"Melody! Help meeeeee!" Harry shouted from across the lobby.
I was lacing Niall's skates because he couldn't get them tight enough no matter how hard he tried. And they think I'm the weakling.
Those sexist bastards.
"Gimme a minute, you butt!" I shouted back, then turning back to Niall's skate. "Oh my God go get another pair. These suck."
Niall went to go get a different pair as I wobbled over to Harry on my skates, which have yet to be tied. I sat down on the bench across from the curly-haired bastard to lace my own skates.
"HEY!" he protested. "I need help with mine!"
"Oh, grow a pair and lace 'em yourself," I retorted, tightening the laces on my other skate.
"Here I was thinking you were nice," he shot back.
"And I thought you were a man, but looks like we're both wrong!" I grinned at him.
He looked like he was about to say something else, but he closed his mouth and shook his head instead.
"Gimme your foot," I commanded, sitting on my knees in front of him.
After I had tied his skates, I pulled my gloves on my hands and went through the door to the arena.
As much as I like the Fargo arenas, I prefer the Wahpeton one. The ice isn't as soft, which makes it easier to jump and gives you a better incentive to not fall.
I threw my arms out wide and tipped my head back, closing my eyes and shifting my weight to my toes so I wouldn't fall backwards. The cold air nipped at my face and neck, sending shivers down my spine, but I didn't care. I felt great to be back on the ice after weeks of freakishly warm concerts that left even me sweating, and all I had to do was use my fingers.
"Melody!" Harry shouted across the ice, breaking me out of my trance.
I skidded to a stop, nearly falling, but I regained my balance before gravity kicked my ass with ice.
I turned to face him. He was staring down at the ice, standing just outside the boards.
"What're you waiting for?" I shouted at him, doing a little twirl. "Get your ass out here!" I skated closer.
"Uh," he said, blushing profusely. "I can't skate."
I laughed. "Bullshit. Everyone can skate. But not everyone knows how. Step on the ice and let's see what you can do."
He hesitated a moment, then tentatively put one foot on the frozen surface of the rink, then the other. He grabbed the boards and pulled himself away from the door, locking his knees so he couldn't move his legs.
I pushed the door closed, then skated over to Harry.
"You gotta let go," I said, skating backwards in front of him.
"Uh-uh."
"Harold...." I warned, using his full [first] name.
"Don't call me that."
"Harold! Harold!" I sang, grinning. "I'm not gonna stop until you move away from the boards."
He gave me the stinkeye.
"Harold!" I teased, skating out of his reach when he swatted at me.
"C'mere," he said, trying to pull himself towards me fast enough so I couldn't get away. I shook my head, skating farther away from him.
"BINGO!" I shouted, not telling Harry my idea and turning around and skating to the hockey bench. I went through the door that went outside the rink. I looked around me, seeing the spare Zamboni, the Miller Lite trailer, and - AHA!
I grabbed the red metal thing and carried to to the ice. I pushed it over to where Harry was now sitting on the ice. "Use this," I instructed, letting it slide to him. "It helps with pushing off on your skates. It doesn't do much for balance, but that's only because it's meant for five-year-olds."
He snorted. "No way. I can do this without it." He attempted to skate toward me, but fell on his butt.
I started laughing. "Gravity just gave you one helluvan ass-kicking!"
"On second thought," he said, blushing. "Maybe I do need this." He grabbed the handles and slid his foot straight back once he had gotten up.
This only made me laugh harder, because he didn't move a millimeter, and he wasn't doing it right.
"Yeah, you think this is funny, Miss I've-Been-Skating-For-Ten-Years," he grumbled.
"It IS funny!" I argued. "You're nineteen and have to use one of those!"
"Shaddup," he said, which only made me laugh harder. "Okay, fine," he said in all seriousness, standing upright. "Show me what you can do if you say you're that good."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that a challenge? Harold, you should know better than to challenge me on the ice."
"Show me."
I stared at him for another moment before shrugging and moving toward the box. I plugged my iPhone into the stereo system and turned on my practice music.
I waved Harry off the ice and hit play, skating to the corner, where I waited there for the song to begin.

Harry's POV

It was stupid of me to challenge, her. I know she's way better than me.
Her music started, and she took off. this wasn't at all what I expected. I was expecting something like classical music, like Beethoven, or Bach. Maybe Sousa.
But no. As usual, Melody surprised me. This time with a song that had a beat.
I watched as she jumped and twirled on the ice, seeing the glee on her face.
When the song ended, I skated carefully to where she stood, doing more of a shuffling thing that slowly got me to where I was going.
"How was that?" she asked, her face flushed from the cold. "I haven't done that routine in a few years, so it might've been a little rusty."
I didn't answer. Instead, I held her head in my hands and kissed her, hoping she heard my answer, loud and clear, without me saying anything at all.

Notes

Okay, so I know I didn't update like I was going to on Friday. I got to skip school because my mom was having surgery. I was going to update in the waiting room, but I was sitting next to my dad the entire time, so I couldn't. And then I just didn't feel like updating last night when I went to my pastor's house (because my mom didn't want me to spend the night in the hospital with her. She said it was because I wouldn't be able to get to sleep because of all the beeping and movement and stuff, but she didn't sleep at all last night, so joke's on her!) and because I was watching Sofia the First. I know, I know. It's a stupid kids' show. But it's my strange addiction, so I watch it anyway.
I have a dramatic chapter coming up - at least I hope it's dramatic, because I suck at writing dramatic shit and I'm MUCH better at writing the fluffy frou-frou chapters. I have some of it written, and I know how I want it to go, but in order to get from the point where it is now to the point where it's going to end, I have to have something to go in the middle of that. I have an idea, but then I have to transition from where it is now, to that thing, then to the last part.
It may drag on for two chapters.

ANYWAY, I'm babysitting right now (until noon - yaaaaaay..........not) for somebody who's supposed to be babysitting these kids (their grandma had to go to Fargo, so I'm watching her three grandchildren until she gets back). I got tackled, drooled on, and attacked by the same six-year-old all night, and I have to go through that in the morning, because I'm a heavy sleeper and he'll probably wake me up like that. Unless I wake up to his youngest sibling (she's about a year and a half) screaming for attention from her porta-crib. Or woken up by his two-year-old brother, who doesn't seem to understand as much stuff as most two-year-olds do.
But they're really cute, so it's all okay! :)
Anyway, I have some gummy bears calling my name, so I'm gonna go pig out on them now.