Page 80 of Tailwhip
After hanging up, I sigh in relief that Mike is so easy going about it. He is right, though; I would rather have a later time to avoid this nonsense.
I pull up to the company, and it is tiny. The office is situated in a strip mall, and you wouldn’t think that they sponsor top athletes with the look of this place. I like working with smaller companies, though. They stick to their roots of when they started, for the most of them, anyway. That’s what I am trying to do with Overbear; I nixed the idea of a store with Chase, who wasn’t entirely happy about it, but also wasn’t surprised that’s what I decided.
While sitting inside the conference room, Mike and Morgan sit and explain how they wanted to sponsor me and possibly the entire Overbear team for 360 Energy. That part of the conversation took me completely by surprise. I had figured it was just me they wanted to talk about, but I didn’t want to pass up getting additional sponsors for the entire team. “That’s very generous of you to want the whole Overbear team. Can I ask what made you decide to do this?”
Mike and Morgan both smile wide and look at each other. “We are both big fans of BMX, particularly your journey in it. Your determination to make it and you have done quite a good job for yourself. So, what do you say?” Mike asks.
I sit quietly, still thrown off. “I honestly don’t know what to say, but yeah. Let’s do it.”
Mike jumps up from his chair, excited, and shakes my hand eagerly. Morgan comes up to me next with a smile on her face. “Welcome to the 360 Energy team! I got the information on your first drink flavor. Did you have an idea for the second one? It’s okay if you don’t. I know you are busy and have the big competition in Santa Cruz coming up. We will have a tent there as well–just let us know.”
I kindly tell Mike and Morgan thank you for the meeting and opportunity. I turn and leave to head back to the hotel.
Making it back to the hotel was a smooth ride compared to this morning. Once I get up to my room, I sit down and immediately call Chase with the news. He’ll be just as surprised as I was. Hitting Chase’s name to call, the phone just rings and rings. Just as I am starting to pull it away from my ear, it connects. “Hey man, sorry. I was out on the waves. I was walking back in when I heard my phone. How did the meeting go?”
I let out a worried sigh, just to mess with him. “Well, honestly, not as good as I hoped it would.”
Chase is quiet on the other end. “What do you mean? They wanted to sponsor you and asked for drink flavors. How could it not go well?”
I throw my head back and start laughing at Chase when I hear him cuss me out under her breath. “You are such an asshole. I don’t know why you mess with me like this!”
I have to catch my breath before I start to talk. “I’m sorry, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up to mess with you! Anyway, the meeting went great. They want to sponsor the whole team.”
Chase says a few words, stops, and then says a few again. Not knowing what to say, he finally finds his words. “The whole team?”
I quickly respond, “Yeah, the whole team!”
47
Anthony
Fireside – Arctic Monkeys
I spend the next few days in Dallas. I was asked to be an announcer for a few small local competitions around the area. Once I am done with these, it will be time to head out to Santa Cruz.
The first competition was small, up in Arlington. It brought back memories of coming here to sponsor both Mateo and Noah. It feels like it's been ages since I was here. They instantly just felt like they were always a part of the Overbear team. As I watch the riders go through the park, unfortunately, none of them really stick out to me–not enough to sponsor, at least. I have to drive to Fort Worth for the second competition. Again, no one really stands out to me at this one, as well. I feel bad for not finding anyone, but that’s how it works. Sometimes I get lucky and find some great riders. Other times, I do not.
I check the time after I watch the small competition and notice that the stockyards are about ready to herd the longhorns down the main street. I quickly jump in my rental and make my way over there to see the longhorns. Parking the car, I walk to the street, and luckily, I spot a space on the curb to go sit on. As I am sitting there waiting for this to start, I look up across the street, and I swear I see Heath walking down the sidewalk. I start frantically looking around him for Ashlynn. I know she would be with him and if I remember correctly, she does have a stop in Dallas, but I don’t remember when the stop is. Was it at the start or at the end of her book tour? I stand to get a better look and hear an annoyed girl behind me. “Ugh, you’re so tall and blocking my view. Could you please sit back down?”
I turn around, look at the girl, and she instantly blushes, stumbling over her words, “You’re…you’re Anthony Ville!”
I give her a smile. “I am. Sorry for blocking your view. You can have my spot.”
With that, I turn and start to walk down the sidewalk, keeping my eye on Heath.
As I walk down the sidewalk, I lose sight of Heath among the crowd. Talking to myself, I say, “Dammit, where did he go?”
I stop and turn to head back to my spot I was at, even though I know it is no longer available. The girl who was there before is now flanked on both sides with a bunch of her friends. Once she spots me, she points me out to her friends, and they whisper to each other and giggle like schoolgirls. Instantly annoyed by them, I try to get past, but they stop and ask if they could have a picture. I hesitate for a minute and think to myself that these girls probably don’t even watch anything regarding BMX. However, I don’t want to be an asshole, so I indulge them and take a quick picture. The girl I stood up in front of tells me, “Thanks, my little brother and his friends are huge fans, and he would never have believed me that I saw you here. Now he has to!”
I smile at her before leaving. “Glad I could help! Have fun!”
After leaving the Stockyards, I head back to Dallas. I can’t know for sure if that was Heath, but it certainly looked like him. On the way back, I sit again in rush hour traffic. It takes me almost an hour to make it back to my hotel. By the time I make it to my room, I feel worn out from the day. I order room service, eat, shower, and lay down. Lying in bed in the silence of the night, I grab my phone and look at Ashlynn’s Instagram. She hasn’t posted much, but her feed is flooded from fans taking pictures with her and tagging the location. It is the last few pictures that grab my attention. Both are tagged at a small bookstore that is downtown Dallas. I only know this because I passed by that same store yesterday morning, walking around before my meeting. I don’t recall anything that mentions Ashlynn being there, though. This doesn’t prove that it was Heath at the Stockyards, though, but I would say it is a strong chance it was. Maybe Ashlynn didn’t want to go with him.
After setting my phone down, I turn the lights off to go to sleep for the night. It is a restless sleep; I toss and turn most of the night. Finally, around 5 AM I give up and get up. I go walk by that bookstore because curiosity is getting the best of me. Still, there’s nothing mentioning Ashlynn Black being there. I guess I missed it. I again stop into a small café and order some breakfast to eat. My flight leaves this morning to head out to Santa Cruz. I feel like I have been anxiously waiting for this one competition all year. Since I told Noah and Mateo about it, I have been just as excited.
By the time I am done eating, Chase is calling me. I answer the phone while walking back. “Hey man! Do you ever go a day without surfing?”
I hear Chase’s deep laugh coming through the phone. “Do you ever go a day without riding your bike?” Touché. “Anyway, I am calling because I got an email from Santa Cruz. They are changing the lineup.,” Chase tells me.