Page 41 of Off the Wall

“You’ve got this, Nori!”

She whoops as she passes the parking deck. “I totally do!” When she reaches the end of the building, she keeps going until she’s steering around the corner.

“I’ll wait for you here!” I call out, but she’s already out of sight. So I post up under a tree on the corner, prepared to keep my word.

A minute passes. Then another. I shift my weight, wishing I hadn’t promised Nori she’d be okay. I can’t really control her safety, all the time. If she starts riding my bike to work, I won’t be there running along beside her.

A rope of worry slithers around my chest. If she doesn’t circle back soon, I’ll run around and find her. But even as I think this, a hoot of victory echoes in the distance. Sounds like she’s over by the park on the other side of the building.

The tightness loosens in my chest.

In another minute, Nori reappears around the opposite corner of the building. Her face is bursting with something that looks suspiciously like pride. I lift a hand prepared to high-five her when she stops, but she blows right by me instead.

“I’m taking another lap!” she shouts over her shoulder.

“Yeah, you are!” I shout, rooting her on. “I’ll just … keep waiting for you!”

In the end, Nori completes five full laps around the property. By the time she’s done, beads of sweat have gathered at her temple. Her throat is flushed and her hair is damp at the nape of her neck.

“That … felt … amazing,” she gasps, her breaths coming fast.

I bob my head. “I knew it would come back to you.”

“So youreallydon’t mind if I borrow your bike for the next couple of weeks?”

“I really don’t mind.”

“Thank you so much,” she gushes. “Seriously.”

“You’re the one who’ll be doing the hard work.” My mouth tugs up on one side. Seeing Nori happy makes me happy. I’m just helping a neighbor help herself.

That’s all this is about.

“There is one thing, though,” she says with a quirk of her brow. “I’m clearly averygifted rider now …”

“Clearly.”

“But what if I get a flat tire or break a chain or something? I have no idea how to handle that.”

“Hmm.” I nod. “Just put my number in your phone, and you can call if anything comes up.”

“Ooh. I left my phone inside,” she says, glancing back at the building. “Let me have yours.”

I pull my phone from my pocket, and hand it over. She quickly adds herself to my contacts, then passes the phone back. “Now send me a text.”

ME

Hey, Nori. You did all right on Red today.

She cranes her neck to see what I wrote, and a fresh smilebreaks across her face. “You know, this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a while.”

I puff out a skeptical laugh. “No way.”

“My brother and sister-in-law don’t count. Neither do Hayden or Keeley. Or Violet. They’re my friends and family. Theyhaveto be nice to me. I’m talking about a stranger being kind. That sure doesn’t happen every day.”

Strangers. Right.

“I wouldn’t call us strangers anymore,” I say, scratching my chin. “We’ve been through too much by now.” I lift a hand to count on my fingers. “One, escargot. Two, underwear.”

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