Free Wheeling

By Britt DeLaney

Crossing paths in a bike lane can send you crashing down - and lift you up in surprising ways. Find out what happens when bikes and hearts collide in this free short story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Britt DeLaney
• Release date: May 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005455200

Britt DeLaney

Britt DeLaney lives and writes near Philadelphia. In her spare time she watches too much Netflix, eats too many Pop-Tarts, and is currently writing her ass off.

Book preview

1

FreeFlourish

Matt picked himself up and inspected the damage. The bike seemed all right except for—dammit! There was a scratch, right there on the frame. And he had a spectacular hole in the knee of his khakis, along with a bloodstain. Luckily, he was wearing gloves or his palms would have been scraped up, too.

Great. Just great. A stellar way to begin the day. He pulled his bike toward the curb.

Oh my God! Oh my God, I’m so sorry!

Matt turned to face his assailant—the idiot girl who rode her bike right into him. He’d been following the new commuter bike path the city was finally kind enough to put in two months ago, minding his own business, listening to his favorite podcast on his way to work. He loved his morning ride, as long as the drivers weren’t being assholes. Today, it happened to be a fellow biker who took him out. That didn’t happen often, and when he had a presentation to make half an hour after he got in the door to work today, limping in with a giant bloodied hole in his khakis was not exactly optimal.

He rolled his eyes as he watched the girl struggle to pull her bike over to the curb, her chestnut hair sweaty, and sticking to her face. Her bike wheel was slightly out of alignment from barreling into him, and she nearly fell over onto it, making a stupid, squeaking sound as she tried to get her balance. She finally managed to stand without killing herself or anyone else, one hand