Promises || Road To Nationals

|4| Challenger to Ally

Jordan's POV:

   "What are you doing?" I ask. I just got back to my and Erin's shared dorm after an exhausting day of lectures. And as soon as I opened the door to my room, I see Kai on my bedroom floor messing with my old inline speed skates, a big cardboard box a few feet away from him. 

   "Oh, hello, Jordan. Welcome back," he smiles innocently at me. Tomorrow is Friday. That means it's the day we race each other. I already know I'm going to lose miserably. I mean, I haven't skated since middle school. And this guy literally has multiple world titles. Why would I agree to something like this? 

   I look down at my old Bont Z's. Someone could use those things as a torture mechanism. Force them to stand in them for ten minutes, and they'll be balling in no time. Kai cleaned off my heavy, metal frames. My old G13's are stacked up in a neat pile next to him. Too bad they're no good. Those were my favorite wheels. Now, he's poping ceramic ball bearings into some Code Whites that look almost brand new. 

   "When do you want those back?" I ask, throwing my backpack on my bed, sitting down in my squeaky leather desk chair, facing the strawberry blonde. 

   He presses a wheel into the ground to pop in a bearing, concentrating on his work, "They're yours to keep." 

   I blink a few times, processing his words, "You can't be for real? That's some really expensive; top-of-the-line equipment." 

   He smiles, looking at me for the first time since I got here, "I know, but I got all of this for free from my sponsors, so it's no big deal," he says, gesturing towards the box. 

   I raise an eyebrow, rolling next to him, looking into the box. It's full of equipment that only the top of the top use. Ranging all the way from Matter Propels (which my frames can't hold) to old Skate Force Skinsuits. 

   I dig through the box, finding the team U.S.A uniforms and an old pair of Foot Assasins. Thank god I never had to wear those. I've heard some serious horror stories. If you know, you know. 

   I get so lost in the bottomless pit of Kai's skate goodies that I fail to recognize his gaze on me. He's been done putting my skates together for a while now. 

   Suddenly, my new skate setup comes into my view. "I think they'll still fit you. If not, I can find something that does," he says, looking at me with gentle eyes. This guy is a real mystery to me. It seems like most of his kindness is forced, and his smiles are fake. But sometimes, he looks at me so softly. It's creepy. 

   I take both of the skates from his hands. Even if the boots don't fit, I refuse to skate on any other. As much as I bitch about how the Bont Z's fit on me, they're a gift from the Warriors. Up until I got these, I was skating on some cheap boots that were way too small for me. On my 13th birthday, everyone surprised me with new ones. My dad was too poor to pay for them himself. Words didn't even begin to express how happy I was. I stayed up all night just looking at them, balling like a little kid. 

   I put on the skates, remembering that old feeling of having my foot surrounded with carbon fiber. A small smile cracks on my lips as I go to take them off. "They work. Thanks, Kai," I say, holding them in my hands. 

   "You're not going to roll around?" 

   I shake my head, "That can wait until tomorrow when I kick your ass," I say in a joking manner. It's not like I could actually beat him. It's a fun thought, though. I run my hand over the wheels, putting some muscle into it, watching as they spin around so fast they make a whizzing sound. I can't explain it, but I've always gotten a strange sensation from this. I can feel the serotonin being released into my body.