Chapter IV
AN: I don't own Glass Danse by The Faint. And yes, that is another song off the SSX 3 soundtrack. Yay! XD This is my favorite chapter so far! Also, Starlight, you are the coolest fan an author can have!!! Sorry, I don't know how to get JP! I know how to get Luther, though! :D All you do is type in "bronco" instead of worm! Yes, I read your idea on Yuri hooking with Nate. Hmm, I'll have to think about it. And the whole thing about Allegra being the poster girl, you are correct! You'll see later in the story how Elise and Allegra become good "friends" (heh, heh) Well, anyway, on with the story!
It turned out all the SSX vets would be watching the newbies race for Peak Two. It was very scary. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. There was no one in the audience and no one was recording us, but just to have the vets watching us was nerve-wrecking. I was warming up, fixing up my board when Nate approached me. "Hey, kid, no sweat, okay?"
I offered a weak smile, "Right. The best snowboarders in the world are in the audience stands watching me compete for Peak Two against some of the most amazing boarders here. No sweat..."
Nate laughed, "You know, Yuri, you're pretty cool. Be sure to let us know who you are! I expect you to put up a good fight, Yuri!"
Before he could walk away, I teased him playfully, "Sorry, Nate, you won't get a fight! I'll be too far ahead for you!"
Nate chuckled as he walked away to tend to his own board, "We'll see about that,"
Griff pointed at me, "Yo, Yuri! You better watch out! I'ma knock you down!"
I grinned and scooped up a ball of snow, packing it together. "Hey Griff! Heads up!" Griff turned around just in time as the snowball collided into his face.
Griff groaned, shaking his head, his hair going all over the place with snow flying in all different directions, "Aww, man! That's cold!"
Zoe waved at me from the crowd, "Nice one, Yuri!"
I felt my cheeks grow red again as I strapped my boots to the board. I glided over to the gates, and took my place between Griff and Allegra.
"Hi, Allegra." I offered, "Good luck,"
Allegra ignored me and pulled her beanie over her head. "Right..." I said, feeling completely stupid.
I put my headphones on and smiled happily. This was just the right song to provide me some motivation! Glass Danse by The Faint. It was a remix, of course, which only made it better.
The red light still glowed, taunting all of us. Griff, I noticed, had changed his attitude completely. No longer the bouncing ball of energy we all knew, Griff narrowed his eyes and began pumping his arms on the bars, preparing for a push off. This only made me more nervous. Allegra laced up her boots, paying no attention to me, and cracked her knuckles.
Everyone seemed to become one with the mountain.
Everyone but me.
The red light began blinking rapidly, warning the boarders that it was nearly time to begin the race.
The veterans were cheering, but I couldn't hear who they were cheering for. I had put my music on max volume, the beat pounding into my ears.
Suddenly, a green light flashed into my eyes. I pushed forward, keeping my place between Griff and Allegra. Nate was already far ahead of us. I envied him. He would win it, I was sure of it. It was still a little dark out, it being almost six-thirty in the morning, but we could all see just fine. Allegra swerved to the left, on Nate's tail. Griff growled and leaned forward, trying to pass me. Amazingly enough, I kept my place. I looked around and saw that I was ahead of Viggo and Griff, but behind Nate and Allegra. This sucked! Nate was already far ahead of me, and Allegra was slowly accelerating towards him. We approached a small ramp and pushed off; I executed a Round-about Spinster. It was my favorite move my uncle had taught me years ago. It was really impressive and looked pretty cool when you did it right, however, I the heel of my boots scraped the end of the snowboard when I was spinning, and I messed up. I managed to land on my feet, however, and not my head; it felt like my ankles were crushed. Nevertheless, I narrowed my eyes and pushed towards Allegra.
"Dammit," I heard her mutter as she swung at me. I ducked and swerved to the right, not wanting to piss her off even further. Suddenly, Viggo came out of no where and passed me and Allegra. Determined to catch up with him, I ignored Allegra's threats and followed him, taking third place along the way. Suddenly, it felt like I was flying. I had never gone so fast before, and this board...it was putting up with my speed! This was amazing! I shot down the mountain, racing neck and neck with Viggo.
He gave me a thumbs up, "See if you can beat me!"
I nodded and narrowed my eyes. I could do this. If I could pass Allegra and Griff, and somehow manage to keep up with Viggo, I could do this.
Viggo, however, proved to be tough. I couldn't pass him. Not one bit. I was determined to prove myself to the veterans. I wanted them to know that I could handle them. I wanted them to know that I could take them on. I wasn't like Griff, despite my age. On the contrary, I was the complete opposite.
Viggo suddenly slowed down. I pushed onwards, dodging the oncoming trees and rocks. This was it! I was going too fast! I couldn't take this! Eventually I was going to break down and lock my knees. I had never gone so fast before. But suddenly, I felt invincible. I am in 2nd place. I am behind one person, everyone else is behind me. I can win this. I can win this.
I jumped onto a fallen tree and performed a 180 degree spin while on the tree.
I landed confidently. I knew, however, I wouldn't find Nate. He was way too far ahead of me, and I would never catch him. I looked behind me. Viggo was behind me, trying to keep Allegra at bay. I watched, though, as Allegra swung at him and knocked him down.
Holy shit! Viggo!
Allegra was going to pommel anyone who stood in her way of the grand prize, and I was in her way! Suddenly, my knees felt like shaking and collapsing and I felt like giving up. Allegra was approaching me fast, I had to do something!
Viggo was tumbling down the mountain; he put his hands up to stop his head from hitting the snow. He wouldn't stop tumbling! The mountain's back country was way too steep!
I couldn't even see Griff. He must've been far behind.
I stopped looking behind me and leaned forward. I couldn't let Allegra catch me. This wasn't for Peak Two anymore; it was a matter of pride. I wasn't about to let her take me. Despite the music blaring in my ears, I still heard Griff scream when he landed and nearly broke his ankle.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that Griff had taken Allegra's spot, and was taunting her. I turned my music down so I could hear Griff ridicule her.
"C'mon, Allegra, you gonna let me take your pathetic excuse for a ranking? C'mon, you're in fourth, now, you suck!"
It was one of the many times Griff brought a smile to my face. He was busy taunting Allegra, and I was free enough to notice the small tunnel on the right. I made sure Allegra and Griff weren't looking, and then swerved into the tunnel at the last minute, nearly cracking my board on the wall on the way. A shortcut! Finally!
The tunnel was really small, and I was even afraid I would hurt myself if I stood up straight. My speed only increased my uneasiness, and I could only pray that the opening for the tunnel would arrive soon enough.
Suddenly, I shot out of the opening and saw the finish line. Nate was relaxing in the snow, his board lying next to him.
I tried coasting to a stop, but I shot past the finish line. Nate jumped towards me and tried to stop me by grabbing my shoulders. I nearly fell flat on my face; I didn't realize I was going so fast!!
"Woa! Yuri!! Slow down!"
I was panting heavily, and Nate would later tell me I looked like I had seen a ghost. I took off my head phones and collapsed on the snow.
"You need to work on slowing down, Speedy,"
"Speedy?" I wheezed, out of breath.
"Yeah, you were going pretty damn fast. Who was behind you?"
Soon enough, his question was answered. Griff came rocketing down the path, Allegra close behind.
Griff toppled over himself when he passed the finish line, and Allegra looked ready to kill.
"You!" she screamed, "You screwed me up!"
She was pointing at me!
"What?"
"I coulda won that race," she muttered furiously.
Griff scoffed, "Yeaaaaah, riiiiiiiiiiight..."
Allegra clenched her fist and nearly lunged for Griff, but Nate stopped her. "Calm down, Allegra. Where's Viggo?"
"She knocked him down," Griff said quickly.
"So? The veterans do it all the time."
Nate sighed. "Alright, so where's Atomika?"
"Hey!! Over here!"
Sure enough, when I turned around, I saw Atomika coming down towards us, followed by the veterans.
"Nate, that was sweeeeet!" Nate and Mac slapped hands and he laughed with him.
"Yeah, that was pretty good, mate," Moby grinned, "I can't believe they actually found these guys. Pretty cool,"
I grinned. So, we weren't as bad as I thought. Cool. I just beat Allegra. Oh yeah.
Life is good.
"Yuri!" Kaori squealed, jumping up and down, "I am sure that if it had been a long distance race, you would have won! You were like a blur!!"
Zoe nodded, "Yeah, girl, that was a sweet run,"
I blushed, looking down at my boots, "It was nothing..."
Psymon narrowed his eyes, "Cheerios over there got lucky."
My face grew even redder.... I hated Psymon!
Wait a minute...CHEERIOS!?!?!??!?!
"WHAT?!?!"
"Cheerios. You equals cheery. Cheerios." Psymon said simply, folding his arms and grinning like a fool.
Atomika smiled, he must've been glad to see that we were all getting along (Ha, ha), despite Psymon's comment. "I'm very happy to have to newbies with us this year. I'm sure you'll put up one helluva fight against the veterans."
Elise nodded, "Yeah, you shoulda seen yourself Nate. Not bad,"
"What about me?" Griff piped up.
"Well, to tell you the truth, kid, you weren't that bad," Psymon sneered, "I'd like to race you one day,"
Griff inched behind Nate, laughing nervously. "Heh, yeah, someday..."
Mac roared in laughter, along with everyone else.
"Well, anyway, I have these little thingamabobbers to hand out to you guys." Atomika stated, pulling out a large black sports bag he had been carrying with him all day. He pulled out a silver pocket pc thing. Atomika handed each of us one of the little things.
"What are these little wiggers?" Moby asked, fumbling with his.
"These little 'wiggers' are called 'M-comms'," I grabbed one eagerly and stared at it. It was silver, like a pocket pc thing. "You can send messages to each other and listen to me, DJ Atomika, on the radio. You could also send in requests for songs, too."
"SWEEEET!" Griff exclaimed, "My parents don't even trust me with a typewriter, man!"
Suddenly, my M-comm beeped.
I selected the flashing envelope and saw a message from Griff.
Can you hear me now?
-Griff
I gave Griff the 'peace' sign and as he said "Good!" and shoved Griff playfully. "Very funny,"
"These things are important," Atomika said sternly, "I want you to take good care of these M-comms. The officials spent a lotta money on that,"
Psymon rolled his eyes, "Its like when my mom bought me my first chainsaw. 'Be careful!' she always said!"
We all shook our heads and Atomika lead us back to the helicopter. Griff and I were talking about the cool new M-comm's Atomika had just given us when Mac roughly grabbed Griff by the collar of his silver jacket. "C'mon, kid, we got a race to do," Mac muttered fiercely.
"Oh shit..."
Kaori leaned close to me, "Mac is a very serious competitor this year. He woke me at three in the morning to tell me he is to practice!"
I shook my head and stifled a laugh when Griff continued to lash on Mac. "Yo, man, you think I'm gonna back down? You better take a step back, man, or I'm gonna have to land you a smack down!"
"What!?" Mac bellowed, "Did this little punk just use my phrase? What!?"
"You betcha!" Griff said triumphantly.
"Did I GIVE you permission to talk?"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Yo, Atomika!" Griff said, "We're takin' the helicopter thingy to Peak One! Drop us off there so I can show Mac what a REAL snowboarder can do!"
Mac glared at him murderously, preparing to dive for him. Kaori wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "No, please don't,"
Mac shrugged but continued to glower at Griff, who only laughed.
Atomika nodded. "Alright, I'm guessing the rest of you will want to practice as well?"
"Sure, sure, but I'm going to Peak Three. Take me!" Psymon spread his arms dramatically, "I'm all yours!"
Atomika shook his head disapprovingly at Psymon's lack of manners, "Alright, whatever. Anyone else?"
Nate stepped up. "I'ma stay here and get to know the track a little,"
"Alright, if that's what you want. When you need someone to pick you up, you just call us on your M-comm, okay? Everyone be sure to check in on the radio station once in a while, there could be some valuable info you should look out for,"
We all nodded and piled into the back of the plane, save Nate. I waved at Nate, "Good-bye! Be careful!"
Nate nodded and gave me a thumbs up, "You make sure you make everyone knows who you are, Yuri,"
"I will," I whispered to myself. Oh yeah, you bet I will.
The plane landed soon enough, much to Psymon's disapproval. "You call that a ride? I've been on elevator crashes that were more peaceful!" Psymon was looking a little pale; he imitated throwing up.
Kaori pinched her nose, "Eww, nasty, Psy-mon!!"
That only caused Psymon to cut up more, "Ah, Kaori my sweet," He sneered, "You're welcome to join me on the third peak for a show-down,"
Kaori turned away, "No way! You kill me!"
Psymon lowered his head and grinned, "You know it. Or...you know what?" Psymon turned his attention to me, "I might just kill the mini-Kaori over here,"
My loathing for Psymon had been rising ever since yesterday, but so had my fear. I trembled, but I tried to remain my composure. I couldn't let Psymon get the best of me. Despite my wishes, though, I shook uncontrollably.
Almost immediately, the doors opened, and we found ourselves looking down at the most amazing and menacing track any of us had ever seen. The wind was incredible! Psymon's hair whipped around while he strapped his board on and stared out into the course. "Woa," he said, grinning, "It looks more intimidating then me!"
"And that's saying a lot," Zoe laughed.
Psymon smirked at his friend and prepared to leap out to the final peak. He took off yelling his trade-mark phrase Eric and I always snickered at, "FREEEEENCH TOAST AND SYRUUUUUUUUP!"
I sighed, nearly melting. "He's not so tough is he?" I felt like collapsing on the seats. Ugh, Psymon was one tough cookie.
Moby chuckled, "Don't let 'em get to yeh, mate. He's all talk,"
"Actually, Mobes, you know for a fact that Psymon is not just a talker," Zoe said thoughtfully, "Remember in Aloha Ice Jam? Kaori kicked in that track!"
Mac nodded, "Yeah, but Psymon had threatened to get her back, and he sure did,"
Kaori grimaced, "My hair was blue for weeks."
I giggled, "So THAT'S why your hair was blue in Alaska!"
Griff laughed too, "Yeah, my friends and I were wondering about that!!"
Kaori blushed, "Yes...I know..."
Mac wrapped his arm around Kaori and smiled, "But, it's brown now!"
"I don't know..." Kaori frowned, "Just last week I saw a small dot of blue in my hair!"
Griff and I cracked up laughing, unable to contain our tears. Zoe giggled, "Wooo, Kaori, you were pretty brave that time you stood up to Psymon at Garibaldi,"
"I remember!" Kaori smiled, "Psymon was bothering me all day during the warm-ups! So while we were racing, I pushed him!" Kaori thrust her arms forward, giggled.
Elise sighed as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, "Yeah, people never change, do they?"
"Yep, Psymon was really prepared to kill you after that," Zoe added.
Just then, the plane shook violently.
"We landed in Peak One. Please exit, and be sure to call us on your M- comm if you need anything," Atomika declared. "Go on, get!"
We pushed out of the plane one by one, Griff looking more nervous then ever.
"Get ready, Griff, this is your chance to show Mac that you're more than better!" I said excitedly.
Griff laughed nervously, "Yeah, yeah, right..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Viggo smiling.
I pushed off next, Griff and Viggo behind me. Turns out none of the riders had started racing. Mac grabbed my arm when I was about to pass them. "Hold up, kid. We want to see what you newbies are made of!"
I groaned. Me? Race Zoe, Mac, Kaori, and Moby? I couldn't WAIT to write home and tell Eric, Ryan, and Roy what was going on!
"What? You nervous? You're just racing the best boarders ever!" Zoe said happily.
"Right...no nervousness here..."
Griff laughed at my sarcasm, "Gotta love that boarding spirit she's got!"
Allegra was standing next to Zoe, calm and collected. She threw me a glare and narrowed her eyes. I hate to admit it, but I was scared of her. Viggo remained quiet and composed, but Griff and Mac were prepared to cut each other's throats.
"Think you're hot stuff, eh?" Mac snorted, "Well, we'll see about that. It's the SSX Vets against the newbies!"
Kaori shook her head disapprovingly and glided towards me, "He's normally not like this..."
"I understand. I'm sure he's just letting Griff get to him, hm?"
Kaori nodded, "Yes. Mac is always up for a challenge."
We all lined up, a little unorganized, but prepared for a race nonetheless.
I was nervous again. My heart was beating heavily, and even though it must've been record breaking temperatures, little sweat drops were forming above my brow.
I had had a crush on Mac since the first SSX league, and now, I was racing him and his girlfriend! Along with the other vets!
AN: I don't own Glass Danse by The Faint. And yes, that is another song off the SSX 3 soundtrack. Yay! XD This is my favorite chapter so far! Also, Starlight, you are the coolest fan an author can have!!! Sorry, I don't know how to get JP! I know how to get Luther, though! :D All you do is type in "bronco" instead of worm! Yes, I read your idea on Yuri hooking with Nate. Hmm, I'll have to think about it. And the whole thing about Allegra being the poster girl, you are correct! You'll see later in the story how Elise and Allegra become good "friends" (heh, heh) Well, anyway, on with the story!
It turned out all the SSX vets would be watching the newbies race for Peak Two. It was very scary. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. There was no one in the audience and no one was recording us, but just to have the vets watching us was nerve-wrecking. I was warming up, fixing up my board when Nate approached me. "Hey, kid, no sweat, okay?"
I offered a weak smile, "Right. The best snowboarders in the world are in the audience stands watching me compete for Peak Two against some of the most amazing boarders here. No sweat..."
Nate laughed, "You know, Yuri, you're pretty cool. Be sure to let us know who you are! I expect you to put up a good fight, Yuri!"
Before he could walk away, I teased him playfully, "Sorry, Nate, you won't get a fight! I'll be too far ahead for you!"
Nate chuckled as he walked away to tend to his own board, "We'll see about that,"
Griff pointed at me, "Yo, Yuri! You better watch out! I'ma knock you down!"
I grinned and scooped up a ball of snow, packing it together. "Hey Griff! Heads up!" Griff turned around just in time as the snowball collided into his face.
Griff groaned, shaking his head, his hair going all over the place with snow flying in all different directions, "Aww, man! That's cold!"
Zoe waved at me from the crowd, "Nice one, Yuri!"
I felt my cheeks grow red again as I strapped my boots to the board. I glided over to the gates, and took my place between Griff and Allegra.
"Hi, Allegra." I offered, "Good luck,"
Allegra ignored me and pulled her beanie over her head. "Right..." I said, feeling completely stupid.
I put my headphones on and smiled happily. This was just the right song to provide me some motivation! Glass Danse by The Faint. It was a remix, of course, which only made it better.
The red light still glowed, taunting all of us. Griff, I noticed, had changed his attitude completely. No longer the bouncing ball of energy we all knew, Griff narrowed his eyes and began pumping his arms on the bars, preparing for a push off. This only made me more nervous. Allegra laced up her boots, paying no attention to me, and cracked her knuckles.
Everyone seemed to become one with the mountain.
Everyone but me.
The red light began blinking rapidly, warning the boarders that it was nearly time to begin the race.
The veterans were cheering, but I couldn't hear who they were cheering for. I had put my music on max volume, the beat pounding into my ears.
Suddenly, a green light flashed into my eyes. I pushed forward, keeping my place between Griff and Allegra. Nate was already far ahead of us. I envied him. He would win it, I was sure of it. It was still a little dark out, it being almost six-thirty in the morning, but we could all see just fine. Allegra swerved to the left, on Nate's tail. Griff growled and leaned forward, trying to pass me. Amazingly enough, I kept my place. I looked around and saw that I was ahead of Viggo and Griff, but behind Nate and Allegra. This sucked! Nate was already far ahead of me, and Allegra was slowly accelerating towards him. We approached a small ramp and pushed off; I executed a Round-about Spinster. It was my favorite move my uncle had taught me years ago. It was really impressive and looked pretty cool when you did it right, however, I the heel of my boots scraped the end of the snowboard when I was spinning, and I messed up. I managed to land on my feet, however, and not my head; it felt like my ankles were crushed. Nevertheless, I narrowed my eyes and pushed towards Allegra.
"Dammit," I heard her mutter as she swung at me. I ducked and swerved to the right, not wanting to piss her off even further. Suddenly, Viggo came out of no where and passed me and Allegra. Determined to catch up with him, I ignored Allegra's threats and followed him, taking third place along the way. Suddenly, it felt like I was flying. I had never gone so fast before, and this board...it was putting up with my speed! This was amazing! I shot down the mountain, racing neck and neck with Viggo.
He gave me a thumbs up, "See if you can beat me!"
I nodded and narrowed my eyes. I could do this. If I could pass Allegra and Griff, and somehow manage to keep up with Viggo, I could do this.
Viggo, however, proved to be tough. I couldn't pass him. Not one bit. I was determined to prove myself to the veterans. I wanted them to know that I could handle them. I wanted them to know that I could take them on. I wasn't like Griff, despite my age. On the contrary, I was the complete opposite.
Viggo suddenly slowed down. I pushed onwards, dodging the oncoming trees and rocks. This was it! I was going too fast! I couldn't take this! Eventually I was going to break down and lock my knees. I had never gone so fast before. But suddenly, I felt invincible. I am in 2nd place. I am behind one person, everyone else is behind me. I can win this. I can win this.
I jumped onto a fallen tree and performed a 180 degree spin while on the tree.
I landed confidently. I knew, however, I wouldn't find Nate. He was way too far ahead of me, and I would never catch him. I looked behind me. Viggo was behind me, trying to keep Allegra at bay. I watched, though, as Allegra swung at him and knocked him down.
Holy shit! Viggo!
Allegra was going to pommel anyone who stood in her way of the grand prize, and I was in her way! Suddenly, my knees felt like shaking and collapsing and I felt like giving up. Allegra was approaching me fast, I had to do something!
Viggo was tumbling down the mountain; he put his hands up to stop his head from hitting the snow. He wouldn't stop tumbling! The mountain's back country was way too steep!
I couldn't even see Griff. He must've been far behind.
I stopped looking behind me and leaned forward. I couldn't let Allegra catch me. This wasn't for Peak Two anymore; it was a matter of pride. I wasn't about to let her take me. Despite the music blaring in my ears, I still heard Griff scream when he landed and nearly broke his ankle.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that Griff had taken Allegra's spot, and was taunting her. I turned my music down so I could hear Griff ridicule her.
"C'mon, Allegra, you gonna let me take your pathetic excuse for a ranking? C'mon, you're in fourth, now, you suck!"
It was one of the many times Griff brought a smile to my face. He was busy taunting Allegra, and I was free enough to notice the small tunnel on the right. I made sure Allegra and Griff weren't looking, and then swerved into the tunnel at the last minute, nearly cracking my board on the wall on the way. A shortcut! Finally!
The tunnel was really small, and I was even afraid I would hurt myself if I stood up straight. My speed only increased my uneasiness, and I could only pray that the opening for the tunnel would arrive soon enough.
Suddenly, I shot out of the opening and saw the finish line. Nate was relaxing in the snow, his board lying next to him.
I tried coasting to a stop, but I shot past the finish line. Nate jumped towards me and tried to stop me by grabbing my shoulders. I nearly fell flat on my face; I didn't realize I was going so fast!!
"Woa! Yuri!! Slow down!"
I was panting heavily, and Nate would later tell me I looked like I had seen a ghost. I took off my head phones and collapsed on the snow.
"You need to work on slowing down, Speedy,"
"Speedy?" I wheezed, out of breath.
"Yeah, you were going pretty damn fast. Who was behind you?"
Soon enough, his question was answered. Griff came rocketing down the path, Allegra close behind.
Griff toppled over himself when he passed the finish line, and Allegra looked ready to kill.
"You!" she screamed, "You screwed me up!"
She was pointing at me!
"What?"
"I coulda won that race," she muttered furiously.
Griff scoffed, "Yeaaaaah, riiiiiiiiiiight..."
Allegra clenched her fist and nearly lunged for Griff, but Nate stopped her. "Calm down, Allegra. Where's Viggo?"
"She knocked him down," Griff said quickly.
"So? The veterans do it all the time."
Nate sighed. "Alright, so where's Atomika?"
"Hey!! Over here!"
Sure enough, when I turned around, I saw Atomika coming down towards us, followed by the veterans.
"Nate, that was sweeeeet!" Nate and Mac slapped hands and he laughed with him.
"Yeah, that was pretty good, mate," Moby grinned, "I can't believe they actually found these guys. Pretty cool,"
I grinned. So, we weren't as bad as I thought. Cool. I just beat Allegra. Oh yeah.
Life is good.
"Yuri!" Kaori squealed, jumping up and down, "I am sure that if it had been a long distance race, you would have won! You were like a blur!!"
Zoe nodded, "Yeah, girl, that was a sweet run,"
I blushed, looking down at my boots, "It was nothing..."
Psymon narrowed his eyes, "Cheerios over there got lucky."
My face grew even redder.... I hated Psymon!
Wait a minute...CHEERIOS!?!?!??!?!
"WHAT?!?!"
"Cheerios. You equals cheery. Cheerios." Psymon said simply, folding his arms and grinning like a fool.
Atomika smiled, he must've been glad to see that we were all getting along (Ha, ha), despite Psymon's comment. "I'm very happy to have to newbies with us this year. I'm sure you'll put up one helluva fight against the veterans."
Elise nodded, "Yeah, you shoulda seen yourself Nate. Not bad,"
"What about me?" Griff piped up.
"Well, to tell you the truth, kid, you weren't that bad," Psymon sneered, "I'd like to race you one day,"
Griff inched behind Nate, laughing nervously. "Heh, yeah, someday..."
Mac roared in laughter, along with everyone else.
"Well, anyway, I have these little thingamabobbers to hand out to you guys." Atomika stated, pulling out a large black sports bag he had been carrying with him all day. He pulled out a silver pocket pc thing. Atomika handed each of us one of the little things.
"What are these little wiggers?" Moby asked, fumbling with his.
"These little 'wiggers' are called 'M-comms'," I grabbed one eagerly and stared at it. It was silver, like a pocket pc thing. "You can send messages to each other and listen to me, DJ Atomika, on the radio. You could also send in requests for songs, too."
"SWEEEET!" Griff exclaimed, "My parents don't even trust me with a typewriter, man!"
Suddenly, my M-comm beeped.
I selected the flashing envelope and saw a message from Griff.
Can you hear me now?
-Griff
I gave Griff the 'peace' sign and as he said "Good!" and shoved Griff playfully. "Very funny,"
"These things are important," Atomika said sternly, "I want you to take good care of these M-comms. The officials spent a lotta money on that,"
Psymon rolled his eyes, "Its like when my mom bought me my first chainsaw. 'Be careful!' she always said!"
We all shook our heads and Atomika lead us back to the helicopter. Griff and I were talking about the cool new M-comm's Atomika had just given us when Mac roughly grabbed Griff by the collar of his silver jacket. "C'mon, kid, we got a race to do," Mac muttered fiercely.
"Oh shit..."
Kaori leaned close to me, "Mac is a very serious competitor this year. He woke me at three in the morning to tell me he is to practice!"
I shook my head and stifled a laugh when Griff continued to lash on Mac. "Yo, man, you think I'm gonna back down? You better take a step back, man, or I'm gonna have to land you a smack down!"
"What!?" Mac bellowed, "Did this little punk just use my phrase? What!?"
"You betcha!" Griff said triumphantly.
"Did I GIVE you permission to talk?"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Yo, Atomika!" Griff said, "We're takin' the helicopter thingy to Peak One! Drop us off there so I can show Mac what a REAL snowboarder can do!"
Mac glared at him murderously, preparing to dive for him. Kaori wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "No, please don't,"
Mac shrugged but continued to glower at Griff, who only laughed.
Atomika nodded. "Alright, I'm guessing the rest of you will want to practice as well?"
"Sure, sure, but I'm going to Peak Three. Take me!" Psymon spread his arms dramatically, "I'm all yours!"
Atomika shook his head disapprovingly at Psymon's lack of manners, "Alright, whatever. Anyone else?"
Nate stepped up. "I'ma stay here and get to know the track a little,"
"Alright, if that's what you want. When you need someone to pick you up, you just call us on your M-comm, okay? Everyone be sure to check in on the radio station once in a while, there could be some valuable info you should look out for,"
We all nodded and piled into the back of the plane, save Nate. I waved at Nate, "Good-bye! Be careful!"
Nate nodded and gave me a thumbs up, "You make sure you make everyone knows who you are, Yuri,"
"I will," I whispered to myself. Oh yeah, you bet I will.
The plane landed soon enough, much to Psymon's disapproval. "You call that a ride? I've been on elevator crashes that were more peaceful!" Psymon was looking a little pale; he imitated throwing up.
Kaori pinched her nose, "Eww, nasty, Psy-mon!!"
That only caused Psymon to cut up more, "Ah, Kaori my sweet," He sneered, "You're welcome to join me on the third peak for a show-down,"
Kaori turned away, "No way! You kill me!"
Psymon lowered his head and grinned, "You know it. Or...you know what?" Psymon turned his attention to me, "I might just kill the mini-Kaori over here,"
My loathing for Psymon had been rising ever since yesterday, but so had my fear. I trembled, but I tried to remain my composure. I couldn't let Psymon get the best of me. Despite my wishes, though, I shook uncontrollably.
Almost immediately, the doors opened, and we found ourselves looking down at the most amazing and menacing track any of us had ever seen. The wind was incredible! Psymon's hair whipped around while he strapped his board on and stared out into the course. "Woa," he said, grinning, "It looks more intimidating then me!"
"And that's saying a lot," Zoe laughed.
Psymon smirked at his friend and prepared to leap out to the final peak. He took off yelling his trade-mark phrase Eric and I always snickered at, "FREEEEENCH TOAST AND SYRUUUUUUUUP!"
I sighed, nearly melting. "He's not so tough is he?" I felt like collapsing on the seats. Ugh, Psymon was one tough cookie.
Moby chuckled, "Don't let 'em get to yeh, mate. He's all talk,"
"Actually, Mobes, you know for a fact that Psymon is not just a talker," Zoe said thoughtfully, "Remember in Aloha Ice Jam? Kaori kicked in that track!"
Mac nodded, "Yeah, but Psymon had threatened to get her back, and he sure did,"
Kaori grimaced, "My hair was blue for weeks."
I giggled, "So THAT'S why your hair was blue in Alaska!"
Griff laughed too, "Yeah, my friends and I were wondering about that!!"
Kaori blushed, "Yes...I know..."
Mac wrapped his arm around Kaori and smiled, "But, it's brown now!"
"I don't know..." Kaori frowned, "Just last week I saw a small dot of blue in my hair!"
Griff and I cracked up laughing, unable to contain our tears. Zoe giggled, "Wooo, Kaori, you were pretty brave that time you stood up to Psymon at Garibaldi,"
"I remember!" Kaori smiled, "Psymon was bothering me all day during the warm-ups! So while we were racing, I pushed him!" Kaori thrust her arms forward, giggled.
Elise sighed as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, "Yeah, people never change, do they?"
"Yep, Psymon was really prepared to kill you after that," Zoe added.
Just then, the plane shook violently.
"We landed in Peak One. Please exit, and be sure to call us on your M- comm if you need anything," Atomika declared. "Go on, get!"
We pushed out of the plane one by one, Griff looking more nervous then ever.
"Get ready, Griff, this is your chance to show Mac that you're more than better!" I said excitedly.
Griff laughed nervously, "Yeah, yeah, right..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Viggo smiling.
I pushed off next, Griff and Viggo behind me. Turns out none of the riders had started racing. Mac grabbed my arm when I was about to pass them. "Hold up, kid. We want to see what you newbies are made of!"
I groaned. Me? Race Zoe, Mac, Kaori, and Moby? I couldn't WAIT to write home and tell Eric, Ryan, and Roy what was going on!
"What? You nervous? You're just racing the best boarders ever!" Zoe said happily.
"Right...no nervousness here..."
Griff laughed at my sarcasm, "Gotta love that boarding spirit she's got!"
Allegra was standing next to Zoe, calm and collected. She threw me a glare and narrowed her eyes. I hate to admit it, but I was scared of her. Viggo remained quiet and composed, but Griff and Mac were prepared to cut each other's throats.
"Think you're hot stuff, eh?" Mac snorted, "Well, we'll see about that. It's the SSX Vets against the newbies!"
Kaori shook her head disapprovingly and glided towards me, "He's normally not like this..."
"I understand. I'm sure he's just letting Griff get to him, hm?"
Kaori nodded, "Yes. Mac is always up for a challenge."
We all lined up, a little unorganized, but prepared for a race nonetheless.
I was nervous again. My heart was beating heavily, and even though it must've been record breaking temperatures, little sweat drops were forming above my brow.
I had had a crush on Mac since the first SSX league, and now, I was racing him and his girlfriend! Along with the other vets!