Realistic or Modern Phones Don't Skate

[CJWrites]

"Aaahhh no we're not playing," Victor said. "We're too old. Can't keep up with you youngsters in figure skating, let alone hockey."

Matthew didn't know what Carter was playing at but stayed silent.

"I'll come with you!" Bailey grabbed her bag off the bench and headed after Win and Carter.

"Where's the changing room?" Alex asked and Matthew led him to it.

As they were changing, Matthew checked his phone. The text made him uneasy, but he wasn't sure what to do.

He heard a noise of outrage behind him. "Who's this Elliot guy? Is he the one in the video? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."

Matthew didn't respond. But shot back a quick thank you before slipping it back into his pocket. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure nothing will happen."

He tightly wound his laces and the two brothers re-entered the rink.

They felt too loose. He wondered if he should just use his regular skates as Bailey had clearly chosen to do.

 

[EtherPillows]

When all three women were properly attired, they were out in time to cross paths with Amy, who politely informed them that she had shoed away some nosy reporters. Among the three, only Carter was surprised, but soon all three were past the entrance and into the rink.

Winfred touched the ice with her bladed footwear and sighed. It was so nice to be back in her familiar territory, and she would be lying if she said she didn't need this before tomorrow. Last night, when she had contacted her father to set a date, she had not expected the nervousness that came after.

"You alright?" Carter asked, coming up just in front of Bailey.

Win nodded. "Let's do this." then she remembered. "Since this is casual play and our team outnumbers theirs, I won't be doing much in terms of offense. Just go for the puck and I'll keep a great distance away."

Bailey shrugged, but she agreed. "Whatever you say, so it's just Alex and Matthew?"

Carter nodded. Poor babies.

Bailey played on the ice, waiting, and then she stopped. "I wonder where Helena and Claire went."

Winfred blinked. That's right. Both women had disappeared as soon as hockey was mentioned. They were probably still in the vicinity, but Win hadn't actively sought for them so she couldn't know for sure.

 

[CJWrites]

Alex handed everyone who didn't already have one a hockey stick.

"Let's go!" He shouted as he dropped the puck at the center and stepped up to take the faceoff. It was clear that someone from the other team should do the same.

Matthew cleared his throat. "Three, Two, One, Go!"

Alex lunged for the puck.

Helena returned alone to watch the game.

 

[EtherPillows]

Carter nodded, an unspoken agreement being made between the two individuals lining center. Winfred rolled her shoulders and let those in front square off. She closed her eyes for a long time until she heard Matthew signal the commencement of the game.

And as expected, her normally lady-like friend became a ferocious little wolverine. Alex must have been surprised when she growled and darted past him, but considering he was a professional, it wasn't long before he was on her tail. A quirk on Winfred's lip couldn't help but manifest at the sight.

Winfred whistled, then laughed, "Don't hog the puck, Bentley. Traveling is still a thing in hockey!"

But the puck was no longer in her control, Alex was grinning excitedly. Winfred assumed he was enjoying this small match even though they weren't pros. Good, that meant it would be a friendly game...with less of a chance of anyone getting hurt.

Bailey, being the competitive girl that she was, did not want to feel left out. She used her slenderness to her advantage and squeezed between Carter and Alex, using the element of surprise to steal the puck. Winfred was impressed, and yet more impressed when Alex stole it back and headed in Win's direction.

Win wasn't playing goalie obviously, but she was hanging considerably behind. Alex had planned on simply bypassing her, but who knew that his puck was no longer his puck. He looked back, astonished.

Winfred languidly slid the puck back and forth with her stick, and then tossed it back to Bailey.

 

[CJWrites]

Matthew awkwardly held his hockey stick. It felt nostalgic, like they were back in middle or elementary school but at the same time, he'd forgotten everything from back then.

"Guess I can't go easy on you." Alex grinned as he rushed forward on his skates. His speed surprised Bailey who tried to speed up but couldn't due to her toe pick,

"Mattie" Alex called and passed the puck right into the blade of his stick, where it bounced before Matthew had the sense to handle it and move towards the other side of the arena.

 

[EtherPillows]

Winfred could pick out a weak player both on her end and on the opposite team's. She had never been the coaching type, and she rarely gave out hockey advice when it wasn't wanted. So when Matthew was pitted into the game, she took her father's passive teaching method and silently hoped it wouldn't end the way it ended for her when she attempted to ride a bike for the first time.

Carter, on the other hand, still didn't know how to differentiate between players and their skills, something her coach almost always pointed out. She skidded towards Matthew at the fastest pace that she could manage. Thoughts of getting to know him, and going easy on him, were now the last thing on her mind.

"Carter." Win warned as she watched her charge.

"I got it."

"Carter."

"What!"

"Carter!"

For Win and Alex, it was an easily avoidable move, but this wasn't Win or Alex.

Carter held her hockey stick firmly, nothing like a lance, but it might as well have been one by the way it jabbed for the puck.

 

[CJWrites]

Matthew's eyes widened as Carter came at him. His mind went blank and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Alex rushed towards his attacker, apparently forgetting the rules about checking, before he sloppily changed direction, "Move!"

That seemed to snap Matthew out of it. He handled the puck as he leaned back, trying to get away from Carter, before realizing too late, hockey skates didn't have the same elongated back blades. He tumbled backward and the puck skidded away from the group.

"Are you alright?" Carter stopped to ask and extended a hand to help him up,

Matthew laughed. "Fine, I'm fine. The Game's still on"

 

[EtherPillows]

A wave of panic came and went inside Winfred's chest in a manner she had never really experienced before. Even when it dissipated, she was noticeably dissatisfied. She'd seen him fall before, when they first met, but that had not evoked the sense of protection she felt now.

What are you, his mother? She was growing too soft. Besides, judging by the way he laughed, Matthew could take a fall just like any other person on this rink.

Carter, on the other hand, was convinced that Matthew needed Rhydian's vigilance and guard. She helped dust him off and nodded reassuringly. "Now you know what I go through on a daily basis with Win." She smiled wide, even at the mortification of her best friend.

At his recovery, the five people on the ice continued their game. Helena had advanced nearer to the rink, her faced flushed. "Go easier on him!"

This caused both Win, Carter, and even Bailey to roll their eyes.

They played for another 20 minutes. Carter remained as tyrannical as she could around Alex and Matt, Bailey's competitive streak never ended - everyone soon discovering that she was a bit of a potty mouth, and Win was as passive as she deemed necessary. Soon the game ended with Alex and Matt winning, and Carter and Bailey shooting dirty looks at Winfred.

Win pretended she was part of the ice.

Carter stretched her limbs, smiling after letting go of her post game bitterness. "Alright alright, that was a good game. Win and I are probably going to head out, unless we can stay and watch you in your element?" She asked Matthew and Bailey.

 

[CJWrites]

Bailey grinned and looked around. "Where's Claire Wu?"

Both twins looked unperturbed by her abscence.

"Probably studying. Or doing paperwork. Or pretending to" Alex commented.

"I'll go get her!" Helena said. It wasn't long before the two Asian women returned. Claire hugged Alex and then made a beeline for the coaches, presumably talking about her training.

Matthew hesitated at the request, looking at his coaches.

"Of course. Why not?"

Claire stepped onto the ice and seemed surprised to see Bailey still on it.

Bailey's face paled and she dig her toe pick into the ice. "Ummm... Matthew and I kind of practice at the same time and regionals are comming up and-"

"Sure." Claire interrupted "Whatever, as long as we have right of way"

Before she skated past Bailey, leaving her flabbergasted.

Matthew shot her a sheepish grin and prepared to step onto the ice himself before a hand landed on his shoulder. It was Victor.

"Listen, Matthew. It's not too late to press charges or get a restraining order. Especially if there's reason to believe they'll come after you again."

Alex leaned on the boards next to the girls who didn't take the ice and looked pointedly at his brother.

 

[EtherPillows]

When Claire Wu and her long lost twin sister returned, any sort of desire to remain inside the rink disintegrated. Win moved down to the farthest benches, and Carter accompanied her. She had to admit that she had no interest in a sport that required as much of a sacrifice of one's youth as ice-skating did. The oldest hockey player was one of her best friends vintage favorites, Gordie Howe, who was a whopping 58 when he retired, so Win liked to think that she could enjoy herself, get hurt doing so, cheat diets, and be with her family now, because she might not be able to later.

That was not the case with figure skating. As she knew.

She watched the interaction between Wittinger and Wu, and couldn't help but scoff. So Matthew wasn't the only nice person turned prick on the ice.

She meant this in the nicest way possible.

Sort of.

Meanwhile, Bailey had her wits returned at the mention of Elliot Vallis. "He should totally be reported. You could get a retraining order..."

Helena, who wasn't on the ice, but was definitely closer to the conversation than Win and Carter, intervened "That...that wouldn't look too good. Not to mention that I used to be friends with him, and therefore know some of his friends, they're not exactly the law abiding type."

Back at the benches.

"They all look so ready." Carter observed. Neither girl was aware of the conversation that was going on regarding a person they knew. "You think we should be as focused as them when it comes to hockey?"

"Noooo thank you." Win lifted up her shirt and wiped her chin, where sweat had accumulated. "Doesn't my dad always tell you that things like academic recognition, sport medals, and fame have a satisfaction that sizzles out faster than a old man's libido?"

Carter made a face, "So why are we doing this then?"

Win put her shirt down. "We're here to make it worthwhile, duh. Before Mr. Scythe Man catches up to us."

Suddenly Win thought back to the conversation she had with Matthew. This is what she should have told him. What's the point of having a plan for the future when you don't enjoy it, and constantly stress about?

 

[CJWrites]

"That's even more reason to," Yuuri said. "It protects you from him if he takes any more action against you."

Helena fidgeted on the spot. "Look. I know Elliot. He's actually kinda sweet. I think he just had too much to drink that day and got too jealous. What he did was unforgivable but I don't want his life to be ruined for five minutes of bad judgment."

Matthew nodded. "I'm with Helena on this one."

Yuuri looked skeptical. "We won't be here to protect you. I'm worried Matt. Are you sure you don't want to come back?"

"I have to learn how to take care of myself at some point," Matthew said firmly. "I appreciate the concern but I think I need to work on my routine now. Victor?"

His other coach nodded and watched as Matthew started skating his new routine. Bailey took it as a sign to start warming up as well.

"Who's Mr Scythe Man?" Alex wondered as he sat down on the bench next to Win and Carter.

He leaned back, put his hands behind his head and put his feet on the boards and grinned. "I'm skipping Monday and Friday practice to be here for my brother. He's more important than the Leafs. But with figure skating well.... when you mess up you don't have teammates who have your back. You have to be perfect. I think I'mma get out by the time I'm 30, buy a house in Queens and settle down with Claire with all the money I made. I think that's what's most important. I don't need to be NHL All Star to do that. But even by being the best, Claire only makes double my money and she has to pay people to go out and look for it."

Helena had overheard. She bit her lip but wanted to point out that Claire seemed to love her hometown of Toronto so much she practically convinced Yuuri and Victor to move there instead of the states. And her second choice would be her birthplace in China. She inched closer to their conversation.

 

[EtherPillows]

Death. Either girl would have responded, but the topic of aging and parting from this world was a rather sour one. Not to mention that no one in this arena had surpassed the age of 60 yet.

When Alex began talking, Carter and Win listened intently, different thoughts blossoming in their respective heads. Carter for one, was on the same boat. She was fairly certain Rhydian was her forever love, and while she didn't want to settle down in Queens, she always imagined they would move further north and start a family. Win on the other hand, had never thought about what she would do after she paid her dues. She never thought about what came after and who came after.

When she thought back to Elliot, she imagined a life of docility, trading in her jersey for an apron that probably wouldn't look good on her, but that was okay because Elliot would always come home late, and they proceed to have the most wonderful time in a newlywed room where aprons weren't required.

She gagged, that didn't sound like her at all. She was about as docile as a feral tiger. In terms of romance, she wasn't fond of tender love-making scenes between two newly weds. Winfred Tamford was definitely the "late night skinny dipping turned something else." kind of girl. Putting it more mildly, she was...adventurous.

She blinked at the mention of Claire Wu. "I see..." She lowered her eyes. "Claire is on board with your plan then?" She looked out into the ice, where Matthew and Bailey had begun to practice. The plan was appealing, she agreed, but where did this leave his brother. "Is your twin included?"

Carter was surprised at the question, so she eyed her curiously, but her giantess was too busy observing the skaters through hazy eyes. She knew this had to do something with Win's mother. Winfred had the same look in her eye that Rhydian wore, when he said he would never abandon his family - and that Carter was apart of that family.

 

[CJWrites]

Alex's smile faded and his expression turned into one of puzzlement before settling into a frown.

"Not really. But I mean, we've got plenty of time right? What else would we do? We've got plenty of money."

He watched as Claire kicked with her left leg into a spin and Bailey, despite having seen Matthew do the same move multiple times, got distracted and tripped into the ice. If either Claire or Matthew noticed, they didn't give any indication.

"And Mattie," his voice trailed off. "I dunno. Haven't thought about it much. I miss him a lot but when he went away in high school, it was nice not being part of a set. Both of them haven't talked about what they want to do after."

 

[EtherPillows]

Win eyed him after he spoke. Did Claire not tell Matthew her plans for the future? That's what Win remembered when she recalled the day he went to her dorm. So why did Alex not know?

She examined the more robust twin. Her green eyes then turned to the man's eyes. He seemed to be telling the truth, which confused Win.

"Atta girl, Bailey!" Carter rose from her bench and clapped when Bailey finally landed the move she was practicing. Helena smiled as well, but she didn't clap because she knew this wasn't a hockey game and Carter was doing enough clapping for the two of them.

Win was momentarily distracted, but when she refocused on the ice, she saw that things were as they had been.

There movements made something in Win feel an unexpected and entirely unwanted sadness. Their skating was beautiful, but she couldn't help but associate a fakeness to it that reminded her of the woman she would meet tomorrow. She got up, excusing herself to Alex in order to move past him.

"Where are you going? Carter asked.

"I'm heading to Frido's. I should be practicing too."

"Well wait, I'll come with you."

Helena frowned at the mention of her old workplace. "I quit there because it was always so loud and grimy, are you sure you can't wait for Tuesday and Thursday?

"I'm good, thanks for the concern. Tell Matthew to keep an eye out."

She wasn't even out of the arena yet, when Carter grabbed her.

"What's up with you?" Her blue eyes inquired.

"Just feeling restless, you know how it is."

"But what about keeping an eye on - "

Win stopped and her shoulders sagged. "He's got his brother and that Claire woman. He doesn't need Rhydian, you, the police or me. Besides, we won't know them forever, they all have bigger fish to catch and fry."

Carter sensed a large shift in her best friends mood, which meant this had to be because of that woman.

"C'mon, don't get all sour." She took her hand the way she did with her boyfriend whenever he got upset. "Stay a little while longer, just a couple of minutes. Besides, I plan to keep in touch. That game with Alex was awesome."

"Says you."

"You know it was. Speaking of which, if you ever leave me out in the dirt like that again, I'll squeeze those huge mountains you keep hidden under your shirt."

Win covered herself in horror.

But she complied, besides, she needed to take off her skates.

 

[CJWrites]

"You're leaving?" Alex looked like a kicked puppy. "Don't leave me alone with these figure skaters! Comon man! Have some sympathy!"

Yet it wasn't long before he turned his attention on Helena. "So what do you play?"

Before she could answer, Claire skated up to them, her arms and forehead glistened with sweat.

Alex, without prompt, handed her her water bottle from which Claire took a giant swig.

"Phone," she said and Alex threw it. She caught it leaned against the boards as she checked something. Suddenly, she shrieked and jumped into the air, landing on her toepick, losing her balance and catching herself on the boards

"Guys Guys! Grand Prix Assignments are out!"

Everyone else on the ice immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around the Asian woman for the results.

"Well?" Victor demanded.

Claire's whole body seemed to relax as she let out a sigh. "Skate America and NHK." She announced. "Oh my god... I'm so glad It wasn't France. I have a project due that week and I don't want to deffer it."

"And me?" Matthew asked.

Claire scrolled down and squinted. Her lack of glasses clearly in the way. "Skate America and Skate Canada! Lucky! Barely even a time zone change."

Bailey's mouth dropped. "Isn't Skate America happening in Green Bay this year? I already got tickets!"

"Really? Me too! And Skate Canada's in Kingston," Helena added. "Those are really close."

 

[EtherPillows]

Win was untying her skates when a conversation had broken out. She and Carter observed the group with simple curiosity.

"What is she talking about?" Carter asked.

"Beats me, she might as well be speaking Chinese." Winfred murmured, and swapped her footwear, feigning disinterest. She tucked her hair behind her ear and listened discreetly, but even when the others spoke she had no idea what was being said.

Carter sighed, "I'm 100 percent sure its about ice skating."

"Oh no, couldn't have guessed that." Win replied, her cupid's bow drawing flat. "Whatever. How important could it possibly be?"

Suddenly, a gasp resonated from two females. Helena already had a hand to her heart. "How important could it be?!"

"Does she have dog ears or something?" Win threw a glance at Carter, who shrugged.

 

[CJWrites]

"Which event?" Bailey asked exitedly.

"Ladies Short, you?"

"Men's Free"

The two girls grasped each others hands and shrieked excitedly.

"Well let's see if we can turn that into two front row tickets for each." Matthew commented

"Really?" Bailey's eyes lit up and she looked exitedly at Helena.

Matthew looked at his coaches

"No problemo" Victor winked. "But you should start thinking about the exhibition. Your competition isn't very steep"

--

Alex meanwhile had moved away from the commontion and towards the other hockey players. He cocked his head in their direction,

"See what I have to put up with?"

"What are they taking about?" Carter asked curiously.

"Beats me. They tried to explain it last year but I just wound up with a headache. I think it's kinda like an All Star game? Except there's these preliminaries in different countries, well I know Claire and Matt get byes for competitions below nationals so I think it gives them something to do. I'd go crazy if I could only play a couple games a season. You should go too! I'm sure Mattie can score some tickets! Hey Mattie!"

He turned towards the group of skaters "Think you have room for Win and Carter in your entourage?"

"Think so!"

 

[EtherPillows]

"Carter, no, what are you thinking?" Win sighed greatly, watching as Alex turned towards the group. "We have no idea where this event is held or if Rhydian would let me leave my studies behind." She was about to object when Carter captured her arm.

"I'll talk to him, I swear. Maybe he could come with us?"

Winfred glared at her best friend seriously for the first time in years. "To a figure skating event?!"

Carter suddenly stiffened. She'd forgotten. Her chest felt tight with guilt. "Oh god, you're right. I'm so sorry."

Aw, man. Win rubbed her neck. Now, it was Win's turn to feel bad.

"Fine - okay fine - We won't tell him about it. Thinking clearly, Rhydian doesn't seem to have anything against Matthew."

Carter's doe eyes cheered, and she wrapped her arms around Winfred's torso, burying her face in her sweatshirt and snuggling in. Her giantess let out a breath of exasperation. "Yeah yeah, can we get out of here now?" She patted her head.

"Gosh, we were having a moment. Can't you be more romantic?"

Winny shook her head adamantly. "I took after my father. He has no ounce of romance left in his army-beaten body."

"Isn't he dating a salsa instructor?"

Win closed her eyes and put a finger to Carter's lips. "Shhh..."

Carter giggled. Meanwhile, both girls had no idea that their little exchange was being eyed weirdly by the others. After a couple of seconds, Helena and Bailey went back to their gleefulness.

"Oh wait, before we go." She turned to Alex. "Can we have your number? We would love to come by often, but we're probably going to busy ourselves."

 

[CJWrites]

Alex's eyes lit up. "Yeah, sure! Of course, just like don't sell it to reporters or something. My girlfriend will kill me." he laughed nervously. "But you should hit me up when you have practice, it wouldn't be bad to run through a couple of drills."

Helena and Bailey had overheard them

"You're leaving?" Helena asked. She had picked up on it a bit, Rhydian's disdain for the sport in general, but he'd come to Matthew's defense and seemed to put his prejudice behind for other people so she thought to keep quiet. Bailey, on the other hand, didn't have the same tact, or maybe she wasn't as familiar with the siblings as Helena.

"What would Rhydian have against going to a figure skating event?" She asked curiously. Helena nudged her in the side but it was too late.

Matthew, Claire, and their coaches were deeply engrossed in a conversation about plans now that they had their assignments and didn't seem to notice anything.

 

[EtherPillows]

Winfred crossed her arms, pinching the inside of her arms to quell the newfound discomfort caused by the direction this conversation was taking. She knew that nowadays no one cared about the origins of her birth or whether she knew her biological parents. That, however, didn't stop Winfred from thinking back to her teens and her childhood, and with it the resentment her brother carried towards the selfish and the self-absorbed that nearly landed him in juvy.

"It's nothing Wittinger. Just some old beef with a figure skater." Winny lied without a second thought. Even if Rhydian attested that he felt nothing towards his past, for Win, the memories of her teenage brother piggybacking her 10 year old self to the infirmary after a particularly bad fight was ingrained in her mind forever.

Speaking of her brother, she hadn't talked to him since the things he'd said to her days ago at the Frat house. He was probably back at his rustic apartment near WS.

Carter had finished exchanging numbers with Alex, and then she bid him goodbye. She turned to the group of engrossed athletes and bowed politely. "Thank you for letting us watch.'

Winfred uncrossed her arms, standing behind her, and waved two fingers in the air in a casual goodbye. "Yeah, thanks."

 

[CJWrites]

"Oh," Bailey said.

"No problem!" Matthew called back

"We gotta go too," Helena said. "I'll drop you off at your place?" She asked Bailey. Bailey nodded. Claire and Matthew had taken the ice again and were being drilled by Victor and Yuuri.

As they drove, Helena was oddly quiet. Bailey expected her to be all excited about meeting Claire. Lord knows she couldn't shut up about Matthew for the first couple days. Even now it hadn't quite sunk in.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Helena nodded "It's just, Ming Ming wasn't what I was expecting."

Bailey nodded. She had expected something different too. She looked at Helena's cute skirt, phone case and neatly done makeup. She had expected someone more like Helena, always smiling and excited about cute objects. Instead, Claire came off as haughty and dismissive when on the ice, and always seemed like she had something better to do off it. But despite seeming excited as she took selfies with them and signed their notebooks, Bailey could tell she enjoyed it as much as Matthew had. Unlike Matthew who clearly disliked the attention, Bailey felt Claire thought of them as a waste of time, like a politician who hated talking to his constituents but realized he needed their vote. Bailey didn't know how to feel about the world champion, but she could tell Helena was disappointed.

"I'm being stupid" Helena muttered. "I- I think I always wondered what she was like and what it would be like to you know, go shopping together or something. On TV it was like I knew her. That's stupid isn't it?"

"It's not!" Bailey protested, although she barely believed her own words.

Their phones buzzed. It looked like Matthew sent a message to their group conversation. Bailey read it out loud.

Matthew: We're going out for dinner, where'd you go?"
Bailey: Home. Thought you'd be skating for a while
Matthew: Going back afterward. But you should join us.

"Well, now's your chance," Bailey said. "You probably won't go shopping with her, but at least we can have dinner together"

Helena swallowed. She didn't know if she wanted to shatter the image of Claire she'd build up in her head any more.

 

[EtherPillows]

Five minutes of solid silence passed inside of Carter's old Chevy truck without a break. Neither woman had any desire to go back to the Winona dorms, and there was definitely no desire to go to Frido's. The evening hadn't arrived just yet, but the roads were starting to dim because the sky was no longer as bright as it once was.

Carter's hands tapped on her radio, surfing through station after station until she deemed it was unsafe and went back to looking at the road. She sighed.

"What?" The angles of Win's face were highlighted by the afternoon sun. She was neither impatient nor unkind with her question.

Carter sighed harder, and then switched on her signal to make an illegal U-turn. "We're going to visit Rid."

Win smiled, her normally feline eyes growing soft. "Okay...thank you."

Her best friend returned a soft smile. "I've dealt with enough Tamfords to know when they need some TLC. I'll drop you off. I have to talk to coach Bastille about our spots."

And that's how it was 10 minutes later, when it was past 12 in the afternoon. Win watched from her brother's apartment balcony as Rhydian bid her best friend good bye with a kiss, bending low to reach her tip toed height. Then, after Carter had driven off, she went back inside to his apartment and sat down on the couch positioned nearer to the door.

When her brother returned, he sat down next to her. "...you're really meeting her? Not bailing?"

Win nodded, then hung her head, resting her forehead on top of her hands. "Yeah, yes." She gnashed her teeth together in a sudden repressed fit of anger. "I'm meeting the woman who left us, who left you, by a fucking dumpster."

The apartment was silent for a moment, before a shadow loomed over her body. Winfred lifted her head up to meet the same eyes, the same defined cheeks, and the same hardened gaze that belonged to her and yet looked much more mature.

"Win, I'm sorry for what I said. You know you're beautiful."

Winfred laughed. In reply, Rhydian placed a large hand over her raven-haired head. "You're Dad's princess."

"Oh god, kill me." Win laughed harder, but tears had sprung in her eyes. "Give me some food already, I'm starving."

 

[CJWrites]

While Helena and Bailey went to their afternoon classes, Clarie and Matthew kept training. Matthew was determined to make them most of his time with his coaches. By this point, Alex was throwing his phone in the air and spinning it around lazily while he lay on his back. He was sooooooo bored. He was used to amusing himself while his girlfriend was busy, but everything got old.

"Stop, you'll break it," Matthew snatched it out of the air before handing it back to his brother.

"Nope." Alex said, popping the 'p'. He took the phone and sat up. "Claire made me get this super case. Pretty sure it could tumble down a cliff and survive" He sighed dramatically and laid back down before noticing Matthew changing out of his skates. "Done?"

Matthew nodded. "I've got an hour of class. And Claire wants to work on her program so she's kicking us out." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"I'll come with then," Alex grinned. "See what you're learning, and I've graduated! Maybe I can help!"

 

[EtherPillows]

Rhydian's flat mate had failed to shop for groceries the day prior, so the Tamford siblings ate left over pizza slices instead. In front of a small TV that had a teeny-bit more to offer than a wall of drying paint, Win stared but didn't really watch.

The volume wasn't very high, so it was easy to grab her attention.

"Don't mention me...okay?" He spoke clearly, deeply.

Another round of silence. Winfred was surprised, but she agreed. "Okay."

His satisfied gaze returned to the screen, but he didn't pay attention to it. "Elliot's been oddly quiet."

This time Winfred looked away from the TV. It was a force of habit to be alert at his name, even if there was no emotion behind it. "Do you think he's planning something? I know no one wants to lose face the way he did."

Rhydian rubbed at his chin, where a splotch of sauce had fallen. "Him? Nah. Elliot's petty and violently sadistic when drunk, but when he's sober he likes to keep a nice image. He's probably feeling bad about Helena."

"What about his friends?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "That's a different story." He set his plate down. "Don't worry, your friend Matthew isn't going to get hurt...speaking of which, what's your deal with him, by the way?"

Winfred chewed on her slice of pizza and swallowed roughly. She cleared her throat. "He booked the WS arena for a month. We met. We accidentally switched phones...and I blackmailed him with Carter's nudes in exchange for time in the rink."

Fingers were pinching her cheek faster than Win could react.

"Ah! Ah! Sorry sorry!" She grasped her face when he let go, and rubbed it. "I wouldn't have done it. Besides, we're cool now. He's not bad - for an ice skater."

Her brother agreed, even if he didn't say so.

Unlike other kids, Rhydian remembered a lot of his pre-teen days. For the first five years of Rhydian's life, he had hidden himself in plenty of locations and spied on many conversations. The most vapid, shallow, and arrogant people would always be those sporting the nicest outfits, with the prettiest smiles, and the cleanest faces.

"Yeah, I believe you."

A messaging tone interrupted the siblings chat, and Win took out her phone.

Her face instantly drooped.

"Win?"

Winfred's throat felt dry when she said. "It's a message from her office. She's asking to meet me tonight."

 

[CJWrites]

FAlex and Matthew chatted about some of their mutual friends in Toronto as they walked

"So are you happy here?" Alex wondered.

"Yeah," Matthew said. "I've made quite a few friends and I like my classes. It's quaint here"

"Found your inspiration?"

Matthew hesitated. He didn't want to admit he didn't need to find any.

"Maybe in a hot brunette?"

"What? Noooooo, Bailey and I aren't like that," Matthew protested. "She's definitely not into me like that, and it would be weird with how much of a fan she is. Helena on the other hand..."

Matthew's voice trailed off.

"It's crossed my mind and she definitely had a celebrity crush. But I don't want to be too hasty" Then seeing Alex's raised eyebrow, he hurriedly changed the subject "Speaking of Asian girls, how's your relationship with Claire going?"

"Dunno, we've kinda stagnated. Haven't even gotten to second base."

Matthew's spirits soared just a little. "Really?"

"Ya, we're taking it slow. Also, something about how having sex will make more of that lady hormone, leave her sore and mess up her schedule. Also, her mom would kill her. She's never around though. I think she's just a prude and doesn't want to admit it."

"Sounds like her" Matthew commented. He remembered Claire giving him condoms her mother, who was a doctor, had given her, saying she didn't need them. They were probably still in his old apartment somewhere. Wonder if Alex found them?

Alex's eyes widened "Not that I mean it in a bad way! I'm in no rush"