As Stacy was getting dressed, her phone rang. It was Rhonda.
   "Hiya Ronnie, what's up?"
   "Just calling to remind you to be at the Scarborough Academy over on 14th in an hour."
   "I'm getting dressed as we speak." She pulled up her pants while holding the phone with her shoulder and her cheek. "You know, you always seem to know stuff before everyone else does. By any chance, do you have any idea what this could possibly be about?"
   "Well, he's deliberately not being specific about anything. All I could manage to get out of him is that it has something or other to do with his bike." Rhonda suddenly remembered Jeff's admonishment. "Please don't tell him I told you that, though. I'm sure he wants you to be completely surprised."
   Stacy thought about this for about fifteen seconds, and then put two and two together. On numeous occasions over the last couple of months, she had passed the Scarborough school while riding in the back seat of the family car. Occasionally, there would be a bunch of kids on bikes and skateboards messing around on crudely made ramps in the school's yard area. So this was the activity that Jeff had been busying himself with all of last week that accounted for the wide time lapse in between picking up the videos, and arriving at her house with them. Up until now, it never occurred to her that he might've actually been using the pegs on his bike for what they were meant for, and not just giving her rides.
   "Uh, Stacy, are you still there?" Asked Rhonda.
   "Yeah...I'm sorry. Look Ron, I'll see you in an hour. There's something I've gotta do real fast."
   "Alright. Bye."
   "Bye."
   Stacy could barely contain her excitement. She also had a secret that she had never told Jeff, or for that matter, anybody else at Faircrest middle school. Back at Harrison, her old school, she had actually won ribbons for her skills as a BMX flatlander. She quickly abandoned her plans to put on something nice, and instead, threw on one of Jeff's shirts, a pair of torn jeans, and some knee pads. She ran out to the garage, and got out her bike, which she hadn't ridden since the summer. Her reasons for abandoning it were twofold. She didn't really need it, because her new house was within easy walking distance of her new school. Also, gymnastics and softball had both replaced it has her principal athletic focus this year. The thought of having yet something else in common with Jeff was making her heart pound. Now the two of them would have something they could do together outdoors.
   She grabbed the helmet that was draped over the handlebars and put it on. The instant she got on her bike, all her old skills came back to her as if she had never stopped doing them. A simple barspin? No problem. A peg wheelie? Easy as pie. A hydrant? Still smooth as butter. This was going to be a great morning. She pedaled out towards 14th Street with her spirits soaring.

9:45 AM

   Meanwhile, Carl and Rhonda had arrived at the schoolyard. There were now bleachers set up on either side of the half-pipe, and they were sitting in the top row. There were lots of other people scattered throughout the six rows of seats, presumably friends and family of the kids riding the bikes and skateboards. Rhonda and Carl looked at the ramp, and then at each other in a disbelieving manner.
   "Is Jeff actually going to ride his bike down and up that thing?" Rhonda was understandably somewhat skeptical of his abilities at anything that might require alot of physical coordination.
   "Apparently." Carl was equally dubious. "Then again, he might just be doing something over there with those guys" He pointed towards another section of the yard, where a group of flatlanders were going through the motions. "Even that would be impressive. I've seen him fall on his face numerous times, just tryin' to pop a wheelie."
   "Hello fellow spectators," Linda's voice came from the side of the bleachers. She sat down next to Carl, taking his arm in hers.
   "Hiya Hon," Carl kissed her on the cheek.
   Rhonda was impressed. She never even considered the possibility that owlish Carl Kingsbury might actually have a girlfriend, let alone a pretty one. Linda was now wearing a somewhat low-cut shirt, and seemed to be completely comfortable dressed that way.
   "Believe it or not, it looks like our dear foolish friend Jeff is about to try his hand at extreme sports," Carl informed her.
   "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it," Linda countered. "No matter how hard or often that guy gets beaten up or falls off that bike, he always seemes to emerge with very little damage."
   "Howdy all," Cindy's familiar voice alerted everyone to three arrivals climbing up the bleacher steps. By this time, everyone knew that Dana and Jeff had become good friends, but seeing Clifford came as a shock, even to Rhonda. It seems that within a week, Jeff Feingold went from being completely friendless to completely enemyless.
   "What on earth happened to you?" Carl asked, eyeing Cliff's bandaged face.
   "Uh, I had a little accident."
   Dana, Cliff and Cindy all took a seat in the next row down, just in time to see four figures carrying their bikes up to the half-pipe's platform. One of them was wearing a familiar long-sleeved striped shirt.
   "Holy shit!" Exclaimed Dana. "What the hell has he gotten himself into?"
   "My thoughts exactly," Rhonda concurred.
   It was then that Carl looked over his shoulder and spotted Stacy gliding down the street while actually standing on her bike's handlebars.
   "Excuse me, I'll be right back." Carl jumped down off the bleachers and intercepted Stacy.
   "Heya, Carl."
   "Stace, what're you doing?"
   "What does it look like I'm doing? The rumor got around that Jeff is secretly a BMX wiz. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out that I'm one too."
   "I don't think that it's necessarily gonna be a look of elation."
   "What're you talking about?"
   "Jeff really wanted to surprise you with this," He sighed. "And he was also looking forward to teaching you how to do this stuff."
   "Well, I'll save him the trouble..."
   "For Chrissakes Stace!" Carl cut her off. "Have a little respect for the male ego." For once will you at least allow him to think that he might actually be better than you at something?"
   Stacy took off her helmet, and proceeded to lock her bike under the bleachers. "Look Carl. Obviously I'm not going to be able to keep this a secret, but I'll let him have his moment in the sun. Who knows? Maybe he's actually better than me at this, and really will be able to teach me something."
   "I seriously doubt that." Carl shook his head.
   The two of them climbed into the top row of the bleachers with Carl resuming his seat next to Linda. Stacy sat down in between Linda and Rhonda. It was then that she suddenly noticed the giant vert ramp that had been erected specifically for this occasion, and nearly had a coronary.
   "Holy shit, what the hell is that!?" She was horrified. Everyone else was a bit surprised by her sudden outburst.
   "Um, I believe that in surfing vernacular, that is what is known as a 'big-ass half-pipe'," answered Carl.
   It was at this moment that she and Carl noticed four helmeted figures with bikes at the top of one side of the half-pipe. The one that was wearing a striped rugby shirt waved to them.
   Stacy started to panic. "There's no way I'm letting him go through this just to impress me. He can barely hit a baseball, and he's gonna get himself killed!" She started to get up, but Rhonda and Linda both grabbed each arm, and yanked her back down in her seat.
   Rhonda gave her a stern look, "Sometimes, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."
   Linda chimed in, "You're his chick, not his mother. Sit down and behave yourself."

   Jeff, Stacy, Greil and Gretchen spent the rest of the morning trading off moves. Later that afternoon, they all went out for a pizza, and eventually rode off into the sunset.

If you've enjoyed this story (or didn't), please feel free to E-Mail me and let me know what you did or didn't like. I'd be delighted to hear any feedback.

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