ethan & emma: talking with you.

Just For Us

Ethan wouldn't stop showing off.

"You'll have to transfer your weight when you lean forward. Like this," he instructed, standing at the top of the half-ramp. He positioned his skateboard with the wheels against the edge of the ramp, then leaned forward, sliding easily down to its base.

"Sure. Totally. That's too easy," Emma said.

Ethan kicked his skateboard so it flipped up into his hand. "We can always start with groundwork stuff if you want."

"Well... maybe just to warm up."

Ethan laughed. "Okay. Want to go to the lot area? It's way more open, and there's less people."

"Yeah, sure. I don't want to intimidate anyone over here with my skills."

"Makes sense," he said.

They walked through the skatepark, which was in actuality a giant private warehouse where professional skateboarders came to train. In her mind, Emma had expected a park where a few other kids might be skating or messing around. Instead, it cost $25 just to walk through the front door, and there were actual professional coaches helping their clients train for competitions - or so Ethan said. Emma had no idea that skateboarding competitions existed, but if they did she could never hope to compete. It was hard to stand on her skateboard, much less do two turns mid-air down a ramp like one guy was doing. 


"Here," Ethan said, gesturing to the large concrete area in the back of the warehouse, about the size of a basketball court. A group of guys were practicing near the back of the lot, but for the most part, it was empty. 


"Okay, what should I do?" Emma asked. "Just ride it?"

"Why don't we start by going in a straight line?" Ethan said, gesturing for her to put her skateboard on the ground. 


"Piece of cake," Emma said. She set her board on the concrete.

On their way in, Emma had impulsively chosen the blue penny board Ethan had packed. She was glad about her decision because it was smaller and easier to control - well, as much control as she had given her 0 years of experience. 


She stepped onto the skateboard, and wobbled forward. 


"Here, hold on to me," Ethan said, standing in front of her and offering her his hands. Emma took them, and his fingers wrapped around hers. He started to walk along the edge of the lot, and Emma squeezed his hands tighter, letting him pull her forward.

"See? Easy." 


"I'm basically a pro already," Emma said, grinning at him. 


"You'll just have to keep going once I let go," Ethan said, releasing her hands mid-step. And she did. 


"Look at this shit!" Emma slowly rolled to a stop. "Wait for it, wait for it." She pushed off with her new sneakers, rolling another few feet forward. 


"You're doing it! Proud of you," Ethan said. 


Emma reached down and spun her board around before riding back to him. She was only moving at 5 miles an hour, but she still didn't know how to stop, and she nearly ran into him before he reached out and grabbed her arms. 


"Emma, you're gonna have to use a footbrake," he said. 


"How?" Emma's voice was incredulous. She'd never even noticed a brake on penny boards. 


"I'll show you," he said, kneeling down. Emma's heart skipped a beat as he looked back up at her, his lips pulled up into a little smirk, his eyes playful. Sometimes he didn't even have to try, and his mannerisms, his expressions, were still ridiculously attractive.