“That’s right, Karen! We’re coming out of retirement and competing next season!” Chloe exclaimed with a beaming smile.
Fuuuuuuck.
The audience lost its shit, cheering and clapping and probably tweeting the news already. Even my mom was clapping as Obaachan asked us to repeat what they’d said.
Mom answered, “Chloe and Phillipe are coming back!”
“Mom!” I hissed.
“What?” She blinked at my outrage in confusion. “That’ll be nice for them. They really should have won gold in France.”
“Not so nice for Etienne and Brianna!”
It took her a second before understanding dawned. “Ah. How many spots are there for us in ice dance?”
“Two for Worlds this year. I can’t see them placing high enough to earn three for the Olympics.”
My heart raced as I did the math. If Etienne and Brianna made it to Worlds this season, they and the other team—which would surely be the reigning champions, Anita Patel and Christopher Ferguson—would have to rank high enough that their placements added up to thirteen.
Anita and Chris had been sixth in the world last year. If they matched it, then Etienne and Brianna would have to be seventh. There was no way they’d jump up that high even if they skated their very best. Canada would only have two ice dance spots for the Olympics, and Etienne and Bree were screwed.
Fuuuuuuck.
I apologized to the family beside me as I leapt up and practically crawled over them to reach the aisle. The ice resurfacing would take a bit longer. They still had to introduce the men’s judges since it was a different panel for each discipline, then the skaters would have their warmup. Henry was skating fifth, so with judging and replays, there was time.
I had to talk to Etienne.
After taking the stairs two at a time, I ducked outside through the first open glass door I could find since there were too many people around for privacy. In the fading light, a blast of frigid air slapped me, my fingers instantly numb as I pulled out my phone and tapped. Snowflakes swirled around me, the Rockies barely visible in the distance.
Etienne picked up the video call almost immediately, grinning into the camera. “Hey!” He looked like he was in the gym. Buds dangled from his ears, and a row of elliptical machines extended behind him, only one in use. He held up a bottle of disinfectant. “Just finishing the machines.”
His brown hair was damp, and sweat glistened in the hollow of his throat, so he’d probably worked out recently. He and Bree were allowed to exercise for free at the private arena gym in exchange for cleaning.
It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, a shadow of stubble over his pale skin. His chest hair peeked out over the V-neck of his workout shirt.
“Um, hello?”
I realized I was staring and jerked back to attention. “Yes! Hi! How’s it going?”
His mouth went tight, and he shrugged. “Okay. I mean, it’s good. I’m good!”
Honestly, I thought Etienne was miserable in Hackensack. Yeah, he and Bree were training with the hottest coach in ice dance, but neither of them seemed happy. It bugged me that Etienne wouldn’t admit it, but I didn’t want to piss him off by pushing. It was like when my grandma still smoked. She had to get to that point herself where she wanted to make the change.
Etienne squinted. “Where are you?”
“Outside the arena.” Shivering, I side-stepped until I was under one of the big lights coming on. Snow was drifting, and I regretted only wearing Jordans. Not to mention only being in my hoodie.
“Your hair!”
“Oh, yeah.” I swiped at the highlights. Maybe it had been a bad idea.
“I love it.” Etienne flashed his perfect grin. He’d had his teeth fixed last year after a skating official mentioned it. I kind of missed his crooked canine. Not that I spent time thinking about my best friend’s smile.
“Yeah?” I was weirdly relieved. “Cool. Thanks.”
“Looks like it’s snowing.”
I brushed flakes from my head. “Yeah, a bit. Anyway, I just wanted to…” Shit. He clearly hadn’t heard the news yet. How was I going to break it?
His thick eyebrows met. “What’s up? Did Henry fall in the short?”
“No, he hasn’t skated yet. I need to get back inside soon. The thing is…”
Etienne’s frown deepened, his eyes flicking up and finger moving toward the screen. “Sorry, bunch of texts coming in.”
There was the figure skating gossip machine exploding into action. I blurted, “Chloe and Phillipe are coming back!”
Etienne had lowered the phone to wipe a cloth over a weight bench, and he bolted upright, the phone jerking with him. He looked down into the camera, practically a nostril view.
“What?”
“They announced that they’re returning to competition next season. They’re here in Calgary, which is a big flex considering their top rivals are all in the building.”
Etienne wiped his forehead. He breathed harder now. “They’re coming back?”