Athena
"Why learn to ride a bike when I could just drive my car?"
Elliot inhaled deeply, shutting his eyes for a moment as his hand pressed against his forehead, probably frustrated with me.
We were both in some park he found a bit far from uni. It was quiet and in some way peaceful, given that there were not much people around at this hour. It was still a weekday, and kids were still in school. I didn't have classes today, and Elliot took advantage of that.
With not much people and the weather kind enough to shower us with steady and gentle breezes, it was undoubtedly a good day to bike.
Too bad I never learned how to.
Elliot walked closer to me as I sat on a rented blue bike, and he honestly looked so fed up with me after I kept insisting I keep the training wheels on so I could speed through the city with a pink sparkly helmet.
If I'm short and people mistake me for a kid, why not keep up with the joke?
"Once you get kids, you'll be glad they'll be biking around the neighborhood instead of pissing you off. It worked for my parents. You know, teaching me how to ride a bike." he said as he walked up to my right and rung the bike's bell once, looking at me with his apple green eyes.
I blew my overgrown bangs up and tucked them behind my ears. I haven't got time to trim them yet, but Elliot once told me to try something new and for once, I did. Twice.
The first, was to let my bangs grow out, and second was to learn how to ride a bike.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I sat on the bike, with both my hands gripping the handlebars.
"What if I just become that rich aunt who gives kids expensive things? I don't need to learn how to ride a bike if I'm not gonna marry or have kids." I told him with a quick roll of the eye.
Elliot raised an eyebrow at me and shook his head.
"Athena, take this seriously. Someone will want to marry you and yes, you will have kids. Now wear these pads over your elbows and knees. We're taking off those training wheels." he said as he handed me 2 pairs of pads. He later bent down over the bike and inspected the small, dirty-white training wheels the bike donned, all geared up to remove them.
I frowned.
There was no way I, a college student, will wear pads like some kid who's scared of getting a little bruised up. I know it's for safety reasons but I think I can handle some cuts and bruises, without those wretched things.
"You're not the boss of me. You aren't some dignified magic guy who knows what will happen in the future either. I don't need those." I said, taking the elbow and knee pads from him and instead of putting them on, I set them aside on the soft grass on the side of the pavement.
Elliot shot me another fed up look and sighed.
"Fine. Suit yourself. But I'm taking these training wheels off. Get down the bike." he commanded, swatting me with a hand of his as he withdrew a small screwdriver from his pocket.
I shot him a glare and huffed as I got off the bike, muttering to myself.
"Someone's on his period." I said, but only a whisper.
Slightly confused, Elliot immediately turned his head towards me and for a second, he looked as if he understood what I said but was just making sure he heard right.
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone, cold but slightly unhinged.
"Nothing." I said as I smiled a bit and put my hands behind my back, skipping towards a nearby patch of grass.
I sat down a few good feet away from Elliot and the rented bike he's taking the training wheels off of, and watched him tuck each of the pieces, bolts, and screws he removed into a paper bag he previously got from a burger joint.
Elliot worked fast, and I found myself a little bit anxious but more annoyed that he managed to get them off that quick.
"There. All done. Get back on." he said, surprisingly more serious than I had expected him to be.
I stomped back to him and crossed my arms on my chest, facing Elliot who now stood, towering in front of me.
"You sure you're not menstruating?" I asked him.
We might as well be sure though.
"I don't get it." he said, looking more confused than serious.
I shook my head at him and instead of answering back with intelligent and witty retorts, I settled down on the bike and sat, placing one of my feet on the pedals and the other still on the ground.
Without training wheels to keep the bike up, I realized I had to be the one to keep it upright or else, it would fall over. I looked at it desperately before Elliot cleared his throat and stood in front of me.
"Remember how you biked with the training wheels?" he asked, his tone, patient this time.
I nodded.
"Yeah?"
Elliot looked away for a moment, inhaling the smooth air that flowed around us, before turning back to me.
"Do it the exact same way." he said, deadpan.
I don't get it.
"What?" I asked, standing a bit from the bike.
Elliot scratched his nape and turned around for a while. I was guessing even he was a bit confused at what he said. As he turned back, he still had a look of uncertainty etched on his face, but I was unsure if he had a concrete answer this time.
"Just, --I don't know how to explain it but, they both have the same feeling. Look forward, not down. You have a tendency to get all jumpy when you're scared." he said, looking away.
Taken aback at what he said about me being jumpy, I narrowed my eyes at him and scoffed.
"Who says I was scared?" I said as I impulsively kicked off the bike and tried to pedal forward. It immediately went sideways and my heart leapt. Thankfully, I got my foot to stop me from toppling over completely.
Elliot walked slowly and gave me a look.
"You were saying?" he said, looking at me amusingly as he laughed a bit.
I grunted and stood up from the bike again, still between my legs.
"Shut up. If I'm not riding my way through a good pizza place by the end of this, you're a terrible teacher." I told him.
Inside, I was unsure about this whole bike thing.
I never learned how to ride a bike after my parents were suddenly out of the picture, but I was certain about one thing, and that was learning how to ride a fucking bike in college.
"Just try it. Not looking down, I mean. Not the part where you ditch me for somewhere that has pizza." he said, still laughing.
I eyed him warily, and I guessed he had the impression that I still wasn't that unsure about this. That I was unsure about him.
I may have forgiven him, but if there's one thing I don't trust about him, it's that he's not that good with teaching people to do stuff.
Elliot grunted and stretched out his hands in front of me, and he skidded slowly towards my back, still with his hands extended.
"You won't fall. I'm right behind you, see?" he said, as a matter of fact.
I never thought of that.
Huh.
A safety net.
I didn't think I'd need a safety net that came in the presence of his calloused hands but, for now, I think it will do.
I nodded.
"Fine. But if I fall and die, you're the one who's paying my hospital bills and for my funeral." I said as I turned away from him and sat back down on the bike, looking forward now.
"How many times do I have to tell you you won't fall? Trust me on this." he said, in a manner which I almost thought was sincere.
Once he finally shut up and left me to myself, I huffed and kicked off the bike, and started again.
I pushed one of the pedals forward with a foot and as soon as I felt the bike move, I immediately felt it go sideways on its own and I had to stop. I put down my foot and turned back, only to see Elliot behind me with both his hands ready to catch me.
"Still don't trust me?" he said, grinning widely now as he wiggled his fingers.
I glared at him and snapped my head forward again.
"Be quiet. I still want my pizza."
I straightened up on the bike and gripped the handlebars tight. Kicking off the bike as I pedaled one foot forward, I almost felt my heart stop as the bike went sideward again, and before I could put down my foot to stop it, I heard Elliot from behind.
"Don't stop! Keep pedaling!" he said, his breath a bit off.
I followed what he said and almost immediately, felt the bike lean downward more than it did. And for once, I was scared.
"BITCH ARE YOU SURE THOUGH." I screamed as I continued pedaling. Although I had kept the bike moving through my pedals, Elliot now had one of his hands around my waist and I stiffened for a moment.
What the fuck?
"Yes, I am. NOW QUIT YELLING. I'm holding your waist on one hand and the other's on the rear end of the bike. So you won't fall off. "
I did as he told me earlier. I pedaled.
With Elliot's strong grip on my waist to keep me from falling, I eventually got the bike straight again and was now sitting upright.
Unbelievable.
I let out a laugh and I heard Elliot release a chuckle too.
"What did I tell you? I'm an awesome teacher." he said, and that was the last that I've heard from him, as he released his hold on my waist and before I knew it, I was doing it.
On my own.
Holy shit.
"ELLIOT, THIS IS AMAZING." I screamed back at him, laughing as I threw my head up at the bright sky and continued pedaling as I biked past random objects in the park.
7 lampposts. 2 benches. A few notable, dying shrubs, and more trees and flowers than I can count.
It was as if the hidden beauties in this crummy park unveiled themselves, and I was beheld by how much I appreciate them more as I passed them. I couldn't even help but be stunned at my own ability to still be upright on this bike as I stared at the things around me.
As I pedaled faster and faster, the breeze against my skin was cool, and the scent that came with it was a mix of earth and sweetness. I closed my eyes for a moment, and in that split second, I felt free.
Free from anything that triggered me, and maybe, even free of how bad I felt during my breakup with Owen.
I didn't realize how such a small thing such as this could make me feel so relaxed, and at the same time, calm.
I opened my eyes again, and I was immediately brought to senses.
A walled dead end was a few meters away from me, and I didn't know how to turn the bike around just yet. Frantically pulling the breaks, fear rose up in my chest and realized, they didn't work.
No wonder this bike was for rent.
I was still speeding fast, and I didn't know how to stop it, but instead of throwing myself down on the grass or putting my foot down, I wanted to try.
I gripped the handles hard, and tried my best to turn the bike around. Turn it to where Elliot was.
It happened instantaneously as soon as I pivoted the handlebar to turn, and almost immediately, heard something crack in the bike as I maneuvered it.
I felt myself falling; so I extended an arm to soften my landing but even that sent it tingling.
I landed on the hard pavement on the far end of the park, the palms of my hands scratched and red from getting thrown off the bike. Both of my knees were scraped, and one was even seeping a little blood. As much as it unnerved me, a searing pain shot through my right arm; the arm I extended so I could land gracefully, but even that hurt.
I gripped my arm and pain shot through it again. I winced, so I tried moving it, bending it forward and back, but I couldn't.
"ATHENA!" I heard Elliot yell out as he jogged towards me and the now dented and bent bike.
As soon as he came and bent down to see what happened, I could only give him a smile, and a small, left-sided shrug.
"We're not going to a pizza place now, are we?"