I rolled my eyes, then slid off my sunglasses, bracing myself for the inevitable questions, and required explanation, of what I was doing there so early. Then I realized that she hadn’t seen me at all. Instead, she, Leah, and Adam were crowded around a laptop open on the counter, watching something on-screen.
‘Tell me about it,’ Adam said. ‘None of us had any idea. Not even Jake. He just got a text from someone saying they’d seen it online, and so he looked it up.’
‘What’s the date on it, again?’ Leah asked as Maggie hit a button, leaning in closer.
‘Yesterday. It was the Hopper Bikes exhibition thing, in Randallton.’
They all focused on the screen again, not seeming to notice me as I came closer, picking up the previous day’s receipts. I glanced at the screen: there was a bike going up a ramp, then down the other side.
‘He looks good,’ Maggie said.
‘He looks great,’ Adam told her. ‘I mean, it was his first competition in over a year and he placed second.’
‘Look at that,’ Maggie murmured.
‘No kidding. It’s serious vertical.’ Adam shook his head. ‘I can’t believe Eli just got on the bike after all that time and did that well. It’s crazy.’
I looked at the screen again. The figure on the bike was small, but now I noticed the longer hair sticking out beneath the helmet.
‘Well,’ Maggie said, ‘maybe he didn’t.’
‘Meaning what?’
She didn’t answer at first. Then she said, ‘Just because we didn’t see him riding didn’t mean he wasn’t.’
‘Yeah, but,’ Adam said, ‘to be that good, still, he’d have to have been practicing a lot. Someone would have seen something. Unless he was, like…’
‘… doing it in the middle of the night or something,’ Leah finished for him.
I glanced up. Both she and Maggie were looking at me, straight on. Adam, seeing this, looked at me, then back at them. ‘Wait,’ he said. ‘What am I missing?’
‘Did you know about this?’ Leah asked. ‘About Eli competing again?’
I shook my head. ‘No.’
‘You sure about that?’ Maggie said. ‘You two seem to have a lot of secrets.’
‘Yeah,’ I told her. ‘I’m positive.’
They were all still watching me as I picked up my receipts, then went back into the office, shutting the door behind me. I listened as they watched the video again and again, commenting on how impressive Eli looked, how much he had surprised everyone. Especially me. It made me realize how lucky I’d been to get the tiniest glimpse into what was in his head, like pushing a door open just enough for a sliver of light to fall through. At the same time, though, it made it clear how much still remained unexplored, unseen.
Aside from glimpsing the video, I didn’t want to see Eli. In fact, I was so embarrassed about how I’d acted and what I’d said that I took great pains to avoid the bike shop whenever possible. I came and went from Clementine’s by the back door most of the time, claiming that way got me home faster. I wasn’t sure whether Maggie and everyone else believed me, and didn’t really care either. In a couple of weeks, I’d pack up for home, and then from there, Defriese. This part of my life, strange and transitory, was almost over. Thank God.
Later that night, when I took a study break, Heidi had pulled the rocking chair to the sliding glass doors, and had Isby swaddled and asleep in her arms, her phone at her ear.
‘I don’t know,’ she was saying. ‘Whenever we talk, he just sounds so defeated. Like he’s convinced this won’t work no matter what we do. I know, but…’
She was quiet for a moment, and all I could hear was the rocking chair creaking, back and forth, back and forth.
‘I’m scared it’s too late,’ she said finally. ‘Like he’s right, and this is unfixable. I know, I know, you say it’s never too late. But I’m not so sure.’
My phone, which was in my back pocket, suddenly beeped. I pulled it out, checking the screen.
You free for coffee? I’m buying.
I read these words once, twice, three times. Never too late, I thought. Then there was another beep.
Name the place, I’m new here! J.
‘Who’s texting you so late?’ Heidi called out as she came back inside, carrying Isby, her phone in her free hand.
‘Just my ex prom date,’ I told her. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Really,’ she said. ‘What… oh, my God!’
I jumped, startled, then looked behind me, expecting to see something crashing down or on fire. ‘What?’ I said. ‘What is it?’
‘Prom!’ Heidi shook her head. ‘I can’t believe we didn’t think of it earlier! For the Beach Bash theme. Prom Night. It’s perfect!’ She flipped open her phone, punching in a few numbers. A second later, I heard someone pick up. ‘Prom,’ she announced to them. There was a pause, then, ‘For the theme!
Isn’t it perfect? Well, think about it. People can dress up, and we can do a king and queen, and play cheesy music, and…’