Chapter 13:Clearing Things Up
Tori was at the track and she was riding furiously around and around each lap gaining more momentum. She worked on her jumps as Hunter had instructed her to and she remembered not to try to go higher, but farther as she landed from each jump. She was pretty impressed with herself and decided to head over to the ramp that her and Dustin were at earlier in the day. She got back on her bike and approached the ramp at the right speed and off she went in to the air. First she did the trick where you keep your hands on the handlebars and pull your feet up on them and arch your back and thrust your chest out to the sky. (AN: This is the trick Dustin does in the intro of PRNS.) She landed the jump perfectly and decided to try another one. As she went back to her starting point she got back onto the bike and sped up her approach to the ramp. Once again she was off in the air and this time she kept her right hand on one handle bar and placed her self to that side of the bike with her other hand on the seat. She felt herself flying and then got back onto the bike before she landed. Once she was on the ground she brought the bike to an abrupt halt and this caused the back half of the bike to lift up slightly. Tori held on and the back half of the bike slowly went back down. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself. 'Dustin is going to go crazy when he sees me do this tomorrow.' She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard someone applauding her. She removed her helmet and found Hunter sitting off to the side watching her intently. "How long have you been watching?"
Hunter got up and approached her. "Long enough to know that you have improved drastically on your jumps as you rode around the track. You were totally rippin' it up out there Tor! Whatever it is that set you off, really works for you out here on the track." Hunter had gone to look for her at Ninja Ops when Cam told him that she stormed out to go riding. Cam however, didn't tell him as to why she stormed out.
"Thanks, Hunter! I guess I just have a lot on my mind. What else did Cam tell you?" She asked as she walked her bike off the track and proceeded to sit down in the grass.
Hunter followed suit and answered, "He didn't say too much else. I just came here right away to look for you. So, what's bothering you?" He was curious if the others were questioning her on the same things that they have been questioning him on in the last couple of days.
"Nothing really. You know Blake is due back here at the end of the week for few days?" She started.
"Yeah, Blake emailed me this morning and Dustin told me as I walked into Ops. Is that what's bothering you? I thought that you would be excited."
"I am, it's just that it's been a few months and I have no clue how I am going to feel to be around him again. Plus by the time I adjust he will be gone again, for how long? Who knows?" Tori said as she pulled out her hair tie to let loose her long blond tresses.
"Oh, hey Tor, have the guys been giving you a hard time about us hanging out so much?" He couldn't believe how easily that last question came out. 'I must really be at ease with her.' He thought as he waited for a response.
'Wow, he really knows how to cut to the chase. Well, he was always pretty straight forward.' She thought before she answered Hunter's question. "Yeah, the guys think that we hang out a little too much. What do you think?"
"Honestly, I am pretty surprised at how close we have become in the past few months, but I made a promise to Blake that I would get to know you better. You and I never really talked much before, but I am glad that I made that promise because I think that you are a really great person, Tori. You're sweet, easy to talk to, fun to chill with and man, you make a good riding partner. My little bro is lucky to have someone like you. There aren't too many girls out there that would do what you have done for Blake, bet or no bet. You have accomplished what only people work their whole lives for in motocross."
"Thanks Hunter, you're not so bad yourself. Honestly though, I am glad that we got the opportunity to get to know each other better. You're a really good guy, when you're not being so brooding." She let out a light chuckle and continued, "I hope you find the right girl some day. You deserve to be happy, like I told you before, never sell yourself short." Tori finished. She took a good look into his light brown eyes and for the first time she saw in them... love? 'Nah, I'm just imaging things. She said as she looked away from Hunter for a moment.
Hunter who was looking into her sea blue eyes noticed that there was something different in them... was it love that he saw in her eyes? 'Nah, I'm seeing things.' Hunter thought as he looked down to the ground when she turned away from him. They just sat there for a moment. "Here, let me help you up," Hunter said to her as he got up. He extended his hand out to her and helped her up. She stumbled from the sudden rush of getting up too fast and tripped further into his arms. Hunter just held her for a moment and the two locked eyes. They slowly inched towards each other when all of sudden they heard someone ride up beside them. They jumped back abruptly and Hunter released Tori from his hold on her. Dustin saw this and started wondering if he was interrupting something. "Hey guys, want to race?"
Hunter completely forgot that Dustin was going to meet up with them at the track to see how well Tori would ride with the two of them. 'Was I about to kiss her? Great timing Dustin!' Hunter thought as he went to grab his stuff. "Yeah, you up for it Tor?" He asked.
"Yeah, go ahead just give me a minute. I'll catch up with you two." She said. She just had to shake off this feeling that was caused from being within such close proximity of Hunter. 'What was I thinking? I almost kissed him! This can't be I love Blake! Hunter and I can never be more than friends. I will never allow that to happen again.' She placed her helmet back on and rode up to where Hunter and Dustin were. "Okay, guys let's go!" "Just give me a minute to warm up, one lap around okay?" Dustin asked the two.
"Sure." The two blonds said in unison. Dustin rode off and Tori turned to face Hunter. "Look whatever almost happened back there... it can't happen again okay? I like you Hunter and I like spending time with you, but you know that we can't be anything more than friends... okay? I am really sorry, but I love Blake."
Hunter ran a hand through his hair, "Look, I should be the one apologizing. I know that you love Blake. He's my brother and I would never want to hurt him. I guess that I just got caught up in the moment. Friends?" He asked as he extended out his hand to her.
"No." She paused then continued, "We're more like best friends." She then took his hand and shook it. Hunter had released the breath he apparently held in when he first heard her say, "No."
"Good, now let's give Dustin a race of a lifetime!" Hunter finished as Dustin pulled up beside them willing and waiting.
"Alright, let's go!" Tori said as she placed her helmet on and the three took off in hot pursuit of each other.
Tori was at the track and she was riding furiously around and around each lap gaining more momentum. She worked on her jumps as Hunter had instructed her to and she remembered not to try to go higher, but farther as she landed from each jump. She was pretty impressed with herself and decided to head over to the ramp that her and Dustin were at earlier in the day. She got back on her bike and approached the ramp at the right speed and off she went in to the air. First she did the trick where you keep your hands on the handlebars and pull your feet up on them and arch your back and thrust your chest out to the sky. (AN: This is the trick Dustin does in the intro of PRNS.) She landed the jump perfectly and decided to try another one. As she went back to her starting point she got back onto the bike and sped up her approach to the ramp. Once again she was off in the air and this time she kept her right hand on one handle bar and placed her self to that side of the bike with her other hand on the seat. She felt herself flying and then got back onto the bike before she landed. Once she was on the ground she brought the bike to an abrupt halt and this caused the back half of the bike to lift up slightly. Tori held on and the back half of the bike slowly went back down. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself. 'Dustin is going to go crazy when he sees me do this tomorrow.' She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard someone applauding her. She removed her helmet and found Hunter sitting off to the side watching her intently. "How long have you been watching?"
Hunter got up and approached her. "Long enough to know that you have improved drastically on your jumps as you rode around the track. You were totally rippin' it up out there Tor! Whatever it is that set you off, really works for you out here on the track." Hunter had gone to look for her at Ninja Ops when Cam told him that she stormed out to go riding. Cam however, didn't tell him as to why she stormed out.
"Thanks, Hunter! I guess I just have a lot on my mind. What else did Cam tell you?" She asked as she walked her bike off the track and proceeded to sit down in the grass.
Hunter followed suit and answered, "He didn't say too much else. I just came here right away to look for you. So, what's bothering you?" He was curious if the others were questioning her on the same things that they have been questioning him on in the last couple of days.
"Nothing really. You know Blake is due back here at the end of the week for few days?" She started.
"Yeah, Blake emailed me this morning and Dustin told me as I walked into Ops. Is that what's bothering you? I thought that you would be excited."
"I am, it's just that it's been a few months and I have no clue how I am going to feel to be around him again. Plus by the time I adjust he will be gone again, for how long? Who knows?" Tori said as she pulled out her hair tie to let loose her long blond tresses.
"Oh, hey Tor, have the guys been giving you a hard time about us hanging out so much?" He couldn't believe how easily that last question came out. 'I must really be at ease with her.' He thought as he waited for a response.
'Wow, he really knows how to cut to the chase. Well, he was always pretty straight forward.' She thought before she answered Hunter's question. "Yeah, the guys think that we hang out a little too much. What do you think?"
"Honestly, I am pretty surprised at how close we have become in the past few months, but I made a promise to Blake that I would get to know you better. You and I never really talked much before, but I am glad that I made that promise because I think that you are a really great person, Tori. You're sweet, easy to talk to, fun to chill with and man, you make a good riding partner. My little bro is lucky to have someone like you. There aren't too many girls out there that would do what you have done for Blake, bet or no bet. You have accomplished what only people work their whole lives for in motocross."
"Thanks Hunter, you're not so bad yourself. Honestly though, I am glad that we got the opportunity to get to know each other better. You're a really good guy, when you're not being so brooding." She let out a light chuckle and continued, "I hope you find the right girl some day. You deserve to be happy, like I told you before, never sell yourself short." Tori finished. She took a good look into his light brown eyes and for the first time she saw in them... love? 'Nah, I'm just imaging things. She said as she looked away from Hunter for a moment.
Hunter who was looking into her sea blue eyes noticed that there was something different in them... was it love that he saw in her eyes? 'Nah, I'm seeing things.' Hunter thought as he looked down to the ground when she turned away from him. They just sat there for a moment. "Here, let me help you up," Hunter said to her as he got up. He extended his hand out to her and helped her up. She stumbled from the sudden rush of getting up too fast and tripped further into his arms. Hunter just held her for a moment and the two locked eyes. They slowly inched towards each other when all of sudden they heard someone ride up beside them. They jumped back abruptly and Hunter released Tori from his hold on her. Dustin saw this and started wondering if he was interrupting something. "Hey guys, want to race?"
Hunter completely forgot that Dustin was going to meet up with them at the track to see how well Tori would ride with the two of them. 'Was I about to kiss her? Great timing Dustin!' Hunter thought as he went to grab his stuff. "Yeah, you up for it Tor?" He asked.
"Yeah, go ahead just give me a minute. I'll catch up with you two." She said. She just had to shake off this feeling that was caused from being within such close proximity of Hunter. 'What was I thinking? I almost kissed him! This can't be I love Blake! Hunter and I can never be more than friends. I will never allow that to happen again.' She placed her helmet back on and rode up to where Hunter and Dustin were. "Okay, guys let's go!" "Just give me a minute to warm up, one lap around okay?" Dustin asked the two.
"Sure." The two blonds said in unison. Dustin rode off and Tori turned to face Hunter. "Look whatever almost happened back there... it can't happen again okay? I like you Hunter and I like spending time with you, but you know that we can't be anything more than friends... okay? I am really sorry, but I love Blake."
Hunter ran a hand through his hair, "Look, I should be the one apologizing. I know that you love Blake. He's my brother and I would never want to hurt him. I guess that I just got caught up in the moment. Friends?" He asked as he extended out his hand to her.
"No." She paused then continued, "We're more like best friends." She then took his hand and shook it. Hunter had released the breath he apparently held in when he first heard her say, "No."
"Good, now let's give Dustin a race of a lifetime!" Hunter finished as Dustin pulled up beside them willing and waiting.
"Alright, let's go!" Tori said as she placed her helmet on and the three took off in hot pursuit of each other.