Chapter 6: Understanding and Late Night Riding
It was about eleven in the evening and Hunter was heading to his truck that was parked outside Shane and Dustin's complex. He noticed that Tori's van was outside also so, he knew that Blake was either home already or he was inside of Tori's apartment. 'How come Blake was so lucky to find a girl, let alone a girl that was willing to be in a relationship with him while he toured with Factory Blue?' Hunter thought to himself as he started up the ignition to his truck. He also thought that Blake was lucky to have been chosen to ride for Factory Blue, not that he didn't have an opportunity. He just felt that being head teacher at the Thunder Ninja Academy was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. 'Man, I need to go riding! Maybe that will clear my head up', and with that Hunter headed for the track.
Fifteen minutes later a blond hair girl wearing motocross gear walked out of her apartment and got into her van. Tori couldn't sleep and felt that she needed to get some more practice time in on the bike. She also couldn't stop thinking about how Blake was leaving in another day. 'Maybe riding will clear my head up. The guys are always doing it to clear theirs or so they claim.' She thought to herself as she headed towards the track. Once she arrived, Tori got out of her van and opened up the back to pull out Dustin's old bike. Lucky for her, Dustin bought a new one not too long ago and agreed to let her learn on his old one. After all, this was the same bike that she rode on when Blake caught up with her that day in the forest. Tori suddenly froze in her place. She could have sworn she heard another bike out on the track. 'Who else would be riding at this time?' She wondered as she pulled the bike closer to the track. She squinted her eyes to see who was out there. 'Oh man, I hope Blake is not out here.' He would surely get her for being out there so late and he would probably tease about how she has been practicing for their little bet.
The mysterious rider blew past her and she decided to put her helmet on and hop on the bike to find out who the other rider was. She rounded a corner hoping to gain speed on the other rider. Hunter didn't even notice Tori when he passed her up. 'Who in the heck would be riding out here at this time?' Hunter thought as he completed another lap. 'Whoever it is, they're not so bad. Maybe, it's a rider from one of Kelly's teams.' Hunter decided to stop and see if the other rider was up for talking. Tori noticed that the other rider stopped a few feet ahead. So, she decided to pull up beside the rider.
As Tori pulled up Hunter decided to pull off his helmet and introduce himself to the unidentified rider. "Hey, you're not such bad rider. Do you ride for Kelly's team?" Hunter was answered by silence. Tori was too shocked to speak. Did he just complement her? 'He thinks I ride for Kelly's team. If he really thinks that, then I do have a chance at beating Blake in this bet of ours.' Tori thought to herself a little amused. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should introduce myself first huh? I'm Hunter. Hunter Bradley." He said as he extended his hand out to shake the other rider's hand.
Tori ceased the opportunity to shake his hand then she went to remove her helmet and her long flowing blond hair spilled out. "Hey Hunter, thanks for the complement. What are you doing out here?"
"Me, I should be asking you the same thing." Hunter replied. He was shock to see Tori to say the least.
"I needed to clear my mind and you guys always said that riding helps do that. So, here I am." Tori stated matter of factly. "So, why are you here hmmm?"
"The same reason you are. Hey you want to pull the bikes to the side and talk a bit?" He asked. He was a little surprised that he even asked since he was really never one to talk with Tori much, but he promised Blake that he would get to know her better. The fact that she was out here riding to clear her mind sparked something in him. It was like he was curious to know what would be bothering her so much that she would be out here riding and since when did she ride besides when they used their Tsunami cycles.
"Sure," she answered as the two pulled their bikes off the track and sat on the grass to talk. "So, what's on your mind these days?"
"Blake" He answered.
"Yeah, me too. Are you regretting not signing with him to Factory Blue?"
Hunter thought about it for a minute before he answered her. "Yeah, a little, but I feel that I need to be here and help out Sensei Amano. He has done so much for Blake and me."
"Yeah, Blake has told me some stuff."
"What stuff?" Hunter was curious as to what Blake had told her of their past.
"When you were brainwashed and looking to defeat us back on Vertigo Island. I asked him how you and him got your powers. We've also talked a few times whenever we hung out."
"Oh."
"Hunter, I know you like to keep your feelings bottled up, but you can trust me you know. I may be your brother's girlfriend, but you are my friend too. Those are two different things and I'll keep whatever you tell me to myself." She said as she attempted to pry through the barriers Hunter liked keeping up around himself.
"I don't really keep anything from Blake, but I can't help, but be a little jealous. He deserves this though. I am the older brother and I can make the sacrifice. Who knows, maybe I'll get another chance some where down the line." He told her as he looked to the ground. He didn't know what it was, but something told him that he could trust her.
"Yeah, Blake deserves it, but you deserve happiness too. I know that you feel that you are doing the right thing by helping your Sensei at the academy, but don't sell yourself short. You have a lot of talent and you deserve to be in Factory Blue as much as Blake does." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze.
Hunter looked up at her and smiled. He never really noticed how beautiful she was. Well, except for when they first met. He had to agree with Blake then, she was fine. Actually, there were other moments that he noticed that she was beautiful, like on her birthday and he got in her face and challenged her to race to the water. There was also their graduation dinner celebration when she came in Ninja Ops all dressed up. She really took his breath away. Well, his and everyone else's in the room, but she was obviously already spoken for. "So, what's on your mind about Blake?"
"I'm just getting nervous about him leaving and him being away for a while, but if it's meant to be, it's meant to be." She said as she looked up to the stars and the wind blew her hair behind her.
"Funny, you should say that. Blake said the same thing to me earlier today." He laughed at the irony of the whole thing.
Tori let out a light chuckle. Then the two settled into a comfortable silence. "Well, I better get going. I have to be up at five."
"Why are you and Dustin getting up so early just to surf?" He had to ask, things just didn't seem to add up.
"Well, if I told you, do you promise not to tell Blake?" Tori inquired.
"As long as it's not that you and Dustin have a thing for each other."
Tori couldn't believe what he just said, "Are you kidding me?" I have known Dustin since we were four! No, Dustin is helping me with my riding."
"Why, may I ask?"
"Because Blake made a bet with me that I couldn't ride a 250 without hurting anyone or breaking anything. Plus, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I couldn't keep up with my professional riding boyfriend." She said as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
Hunter found this amusing, but he promised her that he would not tell his brother of her practicing. Honestly, he thought it was pretty cool that she wanted to get better at it and win this bet too. The two got up and parted ways. Hunter stopped for a moment as a thought struck him, "Hey, Tor, with Blake leaving soon and all, maybe you would want to ride with me sometime? Besides, you'll need all the practice you can get."
Tori turned her turbulent blue eyes to him and replied, "Sure, maybe I'll even learn to ride better than you and Dustin combined! Good night, Hunter!"
"Good night, Tor." The two headed for their cars and drove home.
AN: Please don't forget to review and check out my two valentine fics! Thanks!
It was about eleven in the evening and Hunter was heading to his truck that was parked outside Shane and Dustin's complex. He noticed that Tori's van was outside also so, he knew that Blake was either home already or he was inside of Tori's apartment. 'How come Blake was so lucky to find a girl, let alone a girl that was willing to be in a relationship with him while he toured with Factory Blue?' Hunter thought to himself as he started up the ignition to his truck. He also thought that Blake was lucky to have been chosen to ride for Factory Blue, not that he didn't have an opportunity. He just felt that being head teacher at the Thunder Ninja Academy was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. 'Man, I need to go riding! Maybe that will clear my head up', and with that Hunter headed for the track.
Fifteen minutes later a blond hair girl wearing motocross gear walked out of her apartment and got into her van. Tori couldn't sleep and felt that she needed to get some more practice time in on the bike. She also couldn't stop thinking about how Blake was leaving in another day. 'Maybe riding will clear my head up. The guys are always doing it to clear theirs or so they claim.' She thought to herself as she headed towards the track. Once she arrived, Tori got out of her van and opened up the back to pull out Dustin's old bike. Lucky for her, Dustin bought a new one not too long ago and agreed to let her learn on his old one. After all, this was the same bike that she rode on when Blake caught up with her that day in the forest. Tori suddenly froze in her place. She could have sworn she heard another bike out on the track. 'Who else would be riding at this time?' She wondered as she pulled the bike closer to the track. She squinted her eyes to see who was out there. 'Oh man, I hope Blake is not out here.' He would surely get her for being out there so late and he would probably tease about how she has been practicing for their little bet.
The mysterious rider blew past her and she decided to put her helmet on and hop on the bike to find out who the other rider was. She rounded a corner hoping to gain speed on the other rider. Hunter didn't even notice Tori when he passed her up. 'Who in the heck would be riding out here at this time?' Hunter thought as he completed another lap. 'Whoever it is, they're not so bad. Maybe, it's a rider from one of Kelly's teams.' Hunter decided to stop and see if the other rider was up for talking. Tori noticed that the other rider stopped a few feet ahead. So, she decided to pull up beside the rider.
As Tori pulled up Hunter decided to pull off his helmet and introduce himself to the unidentified rider. "Hey, you're not such bad rider. Do you ride for Kelly's team?" Hunter was answered by silence. Tori was too shocked to speak. Did he just complement her? 'He thinks I ride for Kelly's team. If he really thinks that, then I do have a chance at beating Blake in this bet of ours.' Tori thought to herself a little amused. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should introduce myself first huh? I'm Hunter. Hunter Bradley." He said as he extended his hand out to shake the other rider's hand.
Tori ceased the opportunity to shake his hand then she went to remove her helmet and her long flowing blond hair spilled out. "Hey Hunter, thanks for the complement. What are you doing out here?"
"Me, I should be asking you the same thing." Hunter replied. He was shock to see Tori to say the least.
"I needed to clear my mind and you guys always said that riding helps do that. So, here I am." Tori stated matter of factly. "So, why are you here hmmm?"
"The same reason you are. Hey you want to pull the bikes to the side and talk a bit?" He asked. He was a little surprised that he even asked since he was really never one to talk with Tori much, but he promised Blake that he would get to know her better. The fact that she was out here riding to clear her mind sparked something in him. It was like he was curious to know what would be bothering her so much that she would be out here riding and since when did she ride besides when they used their Tsunami cycles.
"Sure," she answered as the two pulled their bikes off the track and sat on the grass to talk. "So, what's on your mind these days?"
"Blake" He answered.
"Yeah, me too. Are you regretting not signing with him to Factory Blue?"
Hunter thought about it for a minute before he answered her. "Yeah, a little, but I feel that I need to be here and help out Sensei Amano. He has done so much for Blake and me."
"Yeah, Blake has told me some stuff."
"What stuff?" Hunter was curious as to what Blake had told her of their past.
"When you were brainwashed and looking to defeat us back on Vertigo Island. I asked him how you and him got your powers. We've also talked a few times whenever we hung out."
"Oh."
"Hunter, I know you like to keep your feelings bottled up, but you can trust me you know. I may be your brother's girlfriend, but you are my friend too. Those are two different things and I'll keep whatever you tell me to myself." She said as she attempted to pry through the barriers Hunter liked keeping up around himself.
"I don't really keep anything from Blake, but I can't help, but be a little jealous. He deserves this though. I am the older brother and I can make the sacrifice. Who knows, maybe I'll get another chance some where down the line." He told her as he looked to the ground. He didn't know what it was, but something told him that he could trust her.
"Yeah, Blake deserves it, but you deserve happiness too. I know that you feel that you are doing the right thing by helping your Sensei at the academy, but don't sell yourself short. You have a lot of talent and you deserve to be in Factory Blue as much as Blake does." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze.
Hunter looked up at her and smiled. He never really noticed how beautiful she was. Well, except for when they first met. He had to agree with Blake then, she was fine. Actually, there were other moments that he noticed that she was beautiful, like on her birthday and he got in her face and challenged her to race to the water. There was also their graduation dinner celebration when she came in Ninja Ops all dressed up. She really took his breath away. Well, his and everyone else's in the room, but she was obviously already spoken for. "So, what's on your mind about Blake?"
"I'm just getting nervous about him leaving and him being away for a while, but if it's meant to be, it's meant to be." She said as she looked up to the stars and the wind blew her hair behind her.
"Funny, you should say that. Blake said the same thing to me earlier today." He laughed at the irony of the whole thing.
Tori let out a light chuckle. Then the two settled into a comfortable silence. "Well, I better get going. I have to be up at five."
"Why are you and Dustin getting up so early just to surf?" He had to ask, things just didn't seem to add up.
"Well, if I told you, do you promise not to tell Blake?" Tori inquired.
"As long as it's not that you and Dustin have a thing for each other."
Tori couldn't believe what he just said, "Are you kidding me?" I have known Dustin since we were four! No, Dustin is helping me with my riding."
"Why, may I ask?"
"Because Blake made a bet with me that I couldn't ride a 250 without hurting anyone or breaking anything. Plus, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I couldn't keep up with my professional riding boyfriend." She said as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
Hunter found this amusing, but he promised her that he would not tell his brother of her practicing. Honestly, he thought it was pretty cool that she wanted to get better at it and win this bet too. The two got up and parted ways. Hunter stopped for a moment as a thought struck him, "Hey, Tor, with Blake leaving soon and all, maybe you would want to ride with me sometime? Besides, you'll need all the practice you can get."
Tori turned her turbulent blue eyes to him and replied, "Sure, maybe I'll even learn to ride better than you and Dustin combined! Good night, Hunter!"
"Good night, Tor." The two headed for their cars and drove home.
AN: Please don't forget to review and check out my two valentine fics! Thanks!