Rev Girl

by Leigh Hutton

  For a few more moments, she kept her eyes on Ryder’s face, but when he didn’t glance her way, she looked back at her slimy food just as a hand clamped onto her shoulder. The table fell silent, everyone staring behind Clover’s head. She turned to see the pale blue eyes and heart-shaped face of the blonde Aussie girl. She looked a bit older than Clover, and was wearing a lot of makeup. She grabbed a chair and spun it, so she could sit with her arms resting on the back, and pushed up next to Clover. Leslie darted to the side to make room.

  ‘That’s cool, mate,’ the girl said to Ernie when he looked like moving also. ‘I don’t need that much space!’

  Ernie flushed red. ‘I know, I just … ’

  ‘You Canadians, so nice!’ The girl said. ‘I’m just joshin’ ya, fella! It’s no worries.’ She jumped up, reached for Ernie’s shoulder to give him a playful shove, and then slumped back into the chair, her eyes on Clover. ‘My name’s Shazza.’ She pointed to the Aussie flag embroidered across the straining chest of her polo shirt. ‘As you can see, I’m from the land of Oz.’

  Clover watched the girl intently as she spoke. The rich, Aussie accent sounded even better in person.

  ‘Sorry to bother ya,’ Shazza continued. ‘I just had to come interview this Canadian girl all the guys have been carrying on about.’

  ‘Yeah, right.’ Clover rolled her eyes, but then registered that pretty much all of the Aussie guys were indeed staring in her direction. And she was sure Sexy Surfer had blown her a kiss. But she hadn’t dared look long enough to focus on the Pirate, on Ryder, at the other end of the table, even though she had a feeling he’d been staring, too.

  Her face was hot, her heart beating right out of her chest.

  ‘Told ya-h.’ Shazza laughed, pulling out a compact camera. ‘Don’t mind video interviews, do ya?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got my own YouTube channel, got followers all over the place who like to keep up-to-date with the racing.’

  ‘Clover’s gonna be even more of a celebrity?’ Ernie swatted at her from across the table.

  ‘Shut it,’ Clover said without looking in his direction. She couldn’t risk catching sight of the Aussies, much too embarrassing, so she smiled at the blonde girl, squaring her shoulders. ‘Sure, Shazza,’ she said. ‘I’m up for it! Just, don’t ask me anything too hard, okay?’ She prayed her mind wouldn’t go blank again, as it had at the front of the gymnasium during her talk in Phoenix. She’d done TV interviews before following her talks for the program into cameras twenty times the size of this little one. But, for some reason, this interview was even more exciting. Meeting Shazza, even more important. The fascinating world of the Aussies had made contact with her.

  ‘I’ll try to be gentle,’ Shazza said. Clover watched as Shazza held the camera out in front of her, raised it a few degrees, moving an inch or so to the left.

  ‘Framing you from the waist up, that cool?’ Shazza asked.

  ‘Um, ’course.’

  Shazza’s face disappeared behind the square screen. ‘So, it’s Clover Kassedy, right?’

  ‘You know my name?’

  ‘We all do.’

  Shazza made one more correction of her frame, and tapped the record button on the top of the camera. She raised her voice and spoke. ‘I’m here on the evening of day one, at the restaurant of the Hotel Ski Spa, with Canada’s only female rider, Clover Kassedy. Clover, you must be pretty knocked up after today, huh?’

  Icy hands squeezed Clover’s throat, and then her gut.

  What? She thought, feeling totally confused, angry even. Knocked up! She glanced down at her stomach. I knew this Shazza was being nice for a reason she’s making fun of me!

  Shazza held the camera steady, but shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

  Ernie’s laugh roared from across the table. ‘Now, this is funny!’ he said, slapping his knee.

  ‘What?’ Clover asked.

  Shazza hit the record button again, lowering the camera.

  ‘She wasn’t asking if you’re pregnant, Clover!’ Ernie said. ‘In Australia, knocked up means tired!’

  ‘Ah,’ Clover said, and dropped her head. She was still almost paralysed from confusion, but she didn’t think her dad would lie. Heat rushed to her cheeks. ‘Sorry, Shazza,’ she said. ‘I hope I didn’t ruin the interview?’

  ‘That’s cool!’ Shazza laughed, and rested her arms against the chair. ‘I can’t believe you thought I’d asked you that!’ She shook her head, sending her curls swinging. ‘You must think I’m totally rude!’

  ‘No, no,’ Clover said. ‘Not at all.’ She glanced across at Ernie, who was shaking with laughter, and was suddenly aware that every eye in the busy restaurant was glued to her. She sank into her seat.

  The camera swung back into her face.

  Shazza popped her head out the side of the screen. ‘How ’bout we start again?’

  ‘Guess so,’ Clover said, trying to ignore Ernie and Leslie, and every other person in the room. Her face burned from the embarrassment.

  ‘Cool.’ Shazza straightened, held the camera steady and made a few more adjustments before pressing the record button. ‘So, Miss Kassedy,’ she said, again formal. ‘A lot of riders are really tired, after day one. How’d you go out there today?’

  Clover took a deep breath and bit her dry, cracked bottom lip. She glanced over the screen at Shazza, who had turned serious and surprisingly professional, then looked directly into the black box. ‘Well, I, I got off to a pretty good start, I guess.’ She fidgeted with the seam of her Canadian team jacket. ‘I tried to stay relaxed and think clearly and follow the arrows, which I managed pretty well I didn’t even get lost once! I was late in to a lot of the controls, but most of the girls were. The times were tight and the trail is really hard.’

  ‘Every day,’ Shazza continued her questioning, ‘you will be riding more kilometres and be on the bike for longer, and rumour has it the tracks will get rougher as the event wears on.’

  ‘That’s a bit scary! It was so hard today, it was all I could do just to get around. But I have got a better feel for the terrain now. I know what to expect, and my two-fifty works so well I can wheelie up and over logs that some of the other girls, on the heavier four-strokes, struggle with. I’m doing my best to stay confident.’

  ‘And how are you sitting, results-wise, after day one?’

  ‘Sixth, I think, just behind one of the Swedish girls and Kerry Treasure. When I came into this, I had crazy dreams of winning becoming the first Women’s Enduro World Champion but as soon as I saw the first special test time and how far ahead Nadine Roux, from France, and a few of the other girls were I realised that I’ll have to put that dream on hold, at least until next year. I’ll be really happy with a podium result, but even that’s a long shot.’

  ‘At least you’re still in it. We heard that the two fastest American girls had some dramas today?’

  ‘Yeah. Lasha Moore she’s really fast, and I started with her, but she was hell-bent on being the first rider into all the controls and winning all the tests. Unfortunately for her, she was a little too eager. I actually passed her and Luc-y ’Clover caught herself just before she could say Lucifer ‘Just after they crashed. It looked like Lucy was trying to pass Lasha in a rocky section, but must have taken her out her bike was on top of Lasha and she couldn’t get it off. It’s too bad. I heard Lasha broke her collarbone and Lucy’s bike quit a little later. I’m not sure if it was because of the crash, but she was stopped on the side of the trail and didn’t look too happy.’

  ‘So what’s your plan to make that podium?’ Shazza asked.

  ‘Well, your fellow country-woman, Joanna, she’s in front of me.’ Clover wished she could say she’d made friends with the girl, but after her ambivalence on the start line, Clover hadn’t had another chance to even say ‘hi’. ‘Her times are super fast, but she’s been having problems with her bike. As for the other girls, the two French riders are insanely fast and they’re leading, then there’s a German, one of the Swedes and
Kerry Treasure, my friend from back in the States. My times aren’t too far off them, and I did beat them in a few tests, so we really are very close. But there are still five days to go. My plan is to keep doing what I’m doing, staying smooth and smart and trying my best to keep it on two wheels in the special tests.’

  ‘Well,’ Shazza said. ‘Being among the three best woman riders in the world would be a huge accomplishment one I’m sure you’re capable of, Miss Kassedy. I saw you on the grass track test near Parc Ferme this afternoon. You were flyin’!’

  ‘Thanks! That test is fun.’

  ‘I’ll let you get back to your dinner, Clover. You certainly need the calories. Thank you for your time, we’ll catch up with you again tomorrow to see how you’re goin’.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Clover said with a smile.

  Shazza lowered the camera. ‘See? Not too painful.’

  ‘You’re really good at interviewing. I hope I didn’t sound silly?’

  ‘No, honey.’ Her mother grabbed her hand. ‘You were great.’

  Shazza switched off her camera and looped it back around her wrist, then relaxed against the top of the chair. ‘So, Clover,’ she said. ‘You sponsored back home?’

  ‘A little bit, by a shop in Denver. Our championship series is awesome and the races are great fun, but there’s still not much money in Enduro where I live. You’ve gotta be in the nationals and on the east or west coast, and it costs a lot of money to travel to all the rounds and get the results to even be considered by one of the big teams.’

  Shazza pinched her lips and eyed Clover speculatively. ‘What are you, like nineteen, twenty maybe?’

  ‘Seventeen.’

  ‘You’re a spring chicken. You still in high school?’

  ‘For a bit longer, yeah.’

  ‘What are you doing after?’

  ‘Well … ’ Clover relaxed into her chair and unzipped her jacket a fraction, to let herself breathe. ‘I wanna race. That was part of the reason I came here, to try and get a ride on one of the teams. But it’s tough. My parents and I have been asking around, and apparently the economy’s making it hard here, too. Fewer teams, fewer rides. Both the French girls are already on the two major European factory teams and Dad has talked to pretty much all the managers, and they don’t have room for any more girls.’

  Shazza looked away, swinging her camera around her wrist. ‘Why haven’t you talked to anyone from Oz?’ she asked, after a few seconds.

  ‘Are any team bosses here?’

  ‘Nah, but my dad, John, he’s the manager of Team Australia and he owns a few bike shops in Sydney, where we live. That bloody GFC hit us hard, too, makin’ it hard for small bike shops to survive. But, luckily, Dad has a few, so he’s got buying power and he’s managing okay. We don’t sponsor any girls ourselves, but there are about a dozen or so girls racing Enduro and off-road back home. The three fastest are on teams. You’d have some solid competition, it’d be great for your racing. I’m sure we could get you some kind of deal.’

  ‘Is Joanna a pro?’

  Shazza laughed.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Joanna has a lot of sponsors, but the other girls are better liked.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Have you not met her?’

  ‘She hasn’t been the friendliest.’

  Shazza smiled and shook her head. ‘Don’t worry about her. She’s ultra-competitive, among other things.’ Shazza laughed. ‘You’ve gotta meet Kourt she’s the best.’

  ‘Kourtney Keyes?’

  ‘The one and only.’

  ‘I’d love to!’ Clover said. ‘So, do the girls get sign on, and contingency?’

  ‘Sure do, as well as a few other endorsements, not a lot, but they get by all right. If you’re willing to take your gear off like Kourt does, though, you’ll get heaps more cash!’

  ‘Um, no!’

  ‘Ah, c’mon I’d do it if I had your body.’

  ‘Do you ride?’

  ‘Me? Oh, no.’ Shazza lowered her voice. ‘I’m way too unco to ride a bike. My little brother rides, he’s pretty fast, actually. If he hadn’t broken his leg at the last round of the year he’d be on the junior trophy team here. But me, I hit the races for the booze and the boys, and to get footage, of course. I’m gonna be the next Oscar-winning female director, ya know.’

  Clover raised her eyebrows. ‘That’s so cool! I’m sure you will be. Are you making a movie here?’

  ‘Here? Nah, just keepin’ everyone back home in the loop with the racing. I’m working on some stuff back home, but.’

  ‘I can’t wait to check out your channel.’

  ‘It’s pretty sick.’ Shazza nodded slowly, then paused, tilting her head to the side. ‘Hey, let me get Dad over here he’d like to meet you guys and I can let him tell you more about all the sponsorship crap.’ Shazza must have noticed Leslie’s intent gaze. ‘G’day, Mrs. Kassedy?’

  ‘Yes!’ Leslie blushed. ‘Hello.’

  ‘Shazza, sorry,’ Clover said. ‘I should have introduced you to everyone. This is my mom, obviously, and my dad, Ernie.’

  ‘Hey, guys.’ Shazza smiled, and then yelled over her shoulder, ‘Oi DAD!’

  Clover flinched at the pitch of Shazza’s voice, and her cheeks went hot as every person in the place again looked their way.

  A balding man with a jovial face looked up from the end of the Aussie table and grinned. ‘Yes, doll!’

  ‘Come ’ere a sec,’ Shazza yelled. ‘Meet the Canadians!’

  Clover shrank behind Ernie as she noticed all the Aussie boys staring. It took a few moments to get the courage to peer out, just to see if Ryder was paying her attention.

  Their eyes met, and it was as if a spark plug within Clover fired with excitement. It was nearly too intense, the way Ryder seemed to see straight past her face and into her heart. As if she was completely exposed. Naked, but loving it.

  Her lips spread into a coy smile. Ryder was still grinning at her, in his intoxicating way, when Shazza began talking loudly into her ear, and she was forced to look away.

  Ernie and Shazza’s dad, John Watson, hit it off like a pair of escaped convicts who had just stumbled upon a burlesque bar. Two hours past dinner and they were still sitting close at the group’s table in front of the bar, sharing Budvars and, from the sounds of it, discussing the global decline in motorcycle sales and the expected recovery sometime soon.

  Clover tapped Ernie on the shoulder as she went to leave. ‘It was great to meet you, Mr. Watson.’

  John rose from his seat and took her hand. ‘Great to meet you, too, Clover. I was serious about what I said. I think you’d have a real shot in Oz and we’d be more than happy to give you a helping hand, a place to stay and all that. Good luck in the race. Not to put too much pressure on you, but if you can finish on the podium, it’ll help a lot to sell you to the teams back home.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr. Watson. Thank you so much.’

  ‘No, Clover!’ Shazza said from her seat across the table, next to Leslie. ‘Call him John!’ She jumped up, and then reached down to give Leslie a quick hug (the two were now well acquainted after sharing a bottle of red wine). ‘You should get to bed, need your beauty sleep to pass those fast bitches.’

  Clover glanced at John, expecting him to be annoyed by his daughter’s swearing. Apparently, he hadn’t even noticed, still deep in conversation with Ernie.

  ‘See ya tomorrow.’ Shazza pulled her against her chest. ‘I’ve got me some work to do.’ She winked, and was off like a shot towards the bar, where Sexy Surfer and a few of the others were still lingering.

  Ryder was there, too, and for the second time their matching eyes connected, Clover was just as excited, to the point of a humming uneasiness in her stomach. One that left her needing more.

  On her way back to bed, Clover was surprised to find that the pain in her leg muscles had vanished. Her feet felt light, like a cloud was carrying her across the floor. As she cast her mind back, it was as though dinner and the
hours afterwards had been a dream. Ryder’s smile, and the fire it had lit inside her then the news of the opportunity in Australia, and the offer of help from Shazza and her father were surely too amazing to be real. Shazza seemed as though she could become a great, fun friend. An Australian friend, who was willing to help.

  Clover’s face erupted into pure bliss. It was as though a bright light had flicked on in her future.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  From a dream to a nightmare. Day 2 and 3 of the WSEC were awful for Clover. She didn’t have the energy to go down to dinner either night, and stayed tucked up in bed. Leslie brought her platefuls of pasta and garlic bread. Both these days, Clover nearly ‘houred out’, which would have meant disqualification. She had only just managed to limp into the final control, with frozen tears streaming down her cheeks, her shoulders curled in pain.

  To help get through the course, her numbed mind had developed a script, which it set on repeat, ‘Throttle … brake … clutch in, throttle wheelie! Ignore the pain … throttle … turn … ignore the pain!’ She even resorted to using bumps in the trail to get her butt off the seat, as her legs had stopped working from fatigue. Worrying about trying to go fast was beyond consideration at this point. She was in pure survival mode, just making it from time control to time control, hopefully within an hour of her scheduled time, without getting stuck or sliding off the edge of a cliff.

  Girls all around her were dropping like Louis Vuitton handbags at a ‘$50 for Everything Sale’. The German and one of the Swedes disappeared into a bog hole, not to be heard from again until the end of Day 3. The French girl, Henriette’s, pace had dropped right back, as she nursed a knee injury and badly blistered hands. Clover was fortunate to have developed nice callouses from all her pre-event training, so her hands, for once, were the only part of her body not causing her agony.