“Definitely need to keep this wheelie here.” Jace points to the replay of me popping my front tire up on a long, straight stretch. “And the tail whip on this little kicker.”
I watch as the back end of my bike flings around when I go over a jump, a tiny little tail whip to add some extra flair. Even if you aren’t a motocross fan it looks good, but for those who ride they know how impressive it is to huck a three-hundred-pound bike around in midair, and Jace captured it perfectly.
“Whoa, what’s this?” Jace points at the wobble I had when my mind wandered to Lennon. “Was it slick there?”
“The ground was a little soft.” While that’s true, it wouldn’t have been an issue if my mind had been on the bike.
Jace leans back in his chair and watches that part several times over. “I’m torn. On the one hand this is supposed to be a highlight video, so this should probably get cut. On the other hand, it shows a nice recovery. Amateur riders might appreciate seeing how a pro escapes a near miss. What do you think?”
If that bobble was a result of trail conditions, I’d say keep it in, but it was my own distraction that nearly sent me sideways, and I don’t want to put a spotlight on my stupidity.
“What if we have an outtakes section at the end, during the credits or something?”
“Chances are that’s the only one we’ll have. You don’t usually let the bike get the better of you.” He rubs the bridge of his nose with his fingertip. Jace is right. I find myself growing ashamed over my mishap and hope he can't see it on my face.
“We can put everyone’s outtakes in. Between the four of us there are bound to be more.” I make a quick recovery to mask what's going on inside.
“Maybe.” He nods thoughtfully, none the wiser to my lame misdirection. While that works in my favor, I feel a little guilty about it.
Jace is my best friend. Mybisexualbest friend, so if I needed to get anything off my chest without judgment, he’s my guy. Plus, we don’t really have secrets from each other, so there’s no reason for me to avoid the truth. But I don’t want to tell him about Lennon. I’m not keeping quiet because I’m scared or confused or ashamed—if anything, the absence of those emotions is bigger than what happened last night—I just want to keep the guy to myself a little longer.
And I don’t want to analyze why that is. Not yet.
“I’ll see what outtakes we have to work with once we have all the footage. Speaking of—” Jace turns to me “—we need more off-bike stuff. Plotting out our rides, checking out the town, relaxing at the house.”
This part of shooting a movie has always bugged me. It’s supposed to be about the ride, but more and more people are including candid moments off the trail. Sponsors think it will humanize us, make us more relatable to fans, and in a way, I get that. But I hate having acamera in my face when I’m trying to eat breakfast or relax on the couch.
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll take a few quick shots while we’re out tonight. We hit up a bar yesterday that seemed pretty cool. Popular with tourists and locals. It had a good vibe.”
“Can’t tonight.” I shake my head firmly.
“You got big plans?” He shuts off the monitor and starts hooking the cameras to their chargers.
“Not really, just feel like hanging here.” I tip my chair back and bounce on the legs, trying to act casual. “It’s not often we have an actual house to crash in instead of the trailers. Figured I’d enjoy it.”
“Planning to enjoy the same chick that slept over last night?”
Does my devil sound like a girl when he comes, or is Jace playing dumb to give me space?
Dammit. This would be the perfect time to come clean, but my mouth moves before I have time to consider what it’s saying. “You see a chick here this morning?”
“Didn’t have to. I heard you two all night long.” He pins me with a look that saysdon’t fuck with me.“Besides, you were suspiciously absent this morning, too.”
“I wanted an actual coffee, not that shit Trevor brews,” I lie. Although technically, it's a half truth. Trevor’s coffee is nasty.
“You’re gonna play it like that, huh?” The crinkle of his eyes matches the disappointment on his face, which almost makes me want to come clean.Almost.
“Fine, I had company but it’s no big deal. I’m staying in tonight cause I’ve gotta talk to my mom.” Another fib. Jace knows all about my twisted family history, so this is one excuse he won’t give me shit over. Now, I just need to call my mom to cover my lie.
“Something happen?” His face morphs from skeptical to concerned.
“Not that I’m aware of, I just need to check in. I haven’t talked to her in weeks, and I don’t like to go that long without knowing she’s good.” Though also true, until just this moment I haven’t given my mom a second thought. My mind’s been too consumed with Lennon.
“Okay, you get a pass tonight, but tomorrow we rage.” I bump the fist he holds out, wondering if I’ll be able to beg off any more after tonight.
***
