James Mandarin

Skateboarding

Zen calls my name. I stop in my tracks. He calls my name again. I turn around.

"Hey," He says as he makes his way towards me. "Wanna hang out after school?"

My throat becomes dry. Me? Why does he want to hang around with me? Is this some sort of joke? Is this a prank that will turn me into a laughing stock forever? I slowly nod my head. Everyone's looking at me. I can't say no. "Cool," Zen says, "see you later. I'll meet you at the park." I just nod my head. Sometimes being quiet is the best thing.

Zen smiles brilliantly, exposing his braces before walking away with his friends as I am left alone, to wander the hallway.

Chloe goes straight home after school to work on her Drama portfolio. I slowly waddle home and change out of my clothes. I take an orange from the fruits' basket and head out the door towards the park. I sit on the grass, peeling my orange as I wait for Zen to rock up.

I'm about leaving after twenty minutes of waiting when I see him in the distance, riding a skateboard.

"Hey!" He says as he takes a spot beside me on the grass. "Sorry for taking so long."

"It's fine," I reply as I finish peeling my orange.

"So how's your day been?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Uneventful."

Zen smiles and points to his skateboard. "Do you know how you skate?"

"God, no," I reply hastily. I split my orange in half. "Do you want it?" Zen nods and I pass him half the orange. We sit together in the sun eating the orange. It's nice, sweet and juicy, just the way I like it. Mum buys her oranges from the farmers' market. They're the best place to get oranges.

Zen stares at me for a moment before saying "Get up. I'm going to teach you how to skate."

"But I don't have a helmet!" I blurt out, hoping I'll deter him from the horrendous idea. I sound like a whiny bitch. I don't even know how to surf.

"You can take mine," He replies, handing me his helmet.

"But... I don't want to get head lice!" I feel stupid. I think I've just placed myself at the top of the list of people who've made a fool of themselves in front of a popular person. Zen just smiles and pulls me to my feet. Before I can regain my balance, I find myself on the skateboard.

And so, the lesson begins. I fall. I swear, and I land on my butt. Zen remains patient as he teaches me the art of skating. By the time we finish, I'm halfway there. I am able to ride a few meters before panicking and falling off. Zen does nothing but smile in an amused way. It's daunting.

As I put the orange peels in the bin and begin walking away, I hear Zen's voice behind me. "See you here again tomorrow."