CHAPTER 2 HELL RIDERS

It could be the rush of the air through the tropical night or the flash of motorbike colours that excited her and the other girls. Whatever it was, it was the highlight of her as well as her friends' week, the hell-ride race.

Siew Mei was walking to the usual meeting place in front of the Sunway Square. She could feel the thrill running through her as she thought of the hellriders taking their ride down the Federal Highway, with her gripping the rider's body holding on to it for dear life.

It took her ten minutes to get to the meeting place. It was at a cafe called Benny Cafe. The cafe was near the highway. The cafe was usually the starting place for their race.

Siew Mei's two girl friends, Lily and Farah, were usually the first to get there. They too sneaked out of their houses. Like Siew Mei's parents, their parents did not want them to mix with the hall riders.

As Siew Mei was walking to the cafe, she could feel the excitement running through her. She was also wondering which boy she would be riding with behind tonight.

She was thinking, “I suppose it will be Kevin again. For the last two weeks, Kevin chose her as his ‘partner.' She and Kevin had been friends for a year. They met at a friend's birthday party. Kevin introduced her to the hellriders. There, she met Lily, Farah and the other boys.

She reached Benny's Cafe. Lily and Farah saw her. They called out to her.“Mei, you are late! What happened? ”

Siew Mei replied, “I had to wait for my parents to watch their favourite series.”Siew Mei and her friends often competed for the winner. It was like being declared the beauty queen when the best rider picked the girl to sit on his bike.

And ‘Rahim One' was regarded by all as the best. At the thought of him, Siew Mei sighed. He had the confidence that none of the riders could imitate. It was displayed in the way he walked and moved. To her, every step he took screamed confidence. And when he smiled, everyone was not there anymore.

Then, the girls started to talk about him. They sighed as they did so. He was their hero. They said, “He's so handsome. He's so tall.”

Lily, would say, “Look at his hairstyle.”

Siew Mei was looking at him all right. He always wore his red jacket back to front on top of his red T-shirt. The T- shirt had the word ‘ONE' printed on the front of it.

That night, Siew Mei looked at Rahim coming into the cafe. She smiled and lowered her eyes shyly as he entered the cafe. He was the best rider among the boys. She was thinking and hoping, “One day, he will surely notice me. Then, he will pick me.”

After taking their drinks, the boys were ready to race. The girls followed. Siew Mei was with Kevin that night. His bike was not as powerful. So, he had a hard time trying to keep up with the others. Kevin was never a winner. He certainly was not like Rahim.

Kevin did not wear a red jacket. His was an old brown jacket. His hair was cut short, not like Rahim's hairstyle.

The first race was more a warm up. After the first race, they would come back to the cafe and take a break. In the second race, all the riders would be eager to win. They would race like crazy, not caring for their safety.