Page 81 of Tailwhip
“Okay, what are they changing about it?” I ask.
“Just that it’s not going to be a Pro Rookie Day the first day and then Pro the second day. The first day for street, the Rookie’s will ride first, then the Pros. Same goes for dirt, which has been moved to the second day.”
I nod my head after Chase tells me the changes. “That’s not so bad. I like that setup better. That way, I can help Mateo and Noah before my rides.”
“That’s exactly what I thought, too!” Chase says.
“Well, I will let you get packed, so you can get to the Reunion Tower and see you in California!”
I tell Chase bye and head back to my hotel to do just that–pack to get out of here.
I get back, finish packing, checkout, and make one stop on my way before the airport: the Reunion Tower. It’s been a tradition every time I am in Dallas to stop here. My phone starts ringing, right as I find a parking spot, and it’s Chase again. Usually, we don’t talk this much in the mornings. What could he want now?
I answer the phone. “Chase, I think we have met our morning talking quota today!” I joke with him.
Chase chuckles at my comment, then I hear him take a deep breath. “Do you believe in coincidences?”
What a random question, I think, before I answer him. “Not particularly. I haven’t had any great ones happen recently for me to believe in them. Why do you ask?”
There’s nothing, but silence. What is he afraid to tell me? “She’s there, or at least she was.”
I couldn’t have heard him right. “What did you say?”
Sighing, he says, “She’s there, dude. Or at least she was. She put a picture on her Instagram and tagged the Reunion Tower. Now I honestly don’t know for sure if she is there or took the picture and posted it after leaving.”
I nearly drop my phone after he tells me this. “Shit, I need to go now.”
I tell Chase, and all he says back is, “Yeah, you do!”
I lock up the car and sprint to the hotel that the Reunion Tower is attached to. Then, I go and purchase the ticket to go up. I am standing in line, my patience wearing thin with how long the elevator is taking to come back down. My heart is beating so fast that I can feel the pulse of it in my neck and hear it in my ears. Lost in thought, I don’t notice the dig of the elevator until someone nudges me with their shoulder to get on. I quickly gather myself and get on right before the doors close. I tap my foot the whole ride up, anxious to get out of here and find her. I am hopeful that she is still here. As soon as the doors start opening, I squeeze out being impatient and look around as soon as I get fully out. I see nothing but people sitting around, talking and drinking. I go to my right to look more, and eventually end up outside on the observation deck. I walk around the whole thing, and she is nowhere. She already left, and I missed her. Right then, I get a text from Chase.
I don’t bother responding back to Chase. I am sure he knows how defeated I feel at the moment of being so close and yet still she is out of my reach. I just stand at the rail with my forearms resting on it and hang my head. I talk to myself, not caring if anyone hears me. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you Ashlynn?”
I stand for what feels like forever before finally standing up straight to leave to catch my flight. Before I go, I look at her Instagram and sure enough, the first picture is on the observation deck of the tower, showing the morning light. However, that is not what catches my attention. It’s what she wrote for the picture. “Someone I love very much brought me here last year, and it instantly became one of my favorite spots.”
I am just standing here, staring at my screen and hearing the song playing, though I don’t recognize the name or band. I quickly search the group Fazerdaze and the song Bigger to download. Then, I leave to go listen to it in my car on the way to the airport.
I blast the song, so I can hear every single lyric and smile when I get her message from the song.
48
Ashlynn
Bigger – Fazerdaze
The book tour has flown by. One minute we started out in Colorado Springs and now we just landed in San Francisco to wrap it up. Everyone I have met has been great, with the biggest question I have gotten is if I will be writing a second book. I never really thought of it to be a series, but since I left the story on such a big cliffhanger, I could easily make it into a two or three book series to wrap up the story line. The more I think about it, I am starting to really like the idea of making it into a series.
After the signing is over, Heath and I go have a celebratory dinner and then we go to the airport to pick up Cora. I've been talking nonstop to Cora this whole time, making sure we plan out her arrival perfectly. That way, we can just hang out together with Heath. Once back at the airport, I spot Cora instantly because there is a good size crowd around her, asking for pictures and autographs. She doesn’t see me get out of the car, so I walk up behind her and say, “Oh my god! CORA HENDRIX!!!!”
She turns around with wide eyes, looking embarrassed, even though I am sure some of these kids said the same thing! She wraps her arms around me. “You are such an ass. I am not giving you an autograph or picture!”
We both just look at each other and laugh. Back in the car, we head to our hotel in Santa Cruz.
“I am so excited to watch this competition for BMX and skateboarding. I’ve never been to one like this–only snowboarding–obviously.”
Heath gives Cora a puzzled look. “You never been to these types? That’s so strange to me. I am used to them now since Ashlynn and Neha drag me to them. The guys are cool, though!”
We all get quiet for a bit until Cora asks, “so, Ashlynn, have you seen Anthony yet?”