Leap Year Wishes

Chapter Ten

“Eep!” I squeal as I feet two fingers plunge into my sides. I spin around to see Nate smiling at me. As he leans against the wall, I laugh along with him.

“You scared me!” I playfully punched his firm upper arm. He chuckled and stood up straight. We walked side by side and headed for my first classroom before the most unimaginable thing happened.

“Liz!” I hear a familiar voice call out from behind me. I turn my head to look for any one trying to call out for me, but all I see is Jason. I turned back around and walked at a faster pace.

 “What's wrong?" Nate asked.

I look back again to see we lost Jason. I sigh, slowing down to a steady pace, and say, “Nothing.”

Nate looks at me, clearly confused, but shrugs it off as we head into the east corner. Stares of judgmental eyes turn to me and Nate as we walk past them. Nate notices, too, and he weaves his fingers through mine as if saying "We don't care about being judged".

I feel it hard to hold back my smile as we reach the science lab. We separate and I feel empty as his hand releases mine. I sit at my desk and watch more students arrive and take their seats, but I mostly pay attention to Nate.

His attention was mostly on his friends, Brad and Chester, but the few popular girls in my class would try to get his attention so he could see them flirt with him. I could tell Brad and Chester would rather talk to the girls in bright pink mini-skirts in front of them than talking about the dirt bike derby coming up. I noticed Nate was annoyed at the fact his friends that attend the same derby each year with him cared about girls more than dirt bikes.

I can't wait for the derby! I think as the memories of watching and riding the derby each year. I wonder if Nate is going to go this year... Before I finish my thought of what happened to him in the derby, Professor Williams is taking attendance.

"Here." Trevor mumbles. He's shy which adds up to being the quietest boy in the class.

"Present!" announces Lily, the class nerd.

"Alllloha!" exclaims our class clown, Andre.

"Yo!" Nate calls when I hear his name. He looks right at me with a grin and I hear myself giggle. The professor must have called out the names of half the class because I wasn't paying attention until I heard, "Lyndsey?"

"Huh?" I straighten up and look at Professor Williams.

He looks over the frame of his glasses saying, "I'll take that as a 'Here'."

I feel my face turn red in embarrassment which doesn't help when I hear the popular girls that were flirting with Nate laugh at me from behind. I turn around and look at them. One of them, Bridgette, cocks her eyebrow and smirks while another, Sydney, continues to laugh at me while the last one, Trixie, glares at me.

Trixie is the worst out of all of them. She has been in the same school as me since kindergarten while the other two came along in second grade. For first grade and kindergarten, she was my first and only friend. Then Bridgette and Sydney came as new students in second grade and everything changed.

Trixie became friends with the rich newbies, at first trying to get me to join along. But I knew at that young of an age, that I wasn't cut out for being rich girls' friends. I wore torn jeans and a t-shirt during warm weather, and either a sweater on top or a long sleeve under the t-shirt on cold days while they were already experts with makeup. Trixie would talk to me sometimes when Bridgette and Sydney weren't around until fourth grade. That's when she started bullying me.

She made fun of my clothes, my hair, my face, and even my own family. This has continued since then and I'm in tenth grade now. Eight years I put up with her. Over this past summer, though, my mom bought me cooler clothes and shoes, and I got my hair done. I also tanned fairly well and got loads of makeup. Many makeup tutorials and clothing tips later, I am who I am now.

I turn back around as I remember the trips and sleepovers we used to have together as the professor starts today's lesson.

"Sup, Sis?" Max says not even looking at me as I walk in the house.

"Fine." I reply. I walk towards our carpet staircase when a piece of paper catches my eye.

2016's DIRT BIKE DERBY

WHEN: MARCH 10

WHERE: DIRT BIKE TRACK

TO ENTER, YOU MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 14. REGISTER AT THE DIRT BIKE TRACK DOWNTOWN. YOU MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ACTIVITY TO PARTICIPATE. DIRT BIKES WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR THIS EVENT.

EACH INDIVIDUAL WILL BE IN A SEPERATE RACE DEPENDING ON THE AGE AND GENDER.

TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT IS $3 PER CHILD AND $5 PER ADULT

"Mom..?" I call upstairs. I grab the paper and climb up to my mom's room where I see her watching Hell's Kitchen. "How come you brought this home?" I ask, gesturing the flyer.

Mom sits up and pauses her show. "I was thinking you could start getting into dirt bike races again." she answers. I miss dirt bike riding and all, but after the accident I'm still not sure if I want to take the risk.

"But we threw out my dirt bike, remember? It was totally ruined after the crash." I say sadly. My mom reacts by smiling and getting up right away. she steps in front of me and says, "Follow me."

I jog behind her as she runs towards the garage. She opens the door and walks in the garage after turning the light on. In the center stands a plastic cloth draped over thee shape of a dirt bike.

"Mom!" I exclaim. "You shouldn't have!"

"Wait!" mom says as she approaches the figure. She pulls off the cloth and a brand new KTM 2016 stands before me. My jaw drops and I run over to it.

"Oh my God!" is all I could say as I feel the shiny orange metal with KTM in black letters. I place my hand in the leather seat and push down. "It's perfect!" I exclaim when mom hands me the helmet. I hold it in my hand and feel the same smooth texture the bike has. Like the bike, it is orange and white with the same black KTM logo on it.

"Wanna go take it for a spin?" My mom suggests. I smile real big but before I start running for my room to get the gear, my mom says, "Look on the counter."

I do as she says and I see a big black box. When I open it, I see black and orange gear and black shoes with orange Velcro. I smile again and take the box in the bathroom. I check myself out in the mirror and see the gear fits me well. maybe too well, even. I jog out to the garage after telling my mom I'm leaving and hop on my new bike.