“Play nice, boys.” Mack points at one and then the other. “I’ll be back in ten.”
Jonah wraps his arms around me. “As my favorite figure skater of all time once said to me: Good luck, skate fast, and stay balanced.”
My heart warms. I lean in closer to whisper in his ear, “I love you.”
Before he can respond, the front door of Ice Dreams crashes open.
“JONAH JUNG HOON CHOI!” I can practically see the fire coming out of Mrs. Choi’s ears.
“Looks like my skating time is over for today.” Jonah kisses the top of my head before turning toward his mother. “Mom, I can explain.”
“Outside! Right now!”
“Let me get my bag first, geez.”
“You will watch your tone, mister.”
“You’re the one screaming at me.”
None of us dare to make eye contact with Mrs. Choi as Jonah sprints to the barre area and grabs his bag. He stuffs his new Surly Gurlz T-shirt deep inside it.
When I come out the front door five minutes later, Jonah and his mom are still arguing in the car. He runs an agitated hand through his hair and then bangs his fist on the window. I catch Jonah’s eye as I pass. His fist opens up until his hand is placed flat on the glass.
“I love you too,” his lips say back.
I wait at Mack’s car as she and Egg lock up Ice Dreams for the day.
Mack sighs when the three of us are tucked safely into her car. “Yeah, there’s a snowball’s chance in Phoenix that Mrs. Choi is going to let Jonah come to the bout on Saturday now.”
Chapter 31
I wish there were something I could do to help Jonah, but I have mom problems of my own to deal with.
“Honey, I would love for you to go to the audition, even if it were just for the experience,” Mom says as I settle in on the couch beside her. “But we don’t have the extra money right now for travel expenses.”
I knew this would be Issue #1. I dig the Altoids tin out of my purse, pop it open, and pull out a stack of bills with rubber bands around them.
“I have the money.” I put it on the table.
“Where did you get this?” Mom looks from the pile of money to the bottles of high-quality, prescription-only pain pills on the coffee table.
“Egg hired me to make the audition video with him. I earned a $100 bonus because he got a callback.”
“We can’t take Stuart’s money, Livy. He’s like family.”
“Yes, we can. I worked hard for that money.”
“You did work hard. You were a true professional. Your dad would be very proud of you. But Olympians on Ice, even the corps, is a whole other level of skating.”
The knot in my stomach reappears. “Mom, you saw the audition tape. You know my skills are solid.”
“I know, honey, but you’re not auditioning to be a principal skater. The judges aren’t looking for triples from their corps skaters. They’re looking for artistry.”
This barb hurts worse than my mom thinking I’m a small-time drug dealer.
“Olympians on Ice asked me to audition, so they must see something special in me even if you don’t.”
“You are special, Olivia, but…” Mom digs around in the couch cushions until she finds her phone. “Where is your dad skating this week? Maybe he could use his frequent flier points to take you to LA? And use points for a nice hotel. Then it would be like a mini vacation. You said you wanted to go to Disneyland. Why don’t you make a nice daddy-and-me vacation out of it?”
“Will you stop treating me like a five-year-old!” I explode, sounding exactly like one.
“Olivia Midori Kennedy!” Mom’s voice is equally shrill.
I stand. “Do you want me to be the parent or the child in this relationship? One minute you’re in my business twenty-four-seven. The next I feel like I’m invisible to you. Make up your mind!”
Mom stands too, a trail of electrical wires hanging off her back. She looks me dead in the eyes. “I am the parent. You are my child.”
“Then why aren’t you there for me?” The ice is ragged today, and even if Ernie busted through the wall right now with the Zamboni, there’s no saving me from a complete meltdown.
“I’m sorry, honey. I know I messed up after the lockdown at school. Mack did such a great job calming you down, though. Some days, I think she’s a better mom to you than I am.”
“I’m not talking about the stupid lockdown. I’m talking about Nationals last year. And high-performance camp last summer. And let’s not forget about the train wreck that was Skate Detroit when Stuart and I had our asses handed to us.”
“Honey, you are comparing apples to oranges.”
“Am I? Are you afraid to train me? Is that what it is? Maybe deep down you know I have the potential to be even better than you and Dad. Maybe I could win more than one gold medal before I retire. Have a bigger career. Have a longer career. Have a life.”
“You’re not good enough, Olivia.” The venom spews out of Mom’s mouth, burning us both. “There. Now it’s finally out in the open. I’ve been training talented girls for twenty years. I’m always looking for that one-in-a-million skater. That one kid who might have a shot at the Olympics. None of my students have had it. Including you.”
The air rips out of my lungs. I slump down on the couch. Hot tears prick my eyes.
“Does Jonah have it?” I have to know. Mom makes a noncommittal noise. “Does he, Mom? Does Ice Dreams’ reigning prince have that one-in-a-million spark?”
After a moment, Mom says, “Yes. That still doesn’t guarantee he’s going to make it to the top, but he’s got raw talent. Like you did.”
“Did? Do! You know what? Stop talking to me.” I snatch my money off the table. “Just stop talking to me altogether.”
Mom calls after me, but I sprint up the stairs. It’s not like she can come after me. My phone vibrates.
Sorry about all the drama today. It’s not Mom apologizing. It’s Mr. One-in-a-Million.
Turns out, Mom’s performance today was only the opening act. If you’d stuck around five minutes more, you would have witnessed the Choi tag team smackdown when Dad arrived. It wasn’t pretty.
Sorry I missed that. But it looks like you got your phone back.
Yes! It’s so they can keep better tabs on me, but I’ll take it. For now. Mack says we should give them a day or two to calm down before bringing up the derby bout.
Good idea.
Are you okay?
Yes.
Are you sure?
Yes. I gotta go. I need to pack.
Oh, okay. Night. <3
I turn off my phone without responding. A true one-in-a-million skater can’t be distracted. Not by friends. Not by family drama. Not by her heart. Skating has to be her #1. Especially when she lives in a world of people who only look out for #1.
* * *
Don’t even think about it, Mom’s note on the front door says. She tried to be the parent. She gets bonus points for sleeping while sitting straight up on the couch facing the door. But it’s an automatic deduction in parenting when I simply grab my keys and walk out the kitchen door instead.