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Chapter 3-2

Adrian

"Why'd you give them the head start?" Adrian asked. He still held his bag straps with his elbows pointed inwards.

  "I had to use the bathroom," Jacob said.

***

  After his quick bathroom break, the two walked to the main courtyard. The sun illuminated the scenery in a golden glow. It was still warm for the first of October. The school was still alive with students hanging around, each in their own little click.

     "You play any sports dude?" Jacob asked. He mirrored Adrian's body language—hands holding backpacks and back straight.

  "No not really, I've never been good at any, I do like to ride my bike though."

  "Let's compare calves!" Jacob said.

  Adrian flushed. There was no need to. Jacob's calves were visible even with jeans—the fabric hugging his muscles close. He scoffed at the idea.

  "Something tells me you win already."

  Jacob laughed at his comment, then sighed, Changing the conversation back to its original topic."I like football, I can't wait to sign up."

  Can't wait to sign up? Adrian thought. "This School doesn't—" he was cut off by Jacob.

  "There was this one time, I swear you wouldn't believe it, I did a whole backflip over this one guy and got a touchdown, my team went fuckin nuts dude." He laughed.

  What the heck? Adrian thought. That was so outlandish it had him laughing. "Bullshit," he said.

  Jacob chuckled. "I shit you not. I swear it happened. One of the highlights in my career."

"Do a flip now then, prove it!" Adrian said.

  "It was more of an adrenaline thing, I've never tried doing a flip after that."

  Adrian rolled his eyes. He had a cheeky smile because of Jacobs' audacity. "How convenient," he said.

  They arrived at the bike racks near the Auditorium. His blue bike sat with a U-Lock on the head tube. the paint chipped in some areas and a faint sheen of dirt collected on the bottom tubes, fading as it climbed up like a gradient. Apart from the main seat, there was a spot for an extra passenger on the back—bike pegs on the back wheel for footing.

  "There she is, ol' reliable. Had her since 9th grade," he said. He unclipped his helmet that clung to the top handle of his backpack, handing it to Jacob. He unchained his bike and sat on it, looking at Jacob.

"Well, it's not ideal, but wanna hop on?" He said.

Jacob had an amused expression like he was containing laughter, like the whole idea seemed ridiculous. "Okay bro," he said. He put the helmet on haphazardly, not bothering to click it on. Immediately he began chanting as he held onto Adrian's shoulders. "Alright, Adrian! Let's beat them there! LET'S ROCK!!!"

  He was loud, and it garnered looks from other students. Some took out their phones to record. Adrian's face flushed. He quickly found it impossible to move the pedals, Jacob was too heavy for him to move the bike. Adrian's lips pressed tightly—turning white as he held his breath. His face grew even redder, veins convulsing on his forehead. He fell limp with a loud gasp for air.

  "Sorry...my bike... must be... broken," Adrian said, squeezing the words out through his huffing.

  "Just say I'm too heavy bro, I get it," Jacob said. He got off and patted his shoulder. "Alright, time for me to give it a try." He took off the helmet and placed it on Adrian.