Chapter 6 Kai
Ashworth Academy is way strict about what students do outside school grounds while wearing our uniforms. They especially don’t like the image of us skateboarding around Main Street, popping ollies in our blazers and ties.
Fine by me. This private school uniform is way too constricting.
After the last bell of the day, we all change into our normal clothes.
Me and the guys seem to always be waiting for Jamie the longest. If she was a regular girl, I’d blame her for brushing her hair or doing her makeup. But it’s Jamie, so those don’t apply.
Things sure have changed since we were kids. I mean, me and the guys still see her as one of us. Actually, I’d peg her higher than the other guys. But, she is a girl, so she can’t head into the same bathroom to change with us.
James finally joins us and, dressed in a mixture of flannel and denim, we all head to the student parking lot.
So far, Parker’s the only one of us who has a license and a car.
It’s kinda our storage center. He already has all our skateboards packed in the trunk.
Tyler and I swap our bags for boards, and Jamie pads up and chucks on her rollerblades.
I guess when I get my car I’ll be driving to the skatepark, but I’ll miss the extra time weaving and grinding my way there.
Lewis rides shotgun with Parker, and eventually we meet them at the park. I really don’t know why Jamie prefers rollerblades over a skateboard, like the rest of us, but she flies on them.
“Returning to the scene of the crime, Kai,” Jamie teases, strapping her knee pad. “What are you gonna break today?”
I lift my hands in surrender. “Nothing. Scout’s honor. If I break anything, Dad’s selling my car. And, no offense Parker, I can’t freaking wait to drive myself around.”
Parker boards past me. “Cool with me. It’ll give the suspension in my car a break if you take half the freeloaders.”
Lewis scoffs. “Freeloaders?”
“Yeah, yeah. I know, Lewy,” Parker says, batting a hand. “You’ll be the next one to get your license.”
Jamie pushes off on her blades. “I hate my driver’s ed teacher. He makes things more complicated than they need to be. Like, I’ve proven I can drive, but he’s messing me up with all the theory questions.”
“They’re not that hard,” I quip.
She deadpans me.
“Okay, okay,” I laugh. “Geez, James. If looks could kill.”
She jumps over two steps and races along the cement toward a ramp.
I kick off my board, dipping around the stairs and chasing her from the other side.
A scraping sound distracts me from the left, and I whip around to see Tyler catching air as he flies up a ramp.
I flip and rotate my board, moving in his direction.
“Nice one, Ty,” I call as his board skids across the cement.
Like he’s proving a point, Tyler fakes a kickflip and pulls in the opposite direction. Popping his board into the air with an ollie, his heel then flicks the edge of the board, and spins it underneath him. He nailed that heelflip.
I smirk. “Now you’re just showing off.”
“Sorry, I know showing off is usually your move,” Tyler jokes.
I slam a hand over the space above my heart. “Ouch, Ty. You cut me deep.”
Tyler gestures behind me. “Looks like someone else is stealing your move.”
Over my shoulder, I catch Parker riding a rail. He spins off the end, revealing who Tyler’s talking about.
James, of course.
As she grinds against the rail, her rollerblades cling to the steel as if they’re magnetized. Her core is locked and determination is scribbled all over her face.
“Whoa, James,” I call out, riding my board over to the rail as she jumps off the end. “How did you stay up like that? You looked over-balanced.”
Jamie spins on her blades, slowing to face me. “Maybe when you’re older, you can ride with the pros.”
“Pfft.“ I wave her off. “You’re barely older than me.”
“Don’t fret. It’s no big deal that I have you beat.”
Tyler boards away. “I’m not listening to this starting up again.”
“What?” My arms fly out wide. “You don’t want me to call out James’s delusional thoughts?”
“I’m delusional?” she questions, shoving my chest. “I’m not the one who wrecked it yesterday.”
I snigger at her, tapping on her elbow pad. “That’s because you’re wrapped in cotton wool.”
She knocks on her helmet. “This is reinforced because I live life at the extreme.”
I can’t help grinning at her. “Yes, James, you’re very rad.”
She shoves me again, and this time I’m knocked off my skateboard. “I am!”
“Yes, okay, okay.”
“Say it!”
I can’t help laughing. “You’re more than rad. You’re more extreme than all of us combined.”
She folds her arms and juts her chin up. “Good.”
“Well…” I rub the underside of my chin. “Better than Parker and Lewis combined.”
“Hey! I heard that,” Lewis calls out, circling his skateboard around the obstacles.
Jamie clicks her tongue. “I don’t need your words to prove anything. I’ve got game.”
“And I’m trying not to have my car taken away.”
“Pfft.“ Jamie smirks. “Chicken.”
I get back on my board, push off, and when I feel the right amount of speed, I flip my board three-sixty on its axis.
I let Jamie’s words linger in the air as I gain speed on another obstacle and use an ollie to jump over it.
Air whips around me as I glide on the board.
I lower on bended knees, taking on a ramp, and can’t help outdoing Tyler on my landing.
When I come off the ramp, I can’t help catching Jamie gawking at me.
I clear my throat as I board toward her. “You were saying something about game?”
She points around the skatepark. “Umm, yeah, I demonstrated it before you did your little party tricks.”
I fall forward with laughter. “You can’t give it up, can you?”
“Can you?” she persists.
I wave it off. “Whatever. You can live in denial.”
“Wha-ha-ta-ev-er,” she drags out the syllables, blading behind me as I brake near a bench.
I sit on the edge, rocking my skateboard with the toe of my sneaker, and fold my arms. “So I was remembering earlier today in the hallway.”
She sits beside me. “What hallway?”
“With Camila and Tabitha.”
She tenses. “It was nothing.”
“I just wanted you to know. I read Tabitha Jones the riot act in chemistry today.”
“You what?” Jamie’s brow furrows. “Why were you talking to Tabitha?”
“Because Mrs. Field had a genius idea of reassigning lab partners.”
Jamie’s chin drops, but I note the curl in the corners of her mouth. “You got reassigned to sit next to Tabitha?” She does a bad job of squashing a laugh. “Lucky you.”
“Don’t get smart with me, James,” I warn. “I was trying to tell you I did you a favor.”
“A favor? I didn’t ask for that.”
I check the other guys aren’t in earshot. “It wasn’t cool. I won’t let them get away with it.”
Jamie gets off the bench, scooting away on her rollerblades. “It was nothing. Don’t even fixate on it.”
“You know the ditz actually tried to make small talk with me?”
“Eww.“ Jamie winces. “Why the heck for?”
“Beats me. She’s the airhead, remember? Anyway, I shut it down by reminding her she’s the worst person on the planet.”
Jamie sniggers, weaving her blades in front of me. “You did that?”
“In different words, but yes. I had to make her shut her yap.”
“You don’t have to do that for me. I have thick skin.”
I throw my thumb toward where the guys are boarding. “I’d stick up for any of my friends. You know that.”
“I know you don’t treat me differently because I’m the girl. But this situation does make me feel like I’m the odd man out.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Tyler asks, riding his board toward us. “You guys gonna join us, or continue your tea party?”
The heckle gets me immediately back on my board. “Oh, it’s on Ty. I was just distracted by the bloodsuckers after Jamie.”
“Bloodsuckers?” Parker questions, flipping his board beneath him. “We talking vampires?”
“It’s nothing,” Jamie rushes, her eyes unblinking at me.
Tyler eyes her. “You sure?”
“Positive,” she says with a heavy exhale. “Now, are we gonna do this, or what?”
I take the hint and cover with, “You know I can’t help giving James a hard time.”
“Better her than us,” Lewis kids, slowing his board to meet us. “I prefer when you two take each other out, rather than ganging up on the rest of us.”
Color comes back to Jamie’s face with a mocking smile. “What’s wrong, Lewy? Scared to be taken down by a girl?”
Lewis looks over both shoulders. “Have you seen one of them around here?”
Jamie launches on her rollerblades, pretending to sock Lewis across the chin.
“Whoa, Jamie.” Lewis leans back, jumping off his skateboard and raising his arms in surrender. “White flag.”
Jamie blades around him, proudly laughing to herself.
“So, wait,” Parker drags out the last word, unfazed by the potential fist fight breaking out. “We’re not talking about vampires?”
“Get your head out of your butt, Parker,” Tyler mutters, subtly checking on Jamie from the corner of his eye.
That’s Ty for you. He picks up on everything and knows when to drop a subject.
Confusion warps Parker’s expression until he shrugs and kicks off toward a rail.
I can’t handle this. I thought I could watch the other guys and hang back. But I’m itching to outdo myself. Dang it, I was so close yesterday. If only I’d landed on the board properly. Then there’d be no ER and no lectures.
I board over to Jamie and gesture at one of her elbow pads. “Hey, gimme one of those, would ya?”
“Huh?” she questions. “What for?”
“I want to cuff it around my stitches so I don’t wreck ’em.”
She shrugs. “You’ve got a bandage over them.”
“James, don’t be annoying. I wanna blow off some steam. I also don’t want to draw my parents’ attention.”
As she pulls at the velcro straps, she sniggers, “Are you admitting you can’t do that flip without it ending in blood splatters?”
I roll my eyes and take the elbow pad from her. “Quit it. I just want my car, okay?”
She nods. “I want your car, too. Even if I do get my licence, there’s not a chance I could afford a car.”