The Secret Recipe for Moving On by Karen Bischer (ebook reader for manga txt) 📕

“Great,” I say. “Maybe you could explain some stuff to me as he’s doing it.”

“My pleasure,” he says, smiling. We climb to the top of the ramp and sit on the edge, our legs dangling. Willow positions herself across from us, with her camera trained on Luke, who’s at the far end of the half-pipe. He starts riding up one side of the ramp and the bike jumps in the air, turning slightly.

“That’s a 180,” Vince says. “It’s a pretty basic move. He had that thing nailed like the first week.”

“Have you known him long?” I ask, as Luke does another 180 on the other side, a little faster this time.

“Since he started here when we were thirteen,” he says. “He’s a natural. I’ve been doing this since I was nine and I can’t do half the stuff he does.”

Vince cups his hands around his mouth. “Stop being modest. Do your thing, dude!”

Luke gives a thumbs-up and rides to the other end of the pipe, climbing up one side. He sets himself there, then rides down, up the other side of the ramp, going much faster and higher than he did with the 180.

“Here we go,” Vince says, clapping.

I’m holding my breath as he moves up and down the sides of the pipe, the bike climbing higher into the air every time he leaves a ramp. On each jump, he executes a trick, like a 180 or taking his hands off the handlebars as the bike flies upward. Half of me is terrified he’s going to come crashing down at any moment and the other half is in total awe. His movements are so controlled and fluid. Graceful, even. It’s like the juggling, only way more … masculine.

When Luke finishes his last move, which involves his legs splaying out and the bike twirling underneath him before he catches it between his feet, I start clapping. I mean, there’s no other reaction one could have after seeing something like that.

Vince just laughs and shakes his head. “I told you. He’s the real deal.”

Luke guides his bike to the bottom of the pipe, where he removes his helmet and runs a hand through his hair. He’s breathing heavily when he looks up at us. “What did you think?” he calls.

I struggle to find the right words to describe it, and end up blurting out, “That was totally hot!”

Vince literally falls over laughing when I say this and I feel my face start flaming.

“No, not in that way. You know, like the moves were awesome, you know ‘hot.’” I say quickly, with air quotes and everything, but Vince laughs even harder. Luke’s face is red, but it’s probably because he was just defying gravity a moment ago and the blood had no other place to go. I’m relieved that he’s smiling.

“I’ll take hot,” he says, riding over to us. “Hot is good.”

Willow, mercifully, doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she runs over and high-fives Luke. “That was awesome. Maybe the coolest thing I’ve ever shot!”

“Just wait till I do this interview,” Luke says, puffing out his chest. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Is it weird that I never noticed how broad-shouldered Luke is until now? I mean, I have class with him every day so this is something that probably should’ve—

“Earth to Ellie,” Willow says with a giggle.

“Sorry. I’m trying to get my questions in line in my head, so I don’t have to look at my cards,” I lie.

“I was just asking if you wanted some water before we started.”

“No, it’s okay. Let’s do this.”

Willow climbs up on her footstool and I run a hand through my hair and adjust my glasses as she sets up the camera on her shoulder. The camera light turns on and she points at us to start.

“So, how did you get into BMX biking?” I ask, remembering to aim the microphone at Luke when I’m done.

“Well, I was kind of a hyperactive kid and I was always moving around. Like, I couldn’t sit still, and I was always on my bike,” Luke says. “I started doing stunts when I was about thirteen, and after my dad died, I just really wanted to focus on something, to take my mind off of it, so I threw myself into the whole BMX thing.”

I’m so taken aback by this response—I had no idea his father died—that it takes me an extra second or two to remember my next question.

“When did you start entering competitions?”

“About a year after that. It took me about another year to start winning stuff, but with the right coaching and a lot of practice, I started to do pretty well.”

Luke goes on to talk about his coach, whom he trains with on weekends, and how he works at the facility as a teacher four days a week to help pay for everything.

“How do you balance all that with school and friends?” I ask. It wasn’t even a planned question. I’m genuinely curious.

Luke smiles sheepishly. “Most of my friends are here, so it’s easy. But I admit, some of my grades take a hit because of this. But this is my dream, you know? If taking my time to perfect a move here means I don’t get to study as much and I get a B+ instead of an A, I can deal with that.”

Finally, I ask my last question. “So, what’s your ultimate goal?”

“To get to the X Games, maybe make it on a pro tour when I’m older. I’d like to go to college part-time, too, so we’ll see how that pans out. I just want to be the best I can at this. Whatever it takes, you know?” Luke smiles and I notice how well the blue of his shirt brings out the color in his eyes. I wonder if he did that on purpose.

I turn back to the camera. “If you want to see Luke ride, come down to the Ringvale Heights indoor skate park and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!”

When