Inachevé

Seventeen - The Blind Tell No Lie

Two figures, a boy and a girl, sat side by side on the metal bleachers. The skaters in front of them roller-coasted with ease up and down the slopes. The clacking of the wheels striking the concrete drew a smile from the boy’s face and his fingers fondled the own board resting across his lap and the girl’s beside him. The girl, feeling the surge of energy in her friend, turned and looked at him with a questioning smile. She stashed a few strands of her auburn color hair behind her ear and nudged him in the shoulder.

“What you thinking about, Buddy?” her blue eyes squinted in the smile as she waited.

The boy, with his youthful face, brown soulful eyes, and crooked mouth, stuttered with a shrug, “I-I don’t know. They make it easy.”

“You can easily do that, really. I’m not just saying it because--,”

“I’m your best friend,” they both chorused with a laugh. It was true, he was very close friends with the girl; they were never seen without the other. He turned to her, raking his fingers through his wild russet colored hair, and shook his head. “No, no, I’d mess up and th-then what would they say about me?”

The girl tossed a hand in the air and scoffed. She uncrossed her legs and slipped the skateboard from her lap into his. Patting him on the back she got down from the bleachers and held a hand up to him. “Take my hand, you’re going to skate a bit. We didn’t come all the way down here for nothing.” She gave him a “don’t make me come up and get you” expression with the lift of her thin eyebrow and shifting of her closed smile.

The boy threw his head back and took her hand only upon command. Laughing softly, he denied her several times even though he willingly allowed her to drag him to the edge of the skateboard park.  “Riley, come on, do we have to?”

Riley blew her lips out in annoyance of his whining and knelt down to tie his shoes, which came undone so often. Tightening the laces, she clapped his ankles and jerked the board from his hands. She placed it on the ground and patted its rough charcoal surface. “Buddy, come on, just do it. You’re really good.”

As had been nicknamed, ‘Buddy’ since they had first met, the boy cautiously placed a foot on the board and kept the other on the ground. Nodding his readiness to the girl, he looked straight ahead, concentrating on path he was mentally designing. With one push with his foot, he leaned forward, his shoulders parallel with the ground, and his sights set on a medium size pipe. The skateboard lifted upon entering the slope, making Buddy’s knees bend at the right time. His arms stretched out when he was suspended in the air, and when he landed, he coasted for a bit before feeling the ground drop below him. With a firm pop with his back foot and dragging his front foot across the board, he ollied over a flight of stairs and landed perfectly below.

Grinning proudly, he pivoted on the back wheels and took off to a harder section of the course. He heard Riley shouting worriedly behind him, “Hey, you said you weren’t going to do that course!” she shouted, but Buddy had already talked himself into it. The course was large with plenty of stairs, bars, slopes, and edges to challenge himself with. Skidding to a stop, he took in his surroundings before continuing towards the rails. Riley watched from a distance, one hand over her chest and the other pressed against her forehead. By now, a crowd had formed behind her.

Buddy snapped his board up onto a kinked rail, glided across the lower one before popping up onto the next one, coasting across that before kicking back onto the ground. The crowd, made mostly of large boys and a few skater girls, hooted in celebration and dared him to do more tricks. Riley threw her hands down in defeat and made to stop her friend before she saw him take on a hip, a type of slope. She came to a stop and watched with crossed fingers as Buddy crouched low on his skateboard and ride up the slope. He then made for an early grab, pulling upward so that he and his board did a side-flip. His landing was rocky, but he made it to the other side.

The boys hollered and clapped, sending a relieved smile on Riley’s face. She looked back at them like a proud mother before heading off to officially stop Buddy. But again, she had to stop herself in fear of distracting him into an accident. She at first didn’t know what he was setting up, but when he eyes caught sight of the three flights of stairs, she ran forward, begging him to stop. “Buddy, knock it off before you hurt yourself! Buddy!”

Buddy only turned and gave her an innocent wave before propelling himself forward at a dangerous speed. Riley caught her breath and mumbled to herself, “He’s not going to make the landing. Stupid boy.”

The board took to the air and the boy brought his knees and chest towards his core. With diligent use of his speed and agility, he did a 360 in mid-air, kicking the board so that it twirled once horizontal to the ground. Riley watched with bridled breath as she hoped that both board and boy would come in sync with one another on their landing. The board descended fast to the ground, the backend looking as if it would clip the last step. The crowd watched in anticipation as the daredevil met the ground. There was a snap, making all viewers close their eyes in fear.

Riley covered her mouth as her friend rolled over his shoulder and onto his feet. He stumbled to gain his balance, and once he did, he turned to the sound of the crowd and threw his arms up in victory. Riley laughed at his stupidity and ran to meet him. Throwing her arms around his sweaty neck, she said in a slightly angered voice, “Don’t ever do that to me again! You scared me half to death!”

“But didn’t I impress you?” Buddy asked softly, nuzzling noses with her.

“You always do,” she replied through a smile, placing a hand around his waist.

One of the skater boys loped up to him and extended a hand. “Hey man, that was some sick stuff you pulled out there. How long you’ve been training?”

“Since I was, since I was seven, I think. Thanks.” Buddy nodded to the guy, ignoring his offered hand.

Riley elbowed Buddy in the ribs and whispered, “He wants to shake your hand.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m so sorry,” Buddy blubbered as he grappled for the fan’s hand. Laughing in embarrassment, he pointed to his eyes and said casually, “I’m sorry, you see, I can’t really see.”

“You what?” the boy declared, his body shooting backwards in surprise. “Say that again, man?”

“He can’t see,” Riley replied, making a clicking sound with her tongue behind her teeth. “He’s gotten better through at skating and stuff. Can’t walk straight on a sidewalk, but he can skate really well.”

“You can say that again,” the boy said breathlessly, his eyes wide in shock. “How do you do it?”

Tapping the side of his nose and smiling mischievously, Buddy said, “It’s a secret.” He made an appreciative nod at the crowd and then strolled off out of the park with Riley following him. When they were far away from the baffled crowd, he turned to Riley and said in his usual, quiet voice, “That went better than I thought.”

“Why didn’t you tell them how you could skate? It’s not like they wouldn’t believe it.” Riley hampered, saddling up beside him and tucking her arm through his.

“I know, it’s just, it’s our thing, Riley. If I just tell everyone, it takes away so much of our friendship, you know? I-I know it sounds stupid—,”

“It’s not,” Riley replied in understanding when she realized it was his way of protecting their friendship. “I understand, and it’s cool.” Leaning against him, she added with a playful tone, “And you’re cool, too.”

Buddy kissed the top of her head and the two of them happily walked down the road that would lead them to the apartment complexes they stayed at. Of course, they each had their own apartment, but after college, Riley deliberately chose not to live far away from Buddy, she loved him very much and knew he needed her. After all, he confided one of his biggest secrets to her.