One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

Travis kept his word. He didn’t see Lauren until later that night. She apparently had left Mike behind,so Travis thought. He tried being nice to her. It worked for the most part. With her smiling and saying supportive comments to him, it was hard to give her the cold shoulder.

“Pulling the 720 or do you have some secret trick that you’ve been hiding?” she asked as he pulled his chest protector over his bare upper body.

“I think I should keep you waiting. I know how patient you are,” he teased with a bright smile.

“You’re such a butthead,” she smiled, pushing him back teasingly.

“I’m going to try the 720,” he replied confidently as he turned around to pick up his jersey.

Lauren couldn’t help but stare. She smiled once the familiar 199 unraveled down his well toned back.

“Don’t kill yourself,” she pleaded jokingly with some truth to her statement.

“I won’t. I may get hurt, but I’m not going to kill myself,” he smirked as the lights came down; a sign that the event was starting.

Even in the dark, the brown iris of his eyes seemed to stand out against the darkness. As he mounted the bright yellow Suzuki, something came over Lauren. A feeling in the pit of her stomach began to grow. She looked up at him and flung her arms around his torso, making a noise once they hit his chest protector. She held onto him tight with him doing the same.

“Just please be carful,” she said still pressed against him.

He didn’t like the tone in her voice. Memories of one of his races came flooding back to him. Lauren had told him the same exact thing in the same exact tone. That race was one of his worst races. He ended up flying over his handlebars, breaking almost every bone in his body.

He looked down at her and saw fear in her eyes. Once he looked away, the memory still remained. He felt her let go and sensed her taking a few steps back. When he looked back at her, Mike was in his line of vision as well.

“Good luck, Trav,” she said sweetly once she noticed his gaze towards Mike.

He acknowledged by nodding his head and sliding his helmet on. Once he started the bike and gave the throttle a squeeze, he glanced back in Lauren’s direction. She smiled at him encouragingly. He could still see the anxiousness. She mouthed one last good luck before he pulled his goggles on and rode away.

As she watched him disappear into the shadows, she felt for Mike’s hand. He gave it to her with a smile.

“He’ll be ok, Lauren,” he whispered as he gave her hand a squeeze.

She looked up at him with a small smile. Him telling her that made her feel a little better, but not completely.

“I hope so,” she said softly as the announcer went through the field of riders.

…Williams, Potter, Loza, Pages. Lauren smiled.They saved the best for last. The crowd erupted from the announcer just saying the first name. Even behind the helmet, Lauren knew a big grin was hidden. He came down the roll in and did a simple whip for the crowd. She’s always loved watching him compete. To her, it was when Travis shinned the most.

As the contest got started, Lauren kept getting more and more nervous. Everyone had crashed but four people: Loza, Williams, Potter, and Travis, who hasn’t attempted a first run yet. As he waited to drop in, Lauren was squeezing Mike’s hand hard unconsciously. Watching Travis’s mom in front of her pacing didn’t help matters either.

She watched him approach the jump slowly. She had no idea how he had enough speed to get the pop off the lip like he did. Half way through, Lauren thought for sure that he had it. But once the rotation started to slow, she knew something was going to go all wrong. Before any part of him or his bike touched the ground, Lauren was over the barrier with his mom following closely behind.

“Trav, please tell me you’re ok,” she said hopefully.

He didn’t respond, but he wasn’t unconscious. As he rolled on the ground in extreme pain, the paramedics blocked him from Lauren’s site. The minutes ticked by with no improvement from Travis. With the arena in almost a complete silence, her nervousness had reached a max. As if Travis knew he was killing her slowly, he ever so slightly lifted his hand up and gave his famous thumbs up. That simple action caused Lauren to smile so much.

A few minutes later, Travis was slowly brought to his feet with the help of two medical personnel. Lauren quickly pushed one of them aside to help support him. Even through all of his pain, he managed to shoot a smile at her.

“You goofball,” she smiled back.

His smile remained as they continued their walk to the medical area.

“I’m pretty sure rally’s going to be so much better,” he remarked as Lauren and the other medic eased him down to sit.

Lauren stood and waited as he was being examined. She didn’t even notice the crowd’s noise in the background.All Most of her attention was on Travis. This was the only part she hated about his career. The crashing. It scared her no matter how hard he came down.With her focus still on Travis, she didn’t even realize the presence of her current boyfriend beside her. The only reason she noticed was because of the look Travis gave her.

“Go watch the rest of the contest, LP. I’m fine,” he tired reassuring her. He honestly just wanted Mike to go away.

“I can’t just leave you,” she replied looking at him with an absurd expression. “Plus, there’s no one in it that I know,” she added teasingly.

Travis just smirked at her. “Bilko and Potter.”

“You must not be that hurt,” she replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Just go. I’m fine. I’ll find you when I’m done here. Maybe take my second run,” he smiled this time.

She smiled back as her and Mike walked off hand in hand. The grin on Travis’s face faded away quickly. No matter how many timed he told her to leave, she has never left him when he’s crashed… except this time. He didn’t like the idea, but he was starting to accept her and Mike being together. If he was putting all of this effort into a relationship that wasn’t returned, he didn’t see the need to continue.

Travis was stuck at the medic’s station for the rest of the event. In fear that he would actually attempt a second run, the medics kept him. When he found Lauren, he wished it had been a few minutes later. Pressed tightly against her lips was Mike. His hands were resting on her hips.

When she pulled away from him, Travis’s heart sank. The smile on her face mirrored the ones she always gave him. Her smiled remained as she watched him walk away. Now, he thought it was safe to approach her.

“Hey,” she smiled, but not the same as the one Mike received seconds before. “You feeling ok?” she went on to ask.

“Yeah… how’d the contest go? Loza won, right?” he asked, trying to keep his mind from wondering to her and Mike.

She replied by staring back at him. Travis let out a small laugh. She looked so mad.

“What happened?” he smiled his full smile while heading for the exit.

“Please explain to me how a trick can win a best trick contest two years in a row from the same person,” she remarked with a very upset expression coming over her face.

“It can’t,” he replied without thinking.

“It just did,” she almost yelled. “Fucking Kyle Loza just did the same trick he did last year. Bilko did this crazy 360… thing… that was just amazing. And he didn’t win,” she kept going, getting more and more upset with every word she said.

Travis laughed again. This was the Lauren he loved.

“I think judges are racist against Australians. Bottom line,” she kept up as they entered their hotel room.

“Lauren, I agree with you, but there isn’t much you or I can do about it,” he said as he started to get tired of her complaining.

“You know what would make me so happy?” she asked as her smile returned.

“What?” he asked sounding annoyed.

“You winning Rally tomorrow.”

“I think that would make both of us extremely happy,” he smiled as they both settled into theirseparate beds.

“Win it for me, Travie,” she smiled as she pulled the blankets tight against her.

“I’ll try,” he smiled as he turned the lights out. “Just for you,” he thought as drowsiness fell over him.