Miguel huddled in front of his laptop and edited their footage from the day. Oakey lounged on the chair beside him, snacking on a bag of powdered donuts. They each went through a couple energy drinks that evening. The empty ones filled the bin under his desk.
As they worked, the room behind them loomed in a faint blue light. Their shadows stretched across the back wall. A punching bag hung in one corner with a futon bed in the other. A set of dumbbells sat on the floor between. Posters of skateboarders and models covered the walls.
“I can’t believe how much footage we got,” Oakey said, stuffing another donut in his mouth.
“For real. I think the video could be done.”
“What? What about an intro? We need something big, don’t we?”
“Obviously, but I’m saying we got it. Today.”
Oakey furrowed his brow. “Which one? The sixteen you did?”
“Nah, Kelvin’s thirteen.”
His buddy stared at him. Oakey wasn’t great at math, but he knew that didn’t add up. He swallowed before grabbing his drink.
“What are you talking about? We both know that ain’t big. No offense to Kelvin.”
Miguel traced his fingers over his goatee. “No, I know. But check it out.”
On his laptop, he clicked into Kelvin’s folder then opened the clip. He turned up the speakers, rolled his chair back. Oakey leaned forward, watching closely.
The shot started on the graffiti. The clatter of his wheels echoed in the background. When Kelvin hit the rail, the camera panned, following him through the slide. The landing sounded like a firecracker.
The shot continued to pan as he skated away. It zoomed in to film his celebration. Oakey smacked his board against the ground. Aliyah screamed.
“That’s my boy, first try!”
She ran over and dove into his arms.
Miguel stopped the clip. Oakey gawked at the screen. He looked more confused than ever. He tucked his hair behind his ear then ate another donut.
“I don’t get it.”
“Homie, that’s Aliyah Gavins, remember? The movie star?”
“Yeah, I know, but didn’t you say you weren’t gonna film her?”
“It wasn’t my fault. She ran into the shot.”
“I thought she was wearing a disguise.”
“She was. She must’ve taken it off by then.”
The two turned back to the screen. The paused clip showed the moment Aliyah hugged Kelvin. Their buddy seemed to go limp in her arms. She might’ve been holding him up more than hugging him.
Oakey wiped the powder from his mouth. “Dude, we can’t. That would wreck everything—”
“What? It wouldn’t wreck nothing. Ain’t skating part of her image?Not like she’s all goodie-goodie. The chick hangs out with rappers— I think she dated a skater once. Come on, this could be huge for us.”
“What about Kelvin?”
“What about him? Homie, he’s gone. Can’t you tell? In his head, he’s still up in the mountains. Whatever he’s got with this actress ain’t gonna last, and he knows it. I’m betting, after summer, he’s going right back to that school. Don’t you remember how much he talked about it? Called it his dream school or whatever. He ain’t coming back.”
Oakey hesitated, scratching the scar on his nose. “What about the party?”
“Yeah, no, I get that, but this could be so much bigger. Just think about it. Ain’t no one gonna look bad here. The clip’s good. Aliyah’s hot. We can keep it respectful.”
Outside, a cop car sped by with its siren blaring. The flashes of red and blue briefly lit the small room. Neither of them flinched while it passed.
“Trust me, it won’t be nothing.” Miguel rolled his chair back. “We can even name it, That’s my Boy, and tag it with Triple Flip. Her fans will love it.”
Oakey puckered his lips like he wasn’t sure. Powder still clung to the corners of his mouth. “Maybe we should, like, film a triple flip for it then?”
Miguel shot to his feet. His chair toppled over. “Homie, that’s genius.” He raced across the room to grab his skateboard.
The lights flipped on. Oakey startled.
“Get the camera,” he shouted from his closet, “We’re going night skating.”
EJShaun.com 