Just us- SBI adoption story (Just me and him book 2)

Chapter 52: WCMX

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" The guy laughed, taking a sip of an energy drink. "Sorry guess I forget how much this can be the first time. I'm Hot Wheels." Phil held back a laugh. "It's meant to be funny."

"Oh, well it is." Phil said, very nervously. I just nodded and gave a small smile.

"Yea. I'm actually called Dex, Dexter, but when I'm here, I'm Hot Wheels."

"Cool." I said.

"Nice to hear you talk, Small Fry." I wasn't sure how I felt about the nickname 'Small Fry' but I was going to just see how I felt. "You ever done WCMX before?" I shook my head. "Let's get you in some protective gear and see how we go. It's a quiet session this evening so I don't mind working with you?"

"Sounds great!" Phil said, taking my backpack from me and putting my phone inside it for me.

I followed Hot Wheels over to a small room where there was helmets, knee and elbow pads and gloves. "A lot of this is spare stuff we have just for the sessions, so let's see what we've got in your size and give it a go?" I nodded.

I came out 10 minutes later barely recognizable and covered in padding. "Right, you've not got the best wheelchair for this but we've had people doing it in the collapsible ones so don't worry about it." He laughed, I took that to mean that they hadn't really had people doing it in the collapsible wheelchairs, "seriously, if you want to do proper tricks and everything in the future, you're going to need to right wheelchair. But we'll get you in touch with some people that would gladly help."

I looked at mine and then at his. There were subtle differences but I was just glad that Phil and Kristin managed to find the money for my wheelchair (I do think some of it was from the government or something like that) I might not have been so lucky elsewhere. 

"Some pictures before you go?" Phil asked, looking hopeful.

Hot Wheels stepped in and saved me, "follow us over. We're just doing the basics today and you'll get some good pictures with that."

"Sure," Phil said, trailing behind me. Felt weird to having someone trailing after me for once.

"I'm guessing you've never done this before." I shook my head. "Just wanted to check. No gear normally means no idea, but you never know."

"Well if you enjoy it mate, we can buy you some stuff?" Phil offered. I nodded; I could already tell this was for me.

Phil's POV:

I wanted to be close, in case he needed me or wanted me to be there. But I didn't want to be a helicopter parent and I had no clue about any of this. I knew how to play minecraft on the xbox. I could just about understand the names of all the dinosaurs. And I could play at least a couple of chords on the guitar. But I had no clue about anything to do with WCMX. I felt a little guilty but promised myself I'd learn, just like I learned everything else for my sons.

They were practicing wheelies on a flat part of the skate park, with a kind of rubbing matting on the floor that the wheels stuck to more easily. I got a few pictures but didn't want to embarrass him.

Hot Wheels had some elbow and knee pads on, but he'd set his helmet just out of the way. I guessed that for him this wasn't a particularly dangerous task. "And again, find that sweet spot and move back and forth in it." He instructed Tubbo, demonstrating what he meant in his own chair.

The only other person here who wasn't staff was a lady who had spent the whole time we were here, going up and down ramps, doing all sorts of tricks and having what looked like an amazing time. I hoped Tubbo would enjoy this as much as she was. But I had also hoped that there would be more people here; maybe some more Tubbo's age that he could make friends with. Maybe some people were just late. Or maybe it was quiet because it was the summer holidays. Maybe it just wasn't as popular as I'd hope it would be.