Jack awoke up alone on the couch the next morning. Both Dan and Darren were gone. She heard soft voices talking outside and decided to check it out. The two of them were sitting on the balcony waiting for her.
“Morning,” she greeted.
“Morning,” they both replied.
“How’s your shoulder?” Darren asked.
“Much better, thank you,” Jack said as she sat down between them.
“So, what are we doing today?” Dan asked.
“I don’t know about you two, But I’m gonna practice. Tomorrow is the big day, and I can’t afford to lose,” she said. Jack climbed down the fire escape and pulled her bike off the ramp.
“Before you even think about jumping off that ramp, I want you to come up here,” Dan called down to her. Jack angrily let the bike fall to the ground as she stomped back up the fire escape. Dan handed her a hastily wrapped box. She tore into it to find a brand new helmet and pads. She smiled.
“You are the best cousin in the world!” Jack said as she hugged him. She put on the black helmet and felt the soft silky lining on the inside as she slipped it onto her head. “This is nice! Thank you! I owe you big time!”
“No, you don’t. I’ve missed out on six of your birthdays. I owed you.”
“Danny,” she simply replied, her fingers ruffling through his hair as she made her way back down the fire escape. Jack got onto her bike and began to practice her routine for the competition.
“If she won’t listen to me about going to the doctor, then all I can do is minimize the damage she does to herself,” Dan told Darren. He nodded and stared out at Jack. She was much more confident now than she had been the other day. Her emerald green eyes shimmered with a new intensity. Darren admired her confidence and skill. She was everything he had wanted in a girl, the best thing being her ability to forgive him, something that was tough for him to do.
“Hey guys!” Jack called, slapping Darren out of his thoughts. “Could you time me? I need to know how long my routine is.”
“Okay,” Dan replied. He looked down at his watch and soon yelled, “Go!”
Jack jumped off the ramp and began her round of complicated stunts and maneuvers. After about three minutes of intense action, she yelled, “Stop!”
“Two fifty-eight,” Dan told her.
“Dude! That’s, like, ten seconds faster than my usual time,” Jack said. “Okay, now do it for the skateboard.” Dan recorded another great time for her. She seemed happier now that she hadn’t fallen during some of her most intense stuff.
“Aren’t you getting tired?” Dan asked.
“Yeah, I’m beat! Why don’t we go to lunch?” she suggested. Jack took off all her gear and headed back up the fire escape. The three of them headed for the closest restaurant for lunch. They sat at one of the small, secluded booths far from the window and talked. Jack had just begun explaining how she managed to come up with her routines using the basic principles of physics she had learned.
“You see, you have to take into account your speed, rate of acceleration, and your velocity. Once you have that calculated, you plan your jumps accordingly. That’s the nig secret behind extreme sports. You have to understand science to make things work,” she said. Dan and Darren silently nodded. “Okay, don’t hesitate to tell me when I’m getting boring and hard to understand. I can switch to laymen’s terms for you.”
“No, I’m getting it,” Darren replied. “I have a basic knowledge of physics, but it’s been a long time since I’ve actually used it.”
“Don’t worry, most of it is common sense anyway. Scientific terms tend to screw people up,” Jack said. From behind her she could hear voices whispering her name. She turned around to find a group of teenaged girls sitting two tables away. Their chatter stopped the moment she looked in their direction.
“Great,” Dan whispered as he let his sunglasses drop over his eyes. Darren, on the other hand, was fascinated by why they hadn’t walked up to them already.
“Oh, my God! She’s looking at us!” one of the girls loudly whispered. Jack stood up and walked over to their table with a warm smile on her face.
“How may I help you guys?” she politely asked.
“Are you Jack Jones?” the “leader,” a girl with red hair and an eyebrow piercing, questioned.
“Yeah,” Jack replied.
“Could I have your autograph?” the girl asked, almost giddy.
“Of course! What’s your name?”
“Maggie, Mac for short.”
“Mac, pleased to meet you,” Jack reached over and shook her hand. Mac looked through her backpack and found a scrap of paper with a pen attached to it. She handed it over to Jack. “How old are you?” Jack kept questioning.
“Fourteen.”
“And you’re into extreme sports?”
“Of course! Seeing you out there on the track kicking the crap out of the boys has totally inspired me to go out and do what I love.”
“And what’s that?”
“Snowboarding!”
“That’s a cool sport.” Jack handed the slip of paper back. “Who’s next?” She quickly signed a few more autographs until all the girls at the table had one.
“Before you go,” Mac said. “Were you really dating Seth Fisher?”
“Unfortunately,” Jack mumbled.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because even though he’s really cute, he’s a horrible boyfriend. He treated me like crap, and we broke up after about six months. I don’t know if I ever wanna date again.”
“What about those guys you’re sitting with? Who are they?”
“Oh, that’s my cousin and his best friend. We’re too good of friends and relatives to start something,” Jack answered. “Sorry, girls. I’d love to answer all of your questions, but my boys are waiting. It was nice meeting you all. Good luck at whatever you do in your life and see you at the X-Games!” Jack walked away from the table with a big fat grin on her face.
“Oh, my God!” Darren quietly said. “This is the first time we weren’t the ones recognized.”
“That’s a good thing,” Dan replied. “I really hate it when that happens.”
“What?” Jack almost shouted. “You hating attention? Danny! What’s happened to you?”
“I’ve changed, Jack. I’m not the same person I used to be,” he said. “After all the strange things that happened on tour, I don’t think I ever want to face a screaming fan for the rest of my life.”
“Oh, come on! What about in private? I dare you to streak down my street at midnight,” Jack ordered.
“I don’t think so!’ Dan refused.
“Come on, for old time’s sake,” she pleaded.
“No, Jack. There’s no way. I can’t risk my career on one stupid dare.”
A strange smile came across Darren’s face. Jack slumped into her seat; she had lost yet another bet.