The Magic Broom Read Online Free PDF Page B

face.
Derek was leaning over the glass, waving at him. Cody heard the camera click when he stepped on the ice still wearing skate guards. Not a particularly smart idea. He sat down hard and earned a round of applause.
A guy in tight pants bent down and helped him get the guards off his blades. Maybe he should have left the guards on, because he didn’t do much better with the blades.
The hockey skates had been a nightmare, but these stupid figure skates were worse. Those jagged teeth things called a toe pick kept tripping him up and sending him to his knees. Apparently they helped you launch your body into the air when jumping. Not something Cody would be attempting any time soon.
Derek took more pictures of Cody sliding across the ice on his ass, his face, and his side. He finally managed to stay upright by draping himself over the boards and hanging on tightly.
“At least with hockey, I had a stick,” Cody muttered.
“Can a hockey player do this?” a skater shouted, and threw his body into the air, spinning several times, and then landing lightly on one foot. The guy was clearly insane. How did you even learn to do that without splitting your head wide open?
“I’m Brian, the next Olympic champion,” the guy said as he came to a quick stop, spraying Cody with snow.
“Um, Cody, the reporter who’s just trying to stay on his feet.”
Several other skaters introduced themselves, and Cody started the interview. By the time the interview was over, Cody decided all potential Olympians were nuts. Their sports were their lives. These skaters were on the ice between four to eight hours a day. When they weren’t on the ice, they were doing dry land training or picking music or working on choreography.
This was their dream, their focus, and with one wrong step, it could end in the blink of an eye. Cody thanked them all, and let Derek snap some more pictures.
“What’s wrong?” Kira asked as they left the arena.
“There can be only one Olympic champion in each of these sports.”
“Yeah,” Kira agreed. “And why are you telling me this?”
“Why do they do it? Most of them won’t even go to the Olympics, and yet they’re working their asses off, chasing after a dream that will probably end in failure.”
“Do you really believe it’s a failure to chase your dreams, Cody?”
Cody frowned. “No, I suppose it’s the journey, and the not living with regrets thing, right?”
“If you don’t try something, you’ll always wonder,” Kira said. “Are we still talking about sports?”
Cody shrugged. “I think after I’m finished with this article, I’ll start taking a few more chances.”
“I think that’s a great idea, but why wait?” Kira smiled and helped Cody into the car.
“I’ll probably have to let all my bones mend and the bruises heal before I can do anything,” Cody said.
“Only one more sport to survive today,” Kira said.
“What do you know about curling?” Cody asked. Kira snickered and smoothly ignored his question by turning up the radio and pretending to know the song. A few moments later, she pulled into the parking lot of the curling club.
“Is this sport played on ice?” Cody asked.
Kira nodded. “What did you think?”
“I knew. I was just hoping I was wrong,” Cody whined. “I don’t have any more body parts that aren’t bruised. I can’t do this. I’m going to call my editor and quit.”
“You’ll be fine,” Kira said. “Take a chance and all, or was that just talk? Besides, you love writing, and you know your editor and all the people in the office would give you so much shit for being a big baby.”
He hated when she was right, so he sat with his arms folded over his chest and pouted until she shooed him out of the car.
“Fine,” Cody muttered.
“I have a few errands to run. Text me when you need me.”
She rolled up the window and drove off, leaving Cody standing alone in the parking lot of a curling club.
“But,” he whimpered after her, “I need you