Ember

“ Did you see his face?!” Carter gasped, holding his sides laughing. I burst out laughing for the fifth time when Luke mimicked the cranky driver’s expression. We had met up with Luke and Josh across the street from Ben’s house, and then some cranky driver came and flipped out at us. It was hilarious.
We started walking up Ben’s lawn, laughing and repeating the things the driver screamed at us, each time saying it more obnoxious and adding our own touches.

Jamie and Ben were over by a white pickup truck that had the four motorbikes in it. Jamie smiled and waved us over. I saw that Ben was talking with his cousin when we got over there.

After the guy’s retold the story of the angry driver, Jamie looked at me and asked, “ You ready?”

“ For biking? I dunno… I’ve never done it before.” I answered truthfully.
“ Me and Ben will show ya. It’s real easy.”

I started getting excited. I looked over at the red motorbike. Ben had replaced it’s seat with a sleek black one. I couldn’t wait to try it out.

“ I had to replace all the wires, but they’re brand new and should work great.” Ben admired his work on the bike.

“ I like the new paint too. Good job. It only took you half the year.” I smirked, taking my attention off the bike. Ben rolled his eyes at me but continued to look at the bike as if it was his pride and joy. It probably was.

The ride to Porter fields took about 10 minutes in the truck. When we got there, I stared at the duty jumps and turns while the guys unloaded the bikes.

“ Just remember to take it easy.” Jamie said, plopping a helmet over my head.
“ Yep.” I smiled, buckling the strap.
“ And Remember-”
“ I got it Jamie.”

Jamie smiled, and turned to help the other guys.
“ I CALL THE RED ONE!” I called over to them. I saw Ben’s face go pale… and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“ Not happening.” He said in a serious tone.
“ Ben! You told me that when you finished you would teach me to ride it.” I pouted, matching his seriousness.

“ Well yeah.. But… look at it! ... Its- I mean… ugh. Fine. He grumbled. I grinned as he rolled the bike over to me. He crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back as I swung my leg over the seat. I heard the other guys starting up their bikes. I glanced back at Jamie and Ben one last time. Right as I turned away, I could have sworn Jamie winked at me. I felt my face turn bright red, and I was too embarrassed to turn back around.

“ Ben, you’re not gonna get a chance on your precious bike. I mean really, Ember's riding it.” Chris laughed. I shot him a glare and he returned it with challenging smirk. He twisted his wrist and his bike surged forward. I ran through all of Jamie’s instruction he gave me in the car, and soon enough my bike raced forward. My head sort of snapped back a little, and I had to re position myself. Chris flew over jumps and skidded around turns ahead of me. I dipped my head low and began picking up speed. I heard the racing motors of bikes not too far behind, but I focused on catching up to Chris.

Chris skidded a little too long around one of the turns, which gave me enough time to catch up. He gave me a quick glance and tried to go faster. I heard him try to yell something out to me, but he was unclear.

“ WHAT?”
“ I SAID, JUST GIVE IT UP.” He screamed back.

We flew over another jump, and my landing was a little rough. I felt the jolt threw my feet, and I clenched my teeth.

“ NO!” I yelled back. What an ingenious come back.

“ FACE IT. YOU’RE JUST A GIRL. I’M JUST BETTER AND STRONGER, AND FASTER THAN YOU. GIVE. IT. UP.”

I felt my face begin to burn. Anger welled up in my chest. That tears it. He just crossed the line.
SERIOUSLY. WHAT THE HELL WAS HIS PROBLEM. I’M JUST AS GOOD AS ANY ONE OF THEM. WHAT’S IT MATTER IF I’M A GIRL. WHAT. THE. HELL?!?!?!

All of a sudden, I heard a snap, and my bike reared sideways. I shrieked and was thrown off, landing hard on the ground. My helmet snapped forward and hit the bridge of my nose. I blinked, but everything started fading. I tried to speak, to yell, but I found myself not breathing. I gasped when the air finally found it’s way into my lungs. But that’s when the pain set in. I remember my head pounding like crazy and people shouting my name before I lost consciousness…