Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Chapter 11

Nancy's POV

I got to the roller rink at 7:50pm, just like I planned. Bertram arrived five minutes later. At first, we just walked around and talked. After about ten minutes of talking, we got our roller skates.
"I should tell that I have no idea how to roller skate," Bertram said as I was tying the laces on my roller skates.
I titled my head. "Then why are we here?"
"Well you were really excited about roller skating, so I wanted to go with you. I wanted you to come here and have fun," he replied.
I smiled brightly and felt myself begin to blush. "That's very sweet of you, but you didn't have to do that. You should have thought it through a little more."
"I realize that now, but we are here and we are gonna have fun," Bertram chuckled.
"Do you want me to teach you how to roller skate?" I offered.
"Please," he nodded.
"Alright, I'll try my best," I giggled.
He laughed. "That's all I'm asking for."

I've never taught someone how to roller skate before, so I didn't know where to start. I started thinking back to when I learned. After a lot of pondering, I came to a conclusion. Bertram had to get comfortable with the roller skates before he physically did any skating. He had to be able to move around in them before he stepped foot into the rink. That was a good place to start.
Bertram tightened the laces on his skates and looked up at me helplessly. "What do I do?"
"You need to get comfortable with the skates before you do anything. So try to stand up and move around," I said.
Bertram looked scared and uneasy. "What if I fall?"
I smiled. "I'm right here. I'll catch you." He gave me another worried glance, but he started to stand up. He successfully made it to his feet, but he fell forward a few seconds later. Thankfully, I was able to grab his hands before he hit the ground.

After about five minutes of practice, he was fully capable of standing up on his own. Now it was time for him to actually roller skate. I could only hope that that would go well.

Bertram leaned against a wall while I tried to explain the physics of roller skating to him. "Okay this is hard to put into words, but I'm trying my best. The best way I can explain it is you have to glide with one foot and push off the ground with the other. Make sure to lean in the direction you are gliding. If you don't, you will probably fall."
Bertram stared at me with a baffled expression. "What? I have no idea what any of that means."
"Listen, I never claimed to be a good teacher," I laughed.
He laughed too. "You got me there."
"What if I skate around and you watch me? Maybe you're a visual learner," I suggested.
"It's worth a try," he shrugged.
"Okay, pay attention to my feet!" I started skating around in front of him. I skated in a circle and then in a straight line. I wanted to do as much as possible. The more I did, the more I helped Bertram.
"I think I might actually understand it now," he said. He was watching me intently and he was very focused.
"Great! Now try skating on your own!" I was so excited for him. I swear I was on the verge of clapping because of my excitement.

Bertram was a natural skater. He barely needed my help. At first, he needed me to hold his hands while he skated forward. I was internally freaking out during that. My face was probably redder than a tomato. After that however, he didn't need my help at all. He skated around the entire roller rink on his own.

Bertram and I were at the roller rink for about two hours. I can't speak for him, but I had so much fun. I had a blast. Currently, we were standing outside talking. We were both waiting to go home.
"I had a lot of fun tonight Nance," Bertram said.
"Me too," I smiled.
"We should do it again sometime," his face began to turn a light shade of red. This was the first time I have ever seen Bertram blush. I guess that's a good sign.
"Totally," my smile grew. There was a moment where the two of us just looked at each other with smiles on our faces. I swear I saw Bertram lean in a tiny bit but stop when my aunt yelled from her car. "Nance! It's time to go!"
"I gotta go, I...I'll see you tomorrow," I said.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," he replied. I smiled again and walked away.

I kept replaying the entire night in my mind as I sat in the car on the way home. I couldn't stop thinking about it, but I also didn't want to. It was amazing. It was perfect. If only I knew how much that perfection would get ruined once I got home.

Author's Note: Chapter 11! This chapter is so cute! Relish in this cuteness because the next few chapters will be super sad 🥺
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! 😊❤️
Just like every other chapter, I proofread but if you find any typos please let me know! 👍