TRAPPED

10

Celine

I glance over at my father, Léo and Camilo. They all insisted on staying to watch, though I don't know why. I'm just practicing. There isn't anything cool going on apart from me falling when I attempt a triple axel. I can do a double, I've been able to for a year, but I wanna go further than that.

Léo smiles at me. I look away.

     "Press your ankles together, Celine." My coach tells me.

     I skate toward the middle of the empty ice rink, then spin myself up in the air. I count two spins before I collapse onto the ice.

     "Jesus!" I exclaim.

     "Don't get frustrated. It's a hard move. But you can do it, you're advanced for your age. Get up and try again." Mariana yells.

I clench my fists as I stand up. Mariana sighs. "Come get water."

I glide over to her. She passes me my water, and I take it greedily, draining it until it's all gone. I love figure skating, but Jesus, it takes up a lot of my energy.

"Okay, get back out." Mariana says, clapping my shoulder. She gives me a gentle shove, and I skate back out to the middle of the ice. "We still have an hour left, Celine, use it!"

I sigh.

•

I pull my skates off, then slide the guards on before shoving them in my bag. I didn't get the triple axel. Shocker.

My dad and brothers walk down the bleachers and meet me at the bottom. I pull out my extra bottle of water and drink some, then start to walk out. My father and brothers follow me, staying behind me. I sign out at the front desk before we go out to the car.

     I get into the back with Léo.

     "Do you want food, Celine?" My father asks. It's his first time talking to me since we left. I don't wanna talk, though, so I just shake my head.

     I really thought I'd get it. It's a hard move, but it's what I've been working towards for a year. Hours and hours of exhausting practise just to fail? Multiple times?

     I frown.

     I pull my phone out of my pocket when it dings with a text.

     JOEY: [sent a video]

     I furrow my eyebrows as I click on it. It's a video of me skating yesterday, when he was there with me. But it's just a compilation of me falling, paired with fart sounds.

     I roll my eyes.

     ME: [middle finger emoji]

     JOEY: [laughing emoji]

     ME: Your so annoying.

     JOEY: You love it.

     ME: [middle finger emoji x3]

     ME: No I don't.

     ME: Annoying you.

     ME: Your annoying*.

     Getting my words mixed up just puts me in a fouler mood, and I throw my phone into my bag on the floor. Léo glances at me. "Are you okay?"

     That draws everyone in the cars attention. I don't understand why they're so bothered. Maybe it's an act before they do something they know I won't like, almost like evening out the scales.