Chapter 19: Too Many Worries

Reggie sits on her couch, looking back at Rick's trophy from the skating competition. It had been two days since the big event, yet none of it had left Reggie's mind. Something was bothering her. Yet she did not know what it was. Yeah, she lost. Did that really mean so much to her? Or was it Rick getting all the attention from everyone after winning? Who knows. All that she knew was it made her upset.

She should be celebrating with her boyfriend, after that kind of achievement. That's what boyfriends and girlfriends do. They do stuff for each other, when they have a big moment in their lives. However, Rick had been either sleeping or busy with anything and everything that was not her. She would try talking to him, but get very short and brief responses. The more she thought about it, the more it drove her mad. She needed some air. She abruptly went to the garage and grabbed her gear. She thought maybe a ride to the Shack would help things. Maybe there would be someone to talk to.

As she rides down, her mind continues to race. Continuously trying to shake things off, she finally reaches the Shack. Sunday's are quiet. The tourists are not around and the locals are at home resting. You can hear waves crashing against the beach and seagulls munching on scraps. It's peaceful on most days. Not today, however. Reggie needed some noise to block out her thoughts. Luckily, as she looks around, she hears one of the gang, as they eat their lunch.

"Reg! Over here!"

Reggie looks up to see Anna, sitting down at the table near Tito. Anna continues to nibble on her food rapidly, with a glimmer to her face. Reggie quickly picks up her gear and sits down next to her as she speaks.

"Hey girl! How's it going?"

Anna points at Reggie with one of her french fries. She seems to be eating at a turtle's pace, which was not a surprise. Even with a mouthful of fries, Anna responds, speaking fast and muffled.

"Not the best, Reg. Lars ditched another one of our dates. I'm getting fed up with him. Every time I want to do something, he finds a way to leave me hanging. I don't know if I should dump him. I mean..."

While Anna begins to start a ramble, Reggie takes off her stuff. This is how Anna is. When she gets going, no one can stop her. It's not a bad thing. It gave Reggie some sound to block herself out. That's just who she is. Everyone in the group still loves her for it, but they all know it's easy to zone out of the "Lars Stories". Yet, could Reggie really blame her? Just as she began to zone out herself, Anna's question to Reggie brought her back in the conversation.

"Speaking of which, where's your boy? Haven't seen him in a while."

Reggie looks down at the table in front of her, as she speaks quietly and in disappointment.

"Barely seen him since the tournament. He's been out of the house practicing or helping Dad out."

Anna looks at Reggie, as a fit of anger slides on her face.

"How can he do that to his girlfriend? What, is he TRYING to avoid you?"

Reggie seems confident in her denial at first.

"Nah. Doubt it. He's..."

As Reggie tries to come up with a reason, her tone changes. She has given him the benefit of the doubt so many times now that it's clearly starting to wear on her. Her eyes look away from Anna. Her face lowered by the reality hitting her.

"I don't know. There's probably a good reason for it."

Anna's shakes her head. She's clearly not convinced of Reggie's answer. Her response is strong.

"I've heard you say that about 10 times since you've got together. When is he going to give you the time?"

Reggie once again tries to defend her boyfriend, even with a tired tone.

"Well, he got me flowers once and writes me notes..."

Anna's confusion and concern seems to grow the more Reggie talks. While Reggie gets quieter, Anna's firm voice grows.

"Notes? Reg, he's suppose to be your boyfriend! He can do that to your face! And what's the point of getting flowers if he can't be there to enjoy anything with you?"

Reggie's defense comes to a halt. She knows Anna's trying to be real with her, but the toughness of it is overwhelming. Having someone like Rick to call hers felt amazing. She never had that before. However, as the days grow, she knows more and more that it is not mutual. It is breaking Reggie slowly, yet effectively. She keeps her cool and answers Anna.

"You're right. I don't know what to do. Should I try to talk to him?"

Anna's concern turns into a fit of minor aggression.

"REG! If he isn't seeing you now, what makes you think he'll talk to you?"

Reggie goes silent. Anna calms herself. While she is looking out for her friend, she can see the uncomfortable feeling overcome her. Anna quickly turns it into friendly confidence.

"Look...To be honest, you need to dump him. You're too good for him. For real. Just like I'm too good for Lars. Oddly enough, we're in the exact same boat, girl."

Anna takes Reggie's hand and motions for her to look right at her.

"You are smart, funny and amazing, girl. Someone like that deserves a guy who will be there for them and be proud to have you by his side. Neither of us have a boyfriend like that. We deserve it. And we should not stand for anything less."

Reggie had been underplaying Anna's seriousness until now, but her words begin to echo in her mind. Her eyes race back and forth as she ponders Anna's words. Finally, her mind centers. Reggie, after nearly a minute of silent thinking, looks for confirmation from her friend.

"You really think so?"

Anna nods in confidence.

"I know so, Reg. Those boys don't want to worry about us? Well, let's give them that chance. Afterwards, we can get some food and binge watch some shows at my house. Food's on me. We can invite Harm too! Just a ladies night, to get us away from boys. What do you think?"

Reggie goes back to a look of concern.

"I don't wanna lose Rick as a friend. We're a group and..."

Anna quickly snaps her fingers at Reggie.

"Hey! Don't worry about him. That will figure itself out. You need to worry about YOU! What's best for YOU and what YOU need. Am I right, or am I right?"

Reggie looks once again at Anna. All the emotions were running through her like wild fire. Yet deep down, she did feel it was the right decision. Anna was never someone to steer her the wrong way before. While she did care for Rick, she forgot all about herself. She could not even skate in the tournament like herself, because of all this drama. It became too much. Reggie sighs, as she finally comes to terms with it in her head. Her emotions stamped on her face like a painting. She looks up at Anna.

"Right. We'll do it. Tomorrow?"

Anna smiles back.

"Tomorrow. For both of us. Come on. Let's head back to my place. Twister and Lars are out for a while anyway. We can chill there and relax."

The girls woogity woogity and stand up. They both get on their boards and head back to the Rodriguez house to pass the time...

Otto and Rick are back at the park, going through moves for Rick to learn. Otto took it upon himself to help tutor Rick in the next round of competition. Rick had the moves to impress the crowd at home, yet Otto knew he needed more to be a threat in the next round. Rick would practice a move, then Otto would tell him what he saw. They were at this long process for over two hours now. The sun was bright today. Rick's face had fatigue and sweat covering his body. Yet he was never one to quit. Otto was sweating just watching. Rick went up for the next move and wiped out hard on his side. His arm and side had minor bruises. As usually, Rick is quick to get up and brush it off. He looks Otto's way.

"I screwed that up bad. Board too high up?"

Otto looks at him with a nod of agreement.

"You got it, bro. Gotta keep it lower. Don't force it. Just relax your way onto the rail."

As Otto continues to watch Rick, he keeps an eye out on the road. He sees Reggie and Anna head back towards the house. Something was on his mind that day. Everything that happened between the competition and talking to his bro got him thinking about what was really going on in his head. He knew the secret he had kept hidden from Twister's room was eating him alive. As much as he blocked it out, it would not relent. Otto had no one to tell and no way to express it. He found it tougher to sleep and get through every day since that moment. The uncertainty of losing his best friend became a stress overload. There was no choice left. He had to tell someone. Just relieve himself of the burden, somewhat. Yet, he did not want to tell anyone other than Reggie. That was his sister, someone that knew Twister just as well as anyone. She would know what to do. What to say.

"OTTO!"

Otto quickly snaps out of it to look towards his prodigy. Rick grabs his shirt that is on the ground next to Otto, to wipe the sweat off his face. He talks with a sarcastic frustration to his voice.

"The one time I actually land it and you're in space. What gives?"

Otto shakes his head and tries to refocus.

"Sorry dude. You got it?"

Rick shakes his head, puts the shirt back on the ground and and tries to do it once again. As he's watching, Otto sees Twister head towards the park. His mind begins to race again as he whispers to himself.

"What timing..."

As Rick misses his move again, Otto walks over to him.

"You got it, dude. I'm gonna run home quick to check on Dad. Think he's fixing the grill or something."

Rick gets himself up as Otto gets on his board and leaves abruptly.

"Okay dude. See ya."

Rick has a look of confusion at first, yet quickly gets back to practicing. While he nailed the move once, it was not enough. His mind was focused on getting as comfortable as he could doing these crazy tricks, to represent his family and friends in Los Angeles. It was a lot, for a kid originally from a small town in the middle of nowhere. His life finally had some kind of meaning. The feeling in his mind was simple. He let it out softly in his voice.

"Can't blow this chance."

He practices again for another 10 minutes, before hearing a voice near him.

"Yo Rick!"

It was Twister, who had already gotten his gear on in front of him. Rick was so set on his practice, he did not even realize Twister was right in the park with him. There were about four other kids skating with him, but Rick usually had a better eye than that. He waves back and skates over to him.

"Twister! Hell, I didn't even see you. What's up?"

Twister is still finishing tying his shoes as he answers him.

"Ah, nothing. Sam's been helping me with homework, so I've been doing that every Sunday. I just got done, so I had to get some air. You still practicing?"

Rick takes a deep breathe of fresh air, as he answers.

"You bet."

Twister looks up at the sky.

"Even on a day like today. It's so hot out."

Rick laughs a bit.

"True. But still gotta work on this stuff, so I can be as good as possible for the next tourney. Exhausting, though. And sweaty..."

Twister gives Rick a bright smile as he looks at him again.

"Yeah, you look pretty sweaty. Wait, I thought Otto was training you?"

Rick looks up the road as he responds.

"He is. Ran home to check on his pops. Otto's been giving me good advice. I just don't have the mechanics down."

Twister answers confidently as he stands up and pulls out his camcorder.

"You'll get it dude. If you want, I can record it for ya, so you can get a look."

Rick thinks for a second quizzically at Twister, giving his friend a confusing look before he speaks.

"I'm actually beat right now. Need a break for a bit."

Rick turns himself around and points Twister towards the ramp.

"You know...You're always taping us do cool tricks and you never get the chance to be the star. Show me a move I can use for the competition. I can run the camcorder. Well, only if you're okay with me using it."

Twister's face shifts to shock. No one offered to tape him skating before. He would have to ask Otto, Sam or Reggie in the past. It was an odd feeling. He had been so used to being behind the camera, that he never knew what it would be like the other way around. Still, the idea was exciting. Even if the day was hotter than an oven. Twister did wonder if Rick even knew how to use it. The first few seconds left him without an answer, but he did have one trick he wanted to show off. He confidently hands Rick the camcorder and begins to show him the buttons. Rick nods through most of it before giving him a thumbs up. Twister nervously wipes the sweat off his face, takes his shirt off and moves on up the ramp. As he gets to the top, he hears Rick yell a question.

"Wait. It's the button in the back to zoom in and out, right?"

Twister's nod is tough for Rick to see from the top, but it's enough for him to start recording and give Twister another thumbs up. Twister copies Rick's deep sigh he had seen him do at the tournament and begins his decent. His form was never what Otto and Reggie had, but he practiced one specific move in his free time. While Otto and Rick were much better at the overall move sets, Twister found himself to be quite skillful in his grinds. He always went for those, to pass the time.

The one he showed Rick was the Feeble Grind. The back end of his skateboard hit the top of the ramp and did the grind, while his front end hovered perfectly over. He tilts his board over, to balance out his slender body and is able to dip back onto the ramp before falling. It was a move he tried a thousand times on his own when he first met the gang. He did not do it much in front of anyone, though.

The precision left Rick stunned. He stares at Twister in amazement, as he looks at him. Twister looks at Rick with a look of happiness at first, then laughs as he points out a realization.

"Rick, you gotta press the red button again to stop the recording."

Rick, zoned out from what he just saw, snaps out of it and hits the button.

"Crap, sorry. Twister, that was unbelievable! Why haven't you shown that trick before?"

Twister, becoming sheepish at the notion, gets quieter as he explains.

"I wasn't sure if I was ready. I've been practicing a lot on grinding, but never wanted to wipe out in front of you guys. I get nervous with people watching me."

Rick, still baffled, puts his arm around him and responds to his caution.

"That was you nervous? You seemed as cool as the other side of the pillow. Anyway, you can teach me that technique?"

Twister gets a big smile on his face as he answers.

"Of course. We better watch the video and I'll explain the trick to you."

Rick smirks himself as he speaks.

"Let's just hope I can be as nervous as you are."

They both laugh. Twister and Rick walk to the bench on the side of the skate park, as Twister opens up his camera and the two watch the tape for a good time. Twister never saw himself on camera before like that. It felt odd for him to be the star, yet it made him feel proud of himself in a way. He never had that before. It was a good feeling. Instead of skating, the two ended up watching the video and talking throughout the day. Once it got dark, they rode their bikes up the hill and headed back home. It became a theme for whoever was hanging out together, to ride up to their portion of town.

Rick and Twister wave each other goodbye and head to their houses. Rick walks in and smells dinner on the stove. He sits down on the table and realizes Otto and Reggie are nowhere to be found. He looks over to Harmony, who is eating and speaks up.

"Are we the only hungry ones in this house?"

Harmony laughs as she finishes her mouthful of food before answering. She seemed calm as can be, which took some of the alarm away from Rick.

"Otto and Reggie are helping Raymundo. They should be in soon."

Rick nods his head and begins to eat his food...

Raymundo, Otto and Reggie are putting the finishing touches on the grill. It has been a day-long process, yet the hard work seemed to have finally payed off. Raymundo wipes the sweat off his head and motions to his kids.

"Whew. Finally done. Whose up for food?"

Otto quickly chirps in.

"In a little bit. I have to finish up some homework in my room. Can you help me real quick Reg?"

Reggie looks confused and a tad bit annoyed, as she responds.

"Sure, I guess..."

The two walk upstairs. Otto in a full sprint. Reggie, was unsure of the situation. Otto loved to wait for the last second for homework, but it was odd for him to ask for her help. Something was up. Reggie was sure of it. Though if it was homework, it was probably Math. It's always Math with Otto. However, as she gets to Otto's room, he abruptly shuts the door.

"Otto! What in the..."

Otto gives a quiet motion to Reggie as he speaks.

"Look, no one can know about this. I can't hold it in any longer. It's going to drive me insane."

Reggie's looks directly at his face. His usual tan is now replaced with a polar white look. Something was clearly stressing her brother. Yet before Otto can continue, Raymundo's voice is overheard through the door.

"Reggie! Anna's at the door for you! Said you forgot something at her house."

Reggie motions her hands through her pockets. Her original worry seemed completely vanished. At that moment, all that went through her mind was worrying about her. How could she help Otto out, when all the drama in her life was still happening. She frustratingly speaks up.

"Crap. I must have left my skates at her house. We'll talk about this later, okay Otto?"

Reggie opens the door and heads downstairs before Otto can intervene. Otto, internally panicking, looks out towards her. His voice is near silent, so only he can hear himself.

"Right, Later..."

Otto takes a few seconds to recover himself, then slowly walks his way down the stairs and gets ready for dinner. Unfortunately for him, Reggie was in no mood to talk. She was in her own world. All the kids were. It had become a weird time for everyone. Each day, it became hard for any of them to focus on anything. There was so much to figure out in each of their lives. What used to be a carefree life of living to the fullest became one of constant worries and uncertainty. Nobody said being a teenager would be easy, and each of them was learning that lesson the hard way...