laceybrees

[laceybrees]

he was her anchor. that was the best, simplest way to describe it. he never let her fall. nor was he ever going to. not only physically, but emotionally too. sometimes she felt like he was the only person in the world who understood her. there was always so much pressure on her, from herself, the world. the world of competitive skating was not for everyone. sometimes she just wanted to leave it all behind. maybe live a normal life. and it was always i want whatever you want, lace. always. ever since they were babies. her mom would say he was like a lost puppy when it came to her, how he would probably kill someone for her or help her hide a body if needed. lacey would roll her eyes, but how lucky was she that she had someone that loved her as much as he did. even if her idea of love was pretty warped at the moment. she had stayed in bed for days after she discovered her dad's long term affair. it felt like a stake was driven through her heart. even more so that he asked her not to say anything about it to her mom. who the hell asks that of their kid? theo was the first one she told about it, never being too good at concealing things from him. he was the first one that she wanted to tell most things to. comforter thrown over her face, she just blurted it out. maybe love wasn't her dad blowing up their family and running off to california with his whore of a wife, but maybe it was her best friend continuously showing up for her. loving her through everything. lacey couldn't quit skating, no matter how much she wanted to at times. it was her life line. the love of her life. a distraction from everything wrong. but maybe it was really theo.

"tiny tim? after you know how much i cried watching mickey's christmas carol when we were five? you are so fucking mean to me, unbelievable," the raven haired girl shook her head with a roll of her eyes. they were always asked if they ever got tired of each other. never. other skating duos always interested her. she loved seeing how other partners worked. they knew a lot of: we need space from each other or we'd kill each other. they never had that problem, no, their co-dependent asses always needing to touch each other in some sort of way. how gross. "don't worry, i won't let anyone bash your flawless reputation, we'll just blame it on me being in a hurry to angry skate," angry skate. sad skate. where she just skated for hours on end alone. and if you wanted to talk to her, you either had to either: lace up your skates, talk around that, or wait until she was done. free therapy. "i talked to my dad," it just comes out. like it often does. soft. "apparently the never talk to me again clause isn't iron clad. guess who's going to be a big sister? apparently our resident cel," her little sister. who only started skating because she saw her older sister do it and she wanted to be just like her. the baby. all lacey had ever tried to do was shield her. but like her mom always reminded her that wasn't her job, it was her job. to protect both of them. yeah, yeah.

the air that exhausted from the lungs underneath the crinkle cuffed sweatshirt that adorned theo’s chest was enveloping into the alaskan sky like puffs of smoke. nearing the tail end of what was said to be a blackberry winter was the complete distilled opposite in north pole, alaska. the winter season was a quintessential medium and accepted lifestyle when citizens moved to the state. it was polarizing. a collect few enjoyed it while the majority was in an abounded distaste for the relentless chill in the air. the young man didn’t mind it, of course. a naturally warm natured body himself, every last brink of a biting chill brought his internal clock to a balanced state. trotting along the ventured path to an abode he had memorized as close to second nature as possible, his nimble fingers clutched the curved plastic of the ice cream cake with measured precision. not only was the treat a get well motivational tactic for his best friend, but his skating partner. who had been since the pair could walk. raised in a household dispelled with estrogen, theo found the outlet a welcomed sport that his sisters found themselves bewildered that they weren’t the ones to pick it up first. as the years unfolded, there was an inexplainable sensation that ruminated within theo’s middle that leapt whenever lacey was around. her aura bounced off of him like a clustered magnet. it was the same few seconds of breathlessness — as if he were suffocating under a tucked blanket with no exit. it wasn’t until they were in middle school age that it truly began to accentuate to the time where his eyes saw stars and he felt as though he body gave way from him. but, he was an expert of managing the cool, calm and collected maneuver whether he exuded it or not. needless to say, he was besotted.

conveniently, the two were an excellent skating duo. each free moment they accumulated was spent out on the ice, perfecting each slant, axel and glide that could be flawless. so when the male heard confirmed word that lacey bree was down for the count, it was seemingly a no brainer to bestow any sort of distraction to the already difficult situation of doing absolutely nothing. the monotony of it all was enough for him to know firsthand that it would be a hard road. once he had made it to his destination, he fumbled for the house key that was anchored under the outdoor plant, before rustling the silver spike into the lock and opening the door himself. “and what flavour did you have in mind? do you like cookies and cream? because that’s what i’ve got. any other and you’ll have to hobble to the store yourself, tiny tim.” the boy mused playfully, dark hues following to meet hers. the ones he caught himself a hitched breath for every time. and maybe his heart did skip a beat in passing. hands now feeling clammy under the dome, he placed the container on a nearby table before averting his attention back to the raven haired girl. “i’m shocked you didn’t get this slipping on the ice, everyone’s gonna think i dropped you,” theo smirked, a slow shake of his head as he reached a palm to find a resting place atop of her shoulder. “i expect jc to hear a call from you any hour now with some new dance moves and you are not the father,”

[laceybrees]

three years. salt lake city, utah. the first time since nineteen eighty would the winter olympics be held in the united states. and truthfully? she couldn't wait. there was nothing like being on the greatest stage, being amongst the greatest athletes in the world and going toe to toe with them. she loved everything about this sport. the glittery eyeshadow, the rinestones around her eyes, the spray glitter in her perfectly pulled back hair that had been hair sprayed to the brink, the gorgeous outfits, yes even all the early morning and late night practices. she got tired a lot, but never of it. there was just something so beautiful about figure skating, making people feel something with art. how lucky was she to do something she loved with the person she loved so much. yes, loved. maybe not so platonically. lacey should know better than to allow her feelings to bleed into romantic territory. the past year they had been dubbed america's sweethearts because they were just that. just so sweet. so cute. she had lost count of how many interviewers asked if they were a couple. always trying to bite back a laugh, a blush, just friends. paired together since they were just little babies. figure skater couples never worked out, in the end, it would just be a big mess and a whole lot of heartbreak. other people's experiences were not hers, but what if they were? theo valiente was her safe place. she trusted him more than anyone in the world. a safe place to land. never letting her fall. no matter where in the world their competitions took them, how anxious she got sometimes, she just focused on him and everything else faded into the background. he understood her, he could decode her in a way no one else could. when they were on that ice together, it was pure magic. how could she ruin that? she couldn't. she wouldn't. february 2002, they were coming for that gold.

but for now it was february 1999 in an alaskan town that could only be compared to whoville at christmas time, all the time. and the bree family was scattered. valerie and warren bree were over as of last summer and lacey and her nine year old sister were smack dab in the middle of it all. he had moved to california and by default wanted his daughters there too. her older sister already in college over there. no, she wasn't moving to california. how could he even ask that? her entire life was here. what? was she just supposed to find another dude to skate with over there? so on top of dealing with her parents' bullshit, repressing her feelings, she also rolled her ankle coming down the stairs. nothing too bad, thankfully, but she just had to stay off it for a few days. however, anyone could tell you, the girl was not very good at doing nothing. just a lot of TRL and maury, she loved other peoples' messes, what could she say? the sound of the door opening hardly diverted her attention. besides, she already knew who it was, her mom and sister would be gone for awhile and very few people knew where they hid their spare key. "theodore, don't you dare enter this house without an ice cream cake," the raven haired girl spoke up, her green eyes moving to meet him in the foyer. "or at least copious amounts of snacks. i'm losing my mind over here, man, and jc and maury can do only do so much, so please, humor me, valiente," who wants an ice cream cake in bone chilling alaska weather? apparently her.