Everything Breaks

I feel my arms starting to shake. My heart is pounding through my chest. My brain tells me to slow down, but my body wants me to go faster. The humidity is making it hard to breathe. I look down and see 105mph. I take a deep breath and look up at the dark, empty road in front of me. I pull the throttle towards me to go faster and close my eyes. My eyes only close for a few seconds, but it feels like hours. Eyes closed, I feel the warm bike between my legs, and music faintly plays behind the sound of the wind hitting my helmet and body. I'm thinking about the risk of one wrong mishap, and it could be the end, but honestly, this is when I feel alive. I open my eyes and feel butterflies in my stomach. As I start slowing down, I laugh at the adrenaline rush. People would think I was absolutely insane if they knew what I did on these night rides alone. The next morning, I woke up to fifteen alarms ringing on my phone. I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for work. I put on my uniform, braided my hair in two braids on either side and then put on my riding gear. I walked outside to where my bike was backed into a parking spot. Put my helmet on, started my music, and then went to work. Despite the gear covering my whole body, my long brown braids from underneath the helmet are a dead giveaway that I am a girl. From how everyone stares, you would think I'm a unicorn prancing down Main Street. I pull into the gravel lot and walk into the coffee shop where I work. I hear familiar voices and then see a few of my close friends sitting in the back corner. I got to work a few minutes early and had time to spare before clocking in so I walked over to sit with them. Aiden and Myles were my only friends after high school. I went to middle and high school with both of them. Aiden is really sweet, tall, and cute. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. Myles is a little shorter than Aiden and has brown hair and hazel eyes, like me. Myles and I had been more than friends before but I never wanted a relationship. Myles, Aiden, and I were out riding one Sunday when we stopped at a gas station in town and saw another biker. The biker was Kollin. When we met him, I briefly talked to him about his bike. Aiden and Myles seem to like him; and they have been hanging out with him since then. I sat down at the table and asked, "What are y'all doing here?". Myles looked over and smiled. "I knew you had to work this morning, so we wanted to come by and surprise you." I rolled my eyes. "Well, where's the surprise?" I said, laughing. Myles wasn't amused by my joke. Aiden laughed and said, "There's a bike meet tonight in the city; do you want to go?". I looked over at Kollin and just seeing him took my breath away. He has really dark brown hair, green eyes, a chiseled face, and is tall, but not as tall as Aiden. Then again, I am only 5'1, so everyone seems tall. "Sure! Have I ever turned down a meet?" I said, grinning. Kollin smiled and said, "We will meet at Scar's place then, and all ride down together." My brain fluttered. Everyone just called me Scarlet, never a nickname. "Sounds like a plan, I'll be home around four. I have to go clock in, so I'll see you guys later." I said standing up from the table. My 6-hour shift went by fast. I put my gear back on, started my bike, and headed home. I rent a little one-bedroom apartment right outside of downtown. As I was pulling up, I saw that Kollin was already there. Aiden must have sent him my address because Myles and I aren't in a relationship, but Myles is still a little possessive since we have slept together. Myles wouldn't have let Kollin just come over here alone. I lifted my tented visor and asked, "Where is Aiden and Myles?". Kollin walked closer to me and said, "They are on their way; they said they would be here in 10 minutes," while pulling the release lever on my helmet under my chin. I felt my face get hot. I wasn't sure how to react, so I nodded and finished removing my helmet. "I need to change out of my uniform before we go; you can come inside if you want," I said as I walked to my front door. He followed me into my little apartment. "Nice place," he complimented. I look around at my almost empty apartment, only furnished with the basics. "Thank you; it's just me, so I don't need much, and I basically just sleep here," I said. He laughed as he walked over to the couch and sat down. "There's water in the fridge if you want one; I am going to go in here and change clothes," I say as I walk into my bedroom. "So, are you from here?" he asked loudly. "Yeah, I was born and raised here," I shouted back, standing in the doorway of my closet. "How did you get into riding bikes?" he asked as he stood up from the couch. I knew he was just trying to make small talk while waiting for the other guys to get here. While taking off my uniform, I replied, "Myles, he was the first to get a bike in high school. I used to backpack with him until I decided to get my own bike." I could hear him walking closer to my bedroom door; maybe I wasn't talking loudly enough. "I haven't seen many girls with bikes; normally, they all just want to backpack. Are you and Myles?". "No," I said back quickly. Knowing he was going to ask if Myles and I were a thing. "We used to be, but we are just good friends now." Myles and I haven't slept together in a couple of months; he still tries, but he wants more, and I don't. "Okay, sorry for asking; he had made it sound that way but never said that you two were actually together," he said in a sympathetic tone. "Don't be sorry. I have been friends with Aiden and Myles for years, and I didn't want a relationship to tear us apart if it didn't work out," I said positively. Putting my shirt on, I walk towards my bedroom door and pull it open quickly. Kollin is leaning up against the door frame, and I come face-to-face with him as I come through the doorway. He looks me up and down and then into my eyes. With a lump in my throat, I say, "Sorry, I didn't know you were right there." He giggles. "It's okay," he said as he stood up straight in front of me. He reached out, grabbed my hand, and placed it on his warm chest. Pulling me in even closer to him, I can't help but look up into his eyes with a confused facial expression. He brings his other hand up to the left side of my face and places it near my jawline, with his fingertips going into my hairline. I start breathing faster as I lean in to kiss him. He pushes back and stops me from making contact. I look back up into his eyes, which were staring back at me. He breaks eye contact to look down at my mouth. There's so much tension, I want to kiss him but I don't even know him that well. He pulls me in and kisses me. I feel his tongue graze my top lip. He pulls back, smiling, and I lean into him to keep kissing him. I slide my hand down his chest and around his side to hold onto the back of his shirt. Without breaking contact, he pushed me up against the wall just inside my bedroom. He brought his hands down my waist and rested them on my hips. Chest to chest, our kissing turns into making out. I bring my hand up and run my fingers through the back of his thick brown hair. He takes one hand off of my waist and brings it underneath my chin. He slightly pushes my chin to the right, breaking the contact between our lips. He moves his mouth to my neck and kisses my skin so gently that it gives me goosebumps. Still holding my chin, he continues to kiss my neck down to my collarbone. *Knock* *Knock* The sound of knocking on the front door came through the apartment so loudly.