Breaking All The Ice

Disqualified ✋️

*Amelia*

"I'm sorry, Amelia, but it's true... You've been disqualified from the 2022 U.S Figure Skating competition."

My coach looked just as devasted and pissed as I was about this as he read the official letter from the judges.

I was livid! How could this even happen?

"Did they say why? What the hell did I do to get kicked out of the competition? This doesn't make any sense at all! And it sure as s**t isn't fair. We're mere weeks away from the competition!"

I screamed in frustration. This couldn't be happening to me. I loved skating.

I don't know what I'd do if that got taken away from me. It was everything.

My peace, my safe space, my therapy... Everything!

Tears began to well up in my eyes. My sight became blurry as Coach Adams continued on as if I wasn't having a mental breakdown in front of him.

Well, can't really blame him for not paying attention to me since his eyes were glued to the paper.

"It's for oh, what the hell is this bullshit!- for misconduct?.... Misconduct by way of bullying, threats, and harassment?! Oh, kiss my ass! There's no way that they believe this crock of s**t they put in this letter.

"The victim wishes to stay anonymous. It's more like staying a coward. Who is this little s**t?! You've worked too hard for this to go up in flames like this."

Coach just shook his head in shock as he combed his hand through his head in frustration.

"Wait... look here Melly. There's a date for an appeal. You still have a chance. It's a week before the competition but we'll take whatever we can get. See Mell-"

He exhaled and relaxed a little before he finally glanced up and saw that I had crumpled to the floor in a fetal position.

My anxiety had taken over before he could get to any good news.

He realized it was too much and I was far too gone to process anything he had said.

"s**t Melly!"

He came down at eye level to hold me. Coach Adams was the closest thing I had to a father.

He knew all about my trauma and my triggers. He knew about my need to feel safe when I was spiraling.

"I'm so sorry Melly. I should've been more considerate and paid attention to how you would react. Dammit, I hate seeing you like this."

He began rocking me back and forth in his arms holding me tightly as I cried.

He rubbed my back through my t-shirt in a circular motion trying to console me.

It was working.

The feeling of security began to envelop me as I started to calm down and regain control over my sobs.

"shhhhh..... that's it, honey, I'm here. You are not alone and you are protected. You are safe here.

"We'll get through this together. I'll do everything in my power to get you back on the ice before you know it." He assured me.

My sobs slowly died down to sniffles.

"Here you are darling."

He handed me a handkerchief.

Who even carries these in this day and age.

Gosh, his age was definitely showing.

"Ma always told me to keep one on me in case a lady came my way and needed one.."

As if he could read my mind.

I sniffled a chuckle,

"Do you always carry this same one around in your pocket every day?"

I finally looked up at him with a sad smile and a look of mock disgust.

"That's my girl, right there under all those tears. To answer your question, no I don't. It's a new one just about every day. My ma is adamant about meeting a nice lady and settling down one day. She has very high hopes for that. So high she sends me a box of them in bulk straight from ebay every year. It's driving me nuts.

"There are three inside my office right now. I'm surprised you never got curious enough to look inside them. They're stacked on top of one another in the far right corner if you ever want any. Or if there is ever a Bridgerton convention in town."

He laughed heartily at his own joke and I couldn't help but join in at his corniness.

He released me and helped me to my wobbling feet in my ice skates. We had been headed to the ice when we got the news.

He saw that I was doing better and released an overly dramatic sigh.

"She started sending me those high-end napkins when I turned 30 and kept showing up to family functions without a date. She sends them like clockwork."

He shook his head.

"Wow, so she's been sending them for what? 15 or 20 years now?"

I looked up at him with an innocent look, but in all actuality, I was cracking up on the inside.

I knew he wasn't anywhere near old. It was just nice to one-up him for once.

"Mind yourself girly and show some respect. I'm old enough to be your father... I think... I'm 39, that's more than half your age..... I think."

He said while squinting his eyes and giving me a half-hearted, stern look.

He added a poke to my forehead with his pointer finger for good measure.

His math was a little off, but, hey, I'm not the PEMDAS police, so I won't be the one to correct him.

"And act old enough to be my grandpa too," I said jokingly and tried to make a dash for it but that was no good in these skates.

So he caught up to me immediately and gave me the tickle-lashing of my life. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

“I gotta go make a few phone calls.”

He put me down and headed towards the exit.

"Go ahead I'm good. I'm gonna go ahead and do my drills before you get back."

I waved him off as I glided onto the ice arena. This was my therapy.

"Sounds perfect!" he yelled as he went out the back doors.

I'm pretty sure he isn't supposed to go that way, but what do I care? I'm not the Proper Exit Police.

I got back to my train of thought as I began my drills.

Yup! This is my place of peace.

"I heard you got booted from the competition like the loser I always knew you to be Rudolph."

A nasally high-pitched voice that pierced my hearing and made me flinch. Welp! There goes my peace.

Ugh, Stacy Simmons.

My ex-best friend and long-time rival.

She's bitchy because I always seem to one-up her in every competition since we were kids.

That and she also never forgave me for stealing the boy she fell in love with our sophomore year of high school.

Mind you, I never even dated the guy, and we are grown-ass women now. She still hasn't gotten over it.

I don't even remember the guy's name. We had been besties since 3rd grade.

That was until Stacy approached the boy she had been having a crush on for an entire year.

Before she could even muster the courage to confess her feelings to him, the guy asked her to put in a good word for him so that he could hook up with me. That crushed her.

It broke her heart and it broke our friendship.

It made her see red when I told her I wouldn't spit in his direction if he was on fire. I meant it too.

She didn't believe that I just wasn't interested in guys that way yet. Especially him.

I was too busy being a tomboy. Hockey was my first love. To top it all off, the boy had the face of a frog.

Every time I saw him, it made me want to go ribbit. Yea, that comment right there blew every loose screw in her head all the way out.

She was more offended by my insults than anything.

I just thought she could do so much better and told her so.

She was so angry that she slammed my locker closed onto my hand. Even in my pain and anger, I didn't want to fight my best friend.

Especially not over a frog-faced boy.

However, she wouldn't calm down and lunged at me so I had to defend myself.

Which resulted in her having a black eye and a busted lip for two weeks.

I gotta give it to her, she was beyond beautiful with her dark brown hair, porcelain pale flawless skin, long gorgeous legs, and strikingly clear green eyes.

They were a rare jade color. She was way out of Frog-Face's league. She just didn't see it.

She never forgave me after I damaged her "beauty pageant-worthy" face. Ruining any and all chances of her competing in the finals that year.

I could roll my eyes at how dramatic she was back then. Again, not my fault.

She really didn't think it through.

I mean, come on, I'm the only girl on my mom's side of the family out of 5 brothers and 12 cousins.

I was with them all the time. She knew I gave them a run for their money when it came to fighting and sports.

"When you play with the boys you better be just as tough. You better not come crying to me if they bust your head wide

open, young lady."

That's what my mama used to tell me when she was still alive.

I miss you so much, mama.

I thought and let out an exasperated sigh as I addressed the stink beetle in the room.

I plastered a fake smile on my face as I turned around in a graceful spin and fawned ignorance.

"I have no idea what you mean, Spacey."

She began to turn red with fury and I swear smoke started coming out of her ears.

She hated that name more than anything, and if she wasn't such an airhead about our situation, we could've still remained friends.

I almost laughed but I needed to keep up appearances if I wanted to figure out how the hell she would be the first to know if it hasn't even been announced publicly yet.....

If she was involved in any way, I needed to know so that I could calculate my next move very carefully.

I had to tread lightly.