I turned off my SUV and climbed out. A whistle sounded from my left. “Easton,” Toby called.
“Hey,” I greeted as he made his way to me.
He pulled me into a back-slapping hug. “You ready for this?” Toby’s massive grin told me he couldn’t wait.
“Born ready.”
“Always thinks she’s such hot shit,” Jinx said as he walked up.
Calla followed him, finding her way to Toby’s side.
I rolled my eyes at Jinx. “I learned from the best.”
“Damn straight.” He grasped my hand and pulled me into a half-hug.
I sent Calla a smile. “Sorry you had to put up with these two alone.”
She ducked her head. “They are kind of annoying.”
“Hey,” Toby complained, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly. “That’s not nice.”
I scoffed. “It’s the truth. It’s a miracle Calla hasn’t left your ass in the dust.”
Jinx sent Calla a wink. “You could always leave that loser and take up with a real man.”
Toby clutched his chest. “You assholes wound me. You’re supposed to be my best friends.”
I chuckled and bumped his shoulder with mine. “Don’t worry. I’ll never leave you. I need your camera skills too much.”
Jinx barked out a laugh. “And because we know all your secrets.”
They didn’t know all of them, but they certainly knew one of the biggest—this double life I’d started living the moment Calder had taught me how to fly. Just the thought of that night had a fissure of pain slicing through me. I shoved away the avalanche of memories that could fall with the barest breath.
I didn’t need him. Because when Calder had bailed on our friendship, I’d found other people to fill the void. I’d found Toby and Jinx while riding this very trail. And Toby had brought Calla home with him after college last year. They were the friends I needed. The people who let me be whoever I wanted to be and cheered me on the whole way.
I met Jinx’s gaze. “Is the drone charged?”
“This ain’t my first rodeo, cowgirl.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled.
Toby motioned for us to follow him. “I’ve been checking out the angles, and I think this is where I’ll set up.”
There was a clear line of sight to the dip where I’d be pulling the trick. “Looks good to me.”
Calla shuffled her feet. “What can I do?”
She wasn’t as into all of this as the boys and I were, but she was supportive and rode with us for fun. But Calla’s fear kept her restrained. If you wanted to soar, you had to let go of every what-if that held you back. It was the thing I loved the most. There was no space in your brain for all of the weight life threw at you—it forced you to be fully present and alive.
“I’ve got an extra GoPro in my SUV. You want to shoot from the opposite side of the trail?” I asked.
“Sure.” She paused for a moment. “And maybe after, you can walk me through how you did it.”
I could do my best to explain my approach, but you just had to go for it at some point. There wasn’t a perfect step-by-step guide. “I can do that. And we can all take the south trail after, do a little freestyle.”
Calla smiled. “That’d be great.”
Toby clapped his hands. “All right, let’s get this show on the road.”
I walked back to my SUV and unhooked my bike from the rack. Resting it against the side of my vehicle, I opened the hatch. The first thing I went for was an old cell phone. I didn’t have it hooked up to get service anymore, but it held a ton of music. I popped in my earbuds and turned it up to a decibel that would block everything out.
I couldn’t talk to anyone now. I needed to drown out the whole world as I checked my bike and pulled out all my gear. My bike didn’t really fit in any one camp. Part mountain bike, part BMX creation, it had everything I needed to pull tricks in whatever environment I wanted, but I could also do straight-ahead trail riding.
Once I checked it over, I moved on to my gear. I slid the knee pads over my leggings. Then the shin guards. And, finally, I wrapped braces around each ankle. The movements were almost meditative. I was so practiced now. I could find that bit of peace as I went from one piece of equipment to the next.
I pulled my Kevlar pants on over everything. The last thing anyone wanted was road rash or to be impaled by a branch. The final two touches were my neck brace and helmet. I slid my earbuds out just before I put the helmet in place.
Toby walked up to me and slapped my helmet. “Ready?”
I nodded and climbed on my bike. “I’m taking the full approach.”
He rolled his eyes. “You and your Zen zone.”
“Don’t knock it.”
“Never.”
I took off down the trail. I didn’t need to do the complete loop for the approach. All you needed was a good hundred yards to pick up speed, but I didn’t like missing any part of the journey. It was like life. There were peaks and valleys. Times to slow down and appreciate the beauty around you, and times to ride like hell.
I picked up speed as I headed down the trail. Inhaling deeply, I took in everything around me. I could get lost here, the trees engulfing me with their branches. The scent always helped ground me—that mixture of pine and something that was uniquely Wolf Gap. As much as I’d tried to fight it, that smell would always mean home.
I pushed myself harder, bouncing my bike off a log and then back onto the path. My muscles strained as I climbed, and I knew I’d pay for it later, but an ice bath cured just about anything.
The peak of the trail called out to me just ahead. I didn’t have time to stop, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying as much of the view as I could. The blanket of forest that gave way to a meadow. The creek below, flush with spring rain.
I jerked my gaze back to the trail at the last possible second and started the decline. Each second, I picked up speed, jumping dips in the path and launching myself off tree roots in my way.
I could just make out the telltale sound of Jinx’s drone and knew he’d found me. I grinned. It was time.
I picked up even more speed. There was only me and the trail. Everything else faded away. My friends. Work. My mother’s texts. As I barreled down the path, I was free again.
My gaze zeroed in on the sort of half-pipe the trail made just before the parking lot. I’d run through all kinds of possibilities in my head as I’d talked things out with Toby and Jinx. But now, I had to let it all go and trust that my body knew what to do.
I dropped into the dip with all the speed I could muster. The world slowed around me as I propelled up the other side. And then I truly was flying. I leaned back, letting go of the handlebars, my hands falling free above my head as I balanced the bike with my feet. There was a blur of sky above me as I rotated in a complete flip.
It was magic. I wasn’t worried about how I might land or dinner tomorrow night. The only thing I left room for was how alive I felt. I wanted it to last forever.
Far too soon, I landed with a jolt. The action jarred me from my ankles through to my spine and up to my molars. But I stayed upright. After a few seconds, I heard whoops and hollers.
I skidded to a stop, pulled off my helmet, and let my hair fly free.