Alex

Wheels and Heartbeats The sound of skateboard wheels on cracked pavement was the soundtrack of Alex’s summer. Every day after school, he’d head straight to the old skatepark on the edge of town, a place where the concrete was rough, the graffiti was bright, and freedom felt endless. That’s where he noticed Riley. She wasn’t like the other kids hanging around. Her board was scuffed from use, her knees dotted with bruises, and her smile always seemed to come just after she landed a trick, like the world couldn’t touch her in those moments. Alex had been skating for years, but when she dropped into the bowl for the first time he saw her, it was like watching poetry in motion. For a week, he just admired from a distance. Then, one evening when the sun stretched long shadows across the ramps, Riley rolled over to where he sat on the ledge. “You’re Alex, right? The kid who never falls?” she teased, tilting her head. He laughed, suddenly aware of how fast his heart was beating. “Yeah, but that’s only because I don’t try half the stuff you do.” That broke the ice. From then on, they skated together—trading tips, daring each other into new tricks, and collapsing on the concrete to catch their breath when the night sky turned purple. Somewhere between scraped palms and shared sodas from the vending machine, friendship blurred into something softer. One evening, Riley challenged him to a race down the long hill leading out of the park. The wind roared in their ears, boards rattling beneath their feet. When they reached the bottom, both breathless and laughing, Alex looked at her—her hair wild, eyes sparkling with triumph—and the words slipped out before he could stop them