I can remember the first time Melanie came whizzing by me on her skateboard. The passing air nearly knocked me and my books on the ground. I remember her brown hair being pulled back by wind that surrounded her. Her motions seemed so fluid-- like she walking.
    "Hey, Jack, check this out." She hopped onto the nearby green park bench and turned around in the air, facing exactly where she began. And then, exactly as I dreamed it, Melanie fell flat on her ass.
    Her swirling, brown eyes were hypnotizing as I stared at her lying on the ground.
    "I meant to do that."
    "The same way you meant to completely demolish your board?"
    "Shit!" She walked to the edge of the curb and gazed at the two pieces of torn, blue wood. The back-left wheel was still spinning. "I payed one-hundered dollars fixing that damn board up too!"
    "Wow, Mel, that's tough. Try not sucking so hard next time." She glared at me and knealed down in front of the crash site. She was gentle as she picked the two planks up. Like it was a funeral.
    "Jeez," she whispered, "all that time and effort."
    "Well, I could help you fix it. I mean, if you want."
    "Oh, please, what the hell do you know about this kind of stuff?"
    " How do you know? Okay, you know what? Fine. Forget I asked."
    I continued my walk passed the park towards my street when I heard her call out, "Okay, okay!" She had her arms in the air, and her bandana was slipping off of her head. I pitied that girl. But more importantly, I pitied her skateboard. She threw her hands down and wiped the dirt from her hands onto her jeans.
    "Nothing."