Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“I didn’t know that.”
“I do.”
Silence.
“Not that it matters to you, but my older brother Travis is here today.”
“He is?” My heart betrays me by skipping a beat.
“Yes,” she says. “He hardly ever comes to these, and since he’s here and this could potentially mean that…”
The rest of her words come in muted.
Travis is here.
When I’m able to focus again, Penelope is standing in front of the mirror, smoothing her hair.
“I need you to make this competitive for me.” She’s still talking. “Like, make the judges’ final decision hard as hell.”
“There are over a dozen other skaters here, Penelope.”
“There’s only one I’ve ever worried about,” she admits, facing me again. “I want the best from you because you’ve always brought out the best in me.”
“You’ll definitely get it.”
“Good.” She steps back and heads to the door.
“Wait,” I say as she grabs the handle.
“Yeah?”
“There are two bobby pins sticking out of your bun in the back,” I say. “Judge Reddick is a stickler for stupid shit like that, and I’d hate for that to be the reason behind your upcoming loss to me.”
“Me too.” She smiles. “Thanks.”
She leaves the room, and Miss Price rushes in.
“Oh, thank god!” She places a hand on her chest. “I thought you two were finally fighting it out after all these years.”
“No, we were just having a conversation.”
“I hope it was about how you’re moments away from beating her today.”
“It was.”
An hour later
Penelope launches into a triple-toe loop, drawing stunned applause from today’s audience of thousands.
She’s floating on the ice, securing every spin and jump in a way that confirms her moniker, “The Perfect Feather.”
There’s supposed to be a double lutz next, but she deviates, going for a triple salchow and back-to-back triple lutzes instead.
The arena explodes in applause, and as much as I want to ignore the hype, I clap as well.
She completes a parallel spin, and then her routine unfolds precisely how I’ve seen it before.
Pure perfection.
Out of nowhere, she makes another deviation. Instead of a final triple lutz, she attempts a quad, and I brace myself for another round of applause as she spins in the air.
She doesn’t come down like she should, though.
She falls face-first onto the ice, and the white surface beneath her becomes bloody red.
Oh my God…
ACT 14 & A HALF
BACK THEN
TATIANA
Chicago, Illinois
I push my way through the horde of reporters clogging the lobby. Making a beeline for the freight elevator, I take one of the interconnected hallways and find Penelope’s room.
Pushing the door open, I gasp when I see her on the bed. Her head is wrapped in bandages, her legs are covered in casts, and her eyes are swollen shut.
Oh, Penelope... My heart drops as I near her side.
“Why did you deviate from your routine like that?” I choke on my words. “We were both going to be on that podium, and I was looking forward to talking shit to you…”
The sound of nearing footsteps make me look up, and I slip into her bathroom. Leaning against the tile, I watch as two nurses assess her status.
“Does she have any family here?” one of them asks. “Has anyone contacted her parents?”
“Her parents are deceased.”
“What about any other relatives?”
“Her older brother is upstairs speaking to the doctors about the care she’ll need over the next several years. Given the circumstances, I’m assuming that’ll last until the early evening.”
“What a tragic end to a beautiful career.”
‘End’ of her career?
I wait until they leave before slipping away to the gift shop. I pick out pink and grey balloons and flowers and take my time penning a short note inside a pretty ‘Get Well Soon’ card.
When I return, I set the gifts on the table and adjust the pillow behind Penelope’s head.
“I may hate you on the ice,” I whisper, “but in another life, I think we could’ve been friends.”
Her eyes flutter open, but only for a moment.
They close just as fast.
“How did you get in here, Miss?” A stern voice calls from behind. “I didn’t see you check in at the desk.”
“Sorry, wrong room.” I walk out before she can call security, rushing down the hall and to the elevator. The doors glide open, but I don’t step onto the car.
I can’t.
Travis is standing on it alone, his eyes bloodshot, his shirt and pants wrinkled. He’s holding a white bouquet while a “Family Visitor” lanyard hangs from his neck.
“Tati?” he asks, stepping off. “How long have you been here?”
“Not too long.”
“I was hoping to find you after the competition to see if you’d come out to dinner with me, but…”
“I know.” I swallow. “Well, I uh, I came here to wish Penelope a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you,” he says. “I rented out an entire floor at the hotel across the street. Do you want to stay with me tonight?”
Yes, please. “No. I need to go.”