Page 4 of The Bro Pact
“You going to the gym without me?” I ask, offering him a hand. He takes it, hopping off the open tailgate.
“Nah. You know I’ve been working more at the shop, trying to save up for my own place. Guess I’ve just been lifting more car shit.”
I hum my agreement, wishing I had any hope of moving out of my parents’ house, but I’m taking too many classes to be able to afford rent, and I’d rather focus on my studies anyway. Law school is really important to me, and I can’t fuck up my undergrad GPA.
We walk our bikes to the start of the trail where there’s a small wooden sign with a simple butterfly engraved into it. A monarch, I’m guessing.
“Make sure you stay on the path, Ren.” I sound like a nag, but he really does need a reminder each and every time, considering he nearly impaled himself on a branch last summer.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. You ready?” he asks with a twinkle in his bright eyes.
“Let’s do this?—”
Before I can finish, Ren slips his sunglasses on, hops on his bike, and bolts down the dirt path in front of us, disappearing into the forest.
“Fucker!Wait for me!” I holler, laughing loudly as I buckle my helmet and take off, pedaling as hard as I can.
The wind feels good whipping against my face as I race down the bumpy trail. I inhale deeply, enjoying the rich scents of the forest. Fresh pine mixes with the earthiness of the detritus around us, and my smile widens as I allow nature to elevate my mood.
Warren is fast on a mountain bike, and he starts to pull farther ahead.
“It’s not a race!” I call out, hoping he can hear me.
“But if it was, I’d be winning!” he yells back, and I chuckle, rolling my eyes.
Ren picks up his pace, and I lose sight of him for what feels like ten minutes before I catch up, spotting him on the incline ahead.
He’s standing up and pedaling strenuously. His shorts are practically painted on, and I don’t know why I do it, but my eyes dart down, staring at his ass as it clenches over and over, working hard to get him up the steep hill.
I swerve, nearly flying off the trail before righting the handlebars once again.
Jesus Christ.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
It must be the breakup. My head’s all messed up.
Focusing on the trail again instead of staring at my best friend’s ass, I stand up like Ren did to get through this next incline and finally catch up to him.
“Hey, asshole! Wait for me!” I call out, and he glances over his shoulder, smirking as he tries to get away.
We race down the hill, probably faster than we should, but I feel so carefree when I’m out here in the middle of nowhere with Ren.
I fly over a small creek, water misting my legs, and I finally start to gain on him when he suddenly makes a hard right turn.
“What the fuck?!” I shout, slowing down and nearly losing control when I swerve where my idiot best friend just did.
This side trail is much more narrow, and I don’t understand why he’d take it, or how he even saw it.
“Goddammit,” I mumble to myself.
Ren is long gone, and now I’m on a skinny, unfamiliar path with gnarly branches reaching toward me as I whiz by.
“This sucks,” I mutter, nearly ready to turn around and go back, but I keep pedaling, sure I’ll catch up to him sooner or later.
After a few more minutes, something bright catches my eye, flickering between the trees in the distance. My eyes narrow, trying to make out what it is.
As I get closer, the forest thins out, and a glistening sapphire lake appears. Thousands of tiny crystals dance across the surface, while majestic pines surround the unblemished shore, and snow-capped mountains stand sentry in the distance.
