Skateboard Junkie

The Boy Next Door

I remember when he taught me how to skateboard.

"Hey what's that?" I asked my brother when we walked out into the garage on one of the cooler summer days.

"My skateboard," he stated.

"What's it do?" I mumble.

"Nothin' special. Gets ya from one place to the other," he shrugged.

"How do ya ride it? There's no handle bars." 

"You just kinda get on it and ... go."

"Maybe Silo knows how."

"Silo doesn't know everything," my brother mumbles.

"Frankie, can you skateboard?"

"No."

"Then let's see if Silo can."

We bound down the driveway and knock on Silo's door. In a second his mother was ushering us into the backyard where a oak tree held up a tire swing. He had his head buried in the grease of his father's motorcycle.

"Hey Si," I pipe and plop down next to him.

"Hey Mil," he says, staying focused on the bike.

"Frankie got a skateboard and I wanna learn how to ride it," I declare.

"Cool. Give me a sec."

He twists his hand with the wrench and then sighs in satisfaction.

"Alright. So what kind of board is it?" He asked.

I look to my brother.

"The kind you ride?" Frankie said like Si was an idiot.

"I meant is it like a longboard?"

"Longboard?"

"Never mind, just show is to me."

"It's next door," I piped.

"Oh geez, let's go have a look at it then," Silo sighed and the three of us left the bike for the soon to be discovered longboard.

Frankie picked up the skateboard and thrusted it out to Si. I watched the two exchange a look of silent hatred before our neighbor began to inspect it.

"Oh this is a nice one. It's a longboard. Shouldn't be that hard for you to learn how to ride it," he informed us before turning to me. "Here Mil, give it a go."

"You're a jerk," I hissed and pulled the board away from Silo.

The three of us moved once again to the end of the drive. I set the board down on the road and looked at Frankie. He was still glaring at Silo.

"Mila, you have to stand on the board," he pointed out and gestured to the stagnant skateboard.

Shakily, I put one foot on it and squeezed my eyes shut. When nothing happened, I opened them again. Silo was laughing.

"Now the other foot," he managed to say through a hearty laugh.

I took a breath and put my other foot next to the already planted one. The board began to wobble.

"Frankie!" I yelped as I started to roll.

Hands where on my hips and I started going faster.

"No!! I don't wanna do it anymore!" I screamed and started to cry.

The hands left my hips and I was hurdling down hill.

As I was going faster I started to get more comfortable and stopped crying. I guess I got a little too confidant and tried to turn into the grass. The board turned and stopped in the grass. I, however, kept going. I landed on my arm and let out a howling cry. Tears began to spill over my cheeks again. People ran over to me, Silo and Frankie the last ones there, pushing their way to the front.

"Mila," Frankie said. " Are you okay?"

I shook my head.

"Where does it hurt?" Silo asked.

"My arm," I sobbed. "It hurts really bad!!"

"Can you get up?"

Silo again.

I wimpered but nod my head. He held out his hand and pulled me up by the good arm. I went to my brother and he picked me up and carried me home. My father took us to the hospital and I got my very first cast. It was defiantly not the last.