Please give advice, i don't think i am doing any better at skating?

so a couple of days ago i went ice skating for the first time in about 6 weeks, which was my fourth time ever, all this year/ late last year. i went by myself and didn't fall but, i wasn't very good at all. i felt like i was going to fall the whole time and i was never felt balanced. i could only get a few feet from the wall and still needed it some of the time. i don't feel like i have made any progress since my first time last november. i don't really know what to do. i am going skating with friends in a couple weeks at the same rink and i want to do better, especially because a couple of them are really good. so can i do to help me be steadier and better at ice skating???!? i need ay advice so please tell me. also, i used a size 9 hockey skate, which fit, but i felt like i couldn't glide on the ice and was only walking and it wasn't smooth at all, so please give me some advice on that. so thanks and please give me any advice.
ONE more question, whenever i go there i always get hockey skates, but i have heard figure skate are better and easier. whenever i rent skates, they always give me hockey skates, so i was wondering if you guys think it would help if i asked for figure skates instead? would ot be worth it to go down to a sizee 8 if that was the only way to get figure skates?? thanks.
i know it would be better to go more, but the rink i go to is temporary and the closest indoor rink is 30 minutes away. what i really need are TIPS please! also, at the rink i only see boys in hockey skates, so i think they always give boys hockey skates