Behind The Glasses

Chapter 8

   I can feel the bike revving underneath me. I’m about to go out on the track; I’m about to change my life. Hunter nods, I start up the bike, kicking it forward; I’m flying. I stand up on my bike, we’re cruising along the flats; I can just about see Hunter; he nods at me; try to spice things up a bit.

   The next part of the track is really hilly, specially compacted so it formed five pumps and dips straight afterwards. I stand up on my bike, I rev it gaining more power; my food pressed right down on accelerate; I need to get this right first time or it’s all going wrong.

   Thank god for leathers and helmets, otherwise no way would I be doing this right now. I hit accelerate full force, standing up on my bike; leaning so my whole body weight is on the front of the bike. My breath is clouding my glass, I want to wipe it away; but in my tension my arms are locked onto the handles of the bike.

   We are only a couple of metres from the humps, I try to exhale but my breath is caught in my throat. Rev, five, four, three, two and … the bike soared into the air. I clench all my core, flipping the bike up and over; I hold my breath, resisting the temptation to screw my eyes shut as I am falling, backwards; as the bike goes over in a flip.

   Landing I hardly get to catch my breath before I am going over the next hump, and the next, I just flick the bike up; no more ultra-fancy stunts; over the last hump I flick the bike so it bounces as I land.

  I stand and cruise the bike back around the track, up the hill; around in the dirt, every tight corner dirt flew up like a sandstorm; through puddles and grass I fly, before finally pulling on the breaks; the bike slowly subduing its speed, the roar turning to a quiet humming. Coming around the final corner I am barely trundling, I kick on the floor, my boots gripping the earth; the bike dies beneath me as I lean it on its stand.

     As coolly as I can, well it looks cool in my head anyway; I wipe the sweat from my brow discretely as the prosperous sponsors gawp. It takes Hunter a daunting two seconds to reach my side, he is smiling; “Well done kid” is all I get.  I smile back, that is the first compliment I’ve received in a long, long time; slowly my hopefully sponsor to be climbed down from his stall.

 Hot and sweaty I rip off my clothes, throwing them into the washing machine before jumping into the shower. Evan and his dad are sat with Hunter downstairs, discussing the future of the business. Everything Hunter had lived and worked for.

   The hot water was a relief as it sloshed over my body, sometime later I jump out and towel down; I change into fresh jeans and shirt before making an effort, for the first time in my life, to make my hair nice.

   Going downstairs was like first impressions all over again – I had to get off to a good start. Trying to act cool and confident, all the things I am not, I flounce into the kitchen. Evan is sitting silently, my brother and his dad deeply engrossed in conversation. Si slide my chair out quietly sitting beside him, Evan turned towards me, grinning. “That was awesome!”

   I smile, flattered; I thanked him. “So that party tomorrow night?” he approached hopefully, grinning; I chuckled, I can’t believe he wanted to go, especially with me. “Yeah sure, if you want to go with nerdy old me” I replied, I was brushing my tried and failed attempt at tame hair out of my eyes; I should get it cut.

   “Nerdy, you? You dirt bike, you’ve got to be cool” Evan grinned, again I blushed. Hunter exchanged a glance with me, he was drawing the conversation to a close. “People don’t know, so please don’t say anything” I continued, I got a nod as a reply, “And you remember that really shy, nerdy girl that showed you around on your tour of the school? That was me too”.

   Evan was speechless, he uttered not a word. His father stood up, shaking first hunter’s hand then mine; Evan stood up professionally, mirroring his father’s movements, this time planting a kiss on my cheek. “See you at seven beautiful”.