I was having a blast ice skating. It was my first time so I wasn't really doing much work. Maddox was pretty much holding me up so I could glide. I was too scared to let go of his arms but I don't think he minds. I'd been doing pretty good. I just wasn't the best at balancing. Or going forwards. Or standing.
"Do you wanna try it on your own?" He asks.
I violently shake my head.
"I promise I won't let anything happen to you," he says.
"Maddie I'm gonna fall!"
"That's okay! I'll catch you."
I sigh. I guess it's now or never.
"Okay okay, I'll try."
He smiles and lets go of my arms. I don't fall over immediately so I take that as a good sign. Maddox skates away and tells me to skate to him. He seemed like he was thousands of miles away but in reality it was probably only ten feet. I push off of one leg and move forward a bit. I gain a bit of confidence and try to push off the other. I then start to glide over to him. I'm a bit wobbly and it's kind of scary but I'm not falling.
"I'm not falling! Maddie I'm doing it!"
"You're doing it baby! Keep going, you're almost there!"
I glide all the way over to him before I start to fall. He catches me and pulls me into a hug.
"I did it! I can skate I can skate!"
"You did it! I'm so proud! Do you want to keep going?"
I nod and grab his hand. We skate and pass a struggling Milo and an annoyed Sylas. Sylas looks betrayed that we made him babysit. I wave at him and he waved back. Milo tried to wave but he just ended up falling over. Brandon and Luci seemed to be doing well. Luci was doing better than Brand but that wasn't surprising. She was apparently some figure skating pro but that didn't really surprise me. East and Angelo passed us and they seemed to be doing just fine. I saw Angelo grab onto East after he almost fell, but that was the worst of it. All in all I'm glad Easton forced us to do this.
Maddox and I keep skating until my legs get tired. I ask to take a break and we start heading off the ice. As get closer to exit, we pass a man. I do a double take and my eyes widen.
Dad.
I looked back but he was gone. I didn't know where he could have gone so fast but I knew it was him. I start to lose my footing.
Dad was here.
I think Maddox is saying something but I can't hear him.
I thought he was in jail.
I think we make it off because I can't feel my skates on the ice anymore.
He was supposed to be in jail.
He was supposed to be in jail.
He was supposed to be-
"Grace, can you hear me?"
In jail. He's in jail. He can't get me from jail.
"Baby I need you to breathe."
Maybe he escaped. He probably escaped.
"Listen to my breathing okay?"
He was gonna take me. He was going to beat me. I'm so stupid.
"That's right. Just breathe."
I'm so stupid. He's not in jail. He's gonna get me. He's gonna-
"Can you hear me baby?"
Maddox.
"In and out okay?"
In and out. I try my best to breathe in and out.
"It's okay, I've got you, just breathe."
Breathe. I breathe. In and out. I feel fingers on my face. I think he's wiping away tears. I didn't even know I was crying.
"Maddie?"
"It's me. You're okay," he says.
I throw my arms around his shoulders as I sob.
I just can't escape my dad. He's going to beat me for being bad. I shouldn't have been bad. I knew he was going to come back for me.
"Do you want to go home angel?"
I nod.
No way I was going anywhere near that ice again.
He unlaced my skates and slipped them off. He took his off too and put both of our shoes on. I just sit there. I don't think my body wants to move. He picks me up and heads for the car. As he sets me down and buckles my seatbelt he asks if I wanted to talk about it.
I don't. Not at all actually.
I shake my head.
"That's alright, go to sleep sweet girl. We'll be home soon," he says before kissing my head.
He shuts my door and my eyes close. The only thing I can see is my father.
-
"Well you better figure it the fuck out or I will kill you."
...
"If you bring this shit anywhere near my girl, I'll show you no mercy. Is that understood?"
...
"Good."
I crack my eyes open.
I look around to find the familiar walls of Maddox's office. I think I spend more time in this office than I did in my own room. I look up at Maddox who seemed to be seething.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Oh Grace, I didn't realize you were awake. It's just boring work stuff," he says.
"You seemed pretty upset," I push.
"Let's drop it for now. How are you feeling?"
I grow suspicious if his change of subject, but I go with it.
"I'm okay."
"I can tell when you're lying to me Grace."
I look away.
"Alright, I'll let it slide. For now. Do you know what set you off so we can avoid it in the future?"
I panic at the thought of him. Memories of him staring at me from the other side of the rink fill my mind. Unwanted tears appear in my eyes.
Stop it. Don't cry.
Big girls don't cry. Don't be a baby.
"It was dad," I say shortly.
"What about him?"
I picture him as I passed him on the ice. He was wearing all black. He was on the ice but he wasn't skating. He was just standing there watching me. I accidentally made eye contact. He knows he's got me. My stomach churns.
"He was there."
~~~
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