Ryder

Chapter 20

It's the last race of the season, and I want to make it count. I want to show them why they're choosing me, and I want them to see I have it all. Yeah, a bit big-headed, I know, but I didn't get this far by doubting myself, and my number one fans here cheering me on, so I wanna show him a good weekend, too. Jay's in the pits with Dad, and he's on board duty, so fuck knows what kind of messages I'm gonna get. I've just got to remember not to let them distract me.

Arch is a few riders down, and he's been watching us, me and Jay, like really watching us. He's always close by, acting fucking weird, but it's almost like he's scared to come over when Jay's here. So it's not such a bad thing. I still don't trust the slimy fucker. But there"s something about him, like a lost puppy who doesn't seem to fit in anymore.

I turn to face him as the one-minute board turns. I grin and wink before taking off. It rattles him, makes him hesitate, and I head for holeshot, ripping the throttle back as my grin gets wider. I reach it in first, of course I do, and as I pull out of the apex, I throttle it again, digging into the rut, accelerating out of it and spraying dirt over everyone behind me. The track is rutted to hell, and some of them are deadly. I walked it again this morning, and the next berm has a rut on the inside that I would normally take, but it's annihilated at the exit. It"s deep, soft and treacherous, and I know damn well if I hit it, I ain't coming back from it, so I take the berm instead, and two of the guys dart up the inside and into the rut, hitting the soft patch. The front wheel digs in deep, and the first one he endos over to faceplant hard into the ground. The guy behind him tries to brake but just barely misses the first guy, only to come a cropper himself and end up in the grass embankment.

I give it everything as I fly around the berm and head for the double jumps. Arch must have been a little way back to see as he follows me around the berm. He's still a way back, so I hit the first double jump and sail through the air, landing just after the second. I accelerate into the whoops and hit them perfectly, the wheel flexing on each one as I power through them. As I hurtle towards the tabletop, I take the jump, twisting sideways before dropping back down, and I can hear the crowd screaming over the braaap of the engines coming down to the pits.

I see Jay jump up and hang the board over the barrier. ‘Did you bring Jelly Tots?'

Twat, I think as I sail past and shake my head, at him, not at the Jelly Tots. I always have Jelly Tots. It's one of the main reasons our friendship has lasted this long. I'm like his drug dealer, and his drug of choice is Jelly Tots.

Ripping down the straight, I'm ahead and want to keep it that way, so I concentrate and keep my head in the game. The starting straight is getting churned up, and the ruts in the first berm are starting to fall apart where people have been trying to get away from the tight one, only to dart out and demolish another, so I take it wide again and play it safe. I want to win, but taking chances when I don't have to is only asking for trouble.

I risk a glance over my shoulder, and there's a guy and Arch closer than the others, but they're battling amongst themselves, so I take a breath and focus, heading past the pits for the last time. Jay hangs out the board with a middle finger drawn on it and, ‘Mofo'. I'm taking that to be, ‘One lap, motherfucker,' and I laugh to myself. The guy's a dick, but fuck, I'd be lost without him.

And I take the jump over the finishing line, fist bumping the air as I sail through. I grin to myself. Fuck yeah. I damn well made it, and I let out a sigh of relief. The heathen pulled it off yet again.

Dad and Jay are waiting by the van, and they both throw themselves at me as Jay jumps up and down like a loon, chanting my name and clinging around us both. Dad lets go. "Okay, knobheads, get this shit cleaned up. We're heading home tonight to celebrate with your mums."

"Whoop, whoop!" Jay yells out as we gather everything in a rush and high tail it out of there. We don't want to keep our mums waiting.