Page 56 of More Than Chemical
A long, high-pitched horn sounded. On the screen, the four competitors shot out of the gates and flew down the track on their skates.
I sucked in a breath, unable to tear my eyes away from the monitor. There were bumps and turns, jumps, and then the two skaters in front ascended a hill. The first threw a trick in the air at the top. The last two collided, and even though they tried to scramble up the hill using their blades, they slid right back down. The first and second skated through the finish line, the last two looking like ice crystals in their wake.
My heart raced.Wow.Completely reckless, but oh so thrilling to watch.
Emma whistled on one side of me.
Priya clapped and cheered on the other. “That was awesome. So awesome.”
I was amazed. The race had started and finished so quickly that if it had been me, I’d still be at the top trying to muster the courage to start.
Priya grabbed my hand. “Let’s get closer.”
The four of us and the cross-country runners maneuvered as best we could, getting within fifty feet of the track. I glanced up at the screen again and saw the next set of racers finding their positions. There were those girls again in berets, each standing behind one of the four start gates, looking like femaleThe Price Is Rightmodels with their correct postures, beautiful smiles, and teased hair. Were they eye candy or did they actually have a job to do up there?
The next set of four was ready. The referee, in black-and-white-stripes, started announcing. But before the horn blew, one of the riders blasted through the gate. The crowd groaned. The disqualified rider skated the course to the end. From where I was, he looked like an ant falling down a sand dune made of glistening white fondant.
False start, and apparently there were no second chances in this sport.
“Come on.” Priya was moving again, pulling me with her. “We have to get to the bottom, where the racers come off the track.”
“Impossible,” Jay said. “There are way too many people to get that close.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Priya shouted.
Jay stayed with his friends, while Priya, Emma, and I plowed through the spectators and almost reached the spot she’d wanted.
Behind me, Emma let out a hollow breath. “Omigod.”
“What?” I glanced her way.
She pointed to the screen.
I spun around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, just the gates, the racers in helmets, masks, and pads and, of course, those girls behind them. Then a name jumped out at me.
Dallas Reynolds.
It was him. He was on top of that insane track, behind the fourth gate, pointed toward the very bottom. Only him and two other skaters left.
Well, I’d found him. Not where I’d expected him to be, that was for sure. I pushed closer to the track until I was able to stand at the rail. He hadn’t told me. Hadn’t said he was competing. My heart sped up. Why?
“Racers ready. Five-second warning.”
I looked back for Jay and saw him about twenty yards away, staring at the screen.
I wasn’t going to be able to see the skaters live until they got to the very last section, so I watched the monitor. The horn sounded, and I held my breath.
Dallas launched from the gate. He didn’t make it to the front, but he was close behind the leader.
My stomach spun. I wanted him to win so badly that my insides hurt.
People cheered all around me, but I didn’t make a sound. Dallas maneuvered the bumps and hairpin turns. When he reached the obstacle that the announcers called the volcano, my hands formed into fists. The uphill was so high. The racers needed a ton of momentum to get up there.
He succeeded, but the three of them were neck and neck, flying down the drop. They sped past me, and I could feel their drafts against my face.
Dallas finished last. Not enough points to move on in the competition. But it didn’t seem to bother him. He was giving high fives to the other two, pounding them on the shoulders.
He took off his helmet. His hair stuck up in all directions, making him look sexier than ever. I wanted to shout his name, but I couldn’t find the nerve or my voice.
