Freeskate

By Jeannie Depp

A troubled young skater comes of age, both on the ice and off it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeannie Depp
• Release date: Aug 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005738563

Jeannie Depp

Jeannie Depp is the pen name used by JT Larson for books other than children's books.For kids' books, look for titles by Jeannie Gonser.

Book preview

FREESKATE

by

Jeannie Depp

Copyright © 2019

All rights reserved

ISBN: 9781097142187 (paperback)

All references to people, places and events are used fictitiously. All other names, characters, places and products are the products of the author’s imagination.

Front cover image by Ambour Art. All rights reserved.

First printing edition 1

Old style MUSIC starts to play. It’s scratchy, like a vinyl record that’s been played too many times, by about fifty years.

FADE SLOWLY UP TO:

Images begin to flicker on the screen. Out of focus at first, they gradually become more visible.

Sharpening into focus, scenes play like grainy old movies. They show male skaters on the ice in long pants. They perform the traditional figures of the black and white movie era.

The clips become more recent, and the music evolves into something newer, for a more modern audience.

Clips evolve to Scott Hamilton at the ‘84 Olympics and Sabovcik’s controversial quadruple jump in Moscow. Ilya Kulik dazzles doing the quadruple routine that won him the gold, Rudy Gallindo does his trademark sit-spin, and Philippe Candalero grins wide during his fabulous Musketeer fencing routine.

The climax of these clips culminates with a breathtaking series of flips. Scott Hamilton does his signature tucked back flip and Sabovcik does his famous layout back flip.

Scott Hamilton spins like a top.

The clips and the music end suddenly, when Hamilton’s spin does. The image ends suddenly, but the CHEERS fade slowly.

The CHEERS jumble in with a mix of VOICES, echoing like it’s being played in a large empty space where there are lots of people. We HEAR elevator MUSIC playing in the background.

INT - WINTERHAVEN SKATING ARENA

Skating students of all ages in expensive sweaters and mittens are practicing. Thin, tiny and perfect, they glide along the ice like graceful, anemic ghosts. The girls look like frozen little Princesses and the boys look sculpted from marble.

The students practice their spins and leaps and listen to the careful advice of their coaches. They skate with a calm, reserved demeanor.

All except for two.

JAYDEN and JOHNNY skate fast through the older skaters. Johnny’s cheeks are red and Jayden’s curly blond hair flies as he careens around the rink at breakneck speed.

Both are beautiful boys, but neither is anemic nor reserved. These are a couple of kids who are having a great time skating, pure and simple.

The boys draw disdainful glances from the other coaches, and the other skaters look down their perfect little noses at them for their recklessness.

The boys don’t care. To spite them, older skaters, the boys whisper to each other, then launch into a series of intricate jumps, and execute them to perfection. Then They play around again, tagging each other, laughing.

COACH VERABINSKI calls for Jayden to come off the ice. Coach is a dignified-looking man in his waning forties with well-groomed hair and a tidy beard and mustache. He is wearing a sweat jacket and has a whistle hanging around his neck. He watches Jayden carefully.

Jayden careens toward his coach, and pulls up at the last instant, spraying coach with shaved ice. He pauses to slip the thin plastic blade guards on the bottom of his skates, then sits on the bench to retie his skating boots.

Coach speaks with a thick Russian accent.

COACH

You rush around the ice too much, Jayden. You will use up all of your strength too fast.

Jayden answers without looking up. His hair has falling in front of his eyes, so he wouldn’t be able to see much, anyway.

JAYDEN

No I won’t.

Coach looks fondly down at Jayden. Boys barely past twelve have a tendency to fidget, so Coach is patient with him.

COACH

Your posture is perfect, Jayden, but you hang your head down. You must keep your chin up. Remember!

JAYDEN

Ok, Coach.

Coach chides Jaden gently.

COACH

Jayden, I need to book our ice time. I’ll be right back. Don’t forget your program notes again. We need to work on them.

Jayden nods, looks up at Coach and smiles. Jayden’s casual smile is brilliant and his eyes are a stunning pale blue. If you saw him from a distance, you’d think his entire eyes were white.

‘I’ve got this, coach’ Jayden’s expression says, but he has to let the coach think he’s right sometimes.

Johnny’s coach, a man named HEYWOOD, calls Johnny off the ice.

JOHNNY

Hey, Jayden. I’ll see you later, okay?

JAYDEN

Cool. Later, dude.

The two bop a fist one on top of the other, then coach Heywood leads Johnny away.

When he goes back to lacing up his boots, Jayden’s tussled, uncut hair falls in front of his eyes again. He brushes it away absently, but it falls right back down. He leaves it.

Coach smiles.

COACH

You are a good boy, Jayden.

And Coach means it. Jayden’s a good kid.

Jayden finishes re-lacing up his skating boots and reaches beside him on the bench. There’s nothing there.

He looks under his jacket and under the bench, but still doesn’t see what he needs.

JAYDEN

(Under his breath)

In my bag.

Jayden Glances around to make sure Coach isn’t around to see, checks his blade guards, and takes off in the direction of the locker room, through the tunnel, to go find his bag and his notes. He lopes along expertly on the thin strips of protective plastic. He doesn’t totter awkwardly the way a beginner might.

Along the way, Jayden catches a glimpse of himself in the reflective surface of a glass pane. He’s walking with his head ducked down, just like coach said.

He playfully mocks his coach.

JAYDEN

Kyip yore Chyin up!

Jayden raises his chin and gives himself a wink as he walks past the mirrored window.

INT - THE LOCKER ROOM

Jayden finds the door to the locker room locked. He looks around to see if there’s anybody to ask for the key, but he is alone in the hallway.

JAYDEN

Okay, then.

Jayden plucks his wallet out of his back pocket and, with one last look around, slides it into the crack of the door. There’s a sliding click and the door loosens. It is unlocked.

JAYDEN

Zoop! That’s how it’s done.

COACH HEYWOOD is in the locker room already, standing much too close to JOHNNY, another skating prodigy, and Jayden’s friend.

Johnny is a dark-haired, doe-eyed boy of perhaps twelve or thirteen. He is sitting on the bench in front of his teacher, clad only in a towel, which he clutches to keep covering himself.

Heywood moves quickly away from his Johnny, fumbling to close his jacket over his disheveled clothes. His face is red. It’s pretty obvious what’s going on here.

Johnny covers his mouth with a trembling hand, closes his eyes and shamefully turns his head away.

Jayden’s smile is slowly replaced with sick realization.

JAYDEN

Johnny, no.

Heywood bellows furiously, advancing upon Jayden.

HEYWOOD

What are you doing here? Get out! GET OUT!

Jayden stumbles out of the locker room