Part 415: The Flag Gauntlet
The rules of the Flag Gauntlet were simple.
Two riders would travel along the inners of the LA river basin. Along this concrete river would be multiple stations of flags made of two colors; red and blue. One rider must collect as many flags as possible and get to the finish line before the other rider, as they will endeavor to do the same. So the race is exiting for two reasons; not only must the rider beat his opponent to the finish line, he must also recover more flags than him.
The LA river basin is a concrete trench through the Los Angeles city where the river runs through it. However, like in most hot summers in California, the basin is bone try and it won’t flow against till the rains return in December. In the cool Santa Ana winds of September, it would be the perfect night for a race.
Eddie calmly drove along the highway to the Brickyard. It named as such because it was a holding area for construction material throughout the city and surrounding areas. There were also areas that had access to the LA river basin. The young man took a deep breath as the cool wind caressed the face mask of his motorcycle helmet. He wondered what would happened if Brian won. How long would he throw it in his face? Eddie was starting to borderline hate the kid, even though Tony taught him that hate was a waste of time. He took another deep breath, as he turned into the access road that led to the Brickyard.
Eddie was amazed about how many kids were there. It looked like a good portion of the seniors. A few were cheering him on but others were booing him. Eddie didn’t care about their response, nor did he desire their approval. He was there to put an end to his rivalry with Brian Sage. He admitted he wanted to put the smug moron in his place; especially since he had the gall to threaten Bonnie.
The football players motioned Eddie over toward the river access. He calmly parked his motorcycle to one side as Brian was parked on his Harley to the right. The quarterback stepped over toward Eddie as the young man removed his helmet. “Oooooh, wow,” Brian glared at the motorcycle, “Secarski Blackhawk. Where did you get such a sweet ride, Trascal?”
“Christmas present,” was all he commented on.
“Yeah, I’ll bet mommy and daddy take care of their little boy real nice, don’t they, brat?”
Eddie looked over at him. “We doing this or not?” he glared at him.
As it got closer to the race, more kids began to show up. Maddie parked her car and the moment she did, Bonnie jumped out. “Bonnie, hold up!” Maddie said, as she quickly followed her friend.
The two girls jogged toward the crowd and made their way through the sea of people. They continued on until they got toward the front of the crowd. Bonnie looked around, trying to find Eddie. The young man was parked at the entrance to one of the many ramps that let into the river basin. Brian was walking over toward his motorcycle, as Ricky was walking up with the start flag. Bonnie felt her heart pounding; both excited and worried for Eddie entering this race. Then the redhead spotting Eddie’s best friend standing nearby with a hoodie covering his head. “TRISTAN!” she called.
The Asian man looked over and saw Bonnie with Maddie. He quickly jogged over to their location. “Evening, girls,” he smirked, “Hell of a night for a race.”
“Is Eddie nervous?” Bonnie asked.
“Actually, I think he’s more pissed off.”
Bonnie looked against, as Eddie shifted the weird vest around his back. “What is that thing he’s wearing?” the redhead pointed.
“The collector.” Tristan answered, “That’s where he’ll deposit his flags.”
“He’s got to run the race and collect the flags at the same time?” Maddie said in disbelief.
“That’s the game.” The Asian sighed.
Bonnie then gasped in disgust as Brian’s girlfriend Kimberely getting on the back of his motorcycle. “Wait!” Bonnie pointed, “Why is she getting on Brian’s cycle?”
“Because that’s the point,” Tristan said, “The rider is allowed to have a passenger to collect the flags. It will allow him to concentrate on the course.”
“But . .but . .but . .but . . .WHO IS GONNA HELP EDDIE????” she said, putting her hands on her forehead.
“No one.” Tristan replied.
The redhead looked at the Asian man, who stared at his best friend. The young woman didn’t know the way to take the tone of what he just said. Was it just simply stating the fact or was it a way of daring her to help him? Bonnie wasn’t sure. However, the one thing she was sure of that dare or not, Eddie was going to win this race. She then quickly tucked her jacket toward her side and ran toward the young man’s motorcycle. “BONNIE!!!” Maddie screamed, “WHAT YOU DOING?”
Eddie twisted his handle bars, igniting the engine on the Blackhawk. Brian laughed as he ignited his engine on his Harley, as his girlfriend waved to the crowd. Ricky then held up the bandana, getting ready to signal the race to begin. Eddie glared over to the quarterback who casually flipped him off. Then the young man was startled as he felt someone get on the back of his motorcycle. He quickly turned to see the young girl he cared about. “Bonnie, what are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’ll get the flags for you.” She quickly commented.
“Bonnie, get off!” Eddie snapped back.
“No,” she calmly refused.
“Bonnie, I can’t win this with you on this cycle!”
The redhead girl then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. The soft and gentle touch of her lips sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. He looked back at her almost feeling light headed. “Then you better try.” She replied, putting her hands around his waist.
Ricky the flung the bandana down and Brian shot off into the ramp. Eddie saw what was happening and knew he didn’t have time to object. He quickly let his foot off the brake and then sped down the ramp. Within moments they were heading into the river basin. Eddie quickly turned on his headlight as he hugged the wall. The first flag was coming up. Bonnie screamed as she reached over and grabbed it. Eddie headed on as he saw the next flag up ahead. He slowed down enough for Bonnie to grab it and then they moved on.
Eddie held onto the front bars as he zoomed ahead. Toward their right was Brian and Kimberely as they were grabbing their own flags. Then without warning, the quarterback cut sharp toward his left and got in front of Eddie. The young man had to swerve to keep from hitting him. Kimberely laughed as she grabbed one of Eddie’s flags and threw it to the ground. Eddie quickly came to an abrupt stop and tilted the motorcycle allowing Bonnie to pick it up. “You on?” he asked.
“YEAH!” she replied, stuffing the flag into his vest pocket.
Eddie then pushed the pedal as far as he could. Brian was always outdistancing him because he had to stop for that last flag. The pair hugged the wall as Bonnie grabbed flag after flag. Then she reached up to grab another and the moment she grabbed it, she started to fall off the cycle. Eddie then grabbed her leg with his right hand and squeezed the brake on his other handlebar. The momentum then sent them forward, doing a frontal wheelie. “OOPH!” Bonnie grunted as she slammed back into Eddie.
The young man then jolted them back onto both wheels and continued their race. Bonnie began laughing at his skill with the cycle. Eddie couldn’t help but smile himself. It wasn’t mean to be a fun experience but it was turning out that way. The young man continued on though the river basin, grabbing flag after flag. Eddie looked ahead to see where Brian was but in the darkness of the concrete river banks he couldn’t see anything. Had the quarterback already gotten ahead of him? “Do you trust me?” he leaned back toward Bonnie.
“What?” she screamed back.
“DO YOU TRUST ME?” he repeated more loudly.
“Y-y-yes,” she admitted.
Eddie then tilted the bars and cut hard toward the right down another tunnel. The tunnel then opened up to a far distance ramp. Eddie floored it as fast as he could. Bonnie then started to grip his jacket seeing as their was clearly no exit. “EDDIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” she screamed.
“NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DON’T LET GO!” he screamed back.
By the time Bonnie saw what she was doing, she screamed and buried her head into his back. Eddie gritted his teeth as he then took the ramp at 70 mph. The cycle soared through the air like a motorcross cycle. Bonnie refused to look but she could feel that they were no longer on the ground. Several cars below them thought they saw a motorcycle flying over their road to get to the other embankment of the LA River Basin.
But no one was that crazy.
Eddie then grunted as his bike landed on the opposite ramp from the connector to the highway. His handlebar jerked left and right but he fought it to maintain control. Within seconds he was back in the river basin. Bonnie leaned up and then started to screamed in delight; slightly disappointed she didn’t witness their flight. But within seconds, she got back in the game; grabbing the nearest flag. Eddie then jerked toward the right and headed toward the east wall. The redhead behind him laughed as he reached up, grabbed one of Brian’s flags and threw it toward the ground. The young man then zoomed back and then heard a noise behind him. It was Brian and he could heard him screaming in defiance; wondering how Eddie got in front of him. The young man then turned a corner as Bonnie grabbed the last flag.
Then up ahead was the exit to the river basin. The kids who were waiting on them started to cheer, jumping up and down. Eddie then looked back toward Bonnie with a smug look. He decided to give them a finish they would remember. The young man then jolted his brakes and hit the gas line at the same time; causing him to pop a wheelie. Bonnie screamed in delight as they crossed the finish line on one wheel. Eddie landed on both wheels, then came to a stop. All the kids that were rooting for Eddie came and congradulated him. Brian then came to a stop behind him and then screamed in anger. “How did he get in front of me?” he demanded.
Eddie slowly got off his motorcycle and began to walk toward the group of kids gathering near Brian. The young man slowly removed his vest and handed it off to George Bowen; who agreed to be an impartial judge. Brian gave him his vest, then looked toward his opponent. “How did you get in front of me?” he asked.
“Haven’t you heard?” Bonnie answered for him, “A magician never reveals his secrets.”
Eddie looked at her, smirking. He couldn’t believe Bonnie was getting caught up in the excitement of the race. Bowen continued to count the flags and then he was done. “Eddie has all twelve flags,” he said, “Brian has only 11.”
“ELEVEN?” the quarterback screamed, “WE . . .we missed one???”
“Unlike you, I can count that high,” he then pointed toward Eddie, “TRASCAL WINS THE RACE!!”
The kids then cheered and clapped for Eddie. The young man smiled, as he held onto Bonnie and waved to the crowd. He admitted that he didn’t win the race; he and Bonnie did. He was about to extend his hand to Brian for sportsmanship but when he looked over the quarterback was getting in his truck and leaving. And interestingly enough, he left his girlfriend behind.
Why did Eddie feel it wasn’t over between him and the quarterback?
“Over the highway!” Tristan laughed as he sipped on his chocolate shake.
Eddie had taken Bonnie, Tristan and Maddie to the local Tastie Freeze to celebrate their victory. Bonnie giggled, wiping her mouth of the caramel on her cheek. “I was too scared,” she laughed, “ When he soared over the highway, I had my face buried in his back the whole time.”
“My brother, you never cease to amaze me.” Tristan shook his hand.
“Nor I myself.” Eddie agreed with a grin.
“Weren’t you scared, Eddie?” Maddie asked.
“Nope,” he said, sipping his vanilla shake.
“Why not?”
“I was taught that fear is a waste of time.”
Tristan laughed at his best friend’s Zen comment. “Well, you crazy kids,” he said, standing up, “As much as I would like to continue this thrill ride, it is still technically a school night. We should go home and get some sleep.”
“Sleep?” Maddie laughed, “I’m still running on adrenaline.”
The kids took the remains of their treats and deposited them in the nearest waste basket. Eddie and Bonnie looked at each other and paused in the parking lot, while Tristan and Maddie walked over to their respective vehicle. The cool September wind blew against Bonnie’s red hair into her eyes. Before she could move them, Eddie did it for her. She stared up at him and found herself lost in his eyes. “You look pretty in the moonlight.” He commented.
“Thank you for an evening I won’t forget.” She whispered.
“Thank you for helping me.” He replied with a smile.
“Is . .uh . .Friday going to be this exciting?”
“I hope not.” He chuckled.
Bonnie laughed at his joke, then leaned up and kissed his cheek. Eddie smiled as she then jogged over to join her friend Maddie in taking her home. The young man calmly walked over toward his bike and sat on it. He calmly waved to the girls as they left the area. Eddie did wonder where this was going. He honesty felt he was falling more and more for Bonnie as the days go by.
Indeed, what will Friday bring?
Two riders would travel along the inners of the LA river basin. Along this concrete river would be multiple stations of flags made of two colors; red and blue. One rider must collect as many flags as possible and get to the finish line before the other rider, as they will endeavor to do the same. So the race is exiting for two reasons; not only must the rider beat his opponent to the finish line, he must also recover more flags than him.
The LA river basin is a concrete trench through the Los Angeles city where the river runs through it. However, like in most hot summers in California, the basin is bone try and it won’t flow against till the rains return in December. In the cool Santa Ana winds of September, it would be the perfect night for a race.
Eddie calmly drove along the highway to the Brickyard. It named as such because it was a holding area for construction material throughout the city and surrounding areas. There were also areas that had access to the LA river basin. The young man took a deep breath as the cool wind caressed the face mask of his motorcycle helmet. He wondered what would happened if Brian won. How long would he throw it in his face? Eddie was starting to borderline hate the kid, even though Tony taught him that hate was a waste of time. He took another deep breath, as he turned into the access road that led to the Brickyard.
Eddie was amazed about how many kids were there. It looked like a good portion of the seniors. A few were cheering him on but others were booing him. Eddie didn’t care about their response, nor did he desire their approval. He was there to put an end to his rivalry with Brian Sage. He admitted he wanted to put the smug moron in his place; especially since he had the gall to threaten Bonnie.
The football players motioned Eddie over toward the river access. He calmly parked his motorcycle to one side as Brian was parked on his Harley to the right. The quarterback stepped over toward Eddie as the young man removed his helmet. “Oooooh, wow,” Brian glared at the motorcycle, “Secarski Blackhawk. Where did you get such a sweet ride, Trascal?”
“Christmas present,” was all he commented on.
“Yeah, I’ll bet mommy and daddy take care of their little boy real nice, don’t they, brat?”
Eddie looked over at him. “We doing this or not?” he glared at him.
As it got closer to the race, more kids began to show up. Maddie parked her car and the moment she did, Bonnie jumped out. “Bonnie, hold up!” Maddie said, as she quickly followed her friend.
The two girls jogged toward the crowd and made their way through the sea of people. They continued on until they got toward the front of the crowd. Bonnie looked around, trying to find Eddie. The young man was parked at the entrance to one of the many ramps that let into the river basin. Brian was walking over toward his motorcycle, as Ricky was walking up with the start flag. Bonnie felt her heart pounding; both excited and worried for Eddie entering this race. Then the redhead spotting Eddie’s best friend standing nearby with a hoodie covering his head. “TRISTAN!” she called.
The Asian man looked over and saw Bonnie with Maddie. He quickly jogged over to their location. “Evening, girls,” he smirked, “Hell of a night for a race.”
“Is Eddie nervous?” Bonnie asked.
“Actually, I think he’s more pissed off.”
Bonnie looked against, as Eddie shifted the weird vest around his back. “What is that thing he’s wearing?” the redhead pointed.
“The collector.” Tristan answered, “That’s where he’ll deposit his flags.”
“He’s got to run the race and collect the flags at the same time?” Maddie said in disbelief.
“That’s the game.” The Asian sighed.
Bonnie then gasped in disgust as Brian’s girlfriend Kimberely getting on the back of his motorcycle. “Wait!” Bonnie pointed, “Why is she getting on Brian’s cycle?”
“Because that’s the point,” Tristan said, “The rider is allowed to have a passenger to collect the flags. It will allow him to concentrate on the course.”
“But . .but . .but . .but . . .WHO IS GONNA HELP EDDIE????” she said, putting her hands on her forehead.
“No one.” Tristan replied.
The redhead looked at the Asian man, who stared at his best friend. The young woman didn’t know the way to take the tone of what he just said. Was it just simply stating the fact or was it a way of daring her to help him? Bonnie wasn’t sure. However, the one thing she was sure of that dare or not, Eddie was going to win this race. She then quickly tucked her jacket toward her side and ran toward the young man’s motorcycle. “BONNIE!!!” Maddie screamed, “WHAT YOU DOING?”
Eddie twisted his handle bars, igniting the engine on the Blackhawk. Brian laughed as he ignited his engine on his Harley, as his girlfriend waved to the crowd. Ricky then held up the bandana, getting ready to signal the race to begin. Eddie glared over to the quarterback who casually flipped him off. Then the young man was startled as he felt someone get on the back of his motorcycle. He quickly turned to see the young girl he cared about. “Bonnie, what are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’ll get the flags for you.” She quickly commented.
“Bonnie, get off!” Eddie snapped back.
“No,” she calmly refused.
“Bonnie, I can’t win this with you on this cycle!”
The redhead girl then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. The soft and gentle touch of her lips sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. He looked back at her almost feeling light headed. “Then you better try.” She replied, putting her hands around his waist.
Ricky the flung the bandana down and Brian shot off into the ramp. Eddie saw what was happening and knew he didn’t have time to object. He quickly let his foot off the brake and then sped down the ramp. Within moments they were heading into the river basin. Eddie quickly turned on his headlight as he hugged the wall. The first flag was coming up. Bonnie screamed as she reached over and grabbed it. Eddie headed on as he saw the next flag up ahead. He slowed down enough for Bonnie to grab it and then they moved on.
Eddie held onto the front bars as he zoomed ahead. Toward their right was Brian and Kimberely as they were grabbing their own flags. Then without warning, the quarterback cut sharp toward his left and got in front of Eddie. The young man had to swerve to keep from hitting him. Kimberely laughed as she grabbed one of Eddie’s flags and threw it to the ground. Eddie quickly came to an abrupt stop and tilted the motorcycle allowing Bonnie to pick it up. “You on?” he asked.
“YEAH!” she replied, stuffing the flag into his vest pocket.
Eddie then pushed the pedal as far as he could. Brian was always outdistancing him because he had to stop for that last flag. The pair hugged the wall as Bonnie grabbed flag after flag. Then she reached up to grab another and the moment she grabbed it, she started to fall off the cycle. Eddie then grabbed her leg with his right hand and squeezed the brake on his other handlebar. The momentum then sent them forward, doing a frontal wheelie. “OOPH!” Bonnie grunted as she slammed back into Eddie.
The young man then jolted them back onto both wheels and continued their race. Bonnie began laughing at his skill with the cycle. Eddie couldn’t help but smile himself. It wasn’t mean to be a fun experience but it was turning out that way. The young man continued on though the river basin, grabbing flag after flag. Eddie looked ahead to see where Brian was but in the darkness of the concrete river banks he couldn’t see anything. Had the quarterback already gotten ahead of him? “Do you trust me?” he leaned back toward Bonnie.
“What?” she screamed back.
“DO YOU TRUST ME?” he repeated more loudly.
“Y-y-yes,” she admitted.
Eddie then tilted the bars and cut hard toward the right down another tunnel. The tunnel then opened up to a far distance ramp. Eddie floored it as fast as he could. Bonnie then started to grip his jacket seeing as their was clearly no exit. “EDDIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” she screamed.
“NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DON’T LET GO!” he screamed back.
By the time Bonnie saw what she was doing, she screamed and buried her head into his back. Eddie gritted his teeth as he then took the ramp at 70 mph. The cycle soared through the air like a motorcross cycle. Bonnie refused to look but she could feel that they were no longer on the ground. Several cars below them thought they saw a motorcycle flying over their road to get to the other embankment of the LA River Basin.
But no one was that crazy.
Eddie then grunted as his bike landed on the opposite ramp from the connector to the highway. His handlebar jerked left and right but he fought it to maintain control. Within seconds he was back in the river basin. Bonnie leaned up and then started to screamed in delight; slightly disappointed she didn’t witness their flight. But within seconds, she got back in the game; grabbing the nearest flag. Eddie then jerked toward the right and headed toward the east wall. The redhead behind him laughed as he reached up, grabbed one of Brian’s flags and threw it toward the ground. The young man then zoomed back and then heard a noise behind him. It was Brian and he could heard him screaming in defiance; wondering how Eddie got in front of him. The young man then turned a corner as Bonnie grabbed the last flag.
Then up ahead was the exit to the river basin. The kids who were waiting on them started to cheer, jumping up and down. Eddie then looked back toward Bonnie with a smug look. He decided to give them a finish they would remember. The young man then jolted his brakes and hit the gas line at the same time; causing him to pop a wheelie. Bonnie screamed in delight as they crossed the finish line on one wheel. Eddie landed on both wheels, then came to a stop. All the kids that were rooting for Eddie came and congradulated him. Brian then came to a stop behind him and then screamed in anger. “How did he get in front of me?” he demanded.
Eddie slowly got off his motorcycle and began to walk toward the group of kids gathering near Brian. The young man slowly removed his vest and handed it off to George Bowen; who agreed to be an impartial judge. Brian gave him his vest, then looked toward his opponent. “How did you get in front of me?” he asked.
“Haven’t you heard?” Bonnie answered for him, “A magician never reveals his secrets.”
Eddie looked at her, smirking. He couldn’t believe Bonnie was getting caught up in the excitement of the race. Bowen continued to count the flags and then he was done. “Eddie has all twelve flags,” he said, “Brian has only 11.”
“ELEVEN?” the quarterback screamed, “WE . . .we missed one???”
“Unlike you, I can count that high,” he then pointed toward Eddie, “TRASCAL WINS THE RACE!!”
The kids then cheered and clapped for Eddie. The young man smiled, as he held onto Bonnie and waved to the crowd. He admitted that he didn’t win the race; he and Bonnie did. He was about to extend his hand to Brian for sportsmanship but when he looked over the quarterback was getting in his truck and leaving. And interestingly enough, he left his girlfriend behind.
Why did Eddie feel it wasn’t over between him and the quarterback?
“Over the highway!” Tristan laughed as he sipped on his chocolate shake.
Eddie had taken Bonnie, Tristan and Maddie to the local Tastie Freeze to celebrate their victory. Bonnie giggled, wiping her mouth of the caramel on her cheek. “I was too scared,” she laughed, “ When he soared over the highway, I had my face buried in his back the whole time.”
“My brother, you never cease to amaze me.” Tristan shook his hand.
“Nor I myself.” Eddie agreed with a grin.
“Weren’t you scared, Eddie?” Maddie asked.
“Nope,” he said, sipping his vanilla shake.
“Why not?”
“I was taught that fear is a waste of time.”
Tristan laughed at his best friend’s Zen comment. “Well, you crazy kids,” he said, standing up, “As much as I would like to continue this thrill ride, it is still technically a school night. We should go home and get some sleep.”
“Sleep?” Maddie laughed, “I’m still running on adrenaline.”
The kids took the remains of their treats and deposited them in the nearest waste basket. Eddie and Bonnie looked at each other and paused in the parking lot, while Tristan and Maddie walked over to their respective vehicle. The cool September wind blew against Bonnie’s red hair into her eyes. Before she could move them, Eddie did it for her. She stared up at him and found herself lost in his eyes. “You look pretty in the moonlight.” He commented.
“Thank you for an evening I won’t forget.” She whispered.
“Thank you for helping me.” He replied with a smile.
“Is . .uh . .Friday going to be this exciting?”
“I hope not.” He chuckled.
Bonnie laughed at his joke, then leaned up and kissed his cheek. Eddie smiled as she then jogged over to join her friend Maddie in taking her home. The young man calmly walked over toward his bike and sat on it. He calmly waved to the girls as they left the area. Eddie did wonder where this was going. He honesty felt he was falling more and more for Bonnie as the days go by.
Indeed, what will Friday bring?
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