RED PARALLEL

Chapter 9: They Too Dropped Their Mouths

(Nate)

Their routine was often times boring, and Traviz noticed that.

"Aren't you guys doing some choreography? Like, you keep doing those stretches, it's bor-"

"Shut up. I let you come, sit tight, and don't bother me."

"Whatever, I'll ask Aaron."

"Aaron!" Nate shouted. "If I see you stunting around in front of the boy, I'll kick you out! Just focus on the-"

"Who are you to call the shots, huh?" Aaron shouted back, jumping ropes.

"The leader, I guess?"

"Ah, right, the leader. The leader who lies to-"

"Shut up!"

"How do you improvise? I wanna know," Traviz asked for the hundredth time.

"Back off..."

"Why don't you guys improvise? I bet it's better than doing those stupid warm-ups... Are you guys competing? Like, against other-"

"Yes!" Aaron dropped the ropes. "We're one of the best crews in the-"

"For real?" Traviz picked the rope. "Show me, then. I wanna see it."

"KID, get the fuck outta here, I can't focus with you around."

"Ugh!"

The boy grabbed the rope and went up to a corner near a set of stairs, mumbling, and guess what? He didn't stay still like Nate wished to. Instead, he started jumping the rope, spinning it below his feet in alternated turns. Not on the floor, but springing from floor-to-step and step-to-floor. That was pretty skillful. Nate went to the bathroom, and when he got back, Traviz was bouncing with the speed of a kangaroo and the flexibility of a monkey. The stereo was on, and he was following its pace apparently without realizing it. When the song ended, Traviz released the rope, instantly bored. How come? Goat changed the song, and Traviz picked the rope again, doing a lousy whistle and jumping, natural as fuck.

So he jumps. That ain't much.

Aaron was a natural jumper, he-

Traviz threw himself from the tenth step and landed on the floor, spinning the rope under his feet, nonstop.

So he really jumps. Okay.

Traviz, after less than ten minutes, had enough of the rope, and after grunting because they were still 'doing nothing cool', he carelessly tossed away the rope, which landed over the tiny little rugged sofa.

"Hey, Mini-Tiger," Nate called him. "Put that rope over there, don't you just leave it-"

"Not until you show me the-"

"Just do it!"

"Uuurgh..."

"Over there."

Nate pointed at the top of the wardrobe. But wait, someone had put a dozen of Levion's glass trophies over it...

Traviz was rolling the rope around his hands, getting ready to throw it to the most inadequate place ever. And he didn't seem concerned.

"Never mind, leave it," Nate hastened to say, raising one hand. "Leave it, leave it..."

"What do you mean?" Traviz raised his eyebrows. Then he glanced at the top of the wardrobe and smirked. "Are you afraid I'm gonna-"

"Don't you try, you bastard."

Too late. Traviz threw it right over the wardrobe.

Jeeeez... Hm?

Traviz would have certainly hit the trophies it if wasn't for his sudden sneeze. He sneezed, and the rope went somewhere else. Sideways.

Thank God.

Wait. The kid had thrown the goddamn rope at the top window. An unreachable place. The rope was tied around the locker.

"Gosh..." Nate sighed. Already giving up on the rope, he turned around. Damn, he was thirsty.

Traviz, the devil, started laughing. "Oops."

"Kid, why don't you pick that shit, huh? You stupid."

Nate thought he'd say 'Fuck you, it's gone', but no. As if he had just heard a challenge announcement, Traviz immediately sprang toward the top window. And this time everyone was watching. They all thought about shouting 'Hey, stop it!' but no word came out of anyone's dropped mouths.

Traviz jumped over five steps and sprang toward the trophy wardrobe. Like a monkey, he reached it and grabbed its edge. The trophies trembled. Then, right away, he threw himself onto a pillar and seized it. Like some fucking spider boy. Then, without hesitation, Traviz reached the window's locker in a savage-fast-perfect jump. One centimeter wrong, and he'd fall on the ground, but he nailed it. For Christ's sake, the window's edge had not enough area! Yet, the Mini-Tiger managed to seize something. He casually unrolled the rope from the locker, put it around his left arm, and jumped. From the top window. To the thirty centimeters-large first step. The wood almost cracked from the impact, but the motherfucker kid was cool, wholesome, and with no sign of struggle. Maybe a little annoyed.

He threw the rope on the ground.

"Imma pee..."

And he left the scene.

"Yooo..." Nate heard Aaron.

"Ars, I think just you found yourself a rival," Goat said.

So he definitely jumps. And climbs... That's something...

The scene would have ended up perfectly-shiny-dope if one of the trophies hadn't surrendered itself and collapsed onto the floor.

"FUCK! KID, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"