Chapter 14: The Bet When Yume arrived at the rink for practice the next morning, Mikhail was standing outside the doors, waiting for her. “Yume.” Yume -- along with Clarissa, who was walking along with her-- came to a stop at the sound of her name, though she didn’t say anything to him, still annoyed that he had skipped out on their practice the night before. “Can we talk?” he asked, coming up to her. His icy blue eyes briefly flashed over to Clarissa. “Privately?” “Um, I should go inside and start warming up,” Clarissa said, getting the hint. “Jason’s probably waiting for me.” “I’ll join you in a sec,” Yume said as Clarissa opened the doors and went inside. Once they were alone, Yume crossed her arms and turned her attention to Mikhail, interested in what he had to say for himself. “Well?” “You’re angry about last night,” he noticed, leaning his back up against the wall. “I thought you would be.” “Of course I am. You stood me up, Mikhail. I waited for you for an hour, but you never showed.” He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.” Though his apology sounded genuine, Yume wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “If you had a date, you should have just told me,” she said. “I wouldn’t have minded if you had cancelled.” “A date? What makes you think I was on a date?” His question took her mildly by surprise. Even though she told Tatiana not to bother telling Mikhail that she had come by his room to look for him, Yume assumed she would do so anyway. “Well, you were, weren’t you?” “I went out, yes, but I wouldn’t call it a date,” he said, frowning. “Tania invited me out to a late dinner. She said she wanted to discuss some things, but by the time I got back to Kaleido Stage, it was already well after nine, so I assumed you had already left. I didn‘t realize you were still waiting.” “I’m supposed to believe that?” Yume asked, arching an eyebrow. “It’s the truth.” She scoffed. “I’m not an idiot, Mikhail. I saw her.” “Who?” “Tatiana. I dropped by your dorm around ten to ask you why you hadn ‘t come to practice, but she was the one who answered the door, dressed in one of your T-shirts. She said you were in the shower.” To Yume’s surprise, Mikhail rolled his eyes. “That Tania,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I *knew* I had heard somebody knocking at the door, but she said I had just imagined it.” “So you’re not even going to deny she was there?” “Why would I? You spoke with her yourself. It would be stupid to lie about that.” “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Yume admitted. “Still, why was she in your room last night?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared down at her. “You know what? I don’t believe that is any of your business, Yume,” he said. “None of my business? Yesterday afternoon, you were saying you had no interest whatsoever in pairing back up with Tatiana, but just a few hours later, you decided to blow off our practice to go on a date with her? I say that is my business.” “I told you already, it wasn’t a date.” “Fine. You blew off our practice to sleep with her. Is that more accurate?” she shot back. “You know what? Believe whatever you want,” he said, starting to head inside the rink. “You coming?” Yume followed after him, still fuming. ***** It was their worst practice ever. Whatever unison they had managed to develop over the past few weeks had disappeared. Their spins were out of sync, their side-by-side jumps a disaster, and Yume was so unfocused that she wasn’t able to land a single throw jump they attempted. Worst of all, Mikhail had begun giving her the silent treatment again, not saying a single non-skating-related word to her all through practice. “Mikhail, Yume, stay. I want to talk to you two,” Coach Wong announced after practice. “The rest of you, good work today. Dominique and Sebastien, I’ll see you after lunch for your private practice.” Yume watched as the other skaters filed off the ice, wishing she could follow after them. May Wong was a terror to face when she was angry, and judging by the look in her eyes, she was absolutely furious. Indeed, the moment the last skater left the rink, she rounded on them and let them have it. “Okay, what the HELL was that just now?” May barked. “You two skated like five-year-olds stepping out on the ice for the very first time, not like an Olympic gold medalist and a Four Continents champion!” “We just had an off-day, Coach,” Yume said with a shrug, sneaking a glance over at Mikhail, who stood silently beside her with his arms crossed. “It happens to everybody, right?” “Oh, no, this was way more than just an ‘off-day’. Something is going on between you two, and I want to know what it is, so spill.” “It’s nothing, really,” she insisted, wishing Mikhail would say something, anything at all. “Right, Mikhail?” After a brief pause, she got her wish. “This is a waste of time,” he muttered. “Coach, can we leave now? I have somewhere else I need to be.” “Another date with Tatiana?” Yume retorted, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop them. “What does Tatiana have to do with this?” May demanded to know. “Nothing,” Mikhail said, rolling his eyes. “Yume’s just blowing things out of proportion and getting upset over nothing. Délat' iz múkhi sloná!” Yume glared at him. She had no idea what that last part meant, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t anything complimentary. “Nothing? Don’t you think I have a right to know if you plan to dump me to pair back up with your ex-girlfriend?” “I already told you, I have no intention of going back to her.” “Your words and your actions don’t match up.” “What actions? We went out to dinner. Is that such a crime?” “You slept with her.” “That’s your version of events.” “Well, it was pretty obvious what happened.” “It’s none of your business what happened.” “Maybe not, but --” “Okay, that is it!” May shouted, stepping in between them and pushing them apart. “I have had just about enough of this nonsense. Until the two of you work through your issues, you are hereby banned from skating practices.” “What?” they both exclaimed, in unison for the first time that morning. “You heard me. There’s no point in you practicing together if you keep skating the way you skated today. You’ll just be wasting my time. Do you realize that I was so busy working with you two idiots this morning, that I barely had time to pay attention to any of the other skaters? So, that’s it. I don’t want to see either one of you at this rink until you’ve called a truce. Do I make myself clear?” “Fine, whatever,” Mikhail said. “Can I go now? I’m late for a meeting with Kalos.” He seemed to direct the last part at Yume, who blushed, embarrassed about her previous assumption. “Yes, go on ahead. You, too, Yume.” Mikhail skated off, Yume following after him a few moments later, ashamed of how she had acted in front of May. She had no idea what had gotten into her or why the idea of Mikhail spending time with his ex bothered her so much. Like he said, it really wasn’t any of her business what he did in his private life. “Mikhail, listen,” Yume said, sitting down beside him on the bench where he was taking off skates. “About this morning, I --” Without a word, he stood back up, swung his skates over his shoulder, and left the rink. ***** “Seriously? Coach Wong banned both you and Mikhail from coming to skating practice?” Clarissa exclaimed when Yume arrived at her next class, aerobics, and told her and Pilar about what happened after everybody had left the rink. “It’s true,” Yume admitted, letting out a sigh as she began her warm-up stretches. “She said she didn’t see the point of us coming to practice until we stopped fighting.” “Can she even do that?” Pilar asked. “I mean, you guys are the stars of the next show, for crying out loud!” Clarissa frowned. “More importantly, what are you two fighting about anyway? I thought you were getting along better as of late.” “I know -- must be a lovers’ quarrel!” For some reason, Pilar seemed almost gleeful about the idea. “Pilar!” Yume glared at her. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don‘t --” “-- have a crush on Mikhail?” she completed for Yume. “Yeah, sorry, you’re never going to convince me, because I know it’s true.” “It is not!” “Is, too! “Is not!” “Is, too!” “Is n--” “Will you two knock it off?” Clarissa said. “Everybody is looking at us!” Yume glanced around the room, blushing when she saw that they were indeed the center of attention. She turned back around and lowered her voice. “It was just a stupid fight over nothing,” she told Clarissa, refusing to go into any more details lest Pilar get the wrong idea about things. “I tried to apologize to him before he left the rink, but he ignored me.” “Well, you’re going to have to get him to listen to you somehow. You can’t be banned from practices forever.” “Maybe instead of an apology, Mikhail would rather start skating with another partner,” a haughty voice said from the spot behind Yume, intruding on the conversation. She spoke with an unmistakable French accent. “I don’t believe anybody asked for your opinion, Dominique,” Pilar said, craning her neck to look back at the unpopular skater. “And didn’t your parents ever teach you it wasn’t nice to eavesdrop on people’s private conversations?” Both Clarissa and Yume had to hide their snickers, amazed by Pilar’s blatant hypocrisy. Dominique, however, took their laughter the wrong way, assuming they were making fun of her. “I wouldn’t take things so lightly, if I were you, Yume,” she said. “Mikhail’s the one everybody wants to see, not some unknown upstart who only has two throw jumps in her arsenal and can barely pull off a split triple twist. Face it -- you’re replaceable. If you two aren’t getting along, then the obvious solution is to pair him up with somebody else.” “And you think that person should be you?” Pilar scoffed. Dominique flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “Of course. I *am* the only one here who can match Mikhail’s technical ability, after all.” “You didn’t do so hot at the auditions, as I seem to recall.” “Nobody did, because of that stupid test the boss suggested. Kalos knew Yume could never compete with the rest of us on a technical level, so he came up with the idea of improvised programs, knowing that none of us would be able to perform our best. If it had been a proper pairs audition, I certainly would have won.” “Hey, it takes more than just technical skills to be a great performer, you know,” Clarissa said. “Kaleido Stage isn’t the Olympics or the World Championships. As long as the audience is enjoying her performance, it doesn’t matter if Yume doesn’t do the more difficult pairs tricks.” “Besides, Mikhail’s been helping Yume with her triple axel these past couple of weeks,” Pilar added, a smug look on her face. “I bet *you* can’t do a triple axel, can you?” “Pilar…” Yume begged, not liking where the conversation was heading. “You can do a triple axel?” Dominique asked, her eyes flashing over to Yume. “Well, I’m still not very consistent…” “Oh, in that case, who cares? Anybody can get lucky and land a hard jump every once in a while.” “It’s more than just luck!” Yume said, her hands clenching into fists. “Mikhail has been a great teacher, and he’s really helped me improve my technique. I may not have completely mastered the axel yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it!” “You tell her, Yume!” Pilar said, cheering her on. “In that case, why don’t we make a bet?” Dominique suggested. “Give me one week to learn the axel. Then we’ll have a little contest. The person who manages to land the most triple axels in ten attempts will be declared the winner. If I win, you step aside so I can take your place as Mikhail‘s partner.” “And if I win?” Yume asked. “Then you can keep him, of course.” Pilar frowned. “Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound like much of a bet to me. Yume already has him, so why should she agree to this and risk losing him if she doesn‘t get something else out of it?” “Okay, how about this? To sweeten the deal, I’ll even agree to stop telling people that the only reason Yume was hired was because of her connections.” “Zoe Alexander, too,” Yume added, thinking of the bullied contortionist. “You have to stop spreading rumors about both of us.” “Fine, I accept your terms. Do we have a deal?” Yume hesitated for only a moment before shaking the hand Dominique offered. “Deal.” “Hey, don’t you two think Mikhail should have some sort of say in this?” Clarissa asked, a skeptical look on her face. “I mean, he *is* the prize, so to speak. What if he doesn’t want to honor the agreement?” “Oh, don’t sweat the small stuff, Clarissa,” Pilar said, grinning. “Besides, in the end, it won’t matter anyway, because Yume is obviously going to win.” “I wouldn’t be so certain about that,” Dominique trilled, looking positively gleeful. Yume instantly regretted what she had done. ***** “I’m a total idiot,” Yume declared later at dinner. “Why did I ever agree to that stupid bet?” “Come on, Yume, cheer up,” Pilar said. “You’re worrying over nothing. No matter how great a jumper Dominique is, she’s never going to be able to master the triple axel in only a week.” “She seems to think she can.” “Well, then, she’s the idiot, not you.” “It certainly would be nice if you won and Dominique agreed to stop gossiping about us,” Zoe said with a sigh, moving her corn around with her fork without taking a bite. “Earlier today, one of her followers thought it would be fun to steal my leotard from my gym locker. I didn’t have time to go back to my room to grab another, so I had to do ballet in my street clothes. When the girl finally gave it back to me after class, she had written ‘Daddy‘s Little Princess’ on the front with permanent marker.” Beside her, Becca steamed with barely concealed rage. “I still say you should go to your parents and tell them what happened.” “No, that’ll just make things worse. Everyone will just accuse me of using my influence to get her in trouble. I know they will, even the ones who know what she did.” “But that girl is bullying you, Zoe!” “All the more reason for Yume to win the bet,” Pilar said, but Yume was barely listening. Her attention had been caught by Mikhail’s arrival in the cafeteria, along with Sergei and Dmitri. The three of them walked right past the table where the girls were sitting on the way to the buffet line, Mikhail seeming to make a point of pretending that Yume wasn’t there even though both his friends called out friendly greetings to their respective partners. Yume sighed and stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. “It’s official: he hates me,” she muttered. “Maybe I should just let Dominique have him, no matter what the outcome of the bet…” “Yume, Mikhail doesn’t hate you,” Clarissa said. “He’s just angry. Give him a couple of days to cool off, then I’m sure he’ll be more receptive to an apology.” “You really think so?” “You said it yourself that the fight was over nothing important, right? So he can’t stay mad at you forever.” “I hope you’re right, Clarissa...” Near the end of dinner, Clarissa’s partner Jason, who had been sitting with Mikhail and the other male skaters, walked over to their table and sat down backwards in the empty chair beside the redhead. Clarissa’s cheeks went flush, but after giving Zoe an appreciative glance, Jason turned his attention to Yume. “So, Yume, there appears to be some rumor going around that you and Dominique are going to compete in a triple axel challenge. Is it true?” “My, my, word certainly travels fast around here,” Pilar said, though she seemed pleased. “Did Mikhail send you over?” “Well, yeah,” he admitted, “but we’re all a little curious. Sebastian says Dominique has been holed up in the rink ever since they finished their session with Coach Wong, practicing her triple axel non-stop. It doesn’t even look like she took a break for dinner.” “That’s not healthy,” Yume said, frowning at the news. “She needs her energy if she‘s going to practice that much.” Pilar groaned, rubbing at her forehead. “Yume, she’s the *competition*, in case you‘ve forgotten. Don’t worry about her eating habits.” “Even if she is my rival, that doesn’t mean I want her to hurt herself.” “So it’s true?” Jason asked. “You two are really going to challenge each other to do the triple axel?” “A week from today,” Yume said. “It was her idea. The winner will become Mikhail’s partner.” “Whoa, he never mentioned anything about that!” “Probably because Mikhail doesn’t know yet,” Clarissa said with a roll of her eyes, speaking for the first time since Jason joined them. “They made the bet without even consulting him about it first.” “I see. Well, I bet he’ll be interested in hearing this.” Grinning, Jason stood back up and turned the chair back around. “Thanks for the info, ladies! See ya.” “Do you really think Mikhail will be upset when he finds out about the bet?” Yume asked Clarissa once Jason had left to rejoin his group. The last thing she needed was for Mikhail to be even more angry with her than he already was. She shrugged. “All I know is I certainly wouldn’t like it if I was in his position.” Yume sighed, burying her head in her arms. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted letting Dominique talk her into making the bet. Clarissa was right. They were acting like eight-year-olds, fighting over a favorite toy. It was too late to back out now that everybody knew about it, though. If she did, Dominique and everybody else would think she was a coward, and the bullying toward Zoe would probably get even worse. “Hey, don’t worry about it, Yume,” Pilar said, rubbing her back. “For now, just concentrate on winning the bet. If you do, I’m sure everything will work out in the end.” ***** Yume headed down to the practice rink at around nine, surprised when she heard the faint sound of pop music coming from inside. Even after all that had happened between them, had Mikhail decided to resume their triple axel practices? Her heartbeat quickening, Yume pushed open the door and stepped inside. Rather than the Ice Prince, however, the one on the ice was Dominique, still practicing her triple axels. Yume let out a heavy sigh, berating herself for even hoping that Mikhail would come. Of course he wouldn’t. If she wanted to win the bet, she would have to do it on her own. Dominique didn’t seem to notice Yume’s arrival, too wrapped up in her training. After switching into her skates, Yume walked over to the boards and watched as her rival launched herself into another triple axel. She had a natural technique in the air, easily completing the three-and-a- half rotations required of the jump, but she ran into some trouble on the landing, taking a horrendous fall. Yume gasped and stepped onto the ice, skating over to Dominique, who had yet to get up. “Are you okay?” she asked, holding out her hand to Dominique. The French skater stared at Yume’s hand for a long moment before finally accepting her assistance. Yume helped pull her back to her feet, taking note of the number of scrapes and bruises that covered her arms and legs. She had earned yet another cut from that last fall, a bloody gash on the back of her left calf from the blade of her skate. “Dominique, you need to have someone look at that. Come on, I’ll help you to the clinic.” But Dominique brushed her off, skating over to the boards. “It’s nothing,” she insisted, trying without success to hold back a wince as she placed a wet towel against the cut. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” “But --” “I’m your competition, Yume. Don’t you have something better to do with your time than worry about me?” “But you’re hurt…” “I *said* I was fine.” “Are you sure?” “You came here to practice, right?” Dominique asked. “Well, go ahead. You can have the rink. I think I’ve practiced enough for today.” Yume watched as Dominique hobbled off the ice, still concerned about her despite their history. She knew how much Dominique wanted to win the bet, but she was going to seriously hurt herself if she kept up that kind of training. “The girl has guts; you have to give her that much,” Fool said, again appearing out of nowhere. “What are you doing here, Fool?” Yume asked, starting her warm up. She didn’t even bother to lecture him, realizing that Fool would do whatever he wanted, no matter how many times she yelled at him. “All of Kaleido Stage is abuzz about the upcoming Triple Axel Showdown between you and that girl, so I thought I would come by and check her out.” “And?” she prodded, getting the feeling he wanted to add something else. “Well, I hate to say it, but she’s good,” Fool admitted. “Really good.” “Has she managed to land any yet?” “Not cleanly, no, but I saw her come close at least a few times while I was observing her. It won’t be long before she does start landing them, if she keeps up the same level of training.” “Great,” Yume muttered. “Just what I wanted to hear.” “You don’t sound too confident about your chances of winning this thing.” “Of course I’m not.” She clenched her fists at her side. “Dominique’s a much better jumper than I am. Maybe if Mikhail was still coaching me, I might have a decent chance of beating her, but…” “What happened between you and the Ice Prince, anyway?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you’re still upset about last night.” “I don’t want to talk about it, Fool.” “Fine, I won’t pry, but what are you going to do now? If he’s not going to help you with your axel…” “Then I’ll just have to keep working on it on my own,” Yume declared. “That’s all I can do. I’ll work hard and hope for the best.” DISCLAIMER: Kaleido Star doesn’t belong to me. AUTHOR’S NOTES: Any comments and criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. “Délat' iz múkhi sloná” is a Russian saying meaning “to make an elephant out of a fly.” The equivalent saying in English is “to make a mountain out of a molehill.”