Sure enough, the lobby was packed with people. Some where using benches to put on their skates, while others were watching people already on the ice through the observation windows. A long line had formed in front of the concession counter. Luke could see the owner of the arena behind the counter.

Luke ducked his head and hurried past the end of the line. He remembered where the locker rooms were from when he had come here as a kid for lessons. They were past the concession and around a corner.

Stepping inside, he immediately knew he wasn’t supposed to be there. The locker room was empty. His nerves buzzed as he slipped past the lockers and into the shower area. He tried to tell himself that the fact he shouldn’t be here was a good thing, because it meant the probability of someone walking in on him was low.

Still, he didn’t take long. Just a quick shower to get rid of the sweat covering his body, and a few minutes to wash his hair. It was the first time he had washed his hair since cutting it, and the difference caught him off guard at first.

When he was done, he reluctantly put his clothes back on. He didn’t have a spare t-shirt, so he still kind of smelled like sweat, but at least he felt a little better.

Nobody noticed him as he left the locker room. Back in the crowd, he started toward the front doors. He was home free.

“Stupid… laces…”

Luke paused when he heard a frustrated grumble. To his left, a little girl was sitting on a bench, trying to tie her skate laces. He looked around, but her parents didn’t seem to be around.

“I hate this.” The girl threw down the ends of her laces in frustration. She crossed her arms and pouted.

Luke sighed and crouched in front of the girl. “Need some help?” He asked, nodding at her skates.

The girl eyed him warily, but nodded. “I can’t get them tied.”

Luke picked up the laces. He hadn’t tied a pair of skates in years, and he had never tied someone else’s skates. He hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself as he started to tighten from the toe up.

It came back to him surprisingly quickly, and wasn’t too hard to do mirrored. If anything, it was easier when the skate was on someone else.

As he moved on to the second skate, he noticed that the girl was wearing figure skates. He smiled, feeling a sort of kinship with her. He had used figure skates when he was a kid.

“There.” He leaned back when he was finished. “They’re not too tight, are they?”

The girl tested them by standing up. She wobbled a little, but smiled brightly. “Thank you, mister.” She turned and hurried off to where Luke saw a man and woman watching him. He guessed they were her parents.

A warm feeling was spreading through Luke. She had called him mister. It was the first time someone had seen him. Smiling, he got to his feet and brushed off his knees.

A firm hand landed on his shoulder and he jumped. Turning, saw the owner of the arena standing behind him. He wasn’t smiling.