“That's because you have a good heart.” Luke smiled down at her and Lenny involuntarily blushed.
He stared down at her for few minutes, not speaking, a look a pure contentment on his face.
“I like this.” He said quietly. His deep voice vibrating through his chest and into Lenny’s shoulder.
“What’s that?” Lenny asked.
“Just being here with you.”
Lenny closed her eyes and smiled. She liked this too. Finally, after all the drama that had occurred during the past few days, they had time to just...be. Together.
His hand traveled down hers and his fingers worked their way into her own. They had nowhere to go, no one expecting them.
“What?” Luke asked her.
Lenny opened her eyes. “What?”
He grinned at her, “You’re smiling. I wanted to know why.”
“I guess I’m just happy.” Lenny answered honestly.
“You’re not gonna jump up and run away from me?” Luke teased.
“Nope.” She chuckled lightly. “Not today.”
***
Luke was just about to say something when there was a knock on the door, interrupting their cozy moment.
Lenny sat up and went to answer it. Luke watched her move with more self assurance than before. Getting her back to the sport she loved was still multiplying in subtle improvements. Luke had to wonder if he could handle all of Lenny at the top of her game. He sure wanted to try.
Lenny opened the door and Harrison stood before her, eyes wide.
“What’s up, Harry?” Lenny asked and Luke smiled at how sweet she was to his friends. He got off the couch and joined her at the door.
“I thought maybe I should come and get you.” Harrison’s voice was nervous and Luke suppressed a chuckle. “Cody’s calling you out.”
“What do you mean?” Lenny's eyebrows drew together.
“She finished her event and set a new world record and she’s challenging you to come out and beat it.” Harrison was positively giddy with excitement. “She’s really working up the crowd.”
“That’s ridiculous, Harrison. I’m not registered for an event.” Lenny was shaking her head. Luke rested his hand on her back, letting her know he was there.
“Maybe you should try to talk to her,” Harrison shrugged.
“I was gonna have to deal with it eventually.” Lenny rolled her eyes as she grabbed her coat and hat.
***
The air outside was electric as Lenny made her way through the crowd. With the sun down it had grown considerably colder than it had been that afternoon. The sky was clear with stars making sharp pin pricks in the night sky.
Lenny made her way up to the small press booth at the top of the X Course. It was a long walk and she had time to get an idea of what she would say to Cody. She would probably have to apologize for slandering her to the media. She again pictured
Patrick, paperwork in hand.
The crowds started out overcharged and exuberant but as Lenny trekked through the terrain to the top of the hill, they quieted considerably. Luke and Harrison were flanking her. It was eerie, Lenny noted, like they were all watching her walk fatefully to her demise. She laughed off the thought internally. Sports always brought out the dramatics in people.
As she approached the booth she recognized Brad from earlier, Cody of course and Shane, not surprisingly. They would have to provide a united front to the public, Lenny supposed. A handful of others stood around and nearby either with the media or with the X games organization itself. Sway, Mike and Blake waited with their arms crossed, whatever previous quarrel they may have had was forgotten in this moment and they were once again united.
Lenny met Cody’s eye contact and felt a twinge of guilt for having betrayed her friend earlier that day. Cody had betrayed her long ago, but Lenny had always hoped she was just little better than that. Turns out, she wasn’t. She couldn’t go back now, none of them could. What Shane and Cody had done was irreversible, Lenny could never trust them again. Maybe someday she’d work on the forgiveness aspect of it, but not yet.
“What do you want Cody?” Lenny addressed her former friend.
“You said you were better than me earlier today.” Cody answered with a smugness Lenny knew was completely genuine. “I want you to prove it.”
“Cody, I’m not registered in any events. I haven’t qualified for anything.” Lenny tried to speak slowly, like she was explaining the facts to a small child. “I know you’re pissed but you can’t just expect me to strap in and compete.”
“Actually,” Cody crossed her arms. “All events are done for the evening and my good friend Grant, here, said we can run the course. Just you and I.”
Lenny looked at the course manager whose face was bright red. He nodded and looked down sheepishly. Cody could manipulate anyone, Lenny thought, her face twisting in disgust. She glanced up at Shane who had positioned his large frame behind Cody like he was her muscle. Lenny looked around at the band who had taken up positions of support around her. This is sad, it’s like the jocks against the band geeks all over again.
“Unless all that stuff you said today was just a lie,” Cody baited her. So that was her play, Lenny mused. If Lenny didn’t take the challenge than everything Lenny had accused them of earlier that day would look like a lie, tarnishing Lenny’s integrity with the press and her fans forever.
Lenny sighed in resignation. Whether or not she was ready for this, it was going to happen.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Luke was talking to her now. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. We know the truth.”
“Yeah,” Harrison added. “We know that you’re better than this hussy.”
Cody frowned at his word. “Hussy? What, is this the 1800’s?” She rolled her eyes. “Idiot.”
“Hey!” Blake snapped, “He may be an idiot, but he’s our idiot!”
This was quickly turning into a television sitcom, Lenny noted. She needed to get a handle on her guys. She turned her back to Cody and grouped them in a huddle.
“I can do this,” she whispered with excitement. She was near giddy with anticipation. “I can beat her.”
“Lenny, you haven’t competed in almost three years. I’m sorry, but a couple of good runs down the hill at home aren’t the same thing.” Sway patiently pointed out. Lenny appreciated his concern, it was a side of Sway that he didn’t show often and it was kind of sweet.
“What would Duke say if he were here?” Mike wanted to know.
Lenny considered that for a minute before a wide smile spread across her face. “He’d tell me to kick her ass.”
Luke winked at her and nodded his approval. “Then, kick her ass.”
Lenny faced Cody again. “I don’t have any of my equipment so I’ll have to borrow someone’s.” Lenny was addressing the crowd more than Cody. She took pleasure in the shocked look that sprang to Cody and Shane’s faces. They obviously had expected her to back out. How little they remembered of who she really was.
Fellow athletes started to outfit her with everything she would need; a board, goggles, gloves, boots. Lenny was touched by their words of encouragement and anticipation for the upcoming race.
“What, exactly do you have to do to win?” Luke asked as she put on her borrowed gear. She heard the anxiety that he was trying to hide and it made her smile. Luke had never seen her compete before and she was looking forward to showing off just a little bit.
“The course has variable terrain, with berms and gap jumps, turns, drops and steep and flat sections. Basically, everything. Whoever gets to the bottom first, wins,” she grinned at him.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
Lenny looked around at the crowd, a familiar buzzing pressure in the back of her skull. Their faces were full of wonder and excitement and she was feeling it. While back country riding was indeed her forte, performing for an audience was her guilty pleasure. She enjoyed know
ing she was the best and knowing she was going to completely dominate her opponent. The fact that it was Cody and that Lenny had finally come to terms with what she and Shane had done, made it that much more exhilarating.
Normally, snowboard cross was run in the daylight with four riders at a time on the course. It was way past dark and spotlights had been turned on in order to light the run. It would still be tricky, blind spots everywhere. Lenny was even more confident in her ability to conquer. She had a connection with the snow and her board that she’d never been able to explain. It was as if she could feel the ground change before it actually happened.
She had the advantage.
“I got this.” She winked at Luke. “You’re about to see something amazing.” She wasn’t trying to be cocky, she was being honest.
***
Luke was incredibly turned on by Lenny’s attitude. Sometimes girls put on a front to look tough but there was nothing fake about what Lenny was feeling. He’d seen her do things with ease that trained professionals struggled to accomplish. He was proud that she was willing to call herself his girl when she was as wild and untamed as the mountains she came from.
He impulsively grabbed her face with his mittened hands and kissed her lips passionately. A loud roar broke out from the observers and Luke realized that their relationship had just gone public. He had been so careful to protect it, not wanting Lenny to get caught in the tabloid’s cross hairs. But it was out now. Camera’s flashed and the TV crews scrambled to get a better angle. He pulled away from Lenny and tried to downplay what had just happened.
Lenny smiled at him, her crooked half-smile that said everything would be fine. She turned and waved to the crowd and cameras, blowing them kisses.
The girl he had met months before, the one with the carefully guarded heart and a past full of painful secrets had all but disappeared. Lenny had been a mystery wrapped inside a riddle and somewhere along the way, Luke had cracked the code. He knew that to share his life of crazy travel and hard work he would have to find a partner who was strong and could adapt to changing situations. She stood before him now, a bundle of outerwear and a smile that lit the sky.
He walked with her to the chute, his nerves melting away. They were replaced with a shiver, not from the cold, but from the clarity his heart had just experienced. Lenny had to be in his life for the remainder of it.
Luke kissed her one last time before heading to the finish line. He promised to be there when she came in first. Sway and Blake went with him while Mike and Harrison stayed at the top to send her off.
***
“Aren’t you afraid you’re gonna choke?” Cody sneered at Lenny, “You know, like last time?” Her grey eyes were flat and cold, and Lenny found it sad that eyes identical to Duke's could be so foreign.
“I’m sorry it has to come down to this Cody,” Lenny responded coolly, “but I’m gonna crush you.” Lenny lowered her goggles and covered her face with her mask, sealing out the cold.
“Yeah, you’re not a nice person.” Harrison added his own dig. He wasn’t very good at trash talking. It was really best if he stuck to lead guitar, Lenny thought.
“Whatever.” Cody mumbled and lowered her goggles.
The pressure in the back of Lenny’s head had grown to a full scale roar in her ears. It drowned out the crowd and Mike and Harrison’s final words of encouragement.
She had an uncanny ability to separate herself from the rest of the world when she focused really hard. She could create a mental barrier, where only she and the task at hand existed. That’s where the pressure, the buzzing, came from. She relaxed her mind and enclosed herself in the moment. This was it. She completely blocked out everything around her and took a deep, steadying breath. She felt a smile spread across her face underneath her mask and waited.
***
The start signal rang through the air and the two riders took off. Mike and Harrison strained their necks with the other screaming audience members, trying to get a good view. The girls dipped and disappeared and then reappeared, twisting and flying down the slope.
“Holy crap.” Harrison muttered under his breath and Mike laughed out loud.
***
Lenny could feel the perfect snow bend under her board and she almost laughed at how easy the course was. She could feel the curve beneath her and anticipated the jump ahead. She knew she had reached quite a height as her board made contact with the snow again. She saw Cody in her peripheral vision as she tried to cut across Lenny’s path. Lenny just slid to the side and shot past her.
***
Luke couldn’t see a lot from his vantage point at the bottom but he could hear the rise and fall of the audience’s reaction to what was happening. He caught a glimpse of Lenny, flying high and he was reminded of her nickname 'Bird.' She seemed lighter than air. It was as if coming back to earth was a challenge and she belonged among the stars.
***
Lenny’s speed was increasing. She crouched lower, gaining more momentum, knowing it was dangerous and knowing she could handle it. Cody wasn’t even close. Lenny hadn’t seen her in a few turns. The pressure in Lenny’s head compressed and exploded in a brilliant star burst in her mind's eye as she took the last jump. I love my life. She had enough height and speed so she threw in a corked seven-twenty. You know, for fun.
The crowd erupted, finally registering in her awareness. She landed easily and had to quickly slow herself as she crossed the finish so as not to hit the barriers.
Luke was with her in seconds, hugging her and yelling along with the crowd. Lenny removed her goggles and face mask and kissed him.
Thirty seconds after Lenny had landed, Cody finally crossed the finish line.
Lenny unhooked the bindings on her boots and walked over to Cody.
“Good race.” Lenny stuck out her hand, she hoped this would end Cody’s ridiculous vendetta.
Cody unhooked her bindings and picked up her board.
“C'mon, Cody, we used to be friends.” Lenny tried to reach out to her, wondering if there was even anything salvageable left in their relationship.
“We haven't been friends in a long time.” Cody clipped angrily. “It should've been me that Duke coached, he was my uncle. It should have been me with all the sponsorships and the popularity. You never would have even tried snowboarding if I wouldn't have invited you. And this is how you repay me? Some friend you are.”
“Cody, this whole thing was your idea. I have no idea how you can continue blaming me for your shortcomings. It isn't my fault.”
“Stay away from me.” Cody spun around and stalked away.
“Geez, sore loser.” Luke said from beside her. Lenny shrugged. She couldn’t change Cody. She had met her challenge and had beaten her at her own game. What more did Cody want?
***
Lenny’s time wasn’t an official recording because it wasn’t an official race. But that didn’t matter, it still made headlines the next morning. Well, that and her now public relationship with Luke Casey.
Suddenly, it seemed, the crowds realized that rock stars were among them and the guys were inundated with autograph and picture requests. Lenny was proud of the guys. They never expected special treatment or attention but when it happened they always handled it with class. Giving each fan eye contact and listening to them gush. Especially Luke, he could make whoever he was talking to feel like that was the most important conversation he was going to have all day.
The entire next day was busy for all of them. Lenny had two interviews to do and a few more stops at X Fest for the sponsors. And the guys were the newest attraction. Cody and Shane kept out of the ruckus as much as possible. Lenny felt a little bit bad for embarrassing Cody the night before but Cody had asked for it. Right?
During both of her interviews Lenny was asked about her and Luke’s relationship and she just smiled as a reply. That wasn’t the public’s business. Her feelings for Luke were definitely growing but he deserved to hear those words from her firsthand, not
from a sound bite.
The sponsors went gaga over her performance the night before and started to throw more deals at her. Lenny deferred them to Patrick, choosing to make those kinds of business decisions when the tour was finished. She didn’t want to overbook herself again. She was feeling more in control of her life than she had in a long time. It seemed that the downward spiral she had feared had leveled out into smooth riding.
As more of the X-Games events wrapped up that night, Lenny snuggled close to Luke in the Athlete's Lounge at the Inn. The Lounge was nearly vacant, just a few people here and there. It was a nice place to relax since media and civilians weren’t allowed.
Lenny was happy. Not ecstatically or anything. Just regular, normal. Happy. She liked having Luke with her for her important life stuff. She wanted him to stay forever.
“I don’t have any obligations tomorrow.” Lenny said quietly, her fingers making a trail across the top of his strong hands.
“Mm-hm.” Luke mumbled in her soft hair, his eyes closed.
“We could leave tomorrow if you want.” Lenny added.
“Where do you wanna go?” Luke was only half-listening to her.
Lenny didn’t know. She didn’t have a plan. She just had an impulse, a feeling, and acted on it. All she knew is she wanted to be with Luke, on another adventure.
“Just somewhere with you.” Was all she could think of to answer.
“I’ll go anywhere with you.” Luke said slowly his voice rough with an emotion Lenny couldn't define.
***
Luke didn't have a word for what he felt in her presence. He had known for a while now that Lenny was the one. His one. The one he wanted to be tangled up with forever. She was his exception. And he dared to hope he could be hers.
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