A/N- My First Ever Kick-Ass Fic. It's a One-Shot for a contest by Makokam, who wrote Precocious Crush:) Enjoy it- Edit: Oh, and THANKS MAKOKAM for Reviewing:):):)

For Makokam's Kick-Ass contest:

Mindy Vs. The Bike

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Dave is laughing at me.

God Damn it, Dave is laughing at me.

If he wasn't trying to help me, I'd probably punch him in the diaphragm to shut him up.

I should be better at this. I have amazing balance, speed of a freakin' cheetah, and reflexes of one too. I'm pretty sure it's the bike.

At first I thought it might be too big for me seeing as I couldn't really reach the ground with my feet if my ass was on the seat. Dave fixed that by lowering it for me. Why couldn't I have figured out to do that? I clean a room full of guns at least twice a month and I can't figure out that a bike seat is adjustable? Did Marcus replace my regular cereal with Stupid O's this morning and I didn't notice?

After we got the seat adjusted, I could sit on it just fine and reach the ground. Then Dave tried to get me to balance on it while he held me steady "just in case."

It's his own fault that I fell over and accidentally stomped on his foot while trying to catch myself. I kept getting distracted by his hands on my waist. Somehow his fingers kept slipping underneath my shirt a little bit, and every time they touched me was like a little electric shock.

While he was walking it off, I tried to just go. I mean, balancing should be easier on a moving bike, right?

It kind of was… until Dave yelled in alarm because he realized I had gone off and tried it without him. He'd sounded like someone was about to stab him. His voice cracked and everything. I turned my head for one second to look at him and a fucking trashcan took its chance and jumped into my path.

Dave caught me that time. I was glad for it obviously. From what was inside of it, I guessed the trash can had probably been trying to commit suicide. Dave really saved me from smelling like hot sewage for the next week and a half.

Then, after we moved to a spot with fewer trashcans about, I thought I was finally getting it. I was pedaling fine. I knew not to squeeze the left brake unless I wanted to flip myself over the handle bars. I was even getting some pretty good speed goin'.

Dave cheered me on for at least twelve feet of sidewalk.

Then the chain ate my sneaker laces.

And Dave was laughing at me.

He couldn't get my converse unstuck from the bike and I was getting more and more pissed off at my apparent inability to ride bikes. I was eleven. Six year olds all over the world had already learned this skill. Why couldn't I just do it already?

I took out my butterfly knife and just sliced off my shoelaces. I sat there staring at my stupid fucking bike, biting my lip to keep my eyes from watering any more than they already had. Getting my ankle all twisted up in the chain fuckin' hurt. I noticed then that Dave had gotten quiet.

"Mindy," Dave sighed, slowly lifting my chin with his finger, "No one is good at everything. We were bound to find the one thing you couldn't do eventually." His smile was soft and just for me. "Besides, who needs a bike when their best friend has a car to drive them around in?"

I tackled him to the sidewalk. He tried to apologize for saying something that made me angry before he realized I was hugging him.

He picked us up off the ground and we both took a minute to wipe dirt off our clothes. Dave pretended not to notice when I wiped my eyes.

"Let's go get some ice for that ankle." Dave said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

On the walk back to Marcus' house, Dave listed everything I was good at and some of the things he was hopeless with, just to make me smile. When we walked the bike back to the garage, I stopped to think.

I looked down at my new bike I had gotten for Christmas and felt like it was taunting me. It was like I had failed once and just quit. I couldn't let this be the end of things.

I am not a quitter.

"Hey Dave, you doin' anything tomorrow? I can't let this piece of shit beat me."

"There's the Mindy I know and love. I'll be here." Dave laughed. I looked up at his face and smiled at the pride I saw there. I also couldn't help but grin at the back flip my stomach had done.

Dave said he loved me.

…Kinda.

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