Video Games

Chapter Seventeen

As we step onto the second track with our skateboard in our laps and our helmets loosely slotted onto our heads, I feel the urge to throw my guts up. It was less than five minutes ago when I witnessed Chibuike fall from the ledge in the school place. Now, only fourteen of us remain – and two more are going to die at the end of this. Whoever it is, I will probably end up crying myself to sleep tonight. Chibuike is dead and I can only imagine more people dying in a minute.

Of course people are going to die – I mean people I love. I doubt the two nameless guys or Tainai will pass away; let’s hope one of them does. Okay, one of them isn’t nameless – the guy with brunette hair and bright hazel eyes is called Kyo and he received an orange light last time – he’s in the middle somewhere. We’ll find out where everyone is in a minute when the other two have died and two others end up with red lights. We’ll also see who the top three skaters are – I know that Tynoco will be number one and I have a feeling that Chryso will fly through this game.

The siren indicates us to go; Tynoco and I skate off without looking back. Others seemed to have got the hang of things now; most can balance on the board and a few have managed pathetic attempts at Ollies and manuals. Meanwhile, Tynoco is performing airwalks and shove its and all sorts. So far, I can Ollie well enough and I can do a few tricks, such as a melon or an Indy or most tricks that involve keeping your feet on the board.

“This is the France track,” Tynoco informs me. “This is the one with the secret drop that I’m dying to check out. If you go and skate in the bowl to collect points, I’ll go and attempt to knock over the wood so that we can access the little area with the broken fountain.” Tynoco leaves me to skate in the bowl; I have no real idea what I’m doing. As my board remains still at an angle on the edge of the ramp, I notice Chryso cheer me on. He does a one-handed handstand on the rail and lifts his board with his feet.

As we both enter the bowl, he applauds me and smiles. “That’s an axis you just did; basic lip trick,” he says, looking down at my feet as if they’re the only part of my body aiding me. “I just did an eggplant, probably the hardest one to master. Even I struggle to do it, and I have these bad boys.” He flexes his arms; his biceps bulge and I can’t help but laugh slightly. Thanking him, he nods and skates off only to go up to the lip and do another trick – a much more basic trick that looks like a manual.

Letting the board take me along the bowl, I bend my legs and Ollie so that I travel up the bowl – it seems that very few people have mastered that. Grabbing onto the front of my board, I perform what Tynoco called a nosegrab – how original. Upon landing, I see Tynoco enter the bowl again, doing some kind of cool kick move in the air. As he lands, he screams the word “judo” and skates over to me. “Hey, Ryota,” he pants, looking over at the tree he just came from. “I knocked it down; let’s go and explore!”

The two of us skate away, leaving Chryso to own the bowl. Ithai grinds on the ledge that we have to jump up in order to reach the little tunnel formed. Looking down the hole, I notice that the fall is about ten feet deep and that I could hurt myself jumping that much. Then again, I’ve jumped from the second storey of a building before, so I should be okay. Throwing my skateboard down there, I decide that I have to explore; whether Tynoco joins me or not is his choice.

Gripping onto the edge of the ledge, I find a little slot for my feet. Now, I’m only about seven feet up and I know that if I find one more ledge, I can make it for sure. Trying to find a slot for one of my hands, I hear the thump of Tynoco’s board behind me as it lands next to mine. Finally, I find a little gap for my fingers and being to lower my legs a little more. Finding a hole that’s about three feet from the bottom, I comfortably jump and land on my feet with a light thud. Tynoco follows me down into the hole before we both retrieve our boards and get back to discovering the area.