MARCUS

Okay I am seriously so tempted to open this duffel bag up. I have been here for an hour and she still hasn't even come back for it. I tapped my foot on the ground looking around in the rink to see if anyone was coming. More specifically Alexandria. 

It doesn't look like she's around. Alright I'm opening it.

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It's relatively normal. She has extra guards, a water bottle, gloves, snacks, a chamois cloth, tights, soakers, makeup, hairbrush, medical stuff,  and her hygiene stuff. So what was she getting all fussy about.

That was until I opened another compartment of her bag. Birth control pills, condoms, and a diary.

I mumbled, 'Why does she need condoms?' and zipped her bag up. I decided to be respectful and not read the diary because I am a respectful guy. Information I do not need.

I don't think she's coming back any soon so I might as well go to her room or whatever.

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I get to her block and I knock her door. And then she opens it after a whole 2 minutes.

Her lips and her eyes are swollen, and her nose looks like rudolphs. 

'Oh god.' She shut the door in front of my face.

'Dri. I'm here to give your bag back'

She opened the door a little bit and stuck her hand out. I gave her the bag.

'Alexandria I'm here if you want to talk. I promise I won't make fun of you'

Dri mutters behind the door, 'I look so fucking ugly right now. But whatever.' 

Her door squeaked open and she let me inside.

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She sat on her bed cross legged and I sat on the edge of it. She glared at me with her dark, glossy eyes.

I glared back at her. 'You don't look ugly by the way.'

She cast a fake smile at me. 'I'm not qualified for the Nationals anymore. I haven't even told Niamh yet, I mean how am I supposed to tell her. God. She was so proud of me and now I have to tell her that I'm not in it anymore. My mother would be even harder.'

'So who are you murdering tonight?'

'Natalie and Elijah. They replaced our rank.'

Oh god. I remember that night with Natalie. 

'You know maybe it happened for a reason??'

'not helpful at all  cartwright'

'okay yeah I don't know how to do this shit. Wanna go out for a walk?'

'Fuck no. I am not going out looking like this. Also its raining?'

Alright I really don't know how to comfort her. I looked out her window and I saw the rain pouring down. I wasn't even aware of how loud it was. I turned to look back at her.

'Food?'

'yes.'

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'I'm not supposed to be eating this many calories Marcus' she stuffs the chips in her mouth.

'it doesn't matter'

'I am a figure skater'

'figure skating can kiss my ass.'

We both let out a giggle. I have never seen her so vulnerable like this. And why around me?

'Do you want to go talk to Niamh about it after you eat? Because clearly I'm not good neither perfect at it'

'No. You're perfect. I'll talk to Niamh tomorrow or whatever.'

I smiled at her.

'Hey.'

'What?' she moped.

'Are we friends?'

'No.'

'Then what are we?'

'acquaintances.'

'Alexandria that's another word for friends.'

'no it's not' She throws the packaging from the food away. 'Niamh is my friend. You are not.'

'Ouch.' I laugh. 'So you only have one friend?'

'Jonathan and Niamh are my friends. You are an acquaintance.'

'Are you being serious Dri?'

'completely'

'What if I told you, that you're my friend?'

'then you'd be lying because we all know what you want, Cartwright.'

'Alexandria.'

'I am not becoming friends with a hockey boy.' She lifts her blanket and rests in it. 'they're all playboys' she mumbles.

'Do you want me to turn into a pretty figure skating princess for you?'

'No. I want you to just be you.'

'I just wanna be friends with you.'

'you are an acquaintance. You build up to friendship' She chuckles.

'fine. I'm leaving now. Bye acquaintance'

'Bye-bye!' She waves.

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'God sometimes she can be fucking annoying but I love it. How do I become friends with this girl.' I muttered to myself, while taking the elevator to my room.

I pulled my dusty sketchbook out of my drawer. I haven't used it in months. I never had the time. I pulled my old pencil and rubber out the drawer too.

The last drawing I made was a landscape I visualised. I had an urge to draw this gorgeous girl.

I drew lines besides lines, and I perfected every part of her perfect face. After I finished it I decided to call it 'acquaintance'. Just seemed right. I also popped the date on the corner too. '"27/2". She's beautiful and she doesn't even realise it.

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I heard two violent knocks on the door. The only person who does that is Alexandria.

'What's up.' I lean against the door frame.

'You remember when I basically said I didn't want you to be a pretty figure skating princess?'

'Yes?'

'I want you to be one. Now. Jonathan is not coming to the rink with me. He says he's "too busy" but all he's doing is relaxing in his room.'

'Oh so I'm your second choice?' I laugh.

'Yes. yes you are'

I grabbed my hockey skates and we went down to the rink together.

'those don't have any toe-picks' she mutters.

'what the fuck are toe-picks'

'i'll show you.' She holds her figure skates and tells me all about them.

I find it so cute that she's telling me about what she loves. Me out of all people. She's going skating with me.

'Oh god'

'Good luck trying to some of the moves i'm about to get you to do'

'what did you just say?' I laugh.

'It's a challenge, alright?' She giggles.

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"Symphony" played in the background as I followed her elegant feet. I hate radio songs but theres something different about it when i'm with her.

Her scratch spins were perfect, her jumps were perfect, everything about her was perfect. I tried copying her but I found my self on the icy floor.

'Fucking hell'

She laughs at me.

'Stop laughing right now.'

'how about no'

I stood up. 'What if I told you that the Zamboni driver hates all the figure skaters.'

'What!'

'He said that you guys leave bigger holes in the rink than we do.'

'no way. You're lying'

'Your basically digging holes into it with your silly little spins.'

She crosses her arms and skates off. I chase after her.

'Did you forget how speedy we are.'

'No. I just wanted to make sure that you're the one chasing after me' she mischievously smiles at me.

She really got me there. I'm drooling at the mouth over her.

'Are we friends now?'

'Almost there.' she grins. 'If you can correctly copy what I do, I'll buy you a caramel slice tomorrow morning.'

'yes yes yes'

And then she starts doing cart wheels on the ice, standing splits, and stuff I can't even name. Camel spins?? I don't know anymore.

'Fuck the caramel slice. I cannot do any of that'

'Try doing the cartwheels. I've seen your team do it before.'

'And you're looking at me like I can do it?'

'Yep' she grins, 'I'll buy you a caramel slice, but half of it goes to me.'

'Okay here goes nothing'

I planted my two arms of the freezing ice and landed right on my ass.

'I think I just broke my tailbone' I stood up and laughed.

'get up' she chuckles.

I groan. 'it's settled; I am not a pretty figure skating princess.'

'practice makes perfect Cartwright' She holds her arm out. 'come'

I hold her petite hand and we skate all around the rink. 

'I'll teach you a really easy spin' She lets go of me and she does a spin. 'It's called a one foot spin'

I attempted it. I somewhat got it.

'Dri you have an unfair advantage. I have no "toe-picks" on mine'

'deal with it' she laughs. 'you did pretty good though'

'it's my turn to teach you something'

'what?'

'put your guards on.'

We walk through the hallways, and we take a moment to look at the awards hung in glass cabinets. I take her to our rink.

Once we're there, I grab a hockey stick and a puck, and handed it to her.

'Oh.' She stares and the hockey stick and the puck.

'I'll teach you how to do tricks with it. Just watch me'

I grabbed my stick, and took a puck, and used it to flick it onto the air and catch it with the stick and fling it into the goal.

'I bet I could do that easily.'

She places the puck on the edge of the stick, and flings it into the air, only for it to fall off into the ice.

' " bet I could do that easily" ' I mock her.

'I just need some time to practice. I bet I could get it into the goal though.'

'from here?'

'yep.'

She bends down to put the puck on the ground, and takes her time to hit it. She hits it like she's playing golf, and it bounces off the corner of the goal.

'god damnit' She laughs, 'close enough'

'not horrible' I chuckle.

We walk towards the rink seats and change back into our normal footwear.

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After leaving the rink and walking past the food stalls, Alexandria stops in her tracks to talk to me.

'You know what Marcus.'

'What?'

'I'll buy you a caramel slice anyway.'

'Alexandria is softening up?'

'I am not gonna buy you one anymore' She giggles while adjusting her jacket, and whispers 'Don't worry I will'

I smiled.

Alexandria glared at me, 'I owe you.'

'hm?'

'You are way too nice with me' She chuckles, 'You've bought me food twice'

'I know you like food'

she focused on me. 'wecanbefriends'

'What?'

'I said that we can be friends'

My face glowed with happiness.

'So Alexandria is softening up'

'Stop it' she hits my arm gently. 'My love language is quality time, and talking about my feelings with you, eating with you, and skating with you was quality time to me'

'You love me?'

'As an acquaintance.' she laughs

I cleared my throat, 'As a friend'

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