Have you ever thought about not falling on your ass?

The sarcastic, teasing question echoed around in Aaron's mind like Elise was taunting him, even though he knew she was trying to be funny. If she hadn't summed up so many of his troubles in that single question, he might have laughed.

Too bad it resonated with his thoughts after how many times he had fallen in just a couple minutes.

He had been so wrapped up in thinking about what came next that he his form had gone out the window. Without the proper jump technique, he fell. That was as simple as it was. He was tall enough that the smallest slip in form was enough to send him down onto the ice without question.

Elise's question was just like a knife to his ego.

He had offered to show her what he had as a peace offering, not so she could make sarcastic comments like that.

Aaron finished off all of his coffee so she wouldn't be able to use it to warm her hands anymore, and shoved the empty cup back at her. "Is that really how you make your opinion sound good?" he asked harshly, pushing back from the boards just to get away from Elise. "I think I know I'm not supposed to fall on my ass, thanks."

"Oh come on, Aaron, I was trying to make you laugh," Elise protested, looking worried at his reaction. "We all fall down. It's how you get up that matters. I know you've been at competitions where everyone falls. You pull through because your footwork is difficult, but performed so expressively and with such musicality. I've seen you make the podium because of it.

"Your first footwork pass was so smooth and beautiful! if you can just extend that through the rest of your choreography, you'll have a winning program. I can't wait to see it when you've got everything worked out and with music."

"Well you might never see it. Coach isn't happy about what I just showed you. He wants me to work with a choreographer," he retorted, still angry enough to ignore Elise's compliments. He moved back and forth in front of her, feeling like if he stopped, he would just start yelling about his frustrations." He just goes on and on about how I am too inexperienced to do my competition routines and should start with exhibition ones first."

"Gerald is good at what he does Aaron," Elise pointed out calmly.

He instinctively recoiled from that simple statement. Of course his father was good at what he did, otherwise he wouldn't have been coaching for so long. But how could she possibly stay so calm while he felt ready to jump out of his own skin?

"Maybe he would be more reasonable if you offer him a compromise. Find a choreographer that can work with your style of skating, explain to them your goals, and have them help you work what you've done into the full program. Start with a collaboration and ask them to teach you all the tricks of the trade."

Aaron couldn't help scoffing at Elise's advice, halting right in front of her so she could see all of him. "Can you honestly say if you were a coach, would you ask me to work with one of your skaters? Or would you choose someone that wouldn't make them cry?"

Without waiting for a reply, he made a few quick circuits of the ice before stopping in the center. The only way he knew he would calm down at all was to channel all his emotions into his skating.

So Aaron would do just that.

He ran his hands roughly through his hair to help clear his head before raising one hand to the sky, lifting his eyes to follow it. In his mind he listened to the soft opening piano notes of the music he had chosen.

Waiting for his imaginary soft phrase to finish, he took a deep breath before twisting his hand around while lowering his arm to rest his fist against his breast. At the rising of the music in his mind, he looked up with a smirk, and then he was moving.

Where the piece he had chosen for his short program was a slow, smooth waltz, his free skate was quick and driving. It was a chance for him to show off all the passion he could fit into four and a half minutes. The length alone was a test of his endurance, and he had planned a demanding program to match it.

Where everything had fallen apart with his jumps on his short program, things just came together. He might have simplified his jumps, but he landed them all. His footwork was fiery and fast, and he was able to just enjoy his skate. There was still plenty to work on, but it was so much better than what he had shown her last.

When Aaron finished, gasping for breath from the exertion, the applause felt right. That was a performance he could be proud of.

This time when he returned to the boards, the was smiling a bit. Elise stayed quiet, watching him closely.

"That is why I don't want to give up on choreographing my own routine. Because I can do the work, Coach just has to give me the time to get things figured out," he said stubbornly. "It's not like I don't have that. The season is done. I haven't gotten any invitations to perform at shows. I've only got a month and a half left of the semester. That's plenty of time for me to finish these and practice before competitions start."

Aaron wasn't usually one to defend his decisions to anyone, even his coach, but he just couldn't help the words just coming out of him. There was something about Elise that just made him want to talk to her. As novel as it was, the urge was uncomfortable.

"I just need Coach to trust me, for Dad to trust that I can take on this challenge and succeed."