Page 51 of Shade
Tom can strike up a conversation with anyone, much like myself, and makes friends with the girl next to us. “Have you been to this before?” Tom asks her, finishing off his third beer of the night.
The girl, or should I saykid, grins. She looks around thirteen, nods. “Yep.”
Tom lounges casually back in his seat, leaning his body toward her. “What is it?”
She bites her lip, stifling a giggle. “Huh?”
“What’s the point?” He waves to the groomed mounds of dirt and jumps. “Do they race?”
“Well, no. It’s a freestyle event. The riders compete against each other through a series of rounds.”
I’m not even sure if he’s playing dumb or what the fuck he’s doing, but I stare at them in disbelief as he’s talking to her.
“By doing what?” Tom asks, giving her a flirty smile.
What the fuck, right? You’re thinking it too, aren’t you?
I want to knock Tom on the side of the head.
The teenage girl blushes. Why wouldn’t she? Tom Chase has game. There’s no denying that. “Tricks.”
When she leans into his shoulder, I nudge Tom. “Stop talking to her.”
He gives me his all too well-played dumb face. You know the one, his dark brows knitted together, sly smile? He’s pretty fucking good at it. “Why?”
“Well, for one, you could go tojail. And two, I’ve got plans tonight. I can’t bail you out of jail.”
“Why?”
“She’s probably not even fifteen.”
He frowns. “Nah, she’s got tits. I bet she’s sixteen.”
I glance at the teeny-bopper. She doesn’t have tits. It’s the way her hoodie fits her. Either that or she’s discovered the water bra, much like myself. “How do you not see the problem with her being sixteen?”
“I’m twenty-three. That’s not that much older.”
“In Tom years or normal people years?”
You’re laughing, aren’t you? This is a conversation we have once a week. Sadly.
And then Tom adds, “Hey, I bet you guys wear the same size bra.”
Sadly, we probably do. But I don’t have much of a comeback for him because introductions are starting. “Shush.”
The first few riders don’t catch my attention. I’ve never heard of any of these guys aside from Tiller, who they introduce first while “Got Your Money” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard plays through the stadium. It’s the perfect song for him, and the way he treats the bike like a toy beneath him is fucking impressive.
Even Tom raises an eyebrow and tips his beer, but doesn’t say anything. That’s before Tiller then flips the crowd off and sprays dirt in their faces.
Awolnation’s “Sail” blares through the speakers, shaking my chest. I’m pleasantly surprised to see it’s the “Gravity” remix though and perfect for who emerges from the tunnel to our right and onto the mound of dirt in front of us.
My heart jumps. No, really, it jolts to life at the sight of him no more than twenty feet from me. My body breaks out into a cold sweat, matching the heat in the air. It’s one thing to stalk him. It’s something else seeing him in his environment, putting on a show.
He does a series of bike flips, a couple of jumps, and then returns to the table top jump in front of us. Did I mention he’s not wearing a shirt?
It should be mentioned again because every single muscle is tight and defined and fucking amazing.
The announcer’s baritone voice draws my attention when Shade takes off again and does another flip through the air in what they announce as an alley-oop flair. “Riding a Honda out of Pasadena California. . . he cut his racing teeth riding BMX bikes in Palmdale before making a career in freestyle. He’s your 2013 X-Games freestyle gold medalist fresh off a win in Mexico City and currently ranked number one with the Red Bull X-Fighters, give it up forShhhhhhhade Sawyer!”
