The Shattered Ride

Chapter 19

The rest of the night was full of laughs, cries and lots of ice-cream. It was amazing. The typical sleepover thing. My mother surprised took the three of us to the diner. We ate breakfast and drank milkshakes. After a while, Sam said she wanted to show us something.

Attentively, we watched the video. In the video, Jordan punched Jay. Take that! I thought.

After the video, I said sadly, "I just really thought he liked me, you know?"

"He did. Still does. Amy and Jay just made things harder..." Penny said encouragingly. I smiled and she gave me a side hug.

"So what you gonna do, kido?" My mother asked.

I sighed. "Lately, I've been having nightmares. Erik calls me to go and ride with him, but then Jordan calls me to go with him. And I don't want to lose Erik again. But I'm scared to lose Jordan too..." I paused and took a sip of my milkshake. "So I've been thinking who I'd choose. At first, I was so unsure. But now, I know. I'm going to choose me. I think I've had my fair share of hugs, kisses and pain. And I think, that now is a good time to just put love on hold and breath."

Penny and my mother couldn't stop smile and Sam just nodded in agreement. "So you're going to do discover yourself?" asked Sam.

I laughed and replied, "You could say that."

"I like it," said Penny. My mother nodded.

After paying, we dropped Sam and Penny off at their houses and headed home. I texted Jordan to meet me at the park. He didn't reply, but I knew he would show up.

After a few minutes of waiting for him, he finally showed up. "Erica, I want to say, that first of all, I was going to tell you. And secondly, that her kiss meant nothing compared to you. And thirdly, I'm sorry I punched Jay," Jordan babbled on.

"Jordan, I don't want an apology..."

He stopped talking and asked, "Why not? I was a jerk."

"Yeah, you were. But life goes on and I've made a decision. From now on, we will only be friends. But good friends," I said and he nodded. "I need time to really find out who I am. Without any relationship messing it up," I paused. "They say you need friends to help you heal. And that's the second reason we're just going to be friends. I need you as a friend. Will you be that friend?"

He smiled, flattered, and replied, "Of course." With that said, we ended the day in a hug and went our separate ways.

It was Sunday afternoon, and I called all the boys, except Jay, to meet at the Rally Ally. Curiously, everyone waited. My dad and I entered the area with my motor cross bike. All the guys started cheering and came to give me a hug.

"Now, ya'll better not laugh! I haven't ridden her in ages," I said. They all laughed and got onto their bikes.

For the rest of the afternoon, we rode around on the bikes. It felt amazing. I felt free again and happiness filled me.

That night, I stared up into the dark and processed everything. I was finally moving on. And it felt good. It felt wonderful...

Run. The first thought that came to my mind. But why? From what? Instead of running, I walked away. I headed for the woods. I searched around, looking for Erik. I felt a tap against my shoulder and turned around to see him. "Hi. I'm Erica with a C." He smiled and said, "Hello there. I'm Erik with a K." I smiled back and gave him a hug. "You should have seen me today! I got on my bike and rode her into the sun." He laughed and said, "Wish I could have ridden with you." I felt tears well up, but kept them away. "Erik, it's time I move on." He looked down and said, "I know. It's okay. Just never change the person you are. Cause she is the person I fell in love with at that party. And she's was pretty, damn awesome." I laughed and said, "I won't. I'm really gonna miss you." And without letting him say something more, I slowly walked away and headed for the funeral. This nightmare turned into a dream. A dream I would never forget.

I woke up with a smile on my face. No sweat. No puffy eyes. No sadness. And now I clearly understood it. Life is a ride. And sometimes, the ride is so crazy, we just want to get off. Or the ride is too fast, and we just want it to slow down. And this ride may seem horrible, but when you ride with the right people, you will realize how great it actually can be. And I finally found the right people. It may not be with Erik-the only person I wanted to ride with. But, at least, it is with people that care about me, and support me. People that I would gladly share life with. People that Erik impacted. And now, I can move on and get on the ride.