Page 63 of Just Shred

“What the hell?” My heart skips a beat. I must be dreaming.

“I thought he was just a trainer?” Shane asks, pointing to a video screen nearby.

I’m speechless. Meanwhile, the commentator is giving us stats about his riding. Apparently, he has won countless of medals in the pipe, and is one of the top ten free riders in the world. What the hell? I watch with bated breath, and then he’s off flying toward the pipe, riding vertical, up against the massive wall of snow and spinning in the air, doing some scary rotation. A backside twelve, the commentator calls it, along with a couple of trick names I have no idea what they mean.

His run lasts less than thirty seconds. The whole time I have trouble breathing. The crowd goes wild when Jesse comes to a full stop, snow flying everywhere. He waves at the people and heads over to the large banner with every sponsor printed on it. He takes his place between the two hot girls waiting for the jury to give him their points. He gets the same as the previous rider, and they are now in shared first place after the first run. Before I can blink, he’s gone again, and another rider is making his way down the pipe.

“Did you know?” Shane asks.

I shake my head, biting on the inside of my cheek. “I didn’t,” I whisper. My phone buzzes again. Are you still in Aspen, babe?

With shaking fingers, I reply, Yes, I am.

If you have time, head over to the super pipe final;).

“What is he saying?” Shane asks, nodding to my phone.

“He’s asking if I’m going to the super pipe final,” I rasp, staring at the text.

He chuckles. “What are you going to answer?”

“That I’m already here?” I tell him, adjusting my beanie. I finish my coffee with shaking hands and place the cup between my feet. I scan the crowd. There are people holding cardboard cut-outs of his head in the air. I pull up Google on my phone and type in his name. Fuck, why didn’t I do that earlier? I roll my eyes. No future job at the FBI for me. My mouth drops when the first thing I read is his Wikipedia page, the snowboard movies he’s made, and his sponsor pictures. He even went to the freaking Olympics and won a silver medal in South Korea. “Are you kidding me?”

“What?” Shane asks, glancing at my phone. “Holy shit, you really didn’t know. I thought he looked familiar, but I guess he let his hair grow out. He used to have a shaved head, now that I think about it.”

“I should have Googled him like a normal person,” I mutter, scanning through the hits.

Shane’s phone starts ringing and he looks at the caller idea. “It’s work. You mind me taking it?” I shake my head, still speechless, while he leaves me alone.

Someone taps me on my shoulder. “Hey, Ace. Long time no see,” Gibb says, hugging me tight. “This is my dad,” he says, motioning to a middle-aged guy with the same gray eyes as Jesse.

“Nice to meet you, kid.” The man grins, shaking my hand. “I’m Daniel. You came to watch our boy win?” He smiles, taking his place next to me.

“I hope so.” I swallow hard and take a deep breath while my heart races in my chest.

“He told me a lot about you,” Daniel says after a while.

My cheeks flush, and he gives me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, kiddo, he didn’t give away too much. That boy keeps a lot to himself. Usually,” he says, winking at me.

“He’s really good, isn’t he?” I ask, nodding toward the pipe.

His father nods. “One of the best. My study is filled with his medals,” he drawls, sounding proud. So that’s where he keeps his medals—at his dad’s place.

“I had absolutely no idea he was a pro.”

“Jesse didn’t tell you about this?” he asks, scratching his stubble.

I shake my head, blowing out a shuddering breath.

He chuckles. “Doesn’t surprise me. Most of the time, people are only interested in his accomplishments. Hell, you should know, kid, your dad was one of the originals. I just saw him and your mom down at the press tent.”

“You know my parents?” I ask. Of course, they’re around here somewhere, probably with my brother, being one of the biggest sponsors.

“Sure I do. This isn’t such a big town. I think you and Jesse used to play in the sandbox together before you changed schools,” he tells me and winks.

“The second run, Dad,” Gibb says, all excited.

“Holy shit,” I say again when Jesse is introduced for the upcoming run. I hold my breath almost the entire time it takes him to make his way down the pipe. I watch in awe as he makes a jump, and rotates in the air, higher than anyone else has done. His father and brother holler in response.

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