Page 15 of Fast

Zara winks at me. “Trust me, Chance, I’ve got this. I’m going to see how you ride and decide on the moment. I can’t go back home with a broken bone anyway, or my mom will know I wasn’t sleeping over at my best friend’s house this weekend.”

We wait for Kristy’s team to install some lights that remind me of what I’ve seen our town’s local TV network use when they come to interview us after a hockey game.

The difference is that these are cordless, so much easier to transport; which I guess is a plus when you organize impromptu challenges like the one I’m about to take part in all over the country.

“Let me help you guys,” Ares offers as we sit back to back on the dirt bike. “Is this ok? We don’t want the belt so tight that it impedes your movements, but if it’s too loose, it’s gonna throw off your balance.”

“You can give it just slightly more slack,” Zara suggests. “Don’t worry, I’ll help to keep us balanced. But I don’t want to be too much of a dead weight whenever Chance is on just one wheel.”

Right. That makes sense. “Are you ready?” I ask, turning my head just enough to make eye contact with Zara.

She nods, just as Kristy stands between us and Fox’s bike.

“Racers, turn your engines on,” she yells. “I’ll start you off. You can start when I let go of this bandanna.”

She lifts the red bandanna that was tied to one of the belt loops of her black leather pants.

“Ready, steady… GO!”

I peel off the starting line the second the bandanna leaves her fingers.

The noise on the beach is suddenly deafening between the cheering and shouting of the crowd and the noise of our bikes.

I look ahead, the stone bridge still a little distance away.

There’s some tension to the belt around my waist. I can feel that Zara is sitting very close to my back, keeping herself balanced enough that I can try to lift the front wheel.

I give her a warning by revving the engine twice and lift the front of the bike.

My abs tense up as I work to keep my balance, and I still feel her back against mine.

Good. If she falls, it’s game over.

I was so focused on trying this stunt that I didn’t see what Fox was up to.

We had a strong start, and he was slightly behind, but we’re now neck to neck.

I’m running in a straight line for the most part, but Fox is zig zagging all over the place, spraying sand everywhere.

He’s probably trying to distract me, but the joke’s on him. I’m used to dodging defensemen on the ice all the time and my focus is my secret weapon.

This is the key to win this thing; focus on the finish line, ignore my opponent and trust that Zara won’t make us fall off. She’s been doing an amazing job so far. She moves with me as if we’d been riding together forever.

An image flashes in front of my eyes as I go onto my back wheel again. If we’re so in sync riding a bike, how would we be naked? Would our bodies know each other’s rhythm just as well?

“Ha. Fucker!” Fox cuts in front of me just as I’m bringing my front wheel back down.

It’s down to sheer luck that I don’t fall, ending the race in shame for me and my brothers.

We’re three quarters of the way. The tall arches of the old bridge look closer and closer.

The motherfucker hasn’t done anything but being a pain in my ass, making noise and sending sand flying everywhere so far.

Technically, getting under the bridge first means winning, but Kristy wanted to see some stunts to judge our skills.

Maybe Fox is saving his stunts for the end, waiting until he’s in the lead before doing anything more than riding toward the finish line.

I know I’m right when his front wheel begins going up.

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