I hum. “My favorite.”
Reid looks pleased with himself. “I know.”
The only sound between us is the slurping. It feels like it did when we were kids, simple and sweet. I don’t give a shit anymore about eating too many desserts—I’m training so much that a few hundred extra calories won’t matter.
The tension is still there between us—heavy and unspoken—but things feel looser the closer we get to LA. We’ve both accepted that whatever happens, happens. There’s really notmuch we can do to change it. We ride our best, and we either fail or succeed.
“So, we’re gonna meet up with Parker and camp at his spot. It’s shady, so hopefully it’s not too hot.”
That’s unlikely—it’s super fucking hot here, even though it’s September. The marine layer is doing nothing to cool us off either. Hopefully the further we get from LA traffic, the less the heat will hang in the smog.
We’re each slurping on our shakes still. The dessert is divine and fuels me enough to continue driving. In some ways, driving is more tiring than riding. Driving is so brain-numbingly boring. Next season I’m going to have to consider flying in for every race. I love Willa, but I’m certain now that this on-the-road lifestyle isn’t for me long term.
It’s romantic for a weekend, maybe even a month. After that it’s downright abuse.
Reid doesn’t have the same complaints, and he thrives out here. He’s a true free spirit, in ways I can only dream of. Reid expertly leads the way out of the parking lot until we’re back on the road again. At least the traffic has eased up some…
We’re finally moving for once. The camping spot Parker sent us a pin for is only twenty minutes away. As we make our way past Long Beach, everything starts to open up. The shoreline comes into view, and I can finally breathe again.
Thankfully, since our race is even further away, we won’t have to drive back towards LA until we head home. Although if Reid loses his spot at Red Bull, I want to ask him if he’d be down to drive back through to Yosemite. We could see Riley, maybe summit Half Dome. I’ve always wanted to do that, even though I hate rock climbing.
A bunch of vans are parked in a giant lot right up against a beach. There’s soft music coming from one of them, andsurfboards are piled up everywhere. Before I can even park, I spot Parker’s bleach blonde hair as he jogs towards me.
He’s pulling me into a crushing hug before I’m all the way out of the door. “Oh Addie, it’s so good to see you.”
I love Parker like a brother. He’s the epitome of all things good, like sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Parker takes positive things and somehow makes them even more positive—a golden retriever if there ever was one. He’s much more considerate than his sister. Parker notices everyone’s emotions all of the time and is always trying to keep an eye on everybody.
“It’s good to see you too.”
Reid pulls Parker into an easy hug. They’ve always been close, and I sincerely hope Parker can talk him out of his funk. Maybe he can say something or see something I can’t.
Parker throws his arm over my shoulder. “Come on guys, let me introduce you to everyone.”
He leads us towards a small forest. There are bright yellow picnic tables scattered about, and a bunch of surfer dudes sitting around eating kebabs. One is waxing his board, and another is grilling more food. It looks like a commune.
Parkerwouldfind himself somewhere like this. He looks happy and healthy, so who gives a damn?
Reid grabs two kebabs, shoving one into my hand even though we literally just ate. I push it back to him immediately, but I do accept the seltzer someone gives me. Unfortunately it’s lukewarm, and the flavor is disappointing to say the least.
I’m starting to feel a twinge homesick.
It’s September—I should be drinking cider and chasing after golden leaves, yet here I am with sand in my socks sweating my ass off. It feels wrong.
The California sunset makes it all worth it. Palm trees stand against the pinks and oranges in the sky. I sit there and watch thecolors slowly fade away, so enthralled by the display I miss the sound of Parker walking towards me. Riley’s brother sits next to me and hands me another drink as he asks, “It’s a nice spot, right?”
“Yeah. It is.” I look back to realize the campground has turned into a party. There’s at least thirty people gathered around the dimly lit space, and there’s a blazing fire in the middle of them all.
He wastes no time getting to the meat of the conversation. “So, what’s going on with you and Reid?”
My drink goes down wrong, and I cough. “Nothing, we’re just focused on riding.”
“Addie, I saw his crash. If you can call it that.” He pauses to scoff. “That’s not normal Reid behavior. And you guys haven’t spoken much since you got here.”
“We’ve been on the road together for months. We just ran out of things to say.”
“Reid can have a conversation with a wall. Be serious, you know you can trust me.”
I’m not sure if he’s picking up on my sadness or if it hurts him that much to imagine me not trusting him—nonetheless his blue eyes glimmer a little.
