Everything Changes Read Online Free PDF Page B

get water, he did too and asked
if I needed help. When I had to go to the bathroom and Addy didn’t, he walked with me so I wasn’t alone.
    That’s when he spoke again.
    “I bought the coffee for Justin,” he said when I
came back out, glancing at me doubtfully.
    We stopped in the darkness. The moonlight seemed
to provide just enough light so I could make out his outline but I couldn’t see
his eyes.
    The darkness acted as a shield and gave us the
courage to speak openly, something neither of us were comfortable with. “To see
me,” I deduced optimistically.
    “Yes, to see you.”

CHAPTER
3
    Rowan Jensen
    Tire
Wall

    This is a wall of tires
that are bound together on the side of the track. The tire wall is designed to
absorb the impact of bikes that hit it after spinning off the track.

    June
20, 1997

    “I hate you, you stupid snoring little person,” I
muttered mostly to myself.
    Though I wanted her to, there was no way Addy could hear me with the horrific nasally noises coming
from her.
    Addy and I
slept in a tent together that first night. After that, I bought my own tent and
slept by myself. For being so tiny, I couldn’t understand how she could sound
like that. I mean seriously, she sounded like a damn freight train every time
she took a breath.
    That morning, I sat by the fire trying to boil
water for coffee when Parker emerged from his tent with Justin, wearing nothing
but a pair of jeans.
    When he noticed me, he quickly pulled on a hooded
sweatshirt.
    I finally got a glimpse, and no, I wasn’t
disappointed. He could easily pose for the cover of a muscle and fitness
magazine.
    In a form of acknowledgment, he tipped his head
towards me with a smile before walking down a gravel road towards the
bathrooms.
    When he returned, he sat down next to me in a
folding chair. “So the coffee girl drinks coffee as well?”
    “Yeah.” I gave him a half smile, wishing the
water would just boil already. “You don’t want to know me if I haven’t had coffee.”
    He shrugged, leaning forward so his elbows were
resting on his knees, his head hanging as if his neck was sore. “You seem
normal enough right now.”
    “Just wait.” I moved the pan around the metal
crate, holding it above the flames, hoping it would magically hit the right
spot. “If this damn thing doesn’t boil soon, I may turn into a less than pleasant
version of myself.”
    Parker chuckled, shifting around in the chair to
get comfortable. “I can’t imagine a less pleasant version of you.”
    “You just wait. A few weeks with me and you will
probably change your mind.”
    Looking over at him, I noticed he was smiling.
His hand ran through his hair as he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his
head, still smiling. “I’ll take my chances.”
    We talked about the weather in Moab. I was
curious having never been there, but I couldn’t focus on much of what he was
saying. Instead, I was watching the shift of his body as he fidgeted with the
strings on his sweatshirt and the rise and fall in his chest as he spoke.
    The way he talked about the town made me eager to
see the trails and the appeal they held for riders and the tiny glimpse I
received into the passion Parker held for it. I only registered about every
third word he said, but still, the fact that we were talking had an impact on
me. It made me want to ride and take in the sights, smells, and details he was
referring to. I felt like I had missed something in the conversation when he
smiled, but I was absorbing his details, tasting his words as they were meant
for me, a key to an undiscovered world of who he was.
    Soon, Addy and Justin
were up, which meant Parker quit talking to me. I began to get annoyed with
their presence. It seemed anytime they were around, Parker clammed up.
    “Rowan.” Justin was laughing because I still
hadn’t got the water to boil. “There’s a coffee stand up the road. We can get
you coffee when we stop for breakfast.”
    My eyes focused on Parker who