You find out that questions can be asked in other ways.

You smile, which to her looks like a response to finding out she's okay after the wipe out. You are smiling, though, because you are pretty sure she was compelled to pick thumbs up or thumbs down, and now thumbs up is real.

Before she can look away, you try again, pushing beyond just a seemingly universal set of symbols like the thumbs up or down, and, as you shrug to indicate a question, you glance back at the concrete spot that just kicked her ass when she put her trucks to it, option one, and then, to the bench on the other side of the street, with a laminated sign with a picture of a skateboarder behind a big, red circle-backslash, the second option.

She snickers, bites her lip, and crosses the street. She pushes, aiming for the bench, and when she gets close enough, she no complies right up onto the curved front lip of the bench, sliding her deck loudly, and nailing the landing before rushing off down the block.

An angry woman with an apron comes running out of the shop with her jaw clenched and her fists balled, but just as she looks off to her left up the street, the skater chick ducks into the alley, and disappears.

You walk to the alley. Beside some shipping pallets and a parked moped, the skater chick is biting her knuckles, grinning, and panting from exertion, or even just excitement. "Dude you're bad," she says, "do you skate?"

"Would you rather I did, or nah?" you blurt out. Perhaps you've gotten unused to regular conversations a little bit.

"Uh, I guess I hope you do?" She looks away, and back, as if re-asking the question of herself. "I don't know why I said that. It doesn't matter."

But it does matter, and now, you do skate.

You hold out your hand, another unspoken question, but this one isn't a 'Rather'. She offers you the board, and you drop it and push, headed straight for the same bench she just wrecked. You pop shuvit up onto the bench's lower curve, where she did her grind, and you 5-0 grind it, your nose rising higher and higher until you plant it on the handrail, and frontside it down back to the sidewalk.

The apron lady runs out screaming, but you just turn and say, "hey, lady, would you rather forget your rules and welcome boarders to shred your precious bench, or have hookers and pimps come and sit on it all day every day while your little bakery's open?"

"You little hooligan I don't see how those two things are related at all, but if I had to choose..." she stops, and backtracks, "since I have to choose, I pick the skateboarding nonsense. Go ahead, shred, young man."

"Thanks. Hey, you sell cupcakes?"

She squints at you. "I do."

"Would you rather bring all skaters free cupcakes from now on, cuz you just love their skating, or lose your temper and throw a cupcake at something in your shop in anger every time you see them shredding the bench you invited them to?"

She looks pretty confused, and a little hurt, but you don't care what she thinks. It's the skate chick you're working on with these questions. This poor woman is just a set up for your other game.

"I guess I'd rather bring free cupcakes to people than throw them, even just in general." She's bewildered, but you're confident she'll be bringing you and your new friend free cupcakes shortly.

You take the board back to the chick in the alley and she nods. "Okay sick line dude, but what happened with that bakery bitch?"

"Oh we were just talking about how awesome you look doing your moves out there across the street, and I was like, 'wouldn't it be cooler if skaters did that right up close in front of your shop?'"

"That's cap AF dude. What really happened?" she says, straight-faced glaring into your eyes.

"Nah, no cap, that's exactly what she said. Look, would you rather just not believe me, or go see for yourself?" It's not that risky of a question if it doesn't go your way.

"Fine. I'll go see," she says, and walks off towards the bakery. You follow, eyes on her tight butt cheeks' slightly visible bounce as she walks. When you get to the shop, though, she doesn't have time to ask anything at all.

The baker woman is smiling in the doorway with a couple of cupcakes on a tray for you skateboarders. "I just love your skateboarding...moves... young people." She pushes the tray forward, offering you cupcakes. "Please, shred my bench!"

Your companion bursts into laughter before she straighten up and say thanks, and you both take the cupcakes and sit on the bench to snack.

"You think we can eat these here, or is this bench just for shredding now?" she asks you. "By the way, I'm Maddy. Sup?"

"I'm John," you tell her, as you both bite into the cupcakes. They're very good, with a fluffy bounce to the bread and an almost crispy sugariness to the icing.

"So where's your board?" she asks.