"Why exactly are we doing this?"

Casey was falling a bit behind with her. Like he's literally behind her. Snow and he were headed straight forward on the road, and he was having a really hard time trying to hold his balance.

The path was wider than a sidewalk but not too wide as they had to share the diminished space between them. A scenic of cars zoomed by from afar, bordering by the black chain link fences, and the scattered trees pursued in a line. He didn't think about riding a bike on the trail as one of the to-do things on their list.

The last time he rode a bike was when he was thirteen; this wasn't even his bike. Before they drove out two hours and thirty minutes far from home on a Saturday, they stopped by Malloy's place. It was his older brother's bike that he didn't use anymore, so Malloy lent it to Casey. It felt almost new again to hop on the saddle and hurl the pedals forward; he had a history to tumble over, and meeting with the concrete.

"Because why not? Remember that today is about trying each other's hobby? Well, I like riding bikes," Snow said.

"Yeah, but why this far?" Casey questioned.

"I thought this could be an exercise, and you told me that you don't remember what it's like to ride a bike, and I didn't exactly want you to collide with streets or objects."

Would falling on a bed of grass make any less difference?

"Plus, I brought Neosporin and Bandages in case you do," Snow said, and glanced behind with a smile.

Being a klutz in front of a girl wouldn't be something he would want to happen, but from the grip of the handlebars, he was feeling his sweats building up.

I better not fall.

"Think of it this way. It's not an exercise only for the cardiovascular system, but for your mental state in mind. How much do you think about things, and how much are you willing to let go?" she stated and looked up at the clear sky.

"Let go?"

"Let go of all your thoughts and worries, and just go accordingly. I'm probably not the best person to say this, but at least temporarily. Can you stay balance and hold your head high?"

What did having to ride a bike deal with a balance other than having to prevent falling down? Was she trying to use some life advice on him that was something generic like balance your time with schoolwork and having fun? The only thing he could concentrate on was not looking anywhere but forward.

"Are you trying to—whoa..." He felt the bike leaning on one side and had to stop with one leg, and then he started pushing the pedals again.

Snow sped up her bike with swiftness, and she was a bit farther from him. "Come on. Ride a little faster!" she exclaimed.

From watching her, he wasn't sure about going any faster than what he was already working with. "Could you slow down?" Casey called out.

"Why? It's much more fun this way. Just try it." Snow was at ease, and a cheeky smile played on her lips. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and flew along with the breeze.

Casey wasn't eager with this bike riding activity than she was. Snow looked more natural and could probably ride the whole trail without a stop.

"I want you to keep up at the same pace with me so we can talk better," she said; he could hear her exhale.

They cycled through the trail deeper, and then their surrounding became a forest of trees around them. Snow was quiet with her head faced forward. The only sound that could be heard was the tires of their bikes running; it could be when Casey was reluctant to go a bit faster with his pace, she didn't know what to do and let her words vanished along with the air. He could feel the tension building with the small distance between them.

The lack of control, and from going at a higher speed wasn't what he was used to; he'd always fall behind in some way.

"Snow," Casey said. He made his voice sound clear.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"I'm used to taking things slow, so my pace with you might be different from yours with mine. I want you to wait a little bit so I can catch up to you." He thought about it, during their moment of silence and found that her words were more than just the activity itself, but in symbolism about his approach to deal with everything.

Another silence waved between them; he wondered what type of expression she made, and what kind of thoughts swirled around her. Then Snow nodded. "Okay, take your time."

Huh... He didn't know why what she just said made him feel different. The way that she was so understanding and nice about all this, and it made Casey stopped his bike. Snow kept going forward, and he watched her back. She looked almost carefree with the way she's controlling her handles and her movement; all nice and precise.

Feeling his legs weary and his throat dried, he took a steel water bottle from the holder and quenched his thirst. Once refreshed, he sat on his bike and continued his trail. If he kept going forward, he would find her there.

It felt like forever. Unless she would stop for him or turn back around, she would already be farther away.

Where was this trail even going? he questioned. Somehow the distance symbolized how further they were with each other like how he couldn't see her; given that he was the only here right now.

Casey looked at the wheels of the bike. Sometimes they would go from one side or the other like it couldn't decide from left to right way to turn. It swayed while he tried to keep them where he wanted them to go. He adjusted the handlebar once again.

He took a deep breath, and then he pushed the pedals harder, driving the bike faster. It became a worldly and bodily sensation experience as the trees became a moment of haze, and the sky looked like it was moving along with him.

When he saw her figure emerging, he put the pedals even more on drive until it made her turn her head to see him. "Casey," she said.

"I caught up," he said, with just a slight smirk. 

❥

After they stopped for a water break and refilled their bottles by the water fountain, they'd sat on the grass out in the open and under a huge tree that blocked out the sun for them. His legs were giving him out much more than he had expected it.

"Are you okay? Sorry you're not used to biking," Snow said.

"It's fine," Casey replied.

He browsed through the peaceful area, and just then a couple of dudes walked past them. "This isn't my home, but you can imagine it. I prefer just to lay down and stay for hours."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, or I would just watch tv. Whatever is on."

Snow nodded. "Are you relaxed when you do nothing? There's nothing wrong with that."

Since there hadn't been much to do, they'd just talk; he learned that riding bikes was something she liked to do, and the only thing that would make her go outside. It was her father that taught her how to ride a bike. He said that riding bikes was like finding yourself with no destination in mind, but just to look around.

For Casey, he barely got used to riding it without needing a third wheel as an eight-year-old, and when he did, he was always clumsy because he needed someone to be there beside him. He'd cry when he tipped over, saying that it hurts, and collected scraps.

"Here's an example. When you're riding a bike, you think about not wanting to fall, right?" Snow began.

"Yeah," Casey said when she gestured with her hands.

"You think about cuts, bruises, and you just don't like the feeling of being on the ground. You with me?"

He nodded, still following along as she went on. "I just thought of this. The trail is time moving forward, the handles are how well you grip and hold on, and the pedals are the energy you put into. Let's imagine this. You are a cyclist wanting to get to somewhere. I don't know, anywhere, but you don't know where. You get tired because it's a long destination, and you only survive on water. You're happy because everything is going your way. Nothing could get to you, but suddenly a storm clouds the sky, and you're scared. Because you're scared, you lose control of the bike and fall down. You keep falling down because you don't know how to balance yourself anymore."

"Why?"

"Let's say an upcoming storm is a tragic event you didn't want to happen, so you get nervous. When you fall, it is all the things that are expected to happen: the thoughts, the pain, the emotions that are all over the place; it's... what everyone is afraid of; the trail is only one way so you have to keep going because that's life."

"And where are you going with this?"

"I think you have to fall down sometimes even if you don't want to so you can find out what's there when you keep going."

He didn't know when the bike conversation suddenly became profound, and she sensed that too, as she widened her eyes and looked away.

"What was your... days in high school like?" Snow asked.

He was tensed and then frozen in place. They were a history that he didn't want to get into; he hung out with the wrong crowd and was with them for the wrong reason. He wished he could forget them, and would rather just not get into any of the details, but when she looked at him expectantly, he didn't know what he could do, so he told her.

"It was... okay, it's not really the best experience, but you get them. I was always invited to go to parties a lot, and I went." Casey looked at her, and a slight gasp parted her mouth. "Not what you think. I had a friend who likes going, and he would drag me there. I hadn't drink, rest assured, but I dragged him home when he's drunk."

That thought wasn't a pretty picture, and any time he had thought about it, he was used to being his chauffeur.

"Is he well?" Snow asked.

"I don't know, I don't see him anymore. He's... not my friend anymore."

Casey wasn't sad about it. In fact, it was the best decision for him. Maybe he might miss his sense of humor, but otherwise, he was nothing but a total show off. Snow looked at Casey like she understood he didn't want to talk about it further because she moved on the subject for him.

"Ahh, well, I'm sure it happens. Do you know how I met Kyle and Malloy? I don't know if Malloy told you, but I went to high school with them," she said.

Casey nodded, recalling that he did once.

She looked at her hands rested on her knees. "I was shy. I tried being friends with some girls in the same class, but it didn't work out. They looked nice, but I don't think it was enough. They talked a lot, and I didn't keep up with the same kind of energy they had. Is it kinda funny? For a while, I thought I had one friend, but that one left."

"But around Sophomore year, I found Kyle and Malloy, and they're really cool guys. Their energy was just amazing and natural. I was walking by in the hall, and I noticed Kyle, who was a classmate for PE, and he was talking to Malloy. Malloy was saying something about a cracked egg and a yolk, and I stifled a laugh. He noticed me and called me a pretty girl."

"He did?" Malloy hadn't mentioned that to him.

"Yeah, he said something about a pretty girl laughing at his jokes makes him feel good."

Snow smiled fondly like that memory was just yesterday for her.

"You're really close to them, aren't you?" Casey asked. He saw a sort of glint in her eyes that told him that her friendship with them meant a lot to her.

"I wouldn't trade them for anything; it's pretty hard to when they both have their own charm going on," she said in a jocular manner.

So far, from hanging with those two guys, and he admitted that they did have the distinct personalities that made them good to have around.

"Even though I hang out with them a lot, they're confusing in different ways. Is it just me, or do guys have like some confusing signals they give to each other that I can't read?" she said thoughtfully.

Snow looked at Casey, her head tilting. "Will I be able to figure you out?"

With her deep brown eyes gazing at him, and the hopeful expression that wore like she was trying to uncover him, to undress him, to strip down a layer of him that he had been putting up of a cavernous wall between them. She wanted to read his mind, his thoughts, and all his moves. While he was hard on focusing to not be too dependent, she wanted him to lean on her.

The only thing that he could say to her was "Maybe."

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Hello! I hope you like this chapter, I thought it was a little bit meaningful that they bond a little like this. Plus, it's nice to throw in a little life lesson to add to help him grow along the way. Isn't Snow so... insightful sometimes?

I am starting University again, and I have classes tomorrow. So, my updates might be more slow because I'm not really great with writing and handling stress all at the same time so please note that. I will try, but it's usually me failing to post unless I have absolutely free time. But still wait.

Please vote and comment as it means the world to me.