Skate Or Lie

When the burning became too much, Ajay opened her eyes to various colorful lights popping only a few feet from her face. She wiped away soot, gunpowder, and nitrates from her left arm. Her head felt like it was spinning for a moment as she tried to recall how she got wherever she but she didn't have much time to think about it when she heard Octavio yelling at her in the distance.

She blinked a few times and then instinctually hit the record button on the phone she seemed to be holding in her left hand. Her body went through the motions as if she didn't even have to think about what to do; her body just did it for her. None of this made sense to her but her thoughts were once again interrupted by her best friend yelling at her.

She focused the phone camera in on Octavio as he zipped down a rail on his skateboard. Sparkling colors emitted from the fireworks that were strapped to his back. Not once did she think that this was a good idea but once again Octavio ignored her, stating that his fans would love it. She had seen him do this before at one of his father's weddings. Yeah, that didn't go over too well.

The Gardens on Olympus were usually serene and peaceful. In fact, most everywhere on Psamathe was beautiful. The most beautiful topiaries and flower arrangements on the entire planet were located in The Gardens and now they were trampled and currently on fire. Octavio gave a shout out to all of his fans as he flew by Ajay. He winked at her when he rode past and she giggled, which was out of character for her. Usually she would have rolled her eyes at him but for some reason she thought it was cute.

Ajay quickly stopped recording when she heard the faint, familiar cries of the security guards in the, not so far, distance. She shoved the phone into her pocket and smiled because she knew it was game time. She loved the little game she got to play with the security guards. She grabbed her skateboard and stood up from her crouched position on the pavement. She just stood there and watched as the security guards rounded the corner of a tall bush that was trimmed in the shape of a wall.

"When da fuck will they learn. I have a fuckin' skateboard." She could hear them shouting at her to stop or something along the lines of that. She began walking backwards and gave the security guards a smirk as they closed the gap between them. She waited for them to get close enough to get a good look at her and when they did she proceeded to give them the middle finger from each of her hands. She knew it would only infuriate them even more.

One of the security guards yelled something incomprehensible, which Ajay just shrugged off, as she usually did. She let them get closer before she turned around and began running away from them. She knew that she had held them off long enough for Octavio to get far enough away. When she managed to get enough speed from running she dropped her skateboard down in front of her and hopped on; easily escaping the security detail.

It didn't take her long to catch up with Octavio. "Yo, you trying to race me chica?" Octavio had a smirk plastered across his face when she rode up next to him. Ajay rolled her eyes, "If dis was a race I be winnin' and yuh know it." She watched as Octavio's smirk turned into a smile. Ajay motioned back behind her, "Security."

Octavio quickly glanced behind him and then back to her, "My number one fans!" He laughed at his own joke but Ajay wasn't as amused as he was. She wondered if he knew what she did to keep the guards off of them, not just this time but every time they recorded a stunt video for his fans.

"Silva—" Octavio quickly cut her off, "Come on Che, it was funny. Quit being a stick in the mud." Ajay shook her head, "Nah. It's not dat." Octavio raised an eyebrow, "Then what is it?" Ajay smiled momentarily and pushed passed him, "Dis is a race and I be winnin'." She giggled and pushed farther ahead of him. "Che! I knew it was a race. I'm gonna win!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and rushed forward to beat him back to his house. Octavio tore off the vest of explosives that he was wearing, "No way you beat me Che!" He then threw the vest to the ground and pushed hard to catch up with her. "I'm gonna win and you're gonna owe me big time chica!"

This was also part of the game that she played when they went out to record his videos. She kept security off of them and then she raced Octavio back to his house. She didn't usually win the race part but she always tried and she always gave him a hard time about it.

Ajay was grateful that Octavio's father wasn't home because it was late and she and Octavio were far from quiet when they burst through the door of his house. Their race continued up the stairs where Ajay made headway by tripping Octavio halfway up the steps but Octavio was quick on his feet and caught up in no time. They both forced their bodies through the doorway of his room at the same time and hopped onto his bed.

"Told yuh I'd beat yuh Silva." She struggled to get the words out as she gasped for air. "Oh no you didn't Che. Hare crushes tortoise every time! Admit defeat!" Ajay laughed and laid down on her back, "Yuh know those security guards know who yuh are Silva." Which also meant that they probably knew who she was and if that was true then she was only delaying the inevitable by hiding out at Octavio's house.

Octavio sat up on his side and leaned against his elbow as he looked down at her, "Yeah. They're always trying to ruin my fun. They are sooooo boring! Besides, they're not going to arrest two 15 year olds." She watched as his eyes shifted to her chest for moment and then back up to her face, "Did you get all of it Che?"

Ajay nodded and dug into her pocket to retrieve his phone. She pulled out his phone excruciatingly slow before dangling it in front of him. When he reached for his phone, she pulled it away and giggled, "What gives Che?" She gave him an innocent look and held out his phone again. As he reached for his phone again she repeated the process and pulled it away again. "Come on Che!" She giggled and shoved his phone underneath her, between herself and the mattress just to toy with him.

Octavio hopped on top of Ajay and pinned her hips down between his legs, "What's the deal Che?!" She put up a fake struggle when he reached underneath her for his phone. "You wanna play rough Che? I dig that." She even let him take her by her wrists so that he could hold her arms above her head with one hand. She knew that she could probably get out of his grasp if she wanted to but she didn't budge. When he lowered his face to hers she tried not to squirm underneath him.

His lips hovered only inches above her own as he spoke to her, "Just remember Che. You started this." Her heart raced as his warm breath hit her face. She could smell dirt, sweat, and gunpowder; everything that made him, him. She inhaled his intoxicating scent and tried to keep her poker face. She would be lying if she said she didn't have feelings for him; she had developed them a long time ago but she would never admit to them in hopes to keep their friendship intact.

Octavio reached underneath her again and froze in place above her. Her thoughts became transient when she realized that he had a firm grip on her ass. Her body arched almost just as instantly as his hand took hold of her ass. She could feel his warm breath hasten against her face. "Che…" Her only response came in the form of a small moan, which she could no longer hold back.

Her face felt flush and warm as she blushed in response. She could tell that she caught Octavio off guard because for once he was at a loss for words. She could feel how tense he was as he sat on top of her. Ajay didn't know what to do or say. Her body was betraying her by reacting to his hand. Her heart pounded forcefully against her chest cavity the more she thought about it. She didn't want this particular feeling to end but she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship either.

"Silva…" She said his name soft and, almost, breathlessly. "Fuck it." Ajay closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against his. She grew scared when he didn't kiss her back at first but when he finally leaned down into her she celebrated internally. His lips were softer than she had imagined and even though he tasted of dirt and sweat it didn't seem to bother her at all. Her body ached when he gently squeezed her ass and pushed her wrists more firmly into the mattress.

She was elated that they were finally kissing and that Octavio was reciprocating because now she knew that he had felt the same way as she did; at least she hoped that he felt the same way as she did. She gently eased her hips against him and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was hard underneath the fabric of his stupid shorts. She grew wet with the very thought of what lie beneath his shorts.

It didn't take long before she was left questioning his feelings for her because he quickly broke their kiss and got up off of her and the bed. She lay there on the bed with her arms above her head, staring up at him with a longing in her chestnut eyes. She wondered if maybe she had done something wrong. She had never kissed anyone before. Maybe she had truly fucked up their friendship over her actions.

Ajay watched as Octavio stood there for a moment and stared down at her. Before she could say anything he beat her to it, "I should get cleaned up." As he stepped backwards he tripped over himself but caught himself before he fell on his ass, "You know because of the fireworks." Ajay watched him stumble into the bathroom and promptly close the door. She wasn't sure if she should stay or if she should go.

After a few minutes of holding back tears she finally sat up on the edge of his bed. She grabbed his phone and set in on his bedside table, stopping for a moment to observe a few candles that were lit and casting a faint glow. The candles seemed strange, even for Octavio. She had never seen the candles before and yet it looked like that had been used several times as wax dripped down over the edges and onto the table.

She shook off the strange feeling and adjusted her clothing after she stood up. She inhaled a staggered breath and slowly released it before taking a few steps towards the bathroom door. When she made it to the closed door she pressed her forehead against the wood for a moment. She forced lingering thoughts away and reached for the door handle. She began to pull down on the handle but a sudden throbbing spread across her head and stopped her.

The throbbing felt familiar; the whole situation felt familiar. She inhaled sharply and tried to push through the pain. She was tired of being hurt and in pain. She needed to talk to him before their friendship was ruined forever. She couldn't risk losing the only friend that she had. She exhaled and focused on the door. "Get yuh shit togetha."

On some level of thought she hoped that the door was locked so that she could just avoid the whole situation but luck was never on her side. She pulled the handle down and slowly pushed the door open. The pounding in her head became more intense and caused her vision to become blurry. "What da fuck..."

Ajay reluctantly released the handle and placed her hands over her face because the pounding had become too intense. No sooner than she released the handle of the door, a blast of hot air shot in and forced the door wide open. Ajay parted her fingers and peeked through them. What she saw definitely wasn't a bathroom or any part of Octavio's house for that matter. What the fuck Pandora's Box had she just opened.