Swallow future, spit out hope
Sep. 11th, 2008 02:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sonoflongshotAiden had been doing this for a little while. Finding time to slip out by himself. Lots of assumptions were made that he was out supporting his sister at her play. He didn't really disabuse anybody of that notion. He still was trying to figure out if he liked what he was doing. It had started early in Hana's rehearsal schedule, after talking to her about what he termed the 'Becky incident.' He took his sister out to her rehearsals and had time to kill. At first, he checked the local music stores and looked into if any bands needed a drummer. Nothing really caught his attention. So, he started to drive around on his bike.
He was just sort of exploring when he drove right into the middle of one. It really ticked off the guys racing. There were heated words, hands raised to try to appear like he wasn't ready to punch anybody, confusion, and eventually Aiden ending up on the starting line while somebody checked the police scanners again. Aiden wasn't sure what was going on, but if it required his bike to go fast, he figured what the heck.
He hunkered down and waited. There was a boy in a beat up cowboy hat standing on a dumpster a few yards down. He took his hat off and held it up. Aiden revved his engine, almost feeling the upcoming speed brush across his skin. His eyes were glued on the kid just a couple years younger than him. When the kid's hand dropped, Aiden and the two other bikers shot off. Aiden was a little slower off the start than the other two, but he made up ground. And he kept making up ground until he edged past them. He could tell where to turn because there was somebody with a blue cap waving at the corner. The hairiest part was zipping through two narrow alleys at top speed without hitting the walls. He almost broke something trying to drift and not tip his bike over at the same time. He lost some time there, but he made a good run at the finish line.
He didn't see when he got passed. It didn't bother him much either. He came in second and couldn't be bothered to stop grinning. Though he didn't understand why they couldn't stop talking about what he had done in the alleyways. At some point, his cellphone was in somebody else's hands. He had a phone number programmed in and instructions to give that number a call if the Mojoworlder wanted to race again. Aiden thought that sounded like fun.
Then Hana had called for a pick up, and he excused himself.The ride back to Xavier's was uneventful. He didn't think about the race again until he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket later that night. He opened his mouth to ask Angel something about the racing and promptly forgot what he was going to ask at the sight what his girlfriend was wearing. Or, more accurately, all of what she wasn't wearing. His cell phone was forgotten until morning.
Aiden didn't call the number in his phone for another two days. He was given a time and a place to meet the following day if he wanted to race again. When he got there, he highly doubted the race was going to take place at a coffee shop. So, he sat and waited. He thought a slightly familiar girl was staring at him, but he didn't see a bike anywhere. She couldn't be one of the race people. Until she walked over and asked for him by name. She hopped on the bike and held on, telling him she would get him to where the races were taking place. Aiden didn't know why there was all this subterfuge. it's not like these people were ninja or anything, but he rolled with it.
This time there seemed to be more tight alleyways to ride through. Aiden didn't wonder why, he just went for it. There was lots of tire squealing and engines revving in his ears. There were also noisy crashes behind him. He ignored them to get through this maze. This time the people in blue baseball caps were on fire escapes and waving them on. Aiden shot out of the alley way and sped up to get to the finish line. This time, he wanted to try to get first. He managed it by a few seconds. He never slowed down to show off. He was racing with himself.
Then Aiden learned something. There was prestige to come with winning. He got this slightly greasy guy who came up to him and talked about souping up this or that. Aiden scratched his head and wondered how to explain his bike ran on gasoline and not chicken noodle. Then he got the guy was talking Misha and Dean language. The guy was talking about how to make the bike even faster and that got Aiden's attention. Though he admitted he didn't have much money to pay for the kind of work the guy, whose name was Whitaker, talked about doing. Whitaker assured him that if Aiden kept up racing how he was, he'd get invited to race with the 'big boys' where money rested on the races. Aiden wasn't too sure about racing for money. That sounded like too much work.
When Whitaker said there was a bit more danger in riding with men who raced for money, Aiden's interest was piqued. He still wasn't sure he wanted to do this. Which was why he hadn't told anyone he was doing it. But a few more tries couldn't hurt before he decided to bring in a cheering section. While he was sure these people didn't mind him being without pinkies, he wasn't sure they would see Angel as gorgeous as he did. So, instead of racing around after seeing his sister off (even when she drove herself on her bike), Aiden let Whitaker poke at his bike for a share of what Aiden would make racing.
The next couple of fun races went Aiden's way. That got him some attention and an invite to a midnight race for cash. It was more toward New York City, but Whitaker said if Aiden could make it and impress the right people, he'd be in like Flynn. Aiden promptly asked who this Flynn guy was. He got a stare for an answer.
Aiden had a lot on his plate to consider. His sister's emotional well-being. Trying to keep in touch with Dean. Waiting for the father of his baby to get back. Spending time with Angel. Working with Zip some more. Get his butt kicked by either Sage or Wolverine in the morning. Now possibly racing his bike for money.
Some days it was good to need less sleep than the average person.
He was just sort of exploring when he drove right into the middle of one. It really ticked off the guys racing. There were heated words, hands raised to try to appear like he wasn't ready to punch anybody, confusion, and eventually Aiden ending up on the starting line while somebody checked the police scanners again. Aiden wasn't sure what was going on, but if it required his bike to go fast, he figured what the heck.
He hunkered down and waited. There was a boy in a beat up cowboy hat standing on a dumpster a few yards down. He took his hat off and held it up. Aiden revved his engine, almost feeling the upcoming speed brush across his skin. His eyes were glued on the kid just a couple years younger than him. When the kid's hand dropped, Aiden and the two other bikers shot off. Aiden was a little slower off the start than the other two, but he made up ground. And he kept making up ground until he edged past them. He could tell where to turn because there was somebody with a blue cap waving at the corner. The hairiest part was zipping through two narrow alleys at top speed without hitting the walls. He almost broke something trying to drift and not tip his bike over at the same time. He lost some time there, but he made a good run at the finish line.
He didn't see when he got passed. It didn't bother him much either. He came in second and couldn't be bothered to stop grinning. Though he didn't understand why they couldn't stop talking about what he had done in the alleyways. At some point, his cellphone was in somebody else's hands. He had a phone number programmed in and instructions to give that number a call if the Mojoworlder wanted to race again. Aiden thought that sounded like fun.
Then Hana had called for a pick up, and he excused himself.The ride back to Xavier's was uneventful. He didn't think about the race again until he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket later that night. He opened his mouth to ask Angel something about the racing and promptly forgot what he was going to ask at the sight what his girlfriend was wearing. Or, more accurately, all of what she wasn't wearing. His cell phone was forgotten until morning.
Aiden didn't call the number in his phone for another two days. He was given a time and a place to meet the following day if he wanted to race again. When he got there, he highly doubted the race was going to take place at a coffee shop. So, he sat and waited. He thought a slightly familiar girl was staring at him, but he didn't see a bike anywhere. She couldn't be one of the race people. Until she walked over and asked for him by name. She hopped on the bike and held on, telling him she would get him to where the races were taking place. Aiden didn't know why there was all this subterfuge. it's not like these people were ninja or anything, but he rolled with it.
This time there seemed to be more tight alleyways to ride through. Aiden didn't wonder why, he just went for it. There was lots of tire squealing and engines revving in his ears. There were also noisy crashes behind him. He ignored them to get through this maze. This time the people in blue baseball caps were on fire escapes and waving them on. Aiden shot out of the alley way and sped up to get to the finish line. This time, he wanted to try to get first. He managed it by a few seconds. He never slowed down to show off. He was racing with himself.
Then Aiden learned something. There was prestige to come with winning. He got this slightly greasy guy who came up to him and talked about souping up this or that. Aiden scratched his head and wondered how to explain his bike ran on gasoline and not chicken noodle. Then he got the guy was talking Misha and Dean language. The guy was talking about how to make the bike even faster and that got Aiden's attention. Though he admitted he didn't have much money to pay for the kind of work the guy, whose name was Whitaker, talked about doing. Whitaker assured him that if Aiden kept up racing how he was, he'd get invited to race with the 'big boys' where money rested on the races. Aiden wasn't too sure about racing for money. That sounded like too much work.
When Whitaker said there was a bit more danger in riding with men who raced for money, Aiden's interest was piqued. He still wasn't sure he wanted to do this. Which was why he hadn't told anyone he was doing it. But a few more tries couldn't hurt before he decided to bring in a cheering section. While he was sure these people didn't mind him being without pinkies, he wasn't sure they would see Angel as gorgeous as he did. So, instead of racing around after seeing his sister off (even when she drove herself on her bike), Aiden let Whitaker poke at his bike for a share of what Aiden would make racing.
The next couple of fun races went Aiden's way. That got him some attention and an invite to a midnight race for cash. It was more toward New York City, but Whitaker said if Aiden could make it and impress the right people, he'd be in like Flynn. Aiden promptly asked who this Flynn guy was. He got a stare for an answer.
Aiden had a lot on his plate to consider. His sister's emotional well-being. Trying to keep in touch with Dean. Waiting for the father of his baby to get back. Spending time with Angel. Working with Zip some more. Get his butt kicked by either Sage or Wolverine in the morning. Now possibly racing his bike for money.
Some days it was good to need less sleep than the average person.
