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Squeezing Bree’s fingers, I said, “I guess we’ll see hoe feel”

“Yeah”

Silence stretched out, but it wasn’t aard We’d agreed ere paired up at fourteen that we’d go one season at a tiary next season, ere going for it There was a young tea that second spot in Canada, but it was ours to lose

Except now Chloe and Phillipe would be number one Anita and Chris would be number two We’d probably be third, but it wouldn’t matter if there were only two spots for the Oly to happen

“It’s not fair” Bree whispered, her voice thick with tears

I tugged her hand, and she ainst my side and under my arm I kissed the top of her head “It’s not”

We both knew fairness had nothing to do with it It was competition, and if two teams were better than us, that was fair

It still sucked

We’d both dreamed of the Olympics since ere little We were so close We’d spent two damn years here in Hackensack away fro a fortune for scraps of our coach’s attention To not go to the Games after all this…

“What was it all for?” I muttered

Head on my shoulder, Bree sniffed loudly “Sometimes I don’t know”

“Because we love skating?” I always had I’d given up piano for it But now I felt hollow

Bree laughed huain “Should that be a question?”

“Probably not? We do love it”

“We do Most of the time We don’t have to love it all the time”

“Right” That was true But I was afraid to tell herwas like a river that had slowed to a trickle

She asked, “Did you see the text from Yaroslav?”

I was surprised he’d made the effort His assistant, Svetlana, was the one who usually trained us We were the botto to break into the upper echelon Soh talent

I said, “Not yet I need to reply to my parents too”