by Frank Downey
"Well…"
"I guessed hormones," Sophie laughed. Eric looked at her, startled. "I think I was right."
"Yeah, what would you know about it? You’ve been getting it regularly since you were twelve!"
"There are times when it hasn’t been as regular as you think," Sophie laughed. "It’s kind of hard to have regular sex when you’re juggling school and skating and a baby—and your husband is in a knee brace. Trust me, I know all about hormones and frustration."
"OK, but at least you know it’s temporary."
"True."
"And at least you know, well, I mean, you have done it….."
"Ah," Sophie said. "You’re still a virgin."
"Yeah," Eric admitted, with difficulty.
"And not by choice."
"Not hardly." Eric took a breath. "But you know, Soph, it’s not just that. It’s not just sex. Do you know my social life has gone right to shit? You know my three best friends."
"Of course." Eric had been hanging out with the same three guys since grammar school.
"They all have girlfriends. They go out with them all the time. And, yeah, they invite me, but then I feel like a fifth wheel. And they’re all so damn happy. And I don’t have that."
"OK, why?" Sophie asked. "Eric, you’re a good looking kid. You’re smart, you’re a nice guy—what’s the problem?"
Eric sighed. "It’s a lot of things. I’m picky, for one—I’ll admit that. And it seems the girls I’m attracted to aren’t attracted to me—and the ones that are attracted to me I have no interest in. I don’t just want a girlfriend for the sake of having a girlfriend, you know?"
"Well, that’s a good thing, you know," Sophie told him.
"Yeah, yeah."
"What do you like?"
"It’s weird—I guess I like girls that are really outgoing. You know, bubbly. Which I don’t get coming to me, ‘cause I’m not like that."
"I told Mom, that sullen act only goes so far," she teased.
"I know, I know," he sighed. "I get tongue-tied around girls, you know."
"Yeah. That can be tough."
"Well, I guess I just have to keep looking."
"Good, but try to cut Mom a little slack, would you?"
"Yeah, yeah," Eric laughed. "I suppose."
After they ate, they got in the car. They didn’t head to Ellen’s house. "Where we going?" Eric asked.
"To the rink. Got to check up on Warren."
"What’s he doing there without you?"
Sophie explained the situation. "So, he’s working with Amy right now."
"That’s cool," Eric said. "I hope your coach is able to find her a partner."
That’s when a light went off in Sophia’s head. Amy was cute, outgoing, bubbly—and the same age as Eric. In fact, she’d be attending Oceanview High as a junior, in Eric’s class, the next year—she’d been homeschooled this year but didn’t want to do that anymore, even if her skating career picked up. Maybe Amy’d be interested in a partner for something other than skating. Sophie grinned at that.
"What’s the grin for, Sis?" Eric asked.
"Oh, nothing. Here we are."
They walked in, and Sophie pulled her skates on in the lobby. Then they walked into the rink.
Eric looked out on the ice and saw his brother-in-law skating with a cute blonde girl, who was laughing at something-or-other.
"That’s Amy?" Eric asked.
"Yup," Sophie told him.
"Wow. She’s beautiful."
"That she is."
"How old is she?"
"Sixteen. She’s going to be in your class at Oceanview this year."
"What’s she like?"
"Sweet, outgoing, bubbly, happy. She’s a ball of energy. She’s great."
Eric slowly turned to look at his sister with a smirk on his face. "Are you setting me up?"
"Actually, I didn’t think of it until we were driving over here. When you asked me what Warren was up to, and I told you about Amy, a little light went on in my head."
"Oh, jeez," Eric moaned.
"Eric. You’re a good kid. Remember, I’m your sister and I love you, and I’m here, OK?"
"Yeah, whatever you say." He looked back out on the ice. "Damn, she really is cute, isn’t she?"
Little did Eric know, that Amy had spotted him. She had waved to Sophie, then turned to Warren. "Who’s that hunk over with Sophia?"
"Oh, that’s her brother Eric," Warren laughed. "Good kid. He’s your age, 16."
"I don’t suppose he skates," she laughed.
"Nope, sorry."
"Ah, well. Then again, skating’s not my whole life. And, boy, is he gorgeous!"
"Amy’s got an itch," Warren laughed.
"And how. You know how hard it is to get dates when you’re a skater? We’re not considered ‘normal’ teenagers."
"Well, Eric’s grown up with it, so he’d be more understanding than your average guy."
"What’s he like?"
"Smart. Nice. He’s a bit quiet at times."
"Damn," Amy said. "Quiet guys tend to have a problem with me."
"I don’t think Eric would—look who his big sister is. And his younger sister, Tara, makes you look absolutely sedate." Amy laughed at that. "Come on, we’re done anyway."
They skated over. Sophie had taken the ice, but was standing next to the boards where Eric was. "Hey, sexy," she purred at Warren. "How’d it go?"
"It’s going really well. She’s going to pass, no problem, we think."
"I hope so," Amy said, stealing glances at Eric.
Sophie picked up on it immediately, and stifled a grin. "Hey, Amy, I want you to meet my brother Eric. Eric, this is Amy."
"Nice to meet you," Eric said. "You skate really well."
"Thanks," she said. "Nice to meet you, too."
"Hey, Snugglebear, I thought up something—a transition in our free skate. I need to show you."
"Cool," Warren said.
"Eric, can you hang for fifteen or twenty?" Sophie asked him, shooting him a meaningful look and gesturing with her eyes to Amy.
"Sure," Eric said. "Uh, Amy, you want to go to the snack bar and get something to drink?"
"Love to! I’m parched! Thanks, Warren, see you tomorrow." She skated over to the gate and stepped off the ice. "Just let me get my skates off, OK?"
"Sure."
They disappeared into the snack bar, and Warren grinned at Sophie. "So, what was that about?"
"Eric needs a girlfriend. He’s lonely and horny. He told me what type of girls he’s attracted to. I realized driving over here that he was describing Amy, to a T. So, what the heck—let them talk and see what happens. And I do want to show you a move I thought of."
"Fine. By the way, you should know that when you guys showed up, Amy asked me who the hunk standing next to you was."
"Good!"
Eric and Amy had settled at a table in the snack bar with drinks. "So, how long have you been skating?" Eric managed to ask her.
"Since I was 8. I’ve been dancing since 10, that’s when I hooked up with Joel, my first partner. We skated together for four years. When I was 14, two years ago, we finished second at Junior Nationals, and 10th at Junior Worlds. I thought we were on our way." She sighed. "Then Joel up and quit. I came here because there was a guy looking for a partner, but he turned out to be a complete jerk."
"Sophie told me you’re going to be in school with me next year."
"Yeah. I’ve been homeschooled for three years, and I’m tired of it. With my skating career going down the drain, I have no life. Even if skating picks back up, I want to go to school. I have no friends, no guys, no nothing."
"Well, you have friends in skating, don’t you?"
"That’s hard. A lot of skaters are cutthroat, especially the girls." She grinned. "Your sister’s unusual. Most female ice dancers are more like Courtney Rogers." Eric laughed—he’d heard all about Courtney from Sophie. "As for guys, there’s three types of guys in skating—gay,
taken, or complete gigolos. I’m sure there’s a few exceptions, but most of them are one of the three. Joel, my first partner, was so gay he didn’t even like touching me. And we were friends! I swear, if they made guy-guy ice dancing an event, he’d come out of retirement." Eric cracked up at that. "Anyhow, that’s why I need a non-skating social life. And I want to go back to school. If I’ve learned anything the past two years, it’s that I can’t count on skating."
Boy, could this girl talk! Eric thought to himself. He loved it. And that was making it easier for him not to get all tongue-tied. "I think that’s smart," he told her. "I mean, look at Warren and Sophie. With all the success they’ve had, they never quit school—and now they have college degrees."
"I know," she said, "and, believe me, that made me think. They’ve done it the right way. I put too many of my eggs in the skating basket. Even if I find the world’s greatest partner and we go to the Olympics, I’m never doing that again. I’m smart, I can go to college—why not?" She shook her head. "They amaze me. I’ve talked a lot to Warren while we’ve been working. College and skating and a baby? It’s amazing."
"Yeah, it is—but a lot of it is that they have each other. I saw it, when they were in high school, and especially two years ago when they were home after Betsy was born. They really do pick each other up through all the rough spots. It’s really cool."
Amy grinned at him. "You’re a romantic," she teased. He couldn’t help grinning back—but also couldn’t help blushing! "So, what do you do for fun?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Ah, not much. I like to read. I like to watch sports. I play soccer. I was on the JV team this year, though I’m not very good," he laughed. "I just do it for fun."
"Hey, I started skating for fun. That’s why I dumped the asshole I was partnered with this year—because it wasn’t fun. I’ll never take a partner just to have a partner again, believe me."
They chatted easily for a while, until Sophie emerged. "Hey, little brother. Ready to go?"
"Sure."
"Warren’ll be out in a bit to drive you home, Amy."
"Good enough. Thanks for the Coke, Eric—it was fun."
"Yeah, it was. I’ll see you later, OK?"
"Good."
Driving home, Sophie easily brought it up. "So, what do you think of Amy?"
"She’s nice," Eric said. "Seems like she’s a lot of fun. Good to talk to, real easy."
"Good." Sophie didn’t say anything else, but had a little smile on her face that she hid from Eric.
The next day, Sophie dropped Betsy off with Ellen again. She walked in, and saw Eric there, fully dressed. "Hey, Soph, are you going to the rink?"
"Yeah. Warren and I need to work on some things after he’s done with Amy."
"Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Not at all," she said, smiling to herself.
They got there, and Warren shouted a hello from the ice. "Hey, Sophie. Hi, Eric!" Amy yelled, plainly delighted that Eric had come along again.
"Hi, Amy," Eric said, blushing a bit.
Sophie and Eric watched the two work out for a while, and then they finished up. Sophie put on her skates and skated out to Warren. Amy came off the ice and plopped down next to Eric. "Whew! That brother-in-law of yours wears me out. He’s so good, I have to strain all my muscles just to keep up."
"How’s it going?" Eric asked.
"Great. I should be all ready."
"When’s the test?"
"Saturday. Six more days. It’s at noon, in Boston. I think I’ll be fine."
"Good. Uh, Sophie said they might be a bit. Do you want me to see if I can borrow Sophie’s car and drive you home?"
"Actually, would you like to just hang? I’m in no hurry to get home."
Eric liked that idea much better. "Sure. You want to get something to drink?"
"In a bit. I like watching them, actually. Hey, do you skate?"
"Very little," Eric grimaced.
"Let’s skate! We can stay out of their way—you can go rent some skates!"
"Ah, Amy, I don’t know—I’m really not very good."
"Ah, come on—I promise it’ll be fun."
Eric quickly realized he couldn’t resist this girl to save his life. "Well, OK." He went and rented some skates, and found Amy waiting for him on the ice. He gingerly stepped on. And almost fell over.
"You’re too stiff," she told him. "You need to be looser, especially in the knees."
"Easy for you to say," he muttered. She giggled. "Here goes nothin’," he said, and took a wobbly stroke. He managed to stay up—barely—until he careened to a stop by slamming into the opposite boards.
"You don’t know how to stop, do you? It’s easy. Just point your toes in, a little bit," Amy told him. He pushed off the boards, took a couple of strokes, and tried to stop. However, as with a lot of beginners, he pointed his toes way too much—and went right over. It took one hell of an effort for Amy to stifle her giggle.
Warren and Sophie were watching this with interest from the other end of the rink. "Somebody ought to tell Amy that embarrassing him might not be the way to go," Warren whispered to Sophie.
"Are you kidding me?" Sophie whispered back. "Look at him. He’s basking in the attention."
Amy, still stifling her giggles, was helping Eric up. "Here," she said, holding his hand. "Now. Keep your knees loose, and push." They took a couple of strokes, holding hands. "Now, just gently push your toes toward one another." Eric tried—but went down again. This time, since Amy was holding his hand, he took her with him.
And this time, Amy couldn’t hold in the giggles. She sat on the ice, looking at him, giggling up a storm. "I’m sorry," she hiccuped—and then started giggling again.
Eric tried to look stern, but failed miserably. "Fine. You keep laughing. I’ll get you back."
"How you gonna do that?"
"I’ll get you out on the field and kick soccer balls at your head."
"Oops," Amy said. "I guess I’d better take it easy on you, then," but she couldn’t stop giggling. She got herself up, then helped him. "Here." She still couldn’t stop giggling. "Well, I guess I’m going to have to keep looking for a partner, because you’re not it."
"As if there were any doubt," Eric said wryly. "Well, as long as you’re talking about skating partner."
"What other kind of partner would I be talking about?" Amy laughed.
Eric took a breath, and just said it. "Well, a partner for a date. Saturday night, after your test? Dinner and a movie?"
Just like that, Amy stopped giggling—and her eyes got wide. "Really? Wow! I mean—yes! Great!"
Eric stifled the sigh of relief. "Good!"
Amy passed her test with flying colors. Sophie was there to watch them—as was Eric. Eric also got to meet her parents—who were thrilled she had a date.
They went out, and Eric told Sophie the next day that "It was awesome."
"Are you taking her out again?"
"Yup. Next weekend. She’s really great. And she seems to like me!"
"You think this could be something?" Sophie asked.
"Yeah. We’ll see, but yeah."
"Eric, if she finds a partner and starts competing again, that could get rough. She’ll have less time."
"I know, but that’s fine. I hope she does find a partner. She’s too good not to. And, if we keep dating, we’ll work it out. You and Warren did."
"That’s the spirit."
Sophie and Warren went to the rink the next day, to work on their programs. Warren laughed when Sophie told him about Eric and Amy. "That’s just perfect. My sister’s dating a skater, and now your brother. What would our siblings do for dates if we weren’t skaters?"
They got to the rink and started working. After about a half hour, they heard the door to the rink slam open. "Warren! Sophie! Thank goodness you’re here!"
They turned—and were amazed to see Ryan Killen standing there. "Ryan?" Sophie asked. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"I
just got off a plane. Rented a car, headed here, asked for directions to the rink. I was hoping you’d be here." He took a deep breath. "I need to see Jessie. Please."
Chapter 153 - Fixes
Warren and Sophie had pulled Ryan into the snack bar. "Why do you want to see Jess?" Sophie asked him.
"To tell her I’m sorry. Guys, I fucked up. I should’ve never let her leave."
"What about Courtney?" Warren asked.
Ryan laughed bitterly. "I walked out on Courtney yesterday. Right in the middle of practice. Got sick of listening to her, and got sick of asking myself what the hell I was doing putting up with her bullshit when Jess was a thousand miles away." He got a look of disgust on his face. "She wanted to start sleeping with me again. When I said, in effect, over my dead body—she said she thought it would help us become closer again. That’s when I realized, once and for all, that the last thing I wanted to be was closer to Courtney Rogers—on or off the ice. I walked out, and told her to find a new partner."
"Wow," Sophie said. "You mean you found your spine after all?"
"I guess so," Ryan said. "I just couldn’t live without Jess any more." He sighed. "Of course, now my career is in shambles, but fuck it. I can find another partner. I hope."
"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re going to have to work on Jess, I think," Sophie told him. "You hurt her very badly. And she’s had one hell of a rough month."
"Rough month?"
"She’s going to have to tell you that—if she chooses to do so," Sophie said. "We’ll bring you over to her house, though."
They got changed and got in Warren’s van. Ryan followed them in his rental car to Jessie’s house. He parked behind them, and walked up to the van. "There you go, Ryan, that’s her house, and I know she’s there alone. Good luck."
"Thanks." Warren and Sophie took off, Ryan took a deep breath, and walked up to the door. He knocked. Jess was there in a second.
"RYAN?" she said, shocked.
"Hi, Jess. Can we talk?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I flew out here this morning. I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" Jess opened the door and let him in, still wondering what the hell was going on. She led him to the living room. He sat down on the couch. She took a chair opposite.
