” Zoey said.

  “True, but by the time they got us out of here we’d still miss our performance,” Chloe reasoned.

  “Yeah, the show starts in fifteen minutes,” I said, looking at my watch.

  “You’re right,” Zoey conceded. “And it’s going to be pretty darn embarrassing when they show up with three police cars, two fire trucks, and an ambulance just to unlatch a storage room door. We’ll never live it down.”

  “They’ll probably STILL be laughing at us at our high school graduation,” Chloe mused. “I’d rather just wait for our moms to get here after the show.”

  I could NOT believe I had come this far only to be stuck in a storage unit inside the ice arena with the show starting in twelve minutes.

  I got a huge lump in my throat thinking about Brandon. Now he was going to have to leave his home and friends at WCD and start over again.

  I felt terrible for him. But I was powerless. Signing up for this stupid show was a HUGE mistake.

  If only I’d just let MacKenzie skate for Fuzzy Friends like she’d wanted. Then Brandon’s life would not have to be turned upside down again. My heart hurt just thinking about the stuff he’d been through.

  He had lost his parents, and I totally took mine for granted.

  Hot tears began to sting my eyes, but I blinked them back. I heard Chloe and Zoey starting to sniffle too.

  Brandon was going to leave just when we were starting to get to know each other.

  Brianna was such a BRAT to him, but he still gave her that cute thank-you note from the puppies and—

  That’s when a little lightbulb went on in my brain.