Chapter 1:
"You're listening to Radio Shred as we count down to the start of the new season of TSX: Total Snowboard Cross. My name is DJ Rock, joined as always in the booth by my best friend and cohost Spud, live from the beautiful town of Pahkitew nestled on the foot of Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia, Canada. The forecast for today is a delicious helping of fresh powder so make sure you get out onto the slopes and enjoy as much of it as you can. How does that sound to you Spud?"
"It sounds totally rad dude!"
"I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this whole town is brimming with anticipation to see the riders of TSX race down the tracks pulling off sweet jumps and breakneck turns. There's every reason to believe the third season will be just as filled with exciting action, fierce competitions, and crazy parties, that helped make it the most watched snowboarding event in the world outside the Olympics."
"Woah! There is going to be a new season?"
"Yeah Spud, it is starting in a couple days right here in Pahkitew. We've been doing press about it for months."
"Dude! I can't wait!"
"Neither can anyone else in town. Rumor has it that most of the riders from the men's and women's competition will be arriving today, so keep on the lookout. The league's owner and commissioner Chris McLean has personally guaranteed to me that the TSX season this year will be filled with weeks of the same intrigue and personal struggle that has captivated its viewers and given the league the nickname of TDX, Total Drama Cross."
"Tune in later as we interview rad rider Geoff and see what he and his fellow rider girlfriend Bridgette have been up to in the off season..."
"Could you turn that down?" Tyler asked. He sat in the back of a taxi.
"You got it," the driver said.
"Thanks." Tyler tried to stretch out his legs, still stiff from the plane ride. He did not need an introduction to the new season of TSX. He was competing in it.
Not that he was used to the idea. Even though this was his second year as a Total Snowboard Cross rider, it felt like his first. His last season had been unexpected. One of the riders, Scott, broke his leg mid-way through the season. Tyler was invited to join as a replacement. It always felt temporary. He fully expected when Scott recovered, he would no longer have a place in the league.
Tyler's confidence was not helped by his riding either. He had hoped to prove he deserved his own place in TSX. Instead, it became clear that the league competed at a different level than him. He finished near the bottom. There were only a few moments he even seemed like a contender. And unlike the other riders near the bottom, he had nothing extra to offer. Owen came in last the last two years, but he was a fan favorite and a face of the league. Plus, Owen's tumultuous relationship with one of the women's riders Izzy was always in the tabloids. Chris, the league's commissioner and owner, loved any and all attention if it made people aware of TSX, even if it was bad. Tyler did not even have that going for him. He could not even fail in an entertaining way.
So, it was a shock when Tyler was invited back. Scott was healthy now, so Tyler was no longer a replacement. This was his shot, a new beginning. It did not matter whether he deserved it. It only mattered that he did not waste it now. He wanted to make a go at it on his terms. He knew he did not have much of a chance to win anything. He just wanted to look like he belonged.
He stared out the taxi window at the narrow streets of Pahkitew. This was where he would be living and competing for the next few months. It was said to be the new Whistler, densely packed with hotels, resorts, nightlife, and, of course, skiing and snowboarding. The real heart of the town was Mount Garibaldi. It was always in view, no matter where you were. It reached up to the clouds, with hundreds of trails carved up its body. And even from the taxi, Tyler could make out some of the tracks that would be used for the TSX races.
As they arrived at the hotel, a sea of paparazzi surrounded the car in front of them. It was one of the older hotels, a classic chateau at the base of the mountain. Tyler tried to peer through the camera flashes, curious who could be attracting such attention. He recognized them immediately. Alejandro pushed through to the front door, his arm draped around the shoulder of his girlfriend Blaineley.
It was hard to imagine a rider more popular than Alejandro. He had won the first TSX men's championship. Since then, he transcended the mountain. Not only were his nike ads everywhere, a cameo on a popular Canadian television show called Weirdo Rippers had turned into a regular role. It was a media sensation when his co-star on the show Blaineley announced they were in a relationship. Especially after rumors had circulated since the beginning of TSX of something between Alejandro and fellow rider Heather.
Once the couple were inside, the paparazzi dissipated. None of them cared when Tyler stepped out. Not that this surprised him. He was actually glad to be left alone. It looked exhausting. The hotel doorman welcomed Tyler friendly enough and gave assurances that his luggage and gear would be taken to the appropriate places.
Tyler was led through the lobby to a conference room. Inside, he was greeted by an unintimidating fellow with medium brown hair, a red cardigan and a silver nametag that marked him as a member of the TSX staff. "Hi Tyler." The man said.
"Hi," Tyler paused and read the nametag. "Noah."
"You can read, great. That's encouraging. Good to know some TSX riders still have braincells left." Noah said. "I'm the Chief Rider Relations Operator for this season. That means if you have any problems or issues involving TSX you can get in contact with me and I'll get one of my team of interns to do all the hard work."
"Cool." Tyler said.
Noah thumbed through a stack of manila envelopes on the table next to him. He grabbed the one with Tyler's name written on the face and handed it to him. . "Here is your welcome packet. In it you will find your room key and room number which is strictly confidential, your mountain pass, TSX rider badge, a map of the hotel and surrounding area, and all sorts of documents detailing the important info you need to know about this upcoming season as a rider, which people worked really hard to make and I'm sure you won't bother reading any of it. You will also find my contact card in there if you need anything."
"Okay. Thanks."
Tyler opened up his package and pulled out his room key which said 506 on it. He headed up the elevator to his floor, the second from the top. It was easy to find his room. He opened it up to find a full apartment suite. There was a living room with a set of couches, a bedroom with a king-sized bed, a full kitchen, and a mini jacuzzi in the bathroom. It was the nicest hotel room Tyler had ever seen in person, let alone gotten to stay in. It actually felt almost too nice, like he had stepped into the wrong place. He would have almost gone back and checked the room number had he not unlocked the door with his key.
Tyler dumped his care packet onto the coffee table and collapsed onto one of the couches. It had been an exhausting day of travel already. He wanted nothing more than to sink into the couch and not move for the rest of the day, but he knew he still had some work to deal with. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, put it on speaker, placed it onto the coffee table, and began flipping through the pages of his care packet.
"Hello? Tyler?" The voice on the other end said.
"Hey Emma." Tyler replied. Emma was his agent.
"How was the flight?" she asked.
"Alright, a little bumpy but I survived."
"How is the hotel room? They better not have given you a view of the parking lot again. I made it perfectly clear we would not accept that again."
Tyler poked his head up and looked out the window. He had been so enamored by the room, he had not even looked to see what kind of view he had. The windows faced the mountain, which seemed to reach the sky. There was a balcony too. He imagined the view of the mountain must be incredible from it. "No complaints about the room."
"That's good. Okay listen Tyler I have a couple things scheduled for you before the first competition. You have a photoshoot for a magazine ad with Bridgette." Bridgette was a rider in the women's competition. She and Tyler were from the same hometown in Colorado. While he had struggled to find success in the league, she had an abundance, becoming one of the favorites. They shared an endorsement from a local Colorado snowboard goggle company that liked to run ads referring to their roots. It was Tyler's only major sponsor. He imagined Bridgette had over a dozen.
Emma continued: "And Courtney needs a quote for your blurb on the TSX website before the first race." Courtney was the media rep for the league.
"I hate having to give quotes." he said.
"I know Tyler. I have set a time for you to meet with her at the hotel, but don't be surprised if she tracks you down beforehand and asks for one. It will only be a few lines. I can't imagine it will take long. I'll update the calendar on your phone to give you all the details about date and times for these."
"Alright."
"You should take the rest of the day to relax and explore the town. I heard there is a really good Thai restaurant across the street. Stretch those legs. Don't just lounge in your room. Meet up with some of your rider friends or something," she said.
"Come on Emma. You know you are my only friend."
"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard you say."
It was a joke, but it wasn't that far from the truth. He had not formed any meaningful bonds with the other riders. When he came into the last season halfway through, the rider cliques were already formed at that point. It was probably a good thing to go walk around, the stiffness in his legs had still not gone away. He looked over the map of the hotel and saw there was a coffee shop connected to the hotel. He could use a coffee.
"Alright, thanks Emma. I'll let you know if I need anything."
"Try to take it easy, but remember the first competition is in less than a week. Talk to you later."
Tyler hung up the phone. He left his care packet on the table, headed out of his hotel room, and down into the main lobby of the hotel. The coffee shop was off to the side, next to a hotel bar and a convenience store. It looked nice, if a bit generic. There were a few tables to sit, but the coffee shop looked like it was designed for people to grab and go with their coffee.
Tyler walked up to the main counter, since there was no line. He looked up at the chalk board hanging on the wall behind the counter to see what his options were and whether it was acceptable here just to ask for a medium coffee.
"Hi! What can I get you?"
Tyler looked down to see a young woman barista standing across from him with a large smile on her face. She was gorgeous. A bombshell with her blonde hair tied back with a bandana. He was taken aback, caught by her soft blue eyes.
"Hello?" She said with a confused look on her face.
"Oh, ah, sorry. Medium coffee."
"Coming right up!" She turned and began preparing his coffee. "It's pretty exciting right?"
"Huh?"
"All these TSX riders coming to stay here." She said. "It is so cool right? Getting to meet all of them. I don't really follow it, but just to have celebrities staying here. We've never had something like that before. Blaineley was in here not that long ago. I see her on tv all the time! She's even prettier In person."
"Yeah. I guess it is neat." Tyler wondered if he should mention that he was actually one of those TSX riders, but decided against it. It was actually kind of nice that she did not recognize him.
"Are you staying here for a while or just passing through?" She asked. She handed him his coffee.
"I'll be here a while." Tyler said.
"Well I'm Lindsay."
"Tyler."
"Lindsay!" The other barista behind the counter called out. A stout girl with glasses and braces. "Stop socializing and help the next customer!" Tyler glanced over his shoulder to see a small line had formed behind him.
"Sorry, Beth." Lindsay said. "Be sure to come back."
"Yeah, I will."
Tyler took a sip from his coffee and headed out the coffee shop. He paused in the doorway to get one last glance at Lindsay. He then took another sip of his coffee. It was the worst coffee he had ever had. He had to suppress a gag. He took a moment to examine the cup, as if it would give him an indication of why it tasted so bad, only to push it out of his mind. All he wanted was the caffeine anyways, and Lindsay had been so nice, so he forced himself to continue drinking it.
Tyler headed back up to his room. He was alone in the elevator. When the doors opened on the fifth floor, he was surprised to see Blaineley standing there. The actress looked different from before. The glamor of the red carpet was gone. She looked upset. Tense. Her arms were crossed. Her hair was frayed. Her shoulders jutted forward. She stormed into the elevator without giving Tyler a chance to leave. "I can't believe this," she said under her breath, without acknowledging Tyler's presence. Awkwardly he stepped past her through the door. He caught just a brief glimpse of her face. It was red, close to tears.
The elevator doors closed behind him and Tyler paused for a moment. He wondered what could have happened. He'd never seen a celebrity like that. She looked shaken and emotional. Tyler had to steady his thoughts and remind himself it was none of his business. Celebrities have lives too, even if it sometimes does not feel that way.
He returned to his room, dropped his keys next to his care package, sat down on the couch, and tried to stomach more of his coffee. He had stretched his legs, but only for a moment. He knew Emma would not think it was enough. He remembered looking at the balcony during their call and thought it might be nice to see the view.
He stepped outside and peered up at the mountain. Garibaldi was something else. From the balcony Tyler could see it in its entirety. He leaned down against the railing and really tried to take as much of the view in as he could. It was breathtaking. Tyler felt lucky in that moment. Lucky to be there. His job was to ride down something so beautiful. Not to mention it allowed him to live in a place like this. Even if he didn't win anything, just getting here was an accomplishment.
"Quite the view, huh?"
Tyler nearly jumped as he turned to the balcony next to his own. It was Alejandro. The star rider leaned forward on the railing, smoking a cigarette. Alejandro must have the hotel room next to his. Alejandro's face was forward, staring up at the mountain. His hair was tied back in a rough bun. Strands of his usually perfectly kept hair dangled in front of his face.
"It is like a sleeping beast." Alejandro said. "It only allows us to ride down so long as we do not disrupt its slumber."
"Uh, yeah." Tyler said. Alejandro sounded somber. Tyler did not know how to respond. "I didn't know you smoked."
"I only smoke when I am stressed." Alejandro said.
"Is everything okay? I saw Blaineley on the elevator. She looked upset." Tyler said.
"No. Things are not okay. We just broke up."
"Ah. That sucks." Tyler took an awkward sip of his coffee. He figured Alejandro probably wanted some space, so he stepped back, about to go inside, but Alejandro continued to speak.
"She's convinced Heather and I are still a thing. Thinks I've been hiding it from her."
"Still? You and Heather were a thing?" Tyler had heard rumors, but there had never been anything more than that. "When did that happen?"
"Last season. Then Heather dumped me." Alejandro said.
"How many people know about it?" Tyler asked.
"No one does. Just myself, Heather and Blaineley. And now you, Tyler my friend, are the lucky fourth person to know."
Tyler was not sure if he would call himself lucky. "Why are you telling me?"
"I don't know." Alejandro took a long drag from his cigarette. "Guess I'm just in a sharing mood. Besides you don't seem the type to go running to the presses. And even if you did, it would only be the second worst mistake I made today."
"I won't tell anyone." Tyler said.
"Glad to hear it."
Alejandro continued to stare off at the mountain. He looked surprisingly calm, but Tyler could tell it was affecting him. Alejandro usually gave an impression of total confidence. Right then he looked to be barely keeping it all together. A part of Tyler wanted to comfort him, but Tyler barely knew Alejandro. This was the most they had ever spoken. So instead Tyler took the silence as his cue to leave. He slowly stepped back and headed into his hotel room. No matter what, this new season was going to be something completely different from the last. Tyler was no longer just a sideline observer. He was right in the mix of things. Whether he wanted to be there or not.
Afterword:
This is a story inspired by an old story Bardic Jester and I wrote for the SSX fandom a long time ago, but now with a lot of TDI twists! We hope you liked it!
Please leave a review.
Till Next Time –Nyhlus and BJ