Stick It to Ride

	“Geez Lincoln, you call THAT a mud castle?” Little Lana criticized her older brother’s sloppy structure and subpar sculpting skills. “I’ve seen Charles make better works of art on the living room carpet with his butt!”

	Lincoln shot his younger sibling a burning gaze of irritation.  The tiny blonde returned a wide gap-toothed smile as she dug her hands deep into the pile of mud on the front lawn. It was the kind of smile a child puts on when they know they’ve done wrong but still try to worm their way out of trouble. Lincoln couldn’t stay mad at that. He also couldn’t stay mad at the fact that her criticisms were spot on. The sorry excuse for a castle he constructed was an offensive eyesore that brought down the property value of their home.

	“Well sorry I didn’t live up to your expectations Lana,” Lincoln sarcastically shot back. “You know this stuff isn’t exactly my forte! I prefer sand castles anyway.”

	“Excuses Lincoln,” Lana wagged her muddy finger in the boy’s face before pointing out the neighboring castle. “Even Lola is better than you at this and you know how she feels about mud.”

	“Don’t feel too bad Lincoln,” Lola condescendingly comforted her brother as she added another buttress to the right wing of her castle. “No one is good at everything. Except me of course.”

	“I don’t know how you’re able to do all that without getting your dress dirty,” A perplexed Lana scratched her head as she watched her prim twin in action. “Lincoln is older than us, why can’t he do something cool like that?”

	Lincoln raised a finger in objection to that remark. His mouth flapped open in preparation to defend his dignity and honor when another voice answered before he could.

	“That’s because he’s a huge butt-sniffing dork!”

	The sudden intrusion of a stranger’s presence caught the attention of the entire group. Lincoln’s ears perked up upon hearing the familiar voice.

	“Gee, I wonder who that could be?” Lincoln playfully replied, opting to ignore his classmate’s teasing greeting. He pulled himself up and turned to face his guest.

	“Hiiiii Ronnie Anne~” The twins said with a playful inflection as they giggled to one another. They knew why and so did Lincoln.

	“Sup guys. How’s it going Linc,” The dark haired lass grinned, stifling back a laugh at her friend’s expense. “You having some fun in the mud there?”

	The sporty girl was donned in her usual attire: Purple hoodie, blue jeans, smug smirk and all. Aside from that, she also sported a pair of matching, color-coded kneepads and helmet that complimented her get up. Beneath her foot was a plank of wood on wheels that she rolled back and forth along the concrete sidewalk.

	“Oh this,” Lincoln’s voice trembled as he quickly dusted the dry mud off his pants and palms. He put on his cool façade and spoke up. “I was just doing my job as an older sibling and playing with my little sisters. Being a big brother is a tough job, you know?”

	“Whatever you say dork.” The little latina scoffed and nudged the freckled boy on his shoulder.

	“So what brings you here Ronnie Anne?” Lincoln inquired.

	“I was just taking my new skateboard out for a spin and I was in the neighborhood soooo… CHECK IT OUT!”

	The tomboy’s laid back disposition was broken by her own excitement. She kicked her board up by the tail and caught it in midair, eager to show off her new piece to the lad.

	 “It’s a custom made deck that I drew myself! Santiago proudly declared, practically smashing the board in Lincoln’s face.  What do you think? Pretty radical, huh?”

	Lincoln tilted his head, trying to make heads or tails of the cluttered image plastered on the underside. “Yuuuup. That’s a real cool flying giraffe you got there Ronnie Anne.”

	“It’s a flaming jaguar Lincoln,” Ronnie’s expression flattened as her voice fell deadpan. If she wasn’t in such a great mood Lincoln would have really felt her wrath. “Hey you got a board right? Go grab it so we can skate together!”

	Lincoln froze up. That certainly wasn’t the invitation he was expecting. He wasn’t one to pass on the opportunity to hang out with some chums but this time was an exception. It was out of the question.

	“T-That sounds like a lot of fun Ronnie Anne but I don’t think I can right now, sorry!”

	“Whaaat? Why not?” Ronnie Anne huffed in disappointment and crossed her arms as she waited for an explanation of some sort. “You better have a good reason!”

	“It’s just that— Well I’m kind of busy and—”

	“LINCOLN DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO RIDE A SKATEBOARD!” A voice called out from the nearby bushes.

	“Lana you dummy, we’re supposed to be eavesdropping!” Lola chided.

	“WOULD YOU TWO GET OUT OF HERE!?” Lincoln exploded at the girls. His flushed face of embarrassment was glowing more than a red hot poker.

	“EEEEEEP!” The twins squealed in unison as they ran into the house to escape their brother’s rage.

	Ronnie Anne chortled heavily. It was a combination of Lincoln’s revelation and the sibling bickering that did it; More so the latter. Ronnie Anne can’t say she was too surprised at Lincoln’s inability to perform even the slightest athletic task. It made sense the more that she thought about it.

	“Geez Linc, you’re bumming me out here,” Ronnie Anne snickered, placing her board down and rolling it around once more. “You really can’t ride a skateboard?”

	“No Ronnie Anne,” Lincoln sighed, finally owning up to the truth. “I can’t ride a skateboard. The one I own is actually a hand-me-down from Lynn. I tried it ONCE. Nearly broke my neck in the process. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think I was lame.”

	“Lincoln I don’t call you lame-o for nothing,” Ronnie Anne removed the straps from her helmet and let her hair breathe.  She tossed it over to the boy, watching him fumble over it for a moment. “Put this on and go get your board.”

	“Whoa wait a sec,” Lincoln stammered as he realized what Ronnie Anne was getting at. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking. “I told myself I’d never set foot on it again and—”

	“Lincoln go grab your board or else I’m gonna start slipping sloppy joes into your pants again.”

	The threat against the well-being of Lincoln’s jeans was no laughing matter. He was getting traumatizing flashbacks to the way things used to be before him and Ronnie Anne became properly acquainted. Those were dark times he couldn’t bear to relive.  Lincoln didn’t say another word. The boy zipped up to his room, dug out the old board and scurried back down in the blink of an eye.

	“Geez Lincoln I was just kidding about the sloppy joes, you didn’t have to rush!” Ronnie Anne teased.

	“Well whatever, I’m here now.” Lincoln strapped on the helmet with reluctance. “If I break a bone, you’re paying for the hospital bills!”

	“You’ll be fine dude,” Ronnie Anne reassured as she mounted her board. “We’ll start off easy so just relax and mimic me!”

	Lincoln followed in his mentor’s steps, taking his place on the old hand-me-down. It took the trembling kid a good ten seconds to find his balance and cease trembling. Before he knew it, he was rolling up and down the length of the driveway, at a slow but steady pace. That task alone was enough to put a smile on his face. He hadn’t done much of anything and his heart was already racing. His forward gaze switched to his feet and then over to the young girl in front of him as if seeking some form of validation. His sunny demeanor was a nice treat that put the tomboy in a better mood.

	“Don’t start celebrating yet lame-o, we’re barely just starting,” Ronnie Anne bellowed. “Now try this out!”

	The feisty latina popped up into the air with her skateboard in one lucid motion. Lincoln watched in awe for a moment. Even the most simplistic of moves was impressive to his untrained eye. He tried not to gawk too hard but he couldn’t ignore Ronnie Anne’s overwhelming coolness factor. It was pretty damn rad.

	“That’s called an Ollie,” Santiago demonstrated with an air of professionalism.  “You’re gonna be doing that a lot if you want to get some sick air. Now get cracking Loud!”

	Lincoln narrowed his eyes and bit his tongue in intense focus. His knees trembled as he positioned his feet accordingly just as Ronnie Anne had moments earlier.  With a deep breath, Lincoln smashed his foot down on the nose of the board, going with the motions and snapping up into the air. It was a fleeting moment but it felt like an eternity to him. He descended back down with the board and stuck a rather sloppy landing. That didn’t matter much to Lincoln though. The boy wheezed and heaved as he came down from his literal and figurative high. He wasn’t expecting to pull it off, much less on his first try.

	Ronnie Anne’s smug expression morphed into one of pure astonishment. It took her days to pull that off and lame old Lincoln swooped in and nailed it on day one. She swallowed her pride and the seed of envy that was growing within. She was impressed to say the least.

	“Dang Lincoln that was pretty cool!” Ronnie complimented and praised her friend. “You’re picking this up quick.”

	“I guess I am,” Lincoln quickly added, still focusing on his ollies. “Thanks for helping me Ronnie Anne!”

	Santiago blushed slightly upon hearing Lincoln say that. She wasn’t looking for any approval or recognition but she certainly wasn’t going to turn it away. It made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. “Don’t mention it dude. Keep practicing and soon enough, we’ll be skating together at the park. I’ve got plenty of other tricks to show off when you—”

	Santiago was cut off mid sentence by a bold move on Lincoln’s part. The girl watched in amazement as Lincoln performed another Ollie but this one was different. The white haired newbie popped up and put a spin on his board, kicking the nose and causing it to flip. The lad was already pulling off kickflips as if they came naturally to him. He didn’t even require a demonstration.

	“Oh man did you see that Ronnie Anne!? That was so cool!”

	“Lincoln how did you know to do that,” An agitated Ronnie Anne crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks. “It took me two weeks and a dozen scrapes before I landed my first kickflip. No fair!”

	“I just tried out what I’ve seen in videos before. I wasn’t expecting to actually do anything though!” Lincoln confessed. “Thanks for helping me out Ronnie Anne,” Lincoln’s mood had done a complete 180. He went into this with complete apprehension and came out with excitement and joy. “I had no idea how fun this could be!”

	Ronnie Anne thought she had some moves but Lincoln was well on his way to surpassing her. The boy was a natural born prodigy. She wanted so desperately to be upset, to find a reason to justify her building jealousy but just couldn’t. Seeing Lincoln give it his all with a wide eyed expression of pure determination caused her rage to simmer and cool. It was nice to have someone look up to you. The bashful girl tried to hide her rosy face.

	Lincoln continued to practice with a series of continuous kickflips. The boy was having so much fun he was completely oblivious to the heavy strain he was putting on the old hand-me-down. Trick after trick, jump after jump, the worn griptape peeled and cracked and the trucks wobbled immensely. With one final slam, the dilapidated skateboard finally gave way under all the pressure, snapping in half like a twig.

	“Whooooooa!” Lincoln yelped as the sudden backlash caught him off guard, throwing off his equilibrium.

	Ronnie Anne turned to the flailing boy and watched as he hit the concrete floor and bounced like a ragdoll. He proceeded to roll onto the lawn and into the mud, knocking down the dirt castles like a bunch of bowling pins. Ronnie Anne wanted to laugh but restrained herself instead. Even after that hilarious slow-motion fall, she was still legitimately concerned for her friend’s safety.

	“Holy crud, are you alright Lincoln!?” The sporty lass shouted as she stepped through the mud puddle and over towards the downed boy. “That was a pretty nasty fall.”

	“Uuuurrrggghhh…” Lincoln groaned, his face still buried in the mud.

	Ronnie Anne breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that wasn’t enough to take Lincoln out but it was still reassuring to know that her friend was kicking. She kneeled down and extended an arm out to the boy. “Come on lame-o, you’re not dead yet. I know you’re the kind of guy who can take a beating!”

	Lincoln began to come to his senses, the shuffling of his torso and continuous groaning a clear indication. The battered boy pressed his palms into the earth and his fingers dug deep into the mud. He grabbed a thick handful of mud and pulled himself up. Ronnie Anne can’t say she expected what followed. The huge wad of damp dirt splattered right in the young girl’s face like one of Luan’s cream pies.

	“I told you I didn’t want to do this.” A groggy Lincoln murmured, trying to hold back a laugh of his own.

	“Alright. I’ll let you have that one Loud,” Santiago wiped the excess mud from her face, revealing her usual smug grin. “You earned it after that hilarious bail.”

	Lincoln accepted the girl’s offer and took her hand. He didn’t mind that his favorite polo was slathered in mud, something else was picking at him.

	“Aw man,” Lincoln expressed his disappointment as he examined the splintered wreckage of his board. “I guess Lynn really drove this old thing to the bone. It didn’t even last half an hour in my hands! I was really getting used to it too.”

	“Don’t feel too bad about it Linc,” Ronnie swiped her helmet back from the kid and strapped it back on her head. “That board had reached its limit. Let the old gal rest in peace.”

	“Yeah but now we can’t skate anymore,” Lincoln lamented. “I was really warming up to the idea!”

	“Whatever, we can do it some other time,” Santiago got on her skateboard and beckoned Lincoln over. “Hop on dork, let’s get going.”

	“Going?” A perplexed Lincoln expressed as he dusted himself off. “Going where?”

	“Where do you think? We’re gonna go down to the skate shop and find you a new deck that you can thrash up all on your own.”

	“But Ronnie Anne I don’t think there’s enough room for both of us on your board.” Lincoln pointed out as he sized it up.

	“There is if you squeeze real close lame-o. Relax, we’ll take our time.”

	Lincoln anxiously complied and slowly stepped on to the narrow board alongside Ronnie Anne. He placed his arms on her shoulders for balance and carefully inched closer to her. For some reason he felt especially nervous about being so close to her in such a manner.

	“Alright Ronnie Anne let’s get going.” Lincoln stammered.

	Santiago rolled her eyes. She grabbed Lincoln by the wrists and lowered his arms down to her hips, pulling him as close as possible from behind. “Wrap your arms around my waist so you don’t go flying off the board dude.”

	“I-Is this good?” Lincoln inquired as his trembling arms embraced the girl without putting up a fight. He turned his head so his face wasn’t buried in the sporty girl’s ponytail.

	“Perfect,” Santiago replied. “Hold on tight!”

	Ronnie Anne was relieved that Lincoln couldn’t see just how wide she was smiling right then and there. She put a foot on the floor and slowly got kicking, propelling the board forward and down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. It felt great to ride with someone by her side.