"Fuck!" I yelled as I fell of my board for the sixth time in the last ten minutes. It was just not my day. I brushed my black hair out of my face and threw my board away from me. I heard it thud somewhere on the concrete but I was too busy looking at my knee that was gushing blood.
I shook my head. "Fantastic." I mumbled. Jack came running up with his phone in hand. "Matt you gotta start landing that ollie or I'm not gonna bother recording it anymore." He laughed and looked in the direction that I threw my skateboard.
"Chipped the deck." he said as he walked over to it. I shrugged and grabbed my back pack and fished out an extra shirt. I put the shirt on my knee and watched the blood soak up.
"I can't land it, I've been trying all week." I called over to Jack. He shook his head. "C'mon. Man the fuck up and do it. A little booboo ain't gonna stop you."
Jack's southern accent stood out in California, where I was born and raised. He moved here a year ago when we were 13. Now we were 14, and thought we were tough shit.
"Go again, pussy." He grinned at me. I gave him the finger and stood up, throwing the bloody shirt onto the bench.
I grabbed my board and put on foot in the middle, and the other on the tail. I bent my knees and crouched a little lower, and jumped into the air with my front foot, then my back foot. I kicked down the back of my board at the same time, and slid my front foot up and in. I heard Jack start cheering as I pulled my knees up to my chest, and I knew that this was the moment I would land my first ollie. I slid my front foot all the way up to balance everything out, and landed.
Immediately I was tackled to the ground. "That was fuckin' perfect!" Jack laughed. I shoved him off of me, smiling like an idiot.
"Nice job." I heard someone call out. Jack and I looked over to see a kid, who looked like he was maybe 12. Jack punched my shoulder and gave me a look. I shrugged and stood up.
"Thanks man." I said to the kid. He smiled and walked over to me.
"I'm Xander." he said, sticking his hand out to me. I looked at his outstretched hand with a raised eyebrow. He quickly took his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck with it. I grinned at the dopiness of this guy. "I'm Matt. That's Jack." I said, flipping my chin in Jack's direction. I heard him snort and head over to the bench where our drinks were at.
Xander nodded and just walked away, and said nothing else. I watched him walk over to his board and get on.
I wondered what this kid could do, so I walked back over to Jack and sat down next to him to watch Xander. Then, the most insane thing I'd ever seen happened.
This 12 year old, lanky kid does a perfect 360 hardflip. I shot off the bench, and took off running at him.
A 360 hardflip is one of the hardest things a skateboarder can do. Few people have landed one. I was in complete shock.
Xander saw me coming and he gave me a huge smile.
I tried to remember his name, my memory had always been shitty.
"What'd you say your name was?" I smiled, streching my hand out to this guy.
"Xander."
