Learn to Fly (55 page)

Nick’s mouth
twitched in agitation. Smitty was right, but he didn’t have to
like it.

At the top of the
run, the other riders were nervously preparing. No one was talking
about their anxiety, they were all pretending like they had none.
Lenny laughed to herself. She remembered feeling that way at that
age too. Like, if you act like you’re invincible than maybe
you will be.

“
So,
who wants to try it first?” Lenny asked with a grin.

“
It’s
Smitty’s jump, maybe he should go first.” Trucker
suggested.

“
I’ll
go first.” Travis Jenkins suddenly spoke up. He wanted to
prove his manhood, no doubt. The competitiveness surrounding the
entire outing was thick enough to choke on.

Lenny sidled up to
Travis as he tightened his bindings.

“
Hey.”
She took a knee next to him and gazed out over the stark white
landscape. “We can do this run all day. Save your big stuff
for after you get to know the run a few times.” Jenkins had a
rep for being flashy and bold in the pipe and on the freestyle
course. Lenny didn’t want his day to be cut short just because
he didn’t find the right balance.

Travis frowned at
her, trying to not to hear her words as a challenge.

“
All
I’m saying is,” Lenny continued, reading his hesitation,
“This isn’t a park. It’s okay to be scared. If
you’re not a little bit frightened, the mountain will eat you
alive.” She patted his shoulder as he nodded at her words and
got into a standing position.

As Travis traveled
down the packed, slick run towards the ramp, Lenny watched in
satisfaction. He was controlling his speed and making the slight
adjustments that an experienced rider would make. He took the jump
at a pretty strong velocity and spun into the air. She could see him
tracking the landing already. He set down with a wobble but didn’t
lose his balance. She was happy he had taken her advice.

Then it was
Trucker’s turn. Jimmy Trucker was always reckless and never
smart. He was addicted to the thrill and possibly the crash. He let
out a loud whoop and took off going at a ridiculous speed. The
moment he flew into the air Lenny knew he’d lost control. He
didn’t just crash, he rolled and bounced and crashed
repeatedly. His board disengaged and his body continued on, getting
buried slightly in the snow he had disturbed on his way down.

Everyone waited for
movement before rushing to him. He flopped over on his back and let
out a loud moan.

“
I’ll
check him.” Lenny said, tightening her binders. She was
cautious on the slick run but had achieved a good speed when she
reached the jump. As she flew into the air she got the distinct
impression that she was indeed flying this time. She did a quick
method to please the onlookers and tracked her landing. The snow was
rough and uneven from where Trucker had epically wiped out. She
tried to place her board in as smooth a location as she could find at
her altitude. Little wobble, nothing she couldn’t handle.
She turned her board sideways and skidded to a halt near Trucker’s
crumpled form.

Unhooking her
bindings, she jogged over to him and peered down into his face mask.

“
Some
things never change, Truck,” she said with mock disappointment.

He groaned in
response. “That’s not true. I’m a heck of a lot
older this year.”

Lenny laughed and
began to check his body for broken bones before trying to move him.
Satisfied that it was just a couple of bumps, she helped him into a
sitting position.

“
Thanks,
Len,” Trucker grimaced at the pain in his ribs as she helped
pull him to a standing position.

“
You’re
done for the day,” Lenny said apologetically.

“
Yeah,
I hope I can move in the morning.” Trucker attempted a laugh
and then held his side.

“
Let
me take a look at those ribs.” Lenny peeled off his coat and
pulled his shirt up to expose his left side. It was red and already
swollen; tender to the touch. “You might have a few cracked
ribs, Truck,” she said with concern.

“
You
know what they say, big mountain thrills equal hospital bills.”
Trucker tried to laugh again.

“
Maybe
you should go back to camp,” Lenny suggested tentatively.

“
Nah,
I’ll be fine.” Trucker dismissed her with a wave as he
pulled his coat back on. “I wanna see how everyone else
fairs.”

“
Okay,”
Lenny relented and trudged over to collect her board. “But
stay down here, I meant what I said, you’re done riding for the
day,” she instructed seriously.

“
Whatever
you say, mama.” Trucker smiled and walked over to join Travis
who had been watching from a distance.

Lenny whirled,
expecting to see Blake but no, it was still Trucker. No one had
called her that in a few weeks and it ignited her repressed
heartache. She shook it off as she climbed back up to the start
where the others awaited.

“
Is
he okay?” Shelby Lynn looked scared.

“
Yeah,
he’s fine.” Lenny waved it off. “He’s just
gonna be sore tomorrow.”

She took this as a
teaching opportunity and addressed the remaining riders.

“
Smitty
builds some pretty gnarly jumps, guys. Take your first run easy.
Learn it first before you trick it.” She pointed at Jimmy
Trucker. “Or you’ll spend the rest of the trip watching.
And that’s not why you’re here.”

They nodded like
obedient children and Lenny suppressed a laugh. A few years ago, no
one would have taken her seriously. And now she was one of the
‘adults.’ Bossing around rock stars all summer had it’s
benefits.

Ben went next and
then Shelby Lynn. Eventually, everyone took a turn. All of them
followed Lenny’s advice and kept it cautious for the first few
runs. They started to get brave and added in little grabs, flips and
rotations as they got more comfortable.

“
Did
I impart wisdom?” Lenny asked Serge as they looked on.

He only gave his
quiet, knowing smile. Lenny enjoyed being near Serge. His energy
was both calming and ferocious. He reminded her of a cat. He could
be completely relaxed one minute, eyes half lidded, nearly asleep and
then on the move, twisting and hurtling down the mountainside the
next.

“
C’mon,
Lenny!” Nick called from the top of the slope, “Show us
something special.”

Lenny smiled and
removed her jacket. Even though they were surround by snow, the sun
and extra activity was making them all warm. Travis had long since
removed his shirt, much to the joy of Shelby Lynn, and Lenny decided
to be more comfortable as well. She took off her hat and outer
shirt, stripping to her black snow pants and orange tank top. She
lowered her goggles and her blonde hair hung in sweaty strands down
her back. Serge offered her a fist bump as she strapped in.

The slope was even
more slick than before because of all the activity but Lenny liked
the extra speed it provided. She would need it for what she was
about to attempt.

***

“
You
have to cool it, Calloway.” Serge said from next to Ben. Ben
turned, eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

“
What?”

“
You
are not the one.” Serge said calmly, as they watched Lenny
take off and head towards the jump.

“
What
do you mean?” Ben asked as he stared at Lenny flying into the
air. She did a corked 180 backside, her body a swirl of color and
skin, and landed gracefully. The trick was flawless and the other
riders applauded.

“
I
am talking about Lenny.” Serge turned his pale, serious eyes
on Ben. “You are not the one, do not waste your time.”

Ben forced a laugh,
embarrassed by the reprimand.

“
Who’s
“The One”, Serge? You?” Ben asked, holding his
mittened hands up to symbolize the air quotes.

“
No,”
Serge answered and bent down to tighten his bindings for his own run.
“Not me. Not you.”

Ben
watched Serge follow Lenny with an equally impressive run. He was
befuddled by Serge’s comments. Did Lenny say something to
Serge? As far as Ben knew, she was fair game. She wasn’t
seeing anyone and neither was he. Flirting couldn’t hurt,
right? Ben’s gaze drifted to Shane Brookings who was also
watching Lenny. They’d been friendly with each other all day.
That didn’t mean there was something going on there, did it?
Surely
I’m better than that guy!
Ben thought defensively. Shane was a moron. Lenny had to have
better taste than that. She wouldn’t want to be with someone
who was a known womanizer, would she?

Sway’s
solution involved a lot of ass chewing, Luke found out very quickly.
He had called the guys and with quite a bit of coercing and slight
extortion, Sway got them to agree to meet at Blake’s loft.

It was like an
intervention, Luke noted. His closest friends were there, along with
Carl and Harrison’s sister, Miranda. It was similar to when
they had all confronted Mike on his drug use.

They sat Luke down
on the couch and proceeded to tell him all the things he had done
wrong and how it had affected their lives. It would have been
comical if wasn’t so tragic. Luke had been so wrapped up in
his feelings for Lenny he never stopped to realize that she was very
much a part of the rest of the band. She had been woven into their
hearts and music.

How one girl could
have such a lasting impact on one band was beyond Luke’s
reasoning. He knew how she had affected him, but he was in love with
her. He was finding out the others loved her as well, but in
different ways. She had become equally important and vital to them.
They missed her and they wanted her back. And now this thing with
the tabloids…

“
You’re
an idiot,” Blake said disdainfully.

“
Remember,
Blake,” Miranda quietly reminded, “Use feeling words. I
feel…”

“
I
feel that you are an idiot,” Blake restated in exasperation.

Miranda closed her
eyes and sighed.

“
It’s
okay, Ran,” Luke said, “Blake’s right, I am an
idiot.”

“
So
what are you gonna do about it?” Blake asked pointedly.

“
Well,
I was hoping you’d help me.” Luke looked around the room
at his friends, settling on Sway. Sway nodded and took over.

“
We
are
going to help him.” He started, giving stern looks to the eye
rolls. “Luke has helped us
all
out of terrible things. This is simply an opportunity for us to
return the favor.”

“
What
do you have in mind?” Mike hadn't stopped glaring at Luke
since he'd arrived and Luke didn't blame him. Mike had tried to help
him and Luke had slammed the door in his face.
I'm
an asshole.

“
You
know that song you wrote for Lenny?” Sway focused on Luke
again and he nodded.

“
We’re
gonna record it and release it. Right away.”

The room was silent.

“
How
does that help?” Luke finally asked, feeling unsure. But
not
listening
to his friends hadn't gotten him very far.

“
She’ll
hear it and it’ll soften her heart.” Sway rolled his
eyes at Luke's absurdity and kept going. “And then you gotta go
to Jackson Hole and beg her to forgive you for being a complete
douche bag. You bring the biggest diamond you can find and you get
down on one knee-”