jump park

The jump park is a cycling venue where ramps, track, and bleachers bring riders and spectators together after dark. For Auden, its unfamiliar setting becomes the backdrop to two surprises: Maggie’s confident ride and an encounter with Eli, whose presence turns her attempt to leave into a moment of recognition.

Setting and Layout

Auden finds the jump park by following the bikes gathering along the sidewalks and on cars. The venue occupies a large lot two or three streets from Colby beach. Two huge lights illuminate the bleachers and a row of jumps built from logs and sand, where riders rise briefly above the spectators’ line of sight before dropping from view.

The grounds include more than the jumps. An oval track, shaped with several kinds of berms, gives some cyclists a circuit to ride, while two large curved ramps face one another nearby. From her car, Auden watches a rider travel back and forth between the ramps, drawn into the repeated motion before the slam of a van door pulls her attention back to the gathering around her.

Riders and Spectators

The bleachers are filled with girls watching the riders below. Auden initially reads this crowd through her own sense of distance from it, imagining the spectators comparing lip gloss and admiring the cyclists. She recognizes Maggie among them, dressed in pink and sitting alone, apparently watching the ramps while Jake remains out of sight.

Below the stands, Adam and Wallace wait with their bikes near the jump line. Wallace eats Pringles as Adam gestures toward the bleachers, inviting someone to join them. The park thus brings spectators and riders into close view: what first looks to Auden like passive watching soon gives way to Maggie’s direct participation.

Maggie Takes the Course

Maggie stands, ties back her dark curls, retrieves a helmet from the bag beside her, and walks down to the boys. Adam dismounts and offers her his bike. After putting on the helmet, she listens to him, nods, and rolls backward to give herself room before setting off toward the jumps.

She clears the first ramps at moderate speed, builds momentum, and rises higher over the third. Her landings are smooth and square, and she completes the set before circling back to the others. Wallace offers her a Pringle, which she accepts after lifting her helmet visor. The ease and competence of the ride overturn Auden’s assumption that Maggie is merely waiting and watching.

Auden and Eli at the Park

Auden is so absorbed in Maggie’s run that she does not at first notice Eli nearby. He stands off to her right in jeans and a green long-sleeved shirt, his hair loose over his shoulders. They exchange nods, and Auden recalls the day’s talk among Esther, Leah, and Maggie about whether Eli still rides and why he stopped. She considers the subject none of her business and decides to leave.

Her route to the car takes her directly past Eli. He notices that she is already going and remarks on her departure in the flat voice she recognizes. The encounter links the park’s visible cycling activity to the question Auden has heard about Eli’s own relationship with riding: here, surrounded by bikes and riders, he is present as an observer while Maggie has just taken to the course.