My legs were shaking. I sighed as I moved away from the rink. I sat upon the bench nearby. My cousins giggled as they watched me droop my head. “Aren’t you from Canada?” My younger cousin laughed as her ponytail bounced behind her. “Yeah, you should be able to do this stuff easily!” Her older brother continued.

            “Well, why aren’t you guys in the rink?” I responded.

“We’re taking a break.” He said as he rubbed his nose.

“Let me tell you guy something! Coming from Canada has nothing do with this!”

“Oh, sure it does. Like isn’t there ice everywhere and it’s cold.”

“Canada isn’t some frozen wasteland! Well, whatever.” I said turning my gaze from his pale face to the ice rink.

            “I’m gonna go buy some tea. Want any?”

“Yes, please.”

Both of my cousins walked a few steps to the right before entering into the warm, toasty cafe. After a few moments, I felt another beings presence beside mine. I turned to see a girl with straight brown hair hanging past her shoulders. She patted her beautiful navy blue trench coat before locking eyes with me. “Amy,” She spoke. “Yes, Vivi.” I replied stiffly. Vivi, my cousin who was four years older than me, didn’t talk to me much.  

            “We’ve been here for a little over an hour and you haven’t even stepped into the ice rink.” She said with a concerned look.

“I don’t know how to ice skate.”

“I know but you can at least walk around the rink. I can hold your hand if you want”

I considered it for a moment before realizing that some of my other cousins would tease me afterwards. “It’s really okay.”

“You sure? Even your sister is on the ice today for the first time.”

I glanced over at my younger sister who was holding my mother’s hand as they skated in circles. “I will come later.” I said with out making eye contact.

“Okay.” Amy stood from the bench and paced towards the daunting ice rink.

            I stared at my white ice skates as I swung my legs. Six years ago, before my younger sister was born, my parents and I went to the ice rink to skate. I used both of my hands to grip on to my mother’s large hand. I had barely been on the ice for more than ten minutes before I heard a thud. My gaze shifted from my mother’s skates to the area where I heard the thud. A group of people of different heights and colored coats gathered in a crowd. Many were speaking in a panic as others asked what happened. A nearby medic skated towards the crowd and was able to shuffle through all the colored coats.  The scene became more visible as the crowd of people began to disperse. The medic lifted a boy and carried him off the ice. Her hand was supporting his head as the paramedics came running. They carried him off into the ambulance. Conversations broke out on the ice rink. “I think he got a concussion,” one lady said.  “That’s horrible,” another whispered. “He hit his head against the ice,” another one explained.

             Amidst all my thoughts, a hand reached out in front of me, holding a paper cup full of tea. “Here. This is yours,” my cousin said. I looked up to say thank you before taking the warm drink from his cold hand. The smell of the tea danced into my nose as the heat radiated into my hands. My cousin sat down beside me and began to sip his own tea. He tore the silence with a single word, “Hey.”

             “Yeah?”

“I think you should at least try. It looks like you’re gonna regret it.”

“I know, but I’m scared.”

“Maybe today will be the day that you conquer your fear. Today can be the first step to that beginning.”

            My body filled with warmth as I emptied my paper cup. The last few drops began to run down my tongue. I threw my cup into the trashcan that sat beside the bench. I turned to my cousin who was still drinking his tea. “I’m going to try,” I told him. “Yeah. You should,” he replied. I looked down at my ice skates that didn’t even get the to touch the ice. What a waste it would be, I thought.

            I tightened my resolve as I thought of my cousin’s encouraging words. I held onto the railing very tightly. My knuckles turned pale as I took my first step into the ice rink. A brush of cold air brushed my cheeks. My skates began to glide upon the slippery surface. I slowly began to move in a circle. I didn’t want to my fears to hold me back from doing what I want. I pressed my lips tightly together as I moved forward. My eyes widened to see the many smiles of the skaters around me. The laughs resounded across the rink of people enjoying the evening cold. My little sister, who was now skating on her own, skated beside me. “It’s about time,” she smiled, “Want me to hold your hand?” She extended her hand out towards me. “Yeah. I don’t mind holding  your hand,” I giggled as I grabbed her. The warmth that resonated through her gloves gave me confidence. “What type of tea were you drinking?” my little sister asked.

            “Green tea.”

“Ew. Hot chocolate is better.”

“Well, it wasn’t for you!”

            Amidst our giggles, I slipped. I let out a gasp as my chest tightened. My feet were constantly slipping on the white surface as I tried to obtain my composure. “Calm down,” my younger sister called.

            “Okay. Okay.” I breathed heavily.

“Look at me!” my sister commanded.

            I stared into her bright eyes, “You need to keep your back straight. Otherwise, you will lean forwards or backwards.” I straightened my back as I grabbed onto her hands tightly. “Now you have to take small steps.” I stared at her face as I took one small step at a time. I was slowly making my way across the rink, distancing myself from the railing while gripping tightly onto my sister’s warm gloves.