Status: Yep, this is back.
The Day I Met You
002
I bobbed and weaved through the crowded intersection between the two buildings. A woman with a little boy on her hip almost knocked me over. I finally reached her. The disappointment in her eyes was no even more evident. “Hey, Rey,” she sighed.
“Jay, what’s wrong?”
“You know how I, like, promised you that Shaun would be here,” she asked as she stepped back an inch or two.
“Yeah, where is he?”
“Shaun White isn’t competing this year. He messed his ankle up right before his run on the pipe at Winter X.”
I stared blankly into her eyes for a moment. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe that she couldn’t stay long, but then she dropped the news that the bait she lured me here for wasn’t going to show. I felt a range of emotions. Sadness, anger, and relief flooded my mind. “Who was that guy,” I questioned while letting my mind wonder over the issues with today.
“What guy,” she returned before looking around.
“The one that was…” I trailed off as I turned back. He was gone.
I shook my head as I looked around. People were now entering different buildings. There were signs becoming visible. The building I just came out of had a sign that read ‘Motocross: Sony Step Up & Best Trick.’ The sign on the building read ‘BMX & Skate Vert Ramp.’ “Since Shaun didn’t show up, can I at least pick the event we get to watch,” I asked all too nicely.
“That seems pretty fair,” Jamie agreed
“I want to watch the best trick show.” Jamie shook her head.
“Like, those are crazy dudes. They do stuff that should kill them,” she answered in a disgusted voice.
“Please, you guys do the same thing if not worse on snowboards,” I laughed.
“True, alright. Let’s check it out.”
The musty smell of dirt was beginning to overpower the beer smell. Jamie was heading down the set of stairs as I followed. I didn’t see the guy that grabbed my arm earlier, but people were staring. “Best trick is almost here. We’re glad to see Kyle Loza back at X Games after his injuries keeping him from defending his gold two years in a row.”
“Who is Kyle Loza,” I asked aloud. Three people standing beside me all scoffed as they raised one eyebrow.
“She’s new, and she’s with me,” Jamie laughed. One girl gasped and asked for an autograph while squealing that she couldn’t believe one of the pro-snowboarders was standing in front of her. The man beside her just grinned.
“Loza is the only biker to three-peat in best trick. He’s a badass in freestyle, and he’s one crazy dude,” she informed me.
“Go Loza,” I laughed.
“We’re taking a short break to remove the Sony Step Up Equipment before announcing the line up,” the announcer’s voice boomed.
“They change the course every time,” I questioned. Jamie looked at me as if I was stupid.
“Duh, Rey. The riders have different terrain; I mean, you can’t expect Loza to fly with a bar in the middle of the arena.”
“Fly,” I questioned. How is a guy with a dirt bike supposed to fly?
Jamie laughed as she responded with a wry, “You’ll see.”
It took all of one hour before they got the huge beams holding the bar forty-seven feet in the air moved out of the way. The announcers were joking some about the epic battle between Renner and Buyten that just broke a world height record. Jamie managed to get us down to the front lines with her sponsor, rockstar’s, crew members. The engines began to whine loudly again, but this time we were much closer.
“Jay, what are you doing on this side of X Games,” a man yelled over the engines. His skin was well tanned, he was tall, and he wore dark sunglasses.
“I wanted to see the skate comp, but my friend talked me into coming to see the MotoX comp. We were supposed to meet Shaun, but I think his ankle gave in during Winter X and he hasn’t been practicing. You know the drill,” she answered as she turned to see who was speaking.
“Your friend, huh?” the man laughed.
“Hey, sorry Deegan. This is Reylyn. Rey, this is the leader of the Metal Mulisha, Brian Deegan.”
“I thought I recognized him,” I answered truthfully. I may not have followed the sport one-hundred percent like Jamie, but I knew the big names.
“You look familiar. Do you ride or something,” he asked as his chiseled features bunched up.
“No.” I answered. It wasn’t a lie. I don’t compete; not anymore, and I didn’t want to relive my days as a Roxy team member.
“Rey,” Jamie started to inform him. I grabbed her arm and pointed.
“That’s the guy! I accidently ran into him and he grabbed my arm when I was coming to meet you,” I pointed bluntly.
He stood there in his black and white riding gear with a pieced together bike. His helmet was covering every inch of his face except those high cheekbones and those green eyes. I knew those eyes were staring at me because as soon as I pointed he sort of nodded and turned away. I noticed Deegan wave out of the corner of my eye. I turned to face him, and his lips were stretched a mile wide into the oddest Cheshire cat grin I’ve ever seen.
“That’s Loza,” Jamie stated.
Deegan laughed, “Too bad you’re cute, maybe he wouldn’t have messed with ya.”
“What,” I hissed.
“He’s out of his fucking mind,” Deegan laughed again.
‘What in the hell,’ I thought to myself as the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. “The lineup is…”
“Jay, what’s wrong?”
“You know how I, like, promised you that Shaun would be here,” she asked as she stepped back an inch or two.
“Yeah, where is he?”
“Shaun White isn’t competing this year. He messed his ankle up right before his run on the pipe at Winter X.”
I stared blankly into her eyes for a moment. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe that she couldn’t stay long, but then she dropped the news that the bait she lured me here for wasn’t going to show. I felt a range of emotions. Sadness, anger, and relief flooded my mind. “Who was that guy,” I questioned while letting my mind wonder over the issues with today.
“What guy,” she returned before looking around.
“The one that was…” I trailed off as I turned back. He was gone.
I shook my head as I looked around. People were now entering different buildings. There were signs becoming visible. The building I just came out of had a sign that read ‘Motocross: Sony Step Up & Best Trick.’ The sign on the building read ‘BMX & Skate Vert Ramp.’ “Since Shaun didn’t show up, can I at least pick the event we get to watch,” I asked all too nicely.
“That seems pretty fair,” Jamie agreed
“I want to watch the best trick show.” Jamie shook her head.
“Like, those are crazy dudes. They do stuff that should kill them,” she answered in a disgusted voice.
“Please, you guys do the same thing if not worse on snowboards,” I laughed.
“True, alright. Let’s check it out.”
The musty smell of dirt was beginning to overpower the beer smell. Jamie was heading down the set of stairs as I followed. I didn’t see the guy that grabbed my arm earlier, but people were staring. “Best trick is almost here. We’re glad to see Kyle Loza back at X Games after his injuries keeping him from defending his gold two years in a row.”
“Who is Kyle Loza,” I asked aloud. Three people standing beside me all scoffed as they raised one eyebrow.
“She’s new, and she’s with me,” Jamie laughed. One girl gasped and asked for an autograph while squealing that she couldn’t believe one of the pro-snowboarders was standing in front of her. The man beside her just grinned.
“Loza is the only biker to three-peat in best trick. He’s a badass in freestyle, and he’s one crazy dude,” she informed me.
“Go Loza,” I laughed.
“We’re taking a short break to remove the Sony Step Up Equipment before announcing the line up,” the announcer’s voice boomed.
“They change the course every time,” I questioned. Jamie looked at me as if I was stupid.
“Duh, Rey. The riders have different terrain; I mean, you can’t expect Loza to fly with a bar in the middle of the arena.”
“Fly,” I questioned. How is a guy with a dirt bike supposed to fly?
Jamie laughed as she responded with a wry, “You’ll see.”
It took all of one hour before they got the huge beams holding the bar forty-seven feet in the air moved out of the way. The announcers were joking some about the epic battle between Renner and Buyten that just broke a world height record. Jamie managed to get us down to the front lines with her sponsor, rockstar’s, crew members. The engines began to whine loudly again, but this time we were much closer.
“Jay, what are you doing on this side of X Games,” a man yelled over the engines. His skin was well tanned, he was tall, and he wore dark sunglasses.
“I wanted to see the skate comp, but my friend talked me into coming to see the MotoX comp. We were supposed to meet Shaun, but I think his ankle gave in during Winter X and he hasn’t been practicing. You know the drill,” she answered as she turned to see who was speaking.
“Your friend, huh?” the man laughed.
“Hey, sorry Deegan. This is Reylyn. Rey, this is the leader of the Metal Mulisha, Brian Deegan.”
“I thought I recognized him,” I answered truthfully. I may not have followed the sport one-hundred percent like Jamie, but I knew the big names.
“You look familiar. Do you ride or something,” he asked as his chiseled features bunched up.
“No.” I answered. It wasn’t a lie. I don’t compete; not anymore, and I didn’t want to relive my days as a Roxy team member.
“Rey,” Jamie started to inform him. I grabbed her arm and pointed.
“That’s the guy! I accidently ran into him and he grabbed my arm when I was coming to meet you,” I pointed bluntly.
He stood there in his black and white riding gear with a pieced together bike. His helmet was covering every inch of his face except those high cheekbones and those green eyes. I knew those eyes were staring at me because as soon as I pointed he sort of nodded and turned away. I noticed Deegan wave out of the corner of my eye. I turned to face him, and his lips were stretched a mile wide into the oddest Cheshire cat grin I’ve ever seen.
“That’s Loza,” Jamie stated.
Deegan laughed, “Too bad you’re cute, maybe he wouldn’t have messed with ya.”
“What,” I hissed.
“He’s out of his fucking mind,” Deegan laughed again.
‘What in the hell,’ I thought to myself as the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. “The lineup is…”