𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆

He pulled his beanie over his messy curls and grabbed his board, skating down the park.

Maybe even if life sucked, skating was the one thing that was good in the world.

He slowed to a stop and hopped off, tucking his board under his arm and squatting down on the curb to cover his face with his hands and take a breath.

He was tired of life. Tired of being tired.

His breath was shallow, not because he was physically tired, but because life was making it hard to breathe. Finally, he got up. He didn't want anyone to ask him if he was okay. He was tired of lying to people. Dropping his board again, he hopped on and returned to where the rest of the skaters were crowded at the park.

If skating stopped being fun, maybe it'd be okay to just give up on life.

"You know what hits different?" Vinnie pulled up next to Justin and stopped.

"What?"

He smiled and nodded. "Skating at night when no one else is here. You got the whole park to yourself. We should do it sometime."

"Bet." Justin grinned. "I'm down."

Vinnie spun around and glided away, kicking a heel flip on his way down the ramp. As he got to the bottom of the ramp, he noticed a girl off to the side attempting a kick flip. As he got to the bottom, the board slipped out from underneath her and she fell right into his path.

"Woah, watch out!" He called, swerving at the last second and jerking to a stop. Reaching down, he stuck his hand out to pull her back up. "You good?"

She waved his hand away as she lifted her hair from her face, laughing. "I'm so sorry. I'm fine."

"Oh-" they made eye contact, and he recognized her as the girl he'd met yesterday at the house. "Hey...Riley."

"Oh my goodness, hi." Riley's eyes dimpled as she let out a surprised laugh. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"You neither," he returned. "You didn't tell me you could skate!"

She motioned to the board and her position on the ground. "Well...I don't know if I'd say I can." They both laughed and then he pulled her up. "Really," Vinnie said, "I didn't expect to see you at a skate park. You don't seem like-"

Riley's cheeks flushed pink and she laughed. "Like what?"

"Nothing," he let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I don't know."

"Wait a minute," her eyes narrowed teasingly, her smile still lighting up her face. "Are you gatekeeping skating?"

"No! I'm sorry," Vinnie held up his arms in mock surrender. "But then again," he added jokingly, motioning to her shoes, "Who wears Air Jordans while they skate?"

"Me," Riley shrugged, looking down at her shoes. "They have good grip. And they're comfy. Don't knock it until you try it." She laughed again.

That darn laugh. The way her face lit up and her dimples showed. That was all he'd remembered from the first time he met her. He'd hadn't thought much about her after they met, but he hadn't forgotten her laugh. She always seemed so full of joy...something he'd been lacking for who knows how long. He wondered how easy her life must be, with the ability to smile like that. Realizing he was staring, he looked away.

"You come here often?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Whenever I can. It's relaxing."

"It really is." Riley nodded. "Hey, I noticed you doing that...I forget what it's called...on your way down the ramp. I've been trying to do that for a while but I can't get the hang of it. Do you have any tips?"

"Yeah, sure," nodding towards her board, he smiled. "Hop on and I'll show you a trick or two."

✰

AUTHOR'S NOTE
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actually y'all- if you watch sharlize's tiktoks...
her laugh is literally the cutest thing ever i'm jealous 😡🥺