Page 6 of Switching Skates
Sundays are the only day I usually take off from skating. My one day a week to be everything I want except for a goalie.
I love hockey; it’s my life, and it will be for however long I’m lucky enough to play. But sometimes, it’s nice to do something else, even just for a day.
Checking the fridge, I make a mental note about what’s missing and grab my keys to run to the store.
The sun is setting as I step outside of our house, waves of orange and gold on the horizon, reminding me of the blue-eyed girl that I’ve tried to fully push out of my mind and the nickname that I gave her years ago.
God, that girl … she’s ruined me in more ways than I want to admit.
Maybe I should go on that run sooner than later to let off some steam.
“Oh my God, where are you going? It’ssoearly,” Maeve whines as I rush into her bedroom to grab my sneakers that she borrowed from me.
A perk of us being the same sizeeverythingis that our wardrobes are practically one and the same.
I love Maeve, but she has the memory of a goldfish. Like I told her three times before, I remind her, “I’m meeting up with Melissa at the rink.”
Melissa Miller runs the skating programs at Northern Minnesota University. Including the youth programs as well as the college figure skating team.
“Bring home doughnuts. I’m craving them so badly.” She rolls over in her bed as I slip the shoes on and roll my eyes, chuckling. “And not the gluten-free ones, please.”
“Rude. I’m getting gluten-free doughnuts, and if you’re lucky, I’ll bring your faves too.”
“Fine,” she groans.
“Love you,” I murmur as I walk toward her door.
She shoos me away with her hand. “Love you too.”
Grabbing my bag from the kitchen island counter, I head to the rink on campus to meet up with Melissa. I can’t help but to think of my mom and what her time on campus would’ve been like.
My mom, Audrey, has dedicated her life to skating, coaching countless Olympic medalists before settling down, having me, and then opening and running the rink in our hometown.
But her love story was cut short when my dad passed. I don’t have any memory of him. He died in a car accident when I was only a year old. But I’ve grown up knowing exactly who he is through the stories she’s told.
It’s been her and me since then, us against the world. And I’ve never known anything else or ever felt anything lacking. She’s filled my life with love and happiness. She’s taught me everything I know, especially when it comes to skating.
The passion, the drive, the love for the sport—she poured it all into me. We had plans for my future and goals that she was helping me achieve. I spent years winning competitions, dominating everything I entered and competed in. And then my accident happened … the injury that ended my career, and everything we had dreamed of came crashing down.
At first, it felt like the end of the world. But my mom never made me feel less than for not being able to compete anymore.
After a while, thanks to my mom’s help, I found a new passion. Teaching kids, helping them get better, and watchingthem fall in love with skating—it fulfills me more than I ever could’ve imagined.
But running a rink or a skating organization isn’t so easily done. Which is why I’m here—to get my degree. After that, I’ll get to coach alongside my mom and run her rink with her.
As much as my mom values hard work, she also wants me to enjoy my time in college and have a little fun before I start full-time at the rink. It’s not that I don’t enjoy other things. I’d just rather be on the ice and spending time with her.
While Maeve might have initiated the idea of transferring to school here, my mom provided the logistics. This house was my grandparents’. We used to spend every summer here, out on the lake, having a campfire under the stars. S’mores and fire-roasted hot dogs.
The memories flit through my mind, and my heart aches because I know I’ll never get to re-enact those memories again—at least not with my grandparents. They passed away a few years ago, leaving the house to my mom, and my mom gave it to me … temporarily at least. It’s mine and Maeve’s until next summer.
Knowing Maeve, I’m sure she will be creating all new kinds of memories for the both of us that we’re sure to never forget.
She’s incessantly begging me to throw a party before school starts, wanting to invite Mason and his teammates, specifically the cute ones she found on their team roster.
She likes to use hockey rosters as dating profiles, carefully sifting through the players she likes, finding their socials, and “accidentally” stumbling upon their DMs.
I’ve got to give it to her. It’s worked wonders for her thus far, but she just hasn’t found one she wants to keep.
