by Jacky Gray
“She’s pretty good, isn’t she?” Ray nodded at Jude as her trainer took her through a combination of moves, ending with a tricky jump.
“Let’s try it with the music now.” Bernie produced a CD player from the side of the ring, “Can one of your friends do the honours?”
Jude showed Ray how to use the re-cue facility if Bernie asked for it. He said the others could go on the ice as long as they went down to the other end where no one was training.
“If one of the attendants asks, tell him Bernie said it was ok.”
They clumped round the outside; the skates made it impossible to do anything else. Liv cautiously entered the ice from the last gate, hanging on to the side as Kat glided straight on. Luke started a little unsteadily but soon got his balance and sped off like a pro.
Kat skated past effortlessly. “Come on, slowcoach, we barely have five minutes before the rabble are let loose.”
Liv glanced over to where the seats were filling up with kids itching to get on, and said a silent prayer. No matter how often she came, the first few minutes were spent psyching herself up for the inevitable falls, trying to convince her muscles to loosen up and chill a little. The sole consolation was she had plenty of padding to soften the bumps.
Pull yourself together, Tranter. Tentatively putting one foot out, she swiftly followed with the other and wobbled a little as she pushed off with her right foot, using the left foot as though she were on a scooter. In this way, she managed to get herself round the circuit Kat and Luke were using, but try as she might she could not lift her left leg. Every time she tried, her balance went completely and she nearly went down.
“Back on your scooter again?” Kat appeared beside her. “I thought you got rid of it the last time we came.”
“I did, but it takes me ages to find my feet. Anyone who tells you it’s like riding a bike is lying. I have to relearn it every time.”
“Come on; let us take you round a couple of times.”
“No way, you go much too fast and I’d end up in a heap in the wet patch. I’ll get there; it’ll just take me a while.”
One of her biggest problems was the badly-fitting boots which blistered the feet and ravaged the ankles. Ignoring the pain-signals protesting up her legs, she persevered and, little-by-little, her confidence grew. As her muscles relaxed, the rhythm developed until she could skate equally on both feet.
It happened not a moment too soon as an announcement over the PA allowed the eager hordes on the ice. Within a minute, every corner of the rink filled with people of all ages and all levels of expertise, leaving nowhere to go. Some whizzed round as though born on the ice, others clung to the edge as they made slow and shaky progress.
She headed to the edge and Kat waved to her.
“That’s the honeymoon period over. It just gets worse from now on.” Kat nodded at the big queue of people, shoes in hand, waiting to swap them for skates.
“At least I got my balance before they got on; otherwise it takes much longer.”
“Come on, let’s go and find Jude, I don’t see her anywhere.”
“She’s probably gone to change out of that suit; it kind of stands out.”
But she hadn’t. Jude sat talking to Ray; obviously giving him some technical detail of one of the moves. She stood, demonstrating as much as she could off the ice.
Liv saw the way his eyes lingered on her curvy, latex-clad figure and long shapely legs, beautifully set off by the white, custom-made boots. The emotion washing over her was so intense she became at once hot and cold all over. She wanted nothing more than to throw up the four Weetabix her mum insisted she eat that morning on the grounds she’d probably miss her lunch.
A little way off to her left, she caught sight of Luke, and by the look on his face, he’d seen them, too. For an instant, he looked as if he’d quite happily have punched the lecherous look off Ray’s face.
He must have felt her gaze, giving a tight little smile before grabbing Kat. They made a credible attempt at ice dancing with a couple of fancy turns as they approached the barrier. She curtsied deeply and he bowed and led her off.
What was going on there, then? Liv was well confused by what she saw and felt, but she tried to sort it for the sake of harmony. She reached the barrier with a little round of applause for their efforts which had Jude and Ray looking up curiously.
“Don’t tell me you missed it? We have the next Torvil and Dean here and you’re too busy trying to remember yesterday’s Biology thing. The recessive genes are weaker and the dominant ones have all the power.”
“Oh, no. Liv’s been watching Fifty Shades of Gray.” Kat made a cross with her forefingers and pointed it at Liv.
“What?” Ray looked totally fazed by their sudden appearance.
Jude was confident in her assurance as she bent down to pick up the cassette recorder. “I’d better get changed. No doubt Bernie wants a debrief. I’ll see you guys in a minute or five.”
She sauntered off, somehow managing to make walking in skates look easy, with at least two pairs of male eyes following every wiggle of her hips.
“Wow, I never realised how good she was. No wonder she doesn’t give a toss about Fearsome’s petty criticism.” Ray sounded like a total fanboy.
“Oh, but she needs to. If she flunks any of her subjects he could stop her early morning training. Her parents had to come in and plea-bargain for special dispensation.” Luke seemed very knowledgeable on the subject.
“No wonder she’s so keen not to be spotted coming in late. It explains a lot.” Ray looked thoughtful, as though he cared deeply about Jude’s situation.
Liv turned to see Terry approaching with his normal deer-in-headlights expression, reaching out to tap Kat on the shoulder.
“Hi, Kat. I thought it was you.”
“Hi. I didn’t know you skated. Do you know everybody?”
“Apart from Ray; we haven’t been formally introduced.”
“Hey, I know you. The one who likes throwing coke over people’s lunch.” Ray held out his hand and Terry stared at it, stricken.
Luke loomed over him. “There’s nothing to spill around here; except maybe your blood on the ice.” Luke gave a macabre chuckle and grabbed Terry’s shoulders, making him jump.
“Take no notice, he’s merely messing.” Kat slid a sly glance at Luke. “Pity you couldn’t act as well as that in English.” She darted out of the way as he made a lunge for her then chased her onto the ice.
“So, Terry. D’ya come here often? I’ve always wanted to use that line.” Liv’s question fell on deaf ears as Terry seemed to be too absorbed in watching Luke catch Kat in a big bear hug.
“Isn’t it supposed to be the boy asking the girl?” Ray grinned at Liv and followed her gaze. He nodded at Terry and lowered his voice. “I think someone’s got a crush on Kat. Maybe Luke’s in for some of competition.”
“Nah, if you believe the gossip, it’s more likely to be Luke.” Liv couldn’t resist the mischief as Terry headed for the ice.
“Do what?” The look on Ray’s face was priceless. “You gotta be kidding, right?”
“The jury’s out on that one. He’s such a wimp: kinda camp and dead arty.”
“But that’s no reason ...”
Liv continued as if he hadn’t interrupted, counting off the reasons on her fingers. “Apparently he’s got no father figure, then there’s the hair and clothes, the fact nobody’s ever seen him with a girl, and lastly – and this is the real killer – he’s got a picture of Zac Efron on his locker. You know; the guy from High School Musical and Baywatch. All bulging biceps and floppy hair.”
Ray’s expression contained more curiosity than shock as he grinned. “Now I know where to come when I want a character assassination.”
Liv shrugged. “I’m simply tellin’ it how it is.” Then she had a crisis of confidence, feeling mean. She hadn’t intended to be so unkind, but seeing Ray lusting after Jude and Luke getting physical with Kat left her emotions all over
the place. “These are all facts. You must make up your own mind.”
“You’ve seen this picture of Zac Efron, then.”
“No, but several other people have. Apparently.”
“What do you think?”
Another shrug. “As I said, jury’s out.” To be perfectly honest, she’d never paid much attention to Terry before, partly due to the rumours, but mostly because he acted weird around her, would never look her in the eye. She always assumed he disliked her Queen B routine.
Watching him skating, she had to admit he looked impressive, even fanciable. “Although …” Turning back, she spotted Ray’s lip curl as though he’d taken a dislike to the kind-hearted boy. What was that about?
“What?” He glared at her, as though daring her to say something nice. “Look at the way he moves. Bent as a nine-bob note.”
“Whatever that means.”
“It’s slang for gay. My uncle …” He broke off, staring behind her.
She frowned, wishing she’d never brought up the subject. “I’m pretty sure I got it totally wrong. He’s actually quite …”
“We’ll continue this, later.” He hissed the words with a frown as Terry approached, then resumed a normal volume. “Did you say something about a vending machine? Watching all this activity is making me thirsty.”
Terry’s expression was puppy-dog eager. “I’ll get it, what’s your poison?”
“Got to be Doctor Pepper.” Ray fiddled in his jeans pocket for some money, but Terry shook his head.
“My treat. To say thanks for the other day when you stuck up for me.”
“Hey, no problem. Here, take this ...”
Terry ignored the money and shot off toward the machine.
Ray turned back, a wicked gleam in his eye. “See what I mean? Way too sweet to be straight.”
Feeling like a poor man’s Dr Frankenstein, Liv wanted nothing more than to absent herself from the monster she’d created. “I really wish I hadn’t said anything. He’s a complete gentleman; being generous doesn’t make him weak. You saw the way he skated; he’s quite an athlete.”
“A ballerina, maybe.” Again she saw a glimpse of something unsavoury in Ray’s face. Surely he wasn’t a homophobe?
As the object of Ray’s scorn approached, she winked at Ray knowingly. “Here’s your chance to find out. I’d love to be a fly on the wall, but I’ll leave you two to get to know each other better.” She clumped down the ice, relishing the unease in Ray’s eyes.
19 Not-So-Timid Terry
Her ankles felt more comfortable after the break, but two circuits later, they were hurting again. She returned to their base to find Jude sitting closer to Ray than was absolutely necessary to hear him above the background music; this was no disco. Liv frowned as he passed his can of Doctor Pepper for Jude to take a swig; they seemed very intimate, so much so she was reluctant to disturb them. Seeing no sign of the others, she continued past and came off at the next exit to re-lace her boots.
Appearing from nowhere, Terry sat next to her. “Having a problem?”
“I always get this. It’s where the seam of my jeans rubs against the bone; my ankles usually end up raw.”
“Try putting the jeans over the top of the boots; it’s much more comfortable.”
“Yes, but then I’d struggle to tie the laces.”
“Here, let me help you.”
She was embarrassed by his touch, but he didn’t hesitate, pulling her boot onto his lap and undoing the lace. Her finger itched to seek comfort in a strand of hair, but this was not the place. Instead, she babbled about how the drainpipes were too narrow to fit over the stiff leather.
“You see the boot does up more easily and will support you better.” He had no problem pulling the stretchy material over the top of her boots. “There, all done.” He checked it wasn’t too tight, then beckoned for the other leg.
“It’s ok, Terry. I can do this one.”
“It’s no bother; this is always easier for someone else to do.”
No bother for him, but she felt slightly concerned by how much she enjoyed his attention. This was Terry, for goodness’ sake, manhandling her legs like an expert.
“Try that.”
She stood; all the pain had disappeared. “Why, Terry, it’s wonderful. Thank you.” Without thinking, she gave him a quick hug and watched his face turn crimson all the way to the tips of his ears.
“It was nothing.”
“You’re kidding. If you only knew how much agony I go through every time.” She shook her head. “You must let me buy you a drink.”
“I’m not actually ready for one, yet. It always makes me want to pee because of the cold.” Slightly odd admission from a boy.
“I know what you mean. Come on, then. Let’s do another turn; I can’t wait to try these new legs out.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him on, nearly losing her balance.
But he was deft and sure, supporting her until she steadied. Something magical happened as he guided her along effortlessly; for the first time in her life, she was inspired to go faster – like – really fast.
His cocky assurance on the ice forced her to look at him in a new light. Absolutely nothing effeminate about the way he steered her past a multiple pile up, and she felt acutely aware of his arm resting lightly round her waist as he closed in to get them through a narrow gap.
This was crazy. Turned on by timid Terry? Her? Never. But she had to admit she liked his gentle thoughtfulness. He was so … nice. No, nice was the wrong word. Honest. Open. Not exactly sexy in the heart-thumping way Ray was, but definitely something yummy about him.
They were passing the base again, and she saw Ray staring at them with a strange expression on his face. She blushed at her thoughts and leaned over to Terry. “How about that drink now?”
“Nah, still too early for me.” His knee-jerk reaction was replaced by concern for her welfare. “Why, do you want one?”
“Yeah, I’ve worked up a thirst.”
“Ok, I’ll drop you off next time round. I want to go for a blast.”
True to his word, he led her to the exit by Ray and she watched as he picked up speed, weaving in and out of the stragglers. Finding a gap, he turned round and skated backward without missing a beat.
She clapped her hands; watching someone that good always inspired her. Walking to Ray, she felt sure the excitement glowed out of her eyes. “I love coming to this place, there’s something so infectious about it all.”
His tone sounded artificially light with more than an edge of irony. “Especially if you’ve got someone showing off their party pieces for you.”
“Who, Terry? He is rather good, isn’t he? He fixed my boots. And I’m pretty sure I was wrong about him. You know, about being ...”
“No, I think you’re right. I’ve been observing him: it’s so much more than the way he walks, and the girly mannerisms. He definitely spends more time watching the boys than the girls.”
“No, really?”
“Yeah, especially Luke; Terry can’t take his eyes off him.”
“Oh, well. To each his own. Pity, though, ’cos he’s dead nice when you get to know him.”
“They do say gays make the best friends for a girl; they know more about what it’s like being pushed around by guys, I suppose.”
“That’s awful.”
Ray’s expression reeked innocence. “No more than what you were saying about him earlier.”
“S’pose not.” So now Ray thinks I’m a Queen B, too. Except something behind his eyes suggested he wasn’t taking any of this seriously. Was he simply messing with her head? Time to change the subject. “Where did Jude get to?”
“She’s out there somewhere with Kat and Luke. Over there, look. She’s showing Luke how to do something truly impressive.” His face shone with pure admiration.
“It’s not that hard; they’re simply using each other’s momentum to turn the other one round. I can’t remember the technical term for it – assisted somethi
ng or other – Jude showed us last time we came.” Liv watched them wistfully; they looked so good together. Then Terry zoomed up and showed Kat how to do it.
“Why don’t you have a go?”
“No way, I’m nowhere near good enough.”
“You said it wasn’t hard. And you looked ok with Terry.”
“Only because he’s so good; I was simply tagging along. I simply meant it wasn’t difficult to do if you can skate a bit. As they can.”
The wobbly face returned as he watched them, and some pieces started to fit together in her mind. She had to be casual about this. “You said you hated sports before the accident; did that include skating?”
His eyes narrowed, but his tone sounded light. “No, I quite enjoyed it. I only went a couple of times but I was nowhere near as good as Terry – even Luke. Probably not much better than you.”
“Cheers pal.” She grinned. “What about swimming?”
“What about it?” He sounded deliberately obtuse.
“Did you swim a lot?”
“Why do you ask?” His voice sharpened; he seemed really suspicious.
She backed off, matching his earlier light tone. “Nothing much, simply an idea. We seem to have quite a lot in common, and the only sports I enjoy are skating and swimming, so I merely wondered.”
“Well, it’s all academic, now. Do you know where the disabled toilet is?”
Damn. He was obviously changing the subject to avoid talking about it. She pointed it out; then went to get herself a drink while she tried to figure another way of bringing up the subject. But in the end, she didn’t get another chance to talk to him alone; there always seemed to be one or all of them around. Drat. She’d simply have to work on plan B.
20 Ray’s Big Secret
As it happened, Liv had the perfect opportunity on Monday morning. Lenny asked for her help during break to rearrange the room for the maths lesson straight afterward. She wanted to try something different, loosely based on the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but in two teams with Liv and Ray leading one each. “It’s basically a revision of the last two topics, but I thought this might make it more fun for all of us.”
