Chapter 1 (Skates and Boards)

Josh Greene, by Paulina D. (aka: smitty)

Okay, this story is in honour of the upcoming Winter Olympics. Actually, I wrote it four years ago after the last winter Olympics, but hopefully it works for this Olympics too.

Chapter 1: From the Point of View of Josh Greene:

Josh Greene:

I don’t know why I’d told him that. Really. Man, I’d just been coming off a high after scooping up the gold in the World Freestyle Snowboarding Champs, and that TV-guy asked me what kind of girl I was into. I mean, they always ask that – it’s, like, their job to nose out relationships and stuff. And I said no man, I haven’t had a serious girlfriend yet. And then he had to ask me what I thought of the other athletes on the Winter National Team.

“Dude, Selene Colton’s a pretty cute chick,” I told him.

Selene Colton’s a figure skater on the woman’s team – there’s a group of us pretty top athletes the media is always hounding, and she’s one of them. They always hound me ‘cuz I’ve got a good line of corporate sponsors I endorse, and I win pretty often, so the public knows me. But they know Selene because she’s good – I mean, she’s a serious athlete. She’s won piles of those cups and titles and things, and everyone says she’s the next great figure skater.

She came from the same city as me, but I’d never known her. She was a couple years older than me. But wow, she is cute.

I never thought much about whether she’d been watching that interview. Or what she’d think if she heard me say that. It was the kind of joking remark guys always make about girls – it’s a compliment. It wasn’t like I was seriously gunning for her, or anything like that.

But now I was standing at this Preston-Scott conference thing, where they’ve invited the “top, hottest athletes in their individual fields” to honour them or something (and get total prestige for their company, too), and I see she’s here, across the room. And that was kind of neat, because I’ve never seen her much in person before. I wasn’t planning on talking to her. At least, that was until I was dodging stuffy media-people and heading for the other side of the room where the other boarders were hanging out, and I ran right into her.

Oh boy, does she make me feel like such a kid. Even though she’s shorter than me – really petite with these delicately lashed eyes – I feel so young and awkward compared to her poise. She can really keep herself together, even bumping into me barely ruffled those diminutive features.

“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

And we were staring at each other awkwardly for a long moment. It was then that memories of my interview came back to me, making me feel stupider than ever. What if she had minded?

“That’s alright,” I told her. And she was about to keep going when I realized this was probably my only chance I’d ever get to talk to her, and I reached out and said, “Hey, wait. You’re Selene Colton, aren’t you? I’m Josh Greene.”

Her brow wrinkled in puzzlement as she looked me over. Then she nodded. “Good to meet you.”

“Hey, wait – wait!” I called, as she started to move off again. I had no idea what I was planning to say to her, but when I found myself facing her again I said, “Could I have your autograph?”

Her brows went back together in this little V on her forehead I’m sure she makes whenever she’s concentrating on something. I rattled all my pockets for a pen, but she just coolly drew one out from her purse, and a paper too, as if she signed autographs every day. She probably did, too. With looks like that, who could resist asking her for one?

Then I was left with a little slip of paper in my hand with her signature scrawled across it, looking down at it.

Oh man, what a stupid thing to ask for. When I got the only chance I’d probably ever get to talk to a girl like that, I shouldn’t have asked for her autograph. I should’ve asked for her phone number.

Go to Chapter 2

If you are enjoying this story, also check out:

- Spring Fever, over at the Amrah Publishing House

- Why Polly?