The rink was small, but usable. A long row of mirrors lined the wall, and a barre was attached. There was a locker room on the far end of the building and off to one side, there was an electronic stereo set-up for the music. Nothing fancy, totally serviceable. I still liked it, though. My own private rink for the next two months. Heaven.
I just had to put up with some beer-swilling pig of a partner and all of this paradise was mine.
My phone rang at 3:00 PM California time, and I yawned, rousing from my nap. I wasn’t used to the hours here, and was still exhausted despite it being early afternoon. “Hello?”
“This is Melody, calling you to remind you that the celebrities will be arriving in a half hour. Please be ready to meet your new partner. There will be camera crews at hand to film your reaction.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
I got up and put a bit of makeup on, and I smoothed my bun again, making sure I looked presentable without being too eager. I hated that I had been dressed so casually this morning. If I dolled up like crazy now, the other skaters would smirk endlessly at my obviousness, and I didn’t want to be on their radar any more than I already was. Still, I added some lipstick, since there would be cameras. Okay, and a bit of mascara. I had big, dark eyes, and it wouldn’t take much to make them pop.
I went outside and walked down the street where the others were converging. There was apparently a clubhouse at the end of our private little neighborhood, and I guessed we needed to head that way. Stuffing my hands into the pockets of my hoodie, I sauntered toward it.
Cameras and people were everywhere, and I saw one cameraman split off and immediately head for me. “Zara,” the cameraman said, waving me over. “Let’s do an interview.”
Interview? Bleh. Part of the job, though. I put on my best smile and shrugged. “I’m game.”
“Okay, great. Why don’t you tell us what it feels like to be part of the Ice Dancing with the Stars team? Please include the question in your answer and speak in complete sentences if possible to make it easier for the production crew.”
Oh. Okay. “Being on the show is an amazing opportunity,” I told him, and I wasn’t lying. It seriously was.
He gestured his hand for me to continue talking.
Oh. Someone wanted me to actually keep going? Normally everyone couldn’t wait for me to shut up. “Well, actually, I’m super nervous,” I said, and gave a little bounce as if to illustrate this. “I’ve never been on TV and it’s been a while since I skated in any sort of professional capacity, so this is a big deal for me.”
“But you were in the Olympics back in the day, right?” he interrupted, still filming me.
“Oh, yeah.” And I grimaced. “We probably shouldn’t bring that up, though.”
“So have you ever skated doubles?”
“I have not skated doubles,” I told him. “This is actually a little different, because it’s ice dancing. Doubles is two people on ice, doing a coordinated routine together. Dancing is, well, dancing.” I didn’t bring up the fact that we weren’t even really doing ice dancing, just a mutated version of skating doubles. “You’re constantly in touch with your partner, which means you both have to be in time with the music, except there are two pairs of skates to keep track of instead of just one. It requires a lot more paying attention, because you’re only as strong as your partner.”
“Let’s talk about partners. Are you excited to meet yours?”
“Excited? I’m not sure if excited is the word I’d use. Nervous, yes. But not sure if excited is the right word. I’m mostly ready to get this thing started.” I bounced around again, unable to contain my anticipation. “I know everyone says they’re here to enjoy themselves, but don’t get me wrong, I’m here to win this thing. I’m ultra-competitive, and I tend to hyper-focus on things. So I plan on working from sun up to sun down to make sure that we totally rock this thing and get all the way to the end. I’m not going to settle for second best. Not from myself, and not from my partner.”
“Great, thanks, Zara.”
“Of course. Any time you need an interview, you just let me know. I aim to please.” And I’d kiss all the right asses if it meant being here next season.
He left my side and went to go stand with a few of the other cameramen, so I wandered back to the other skaters. Emma beamed a smile at me. “You ready to meet your celebrity?”
Man, everyone was sure focused on the whole celebrity thing. “I guess? I just hope he can skate.”
Emma didn’t look worried. “They can. That’s one of the criteria for being on the show. They have to pass a physical and a rudimentary skating test. That, and they have to be someone people would be vaguely interested in seeing compete.” She gave me a fainter grin. “But their idea of skating prowess and ours is a little different, so just be sure to have low expectations.”
“Low expectations. Got it.”
“I am really glad that you’re here, Zara,” she said in a soft voice. “I wasn’t kidding. I always thought you got a bad rap. I mean, how many of us have wanted to walk off the ice after a bad performance?”
“Yeah, but I was the dumbass that did it.” I shrugged. “And I learned why you don’t, but I learned the hard way.”
“Well, I don’t think you should be punished for the rest of your life just because of something you did ten years ago,” she said softly. “Oh well, anyhow. I’m glad you’re here. Svettie was wanting that baby for forever, so I’m really glad she’s getting it, and I’m glad you’re getting your second chance. Just hope you don’t get stuck with a loser for a partner.”
Emma sure was being friendly. It was good to have someone on my side. “How do they pick the partners?”
She made a face at that, her eyes still scanning the horizon—likely for the incoming celebrities. “Oh, that. They pretend like it’s all random, but it’s really not. They select who you’re going to be paired with based on who they want to succeed.”
My eyebrows drew together. “You mean it’s rigged?”
She laughed. “It’s TV. Of course it’s rigged. They’re looking for optimal entertainment value, you know. Like you? They picked you because even though they want a good skater, they also like drama. You have the potential for drama. That’s also why they like Serge.” She nodded down the line at the men, who stood in a cluster, talking together. “Ten bucks says they’re going to give him someone sexy because he slept with his partner last year. Made a lot of tabloids. My guess is that they want him to sleep with his partner again.”