Otto and Twister skateboarded toward Madtown in silence. Otto could tell that something was bugging Twister, but he figured that it probably concerned Reggie and didn't really want to ask. After awhile, he couldn't stand it anymore. "What's with you bro?"
"What do you mean?" Twister asked.
"Duh! Something is definitely eating you. You're never this quiet." Otto said.
"Yeah. It's just that I have this feeling."
"What kind of feeling?" Otto asked.
"I mean, do you think we should have left Reggie alone with those guys?"
"Is that what this is? You're jealous!" Otto stopped his board in the middle of the sidewalk, nearly causing Twister to crash into him.
"No. I'm not jealous." Twister said defensively. "I just don't like the way that dude keeps checking her out. Don't tell me you didn't notice!"
"Yeah, I noticed." Otto shrugged.
"So why did we leave her with them?" Twister asked.
"Reggie can take care of herself. Besides, Squid's with her." Otto said.
"I know, but I still have a bad feeling about it."
"So why don't you go running back to your little girlfriend and I'll go to Madtown BY MYSELF!" Otto raised his voice. He was starting to get annoyed with this discussion.
"DID I SAY I wanted to go back?" Twister asked, raising is voice also.
"NO, but that's what you want. SO GO!" Otto turned around angrily and started to skate off.
"Damn Otto! Can't we just have a simple conversation without you starting a beef?"
"Not when it concerns YOU dating my SISTER, Bro." He stopped skating again and turned to face Twister as if challenging him.
"I thought we were cool about that." Twister muttered, wondering exactly when this discussion had started to go bad.
"Yeah, well I guess you thought wrong." Otto said and turned to skate off again.
Twister sighed. He didn't want to do this. It hadn't even been a week since the last time he and Otto had been fighting. He knew that one wrong word would send Otto over the edge and they'd be at each other's throats again. He wanted desperately to stand up to him and ask him what the hell his problem is, but he couldn't stand the thought of another huge argument.. He got on his board skated hard until he caught up with Otto.
"What are you doing?" Otto asked when he saw twister skating up beside him.
"Going to Madtown with you." Twister said.
"You mean you're not going to bail and go find Reggie?"
"Nah, I'm going to Madtown with my Bro." Twister repeated.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Otto finally spoke. "Sorry I went aggro on you, man."
"No problem, forget about it dude." Twister said.
"You and Reggie being a couple is still a little strange for me, you know?" Otto said with a bit of uneasiness. "I really don't mind, it's just taking me awhile to get used to it. To tell you the truth, I'm glad she's dating you and not some loser. I know you'll treat her right."
Twister was so surprised by Otto pouring his heart out that he didn't really know how to respond. After a few seconds he finally muttered "Thanks bro."
"Look, if you want, I'll go with you to find them later."
"Really?" Twister was amazed—Otto was full of surprises today.
"Yeah, but first, I'm ready to catch some mad air!"
"I'm with you!" Twister shouted excitedly as they arrived at Madtown.
********
Later that evening, Reggie was exhausted. They had ridden every single ride on the pier—some twice. She was glad that Alex and Will had a good time, but she was ready for them to head back to their hotel so she could go find Twister. She missed him.
"Do you think that your parents are worried about you?" She asked, hoping that they'd take the hint.
"No, I told them we'd probably be late" Alex said.
"Oh. Well, I think I'm going to head home. I'm exhausted. Maybe we'll see you around again before you leave." Reggie said.
"Don't go! It's only 8:00. It's not even dark yet!" Alex protested.
"Yeah, my mom isn't expecting me until 9:30. Besides, I'm starving!" Sam said.
It suddenly dawned on Reggie that they had been so busy riding the rides that they forgot to eat dinner. She realized that she was pretty hungry herself. She decided that seeing Twister could wait long enough for them to grab a bite to eat. "Okay, lets go to the Shack."
"I hope your brother isn't there." Will said.
"Don't worry about Otto. He's not as tough as he wants everyone to think he is—unless it involves sports. He's actually a pretty nice guy, he's just really into himself."
"Yeah…I noticed." Alex said smugly.
They arrived at the Shore Shack only to find that it was packed. It was no surprise since it was the middle of summer. Tourist liked to spend the day relaxing on the beach, but when evening came they were ready for excitement. The Shore Shack was in the perfect location for a quick meal before heading to the amusement park on the pier.
When their food was finally ready, which seemed to take forever, they took it outside and sat on the edge of the pier. They chatted and watched the sun slowly sink down into the Pacific as they ate.
******
Twister could honestly saw that he hadn't felt this good in weeks. Spending the evening at Madtown with Otto was just like old times. It seemed like they'd been fighting so much lately, that they had forgotten what a great time they always had together.
"That was an awesome run!" Otto said, sitting on a bench to rest.
"Yeah, it was sick bro!" Twister agreed and plopped down beside him. "You ready to hit the shack? I'm starving!"
"Yeah, me too." Otto said. "Then we'll go look for Reggie and Squid. Maybe those kooks are gone by now."
"Yeah, I hope so. Let's go!" They skated off toward the pier.
*****
After they finished their dinner, Reggie stood up like she was getting ready to leave. She didn't notice when Alex gave Will a sharp poke in the gut.
"Um…where's the bathroom?" Will asked.
"All the way down at the other end of the pier" Sam pointed out the direction.
Will looked into the maze of rides, games and souvenir places. "There's a lot of stuff down there, could you show me?" He asked.
"Sure. Be right back, Reggie." Sam said as he and Will walked off.
Suddenly Reggie was uneasy around Alex now that they were alone. The silence was very uncomfortable so she racked her brain for something to talk about. "So…are you ready to go back to Arizona?"
"Not really. It's so hot and boring there." He said, and then paused briefly. "Besides, I'd rather stay here with you."
"Me? You barely know me." She said shyly.
"I know, but I think you're the coolest girl I've ever met…not to mention the fact that you're totally hot!"
Reggie felt her check grow warm. She knew that they were bright red. She looked down the pier, hoping that Sammy and Will would hurry up and come back. They were nowhere in sight.
"That's sweet Alex, but even if you stayed we could only be friends. I love Twister."
"He just doesn't seem right for you, Reggie. He seems really immature—kinda like your brother." He said.
She was slightly offended at the comment. "He's NOT immature. I've known Twister forever. He's a really sweet and sensitive guy."
"Is that why he bailed on you today? Cause he's so sweet and sensitive?" he asked.
"I don't mind if he wanted to go hang with Otto. I'm glad they're spending time together. Things have really been a mess lately, but that's a long story."
"Well, I would never choose my buds over a girl like you. Just give me a chance," he said and looked straight into her eyes. "I'll show you that I'm sweet and sensitive too." He put his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed her.
******
On their way into the Shack, Otto noticed a couple kissing further down the pier. At first, he just ignored them, but then suddenly spun around and did a double take.
"What's wrong, dude?" Twister asked.
"Nothing. For a second I thought that girl was Reggie." He said and pointed at the couple.
Twister turned and squinted to see through all the bright lights. "Yeah, she kinda looks like Reggie from the back. That's not Reggie though, that girl is kissing some dude."
Twister shrugged it off and turned around to go in the Shack, but Otto was still focused on the couple. Suddenly, they broke apart. The girl looked upset as she stepped back. Otto could finally see her face. "Wait a minute! That IS Reggie! And she's with that damn shoobie!"
"Huh?" Twister wasn't sure that he'd heard Otto right. He turned around to look at the couple again and realized that there was nothing wrong with his hearing. "WHAT THE FUCK!" He slammed down his skateboard and stormed toward Reggie and Alex.