Until We Break (Formerly Wicked, Wild, Wonderful)

Original Edition: Chapter Thirty-Six

NAOMI MORGAN STILL COULD NOT RIDE A BIKE. She tried to, and she did make it pretty far, but every now and then she would wobble a little too much to either side. A little too hard on the left or a little too hard on the right, it never really mattered; she knew that eventually, she would come crashing down. Naomi Morgan just could not seem to strike her balance, and she cursed herself for it.

Even now in her haphazard rush, she couldn't help but think about how her parents never taught her to ride or even made the effort to buy her a bike. Maybe, they had known that she would never be good at it. If anyone could predict her failure, it would be her own family, right?

Well, they were right. No matter how many times Saint and the rest of The Guise tried to teach her, she still could not get her grip. Naomi Morgan seemed to be missing something that came so naturally to everyone else. It was because of her inability to ride a bike, and other crestfallen reasons like it, why Naomi Morgan decided to leave The Guise for good.

It took her a little too long to recognize it but, Cairo was right in the beginning. At the time she didn't want to hear it but everything he said was true. She was not made up of the same tough things that as they were. Saint, Cairo, Chyna, Sully and Lia were forged from true heartbreak and disaster, living on the streets before they ever decided they were good enough to start a movement. Meanwhile, Naomi couldn't last a day on the pavement and she inserted herself into something she wasn't ready for. As for the disaster part, well, Naomi Morgan was her own disaster.

Riverside, for the last time, was quiet in Naomi's years as she struggled down the street alone. Her video must have been still going on because she passed numerous persons on the sidewalk with their faces glued to their screens; and the people who weren't didn't even bat an eyelash in her direction.

Naomi supposed it all was really over. She smiled at that. And as she tried to get a little more comfortable on the awkward bicycle seat she prayed that The Guise seized their opportunity and left Riverside. It was the smart thing to do. They were smart. It was why Naomi had decided to leave that signed note in the Evergreen Memorial Park mausoleum reclaiming all her future and previous actions so that they would be free from what she was about to do next. No one deserved this blame but herself.

It felt like she was riding forever, but somehow the sun was still high in the sky. Despite knowing her struggle, it did not so much as dip behind a cloud nor dim its light to ease her pain. How painstakingly ironic it was that the Riverside sun was still cruel to her, right to the very end. Some things, she thought, were never meant to change.

Every now and then, Naomi would need to stick her foot out to help keep her balance her and sometimes, she even put it fully on the asphalt to slow herself down. It wasn't the most efficient mode of transportation but she didn't have the keys to Tio's van so this was the second-best option. Making a lousy attempt at speeding, Naomi thought back to the dusty metal box. It wasn't pretty, but it was definitely her saving grace. Just like the warehouse, and the basement under Tio's Tacos and The Fox Performing Art Center and the Morgan household. They were all home to her; a place she could hide, sulk, and cry. Still, the never seemed enough.

Looking up, Naomi noticed that she was here. On sixth street, not too far from the Academy or Ben's equipment store.

In the exact spot Jessica was killed.

In fact, she could see the sign of the Fox Performing Arts Centre lit from within and a big banner hanging off the side of the building. The Prix de Ballet Competition was today. Naomi flinched at the thought. How insignificant all that seemed now. She stepped off the bike and let it drop to the pavement on its own, staring off into the road. Hear heart picked up. She told herself to not cry. This was right.