Ridley Holland has just lost the love of her life. She has no desire to return to the world of motocross, but she knows Teuvo would want her to continue. So she plays the part: an upcoming professional athlete with inevitable determination to domina...
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Jacks
Nat is sitting on the fence when I arrive at the top of Bald Range.
Pulling in next to her dirt bike, I shut down the engine and bury my kickstand into the red dirt. My hair is a tousled mess when I remove my helmet. I do my best to tame it, but it's no use. The weather is rambunctious today: windy and switching back and forth between sunny and cloudy. The clouds look dark enough for rain, but I'll see it when I believe it. This spring has been unusually dry.
Giving up on my hair, I hang my helmet off of the handlebars and join Nat at the fence. She's nursing an orange-flavoured sparkling water. A bag of Spitz sits next to her. Out of anxiety, I help myself to a handful of spits, tossing a few in my mouth before pocketing the rest.
"Long night?" Nat asks. "You're nervous eating. Something must've happened. Did they try to conduct a mutiny?"
Her teasing tone brings a ghost of a smile to my face, but it flitters away. A mutiny would've been better than what happened last night. As much as I appreciate the conversation with Ridley, I still feel guilty for finding out such personal information about her under the influence of alcohol. Seeing that engagement ring...
Fucking hell.
I climb atop the fence and sit next to her, gazing out at the view. "You could say that."
The view from Bald Range is gorgeous. A layered valley with trees covering the mountains, minus a few scars from logged sections. The main logging road winds its way along the ravine, looking deadly in some areas. Whenever a large truck leaves the gravel pit area just to the left, vast clouds of dust rise and dissipate into the air. Further along, you can see Hayman Mountain and Blue Grouse Mountain. Then Kelowna and Okanagan Lake and the mountains beyond. The view is one thing I love about this spot, but so is the eerie quietness. Even with the gusting winds, nature creates its own niche. Trees creak, birds chirp, grasses rustle together, all speaking a language no one else can understand. Sometimes I wonder if they whisper secrets about us. And, if they are, what they're saying. Does nature pity humanity? Is it angry with us?
Nat snorts and passes me a can of sparkling water. It's lime-flavoured. I crack it open and chug until the carbon bubbles feel like they're stuck in my chest. Then I belch so loud I earn a smack from Nat. I laugh because I know what's coming next. Nat chugs until she can no longer bear it, and belches. She beats mine by a landslide.
Sighing, I remove a five-dollar bill from my pocket and slap it into her hand. She tucks it into her bra, wearing a cocky smirk. "Loser."
I smile, trying to chase away the bad vibes from yesterday and this morning. "You know, you're the reason I always have five bucks on me."
Nat sticks out her tongue. "Good."
After another sip of my drink, I look at Nat. Her dark hair is tied back in two braids. Her dark skin is shiny today. Whether that's from highlighter or sweat, I'm not sure. I also don't ask, in fear of being shoved off of the fence. It wouldn't hurt—there isn't much space between us and the ground—but picking myself up off the ground may be too much of a hassle. Ever since I left Ridley's house, I feel like I've been dragging around extra weight.
