It's No Fun on the Sidelines

I took a deep breath and gunned it towards the ramp. I hit the ramp and got major air, suddenly my mind went blank, I closed my eyes and then the ground was coming up much faster than I thought. I landed shoulder first into the dirt, a shock of pain shooting through me. My bike was next, it's tire whacking me in the butt. I groaned and closed my eyes tightly, my vision getting spotty. I don't think I had ever felt such a pain. Bilko was the first one by my side, he put his arm under my back and slowly helped me up. I took off my helmet and started laughing.

“Yo! Bike! If you wanna slap my ass, your gonna have to buy me dinner first!” I yelled, kicking it's tire.

I smiled wider, almost cracking up at Todd and Molly's expressions. Bilko had a smile that matched mine as he high fived me.

“Way to go sheila!” He said, hugging me sideways. I laughed and gritted my teeth, my shoulder still in pain. Molly must have noticed because she yanked him off of me.

“What happened? You had everything right.” She said. I shrugged as I picked up my bike and put my helmet back on.

I heard another engine roaring to stop, I glanced over and saw Travis. I groaned and looked away. Todd was about to say something but I rode away before he could. I got back to the bottom of the jump and leaned on the handle bars of my bike. My mind was going a mile a minute, I was silently thanking myself for taking physics classes.

I calculated the jump and my speed. But I was honestly just stalling. Travis started to walk over. I wasn't going to give him the time of day yet. I started my bike and gunned it. The bike wobbled but straightened out again. I touched the edge of the jump and swerved to the left. I was stressing myself out. I smacked my helmet and shook my head. I turned back around and headed for the jump again. I blinked and was launching off the jump. I leaned back and my bike went with me, I gave it some gas and it flipped all the way around. I landed and the bike stalled. Thankfully, I had already landed the trick.

“Thank you for waiting to stall!” I said, kissing my bike happily. Todd and Molly came over and Molly hugged me briefly before quickly standing next to Todd.

“We knew you could do it.” Todd said with a stupid i told you so grin.

Travis walked over with a smile. I still didn't want to talk to him. I quickly thought of an excuse then started my bike again.

“I have to go call my brother to tell him.” I said quickly before speeding off towards the house.

Sure, I can't avoid Travis forever, I mean he is my coach. But for now I've Todd, Molly, and Bilko. And besides, I actually do have to call my brother. I put my bike in the garage and hung my helmet on my handle bars. I ran up to my room and grabbed my cell phone. I dialed his cell number and bounced anxiously.

“Hello?” Said a stern, unfamiliar voice.

“Is Ian there?” I asked, getting a little freaked out.

“Oh yeah! He just walked in.” The voice said, getting much nicer. Soon, my brother's voice came over the phone.

“IAN! I LANED IT! I LANDED THE BACK FLIP!” I screamed, jumping up and down in excitement.

“That's great! I'm so proud of you!” He said. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

“Seen any action yet?” I asked, like I always do when I call him. My brother is a Marine, and serving over in Iraq. Every time I do a trick or every time I win a medal, I think of him. He's the best older brother a little sister could ask for.

“Nah. There was a roadside bombing about few miles away though! You could feel the earth shake. We had to grab our guns and stand ready, in case of an attack.” He said. He went on to explain how much he misses our mom's macaroni salad and ranch chicken on the grill.

“I really miss you bro. Are you going to be able to see me at X-Games? Please tell me you have TV there.” I asked. I heard him sigh and I knew the answer.

“I wish there was. But call me before you go on. You can have Travis relay info to me.” He said. I felt my eyes watering up. This was going to be the biggest event in my life and he wasn't going to be there.

“Oh...okay. Well I've gotta go. I need to shower. I love you. And please be safe.”

“I love you too and I promise to make it up to you. Bye.” He hung up and I put my phone down.

I rubbed my eyes quickly before pealing my sweaty and dirty clothes from my body and heading into the hot shower.