Spinning || Josh Brozzesi

eight

JOSH

"You suck ass at skateboarding, Brozzesi," Bev says, laughing up at me. Just as she says this, I fall off my skateboard, tumbling over.

"Wow, thanks," I say sarcastically. "Way to rub it in my face that you're better than me at everything."

"Well..." she says, her eyes drifting upwards as if she has to think about it.

I give her a pointed look.

"Yeah, you're right," she says, taking a sip of her beer. "I am better than you at a lot of things."

I roll my eyes, picking my board and taking back over to the ramp. Ini skated past me, high-fiving me along the way. He almost knocks me down because of how fast he's going.

I make my way to the top and then I'm flying down, then up. Then back down. And I tumble again.

I sigh, picking myself up.

We've been at the skatepark for about two hours now and it's starting to get dark. Jayden bought us beers with his fake I.D. and Jade is playing some kind of indie/rock music. Music I know Rosie would like.

We hang out a lot here, most weekends whenever everyone's free. Jayden brings the drinks, Jade sometimes brings the pot and music, and the rest of us just bring ourselves and our skateboards. But we actually do have a lot of fun.

And we also try to stay away from getting caught by the law.

"I'm thinking about traveling after graduation," I look up and see Jade walking towards me. I can tell she's kind of high, but you can get really tell between sober Jade and high Jade. They're practically the same person.

"Where?" I ask, picking my board up and heading back up the ramp.

"I don't know yet," she says, taking a seat on the ground. "I think I'm just gonna drive. Drive to different states and cities. And eventually, I'll make it out of the country and travel for real. See different places and cultures. I've been saving up for this for a while."

"Does Jayden know?" I ask, resting against the railing on the top of the ramp.

"Yeah," she says, leaning back on her hands, stretching her legs out. "He says he wants to go with me, but I told him he shouldn't. Mom and Dad are already pissed about me not going to school after I graduate. I don't want them pissed at him, too. Plus, Jayden really wants to go to college. Despite what he says about school."

I stare at her for a moment, taking in her blue/green hair and eyebrow piercing. Jade has an eyebrow piercing, a nose piercing, and gauges in her ears. Yet, she only had six tattoos. I say 'only' because by the way I describe her, you'd think she has sleeves up her arms and legs. But she tells me she's saving the rest of her skin for when she travels. She wants a tattoo from every place she visits.

I look over at Jayden then. He's sitting and laughing with Ini and Bev and he has his hair pulled up into a little ponytail. His tall, lanky body folded up with his knees pulled up against his chest.

He is a good kid. Not a bad influence like my parents say he is. He gets good grades and yeah he gets in trouble sometimes, but what kid doesn't? He makes mistakes. But the thing about Jayden is he acknowledges his mistakes and he learns from them and carry on with life.

He talks about hating high school, which makes me think he doesn't want to go to school after graduation. He talks about it, but with the tone of boredom and unsureness. Hearing Jade say he does want to go to school makes me realize just how much of a facade Jayden puts on to make him seem a different person. A 'cooler' more 'chill' version of himself. He hangs out with the punks and the outcasts, which happens to be us and a few other students at school, but he's actually not like that.