Page 79 of Ride with Zane
“Hey, Di, what’s up? Shouldn’t you sleep?”
“Not a chance. We’re waiting to see our Princess.” She giggles, shushing someone, but the buzzing background is more than normal.
“We? Where are you?”
“The mayor made sure everyone will watch the Olympics tonight. All of Newtok is gathered downtown. Like a cinema under the stars.”
Holy shit. Thank God Ash doesn’t know it. “Enjoy the show, I saw part of the choreography and it’s amazing.”
“We’ll be cheering from afar but make sure to tell her we’re proud of her. They say she’s one of the favorites along with that Chinese girl.”
“Yeah, heard that too…” I spot Raven and the woman I saw earlier talk with Ash, and she seems a bit confused. Or maybe I’m too tired. Truth is, the conversation with Raven messed up my head. She seemed to be okay with our relationship and now everything changed.
“Rock, are you there?”
“Yeah, sorry I have to go.” It’s a lie but I don’t want to stay over the phone with her.
I shove the cell phone in my pocket while Ash comes for a quick kiss and sits on the bench. “I want a hamburger after today.”
“Everything you want, Princess. Are you ready?”
She ties her skates while Raven stands next to me. “More than ready.” She shakes her arms and rolls her shoulders, stretching her muscles. “Do you like it?”
“You should have picked…”
“I was asking him.” She cuts Raven off. Something is off and I’m not sure if I should venture into it.
“You look amazing and ready to shine.”
She flashes me a smile and walks near the ice rink. I stand behind her to make sure she doesn’t feel cold.
When it’s her turn she takes a breath in and skates away.
“Ashley Harrison, twenty-one years of age from Newtok, Wisconsin. Her first attempt at Olympics 2019 even though she’s won several gold medals during competitions all over the world.”The speaker introduces her and the lights swirl around while she speeds up near the edge. I’m almost scared she will hit it.
“The numbers that she has posted are extremely high; they would challenge the top names here.”He continues.
Ash takes her place in the center of the rink.
The cheers stop.
Her chest rises with every breath while the music starts to play. I can’t take my eyes off her, and I’m mesmerized by her choreography.
“She has nothing to lose in this event but trust me, she’s putting the pressure on all the veterans.”The second speaker continues. “Look at that double axel so perfect for the opening.”
“I agree, her lines are exquisite and the deed knee into that degree even more of a spectacular finish.”
Ashley jumps and rotates so many times that the crowd applauds. I try to focus on her performance since I can’t wrap my head about what she’s doing.
Raven comes closer to the glass, worry painted over her face and makes my stomach knots too. “What?”
“She’s changing it, but the score goes up.” It’s more like a murmur. “What are you doing, Ashley?”
“Could you explain to me too?”
“Before the competition, she gives the judges the list of what she’s about to show them. The more perfect the figures are, the higher she scores, but that’s not the choreography she was supposed to do.”
“You sure?” She gives me a death look. “So far it’s what I saw her work on.”