Page 76 of My Last Dance
It felt like all humor was sucked out of his truck.
We sat in silence for a minute, like we were acknowledging a death.
Kappy cleared his throat and took off his sunglasses. “Wanna go inside?”
“Are we allowed?”
He pressed his lips together in thought. “Not sure who would stop us. C’mon.”
Wandering inside, I coughed a couple times because of the thick layer of dust over top of everything. The sun’s rays seemed to catch the dust, making everything appear a little hazy. All the arcade games and vending machines were cleared out, making the lobby look larger than usual. What used to be the concession stand and pro shop were now just empty box rooms.
I silently followed Kappy into the West side rink, the same rink where we once crashed the zam. Half the boards were missing, and the ice was completely gone. Instead, the room was filled with a large cement slab.
Kappy walked out onto the cement and made his way toward the center. “They’re gonna tear it down soon.” He squinted up at the bleachers where we once sat together. “I wanted one last look around.”
He looked so sad and somber in that moment that I walked over to him and held his hand.
He stared at our interlocked hands for a beat. “I have a question for you.”
I met his eyes.
His chest heaved with a breath. “It’ll be a shock, but just…stay with me, all right?”
“Okay…” I drawled, deeply confused.
“What if…” He licked his lips. “What if I skate with you?”
My body went still. I stared at his face, replaying his sentence, thinking maybe I misheard him. My eyes darted over his face, trying to detect the joke, because hecouldn’tbe serious. I blurted out a laugh. “You’re kidding, right? Funny joke. Ha-ha.” I tore my hand out of his grip.
Blowing out a sigh, he raked a hand over his hair. “I’m dead serious, Piper.”
“Why? Why are you saying this?” I whispered. “Are you making fun of me?” The question just popped out, but as soon as I said it, I wished I could take it back. I wasn’t supposed toaskthat. He’d never admit it anyway.
His eyebrows tugged together. “Why would I make fun of you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I blurted out sarcastically. “Maybe because you’reyou.”
He kicked up an eyebrow. “I don’t joke when it comes to you, Piper, you know that. And I wouldn’t joke about this,” he said, making me even more confused.
He walked across the concrete to the team box and casually lifted himself to sit on boards, letting his legs hang freely. “Why not?” He licked his lips to hide a grin. “Think about it…an NHL player going into figure skating? We’d be the talk of town. We’d steal all the hockey fans.” He let out a little chuckle. “The whole world would be watching.Everyonewould be cheering us on.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. “What about hockey? What about your team? You would never be able to do both. People love to tear down ice dance, but it’s a full-time commitment. It’s a whole differentsport, Kappy. It would take alotof work.”
He shrugged. “A lot that I’m willing to do.”
I stared at him, but he didn’t flinch away.
This couldn’t be real. He’s playing you again, but this time, about your life’swork.
“No.” I said flatly, putting up a hand. “Absolutely not.”
Surprised flashed across his features. “No, you don’t want to skate with me?”
“Yeah, no.”
“Yeah, no?” He scratched his cheek and let out a little chuckle. “Which is it?”
My hands went to my hips. “It’s not funny.No, you cannot skate with me. For one, you would never be able to keep up, and two—”
