Into the Danger Zone Read online

  “Are you going to close the slope?” Charlie asked. Alison shook her head. “I shouldn’t be too long. But take this.” She thrust her walkie-talkie into Charlie’s hands. “If anything should happen, give me a shout, okay?”

  “But-but —,” Charlie sputtered.

  “Look, I’d rather not leave you in charge, believe me!” Alison said. “But I think you’ll be okay until I get back. Everyone here knows the rules.”

  Practically everyone, Charlie wanted to remind her as she took off down the slope. He was staring at the walkie-talkie as if it might bite him when Rick returned to the top of the hill.

  “What’s that?”

  Reluctantly, Charlie explained the situation.

  Rick gave a slow smile. “So-o-o-o,” he said, “she’s gone for a bit, huh? That’s good. That’s ve-e-e-ery good!”

  Charlie was instantly on his guard. “Why do you say that?”

  Rick just winked. “I gotta go to the bathroom. See ya.” He took off down the slope. But unlike the last run, when he knew Alison was watching, this one was far from slow and smooth. He darted in and out, crossing in front of other boarders and nearly toppling a few.

  Watching him, Charlie gripped the walkie-talkie so tightly that his fingers ached.

  “Who was that loser?” a voice beside him demanded. It was X. “You should throw him off the hill!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Me?” Charlie’s voice came out in a squeak. “Why should I be the one to throw him off?”

  X pointed at the walkie-talkie in Charlie’s hand. “Because Alison put you in charge, you goofball. I saw her at the bottom of the hill just now and she told me.”

  “Yeah, but she didn’t say anything about me throwing anyone off, did she?” Charlie said desperately.

  “Well, no. But one of us could call over to the Community Center and tell them about that nostril slug.” X reached for the walkie-talkie.

  Charlie jerked it away. “Or,” he said, “I could just, you know, talk to the kid. Maybe he doesn’t know the rules.”

  X looked at him for a long moment. Then he shrugged. “Maybe. But if you ask me, the guy looks like a total pea brain. And until he clears out, I’m staying off the hill and telling Jonas and the others to do the same.” He picked up his board, then looked over his shoulder at Charlie. “If you’re not going to report the guy, at least warn anyone going down the slope to look out for him, okay?”

  Charlie watched his friend walk down the side of the hill. Every so often X stopped and spoke to some kids — telling them about Rick, Charlie figured. Many turned and left the hill like X. By the time Rick returned from the bathroom, there were half as many boarders and sledders as before.

  When Rick made it to the top of the hill he was grinning. “Works every time!” he said gleefully.

  “What works every time?” Charlie asked.

  Rick smirked. “All it takes is one wild run to clear the ’fraidy cats from a hill. One more should take care of the rest. Then you and I can board to our hearts’ content, my friend!”

  Charlie was appalled. Without thinking, he raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth and pushed the signal button.

  Rick grabbed Charlie’s arm. “What are you going to do,” he said in a challenging voice, “tattle on me? Never figured you would turn in an old friend.”

  The two boys stared at each other until a crackle from the walkie-talkie broke Charlie’s gaze.

  “Everything okay, Charlie? Over.” Alison asked. Charlie hesitated. He knew he should report Rick. But if he did, the rest of the weekend would be a disaster.

  And he is only here for the weekend, he told himself. If I can just get through these next few days, I won’t have to see him again — not if I have anything to say about it!

  Feeling like a traitor, he clicked back on. “Sorry, Alison, I — I hit the button by mistake. Everything’s fine here. Over and out.”

  With a low laugh, Rick leaned forward on his board and disappeared down the hill, leaving Charlie shivering at the top — and not just with the cold.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  That night, at home, Charlie tried his best to be civil to Rick. But it wasn’t easy. One minute Rick was telling Mrs. Abbott how much he was enjoying his supper; the next, he was jabbing Charlie under the table, rolling his eyes and pretending that the lasagna was making him sick.

  But Charlie was the one who really felt sick. It wasn’t just Rick’s behavior that was bothering him, however. His own behavior on top of the hill was also causing his stomach to do flip-flops.

  What else could I have done? he kept asking himself. Unfortunately, the answer was the same every time. He should have stood up to Rick. Now it was too late.

  The only thing that comforted him was that no one had been hurt by Rick’s snowboarding antics. But he knew it easily could have been otherwise. What if Savannah had been boarding during Rick’s wild run? She might not have been able to get out of his way. And what would happen if Rick wanted to go snowboarding again tomorrow? Saturdays were always the busiest days on the hill. Would Rick pull his trick again to try to drive people away?

  These questions were still racing through his brain as he lay in bed that night. He didn’t think he’d ever fall asleep. But he must have, for he was later woken by the sound of rain lashing against the side of the house. As he listened to it, he smiled. Rain would wash away the snow. No snow, no snow-boarding. With a sigh of relief, he fell back to sleep.

  The next thing he knew, it was morning. He peeked out the window. Sure enough, last night’s rain had washed away most of the snow.

  “Good morning, buddy.” Charlie walked into the kitchen to find Rick having breakfast with the four grown-ups. “Did you look outside? Those sidewalks are clear as can be. Too bad I didn’t bring my skateboard or my inlines.”

  Charlie forced a smile, then went to the cupboard to get a bowl for his cereal. As he reached up, the phone rang. Charlie answered it.

  “Yo, bro, whaddya know?”

  “Hey, Jonas, what’s up?”

  “Missed you at the slope yesterday. I was on my way up when X told me some crazy kid was causing trouble, so I bagged it,” Jonas answered. “Anyway, what are you doing today? Did your friend Pat ever show up? X said he didn’t see him with you yesterday.”

  Charlie turned his back to the table. “Yeah, he’s here,” he muttered.

  “So when do we get to meet him?” Jonas asked. “Maybe we could all go skateboarding together today.”

  Charlie’s mind whirled. He still wasn’t sure he wanted Jonas and the others to meet Rick. What if X recognized Rick as the menace from the slope? And he hadn’t forgotten Rick’s little comment about checking out the skatepark even though it was closed. He decided it would be safer overall if he and Rick just stayed close to home.

  “Uh, he doesn’t have his board or inlines with him,” he replied. “Listen, maybe we’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

  “Well, duh, of course you will,” Jonas said with a laugh. “We’re all going to the Rocket Robert show tonight, remember?”

  Charlie sagged against the counter. He’d totally forgotten about Rocket Robert. He mumbled something to Jonas, then hung up, wondering if things could possibly get any worse.

  They did.

  “Charlie,” his mother said brightly, “Rick just had a terrific idea.”

  “Yes,” Rick said just as brightly. “If you use your inline skates and lend me your skateboard, we could take a ride. Oh, and hey,” he added, as if it had suddenly occurred to him, “you could show me the skatepark!”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Charlie tried his best to come up with an excuse for why the plan wouldn’t work. Before he could, however, Joe spoke up.

  “Rick, perhaps it would be better if you boys didn’t do any extreme sports today. It’d be a shame if one of you got hurt and couldn’t go to the Rocket Robert show tonight.”

  Rick shot Joe a venomous look. But when he replied, his voice was even. �
�Hmm, good point, Joe. But of course we’ll be wearing our helmets and protective gear. And besides, I’m always careful.” He turned to Charlie. “How about we let Charlie decide?”

  Feeling trapped, Charlie stared at his feet. He wanted to say no but knew he couldn’t. So he mumbled, “ ’S’okay with me.”

  Later, in the garage, he secured his inline skates onto his feet and rolled his skateboard to Rick. Instead of heading in the direction of the skatepark, Charlie steered Rick toward the opposite side of town. He hoped the other boy would get tired and give up on wanting to see the park. He should have known better.

  After twenty minutes of riding on sidewalks and around dead-end street circles, Rick stopped short. “Listen, are you taking me on a joyride or something? Because I gotta tell you, this ain’t very joyful. Where’s that skatepark?”

  Charlie knew he’d lost. “Okay, okay,” he muttered. “C’mon, it’s this way.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they stopped outside the short chain-link fence that surrounded the skatepark. Charlie saw Rick glance at the padlocked gate. But to his relief, Rick seemed content simply to look at the park’s equipment from where they stood.

  “Bet those rails are perfect to grind on,” Rick said. His voice was wistful. “And that half-pipe looks awesome.” He turned to Charlie, smiling. “You remember when we were first learning to ride the pipe?”

  Charlie blinked in surprise. A strange transformation seemed to have come over Rick while he was looking at the park. Gone were the mocking tone, the angry voice. It was as if “Rick” had suddenly vanished and been replaced with “Pat,” the friend Charlie had known two years earlier.

  “Course I remember,” Charlie replied softly. “If it hadn’t been for you and your dad pushing me to keep at it, I never would have conquered that pipe.”

  “Yeah,” his friend said, “those were good times.” And then, just like that, his voice altered again, hardening and turning bitter. “Too bad everything had to change.”

  For a split second, Charlie thought Rick was referring to the fact that he, Charlie, had moved away. Then he realized what Rick was really angry about.

  “I — I was sorry to hear your parents were getting divorced,” he said in a low voice. “Your dad is really cool. Do you get to see him much?”

  Rick picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could. Charlie heard it bounce against the half-pipe. “Not enough,” he finally answered. “I was supposed to spend weekends with him. But after the wedding, Mom asked Dad to let me stay with Joe and her so I could get to know Joe better. Like I really want to do that.” He picked up another rock and hurled it even harder.

  “Joe’s not so great, huh?”

  Rick snorted. “The guy’s a loser!” he cried. “Every time I get ready to go snowboarding or skateboarding, he’s on my case about safety this and be careful that! Fat lot he knows about it! He’s never even bothered to come watch me do my thing! Well, I’m sick and tired of him trying to control my life. I’ll show him.”

  And before Charlie could stop him, Rick had tossed Charlie’s skateboard over the fence and had leaped after it.

  “Rick! Wait!” Charlie yelled. But it was too late. Skateboard in hand, Rick headed straight for the half-pipe.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Charlie fumbled with the straps on his inline skates and kicked his feet free.

  I’ve got to go after him! he thought frantically. But he’s bigger than you, a voice inside him argued. How will you stop him?

  Meanwhile, Rick had made it to the bottom of the half-pipe. Suddenly, something X had said came into Charlie’s mind.

  The half-pipe might have been damaged over the winter.

  Panic rising, Charlie vaulted the fence, landing hard on the other side in his stocking feet. As he started to run toward the half-pipe, he remembered the cell phone his parents always made him take along when he went out. He dug it out of his coat pocket and started to dial his home number.

  Then he stopped and hit the hang-up button. If he told his parents what was happening, they’d tell Rick’s mother and Joe. Somehow, Charlie didn’t think having Joe here would help matters. He dialed the number of the Community Center instead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rick reach the deck of the half-pipe.

  Please be there, he prayed as the phone rang. When Alison picked up, his heart leaped. He hurriedly explained what was happening.

  “I’ll be right there,” she said. “Do what you can to stop him!”

  Splashing through puddles from the previous night’s rain, Charlie ran as quickly as he could to the half-pipe. He was too late. Rick had started his run. Charlie could only hope that X had been wrong, that the half-pipe was fine.

  At first, it seemed that everything would be okay. Rick zipped down one side of the pipe and up the other, caught good air, turned, and zoomed down again toward the other side.

  Then something happened. At the bottom of the half-pipe, the skateboard suddenly gave a jerk. As Charlie watched helplessly, Rick was hurled into the air. He smacked against the incline in front of him and slid to a stop at the bottom. The skateboard came to a rest next to him, its wheels spinning.

  Charlie raced to his friend’s side.

  “Rick? Rick!” he cried. “Can you hear me?”

  For a moment there was no reply. Then Rick groaned and opened his eyes.

  “Wha— what happened?” he said groggily.

  “You wiped out, man,” Charlie answered, relief washing through his body.

  Rick sat up slowly. “No way, bro, I never wipe out. There’s something wrong with your board.” He sounded stronger with every word. “A loose wheel or something. I felt it give.”

  Charlie grabbed his board and carefully spun the wheels. “They seem fine to me,” he said, puzzled. “So what happened?”

  “Maybe this has something to do with it.” It was Alison. She picked up a rock from the bottom of the pipe. Images of Rick throwing rocks into the skatepark — of one of the rocks bouncing near the half-pipe— flashed across Charlie’s brain.

  “It must have landed in the pipe after Rick threw it. Then my skateboard hit it and threw him,” he mused.

  Alison had been inspecting Rick for any injuries. Satisfied that he was okay, she helped him to his feet. “Well,” she said, “that answers the question of how the rock got into the half-pipe. But what I really want to know” — she looked from one boy to the other, then settled her gaze on Rick — “is what you were doing in the half-pipe?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  It was Charlie who answered. “I — I think maybe I know.” He turned to Rick. “From that wild run you took down the slopes yesterday — sorry, Alison, I should have told you about that — and from the way you were acting during dinner last night, I thought you’d turned into a real jerk.”

  Rick didn’t say anything.

  “But you know what I think now?” Charlie continued. “I think you’re just angry — at your mom, at Joe, and especially at your dad. And you’re taking it out on anyone you can. Me, the kids at the slope, even my mom’s lasagna!”

  Rick managed a small smile. But the smile faded when Charlie added, “And today, you took it out on yourself.”

  Rick was silent for a few moments. “I just can’t believe my mom married that loser,” he finally said, “and that they’re keeping me from seeing my dad. It all stinks.”

  Alison laid a hand on his arm. “Do your folks know how you feel?” Rick shrugged. “Well, maybe before you do anything else dangerous, you should try talking to them. If you don’t, the anger will just get worse.”

  They were interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. Charlie’s parents, Rick’s mother, and Joe came hurrying toward them.

  “I called them before I came over,” Alison said. “I was worried Rick might get hurt.”

  “I’m sure it would be his own fault if he were,” Joe spat.

  “Joe, please!” Rick’s mother said, sounding weary. “No, Mom, he’s right.” The two adults l
ooked at Rick with surprise. “It was a dumb move to break into the skatepark. I guess I’ve been making a lot of dumb moves lately.”

  Joe opened his mouth to speak, but Rick cut him off.

  “I know you think that extreme sports are dangerous and that I shouldn’t be allowed to do them. But they’re not dangerous, not as long as you obey some safety rules. If you would just give me half a chance, come see me ride sometime, you’d see that I know what I’m doing.”

  Charlie held his breath, waiting to see what Joe would say.

  “Well, ahem,” Joe finally said, clearing his throat. “I guess we can talk about it.”

  “In the meantime,” Rick’s mother said, “I’m afraid I will have to punish you for breaking into the skatepark. No Rocket Robert show for you tonight.”

  Rick didn’t argue, but he shot Charlie a disappointed look.

  Charlie threw an arm around his friend’s shoulders — not an easy task, considering Rick was so much taller. “I think I’ll stay home, too. Alison, want two tickets to the show? Rick and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  Rick stared at him, then broke into a big smile. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess we do.”

  Charlie picked up his skateboard and started toward the park gate. “Um, Mom?” he said. “There’s just one other thing I think you should know.”

  “Yes?” she said.

  He held up a filthy stocking foot. “This pair of socks is shot.”

  They were all still laughing when they reached the gate.

  “Hey, what’s so funny?”

  Outside the fence stood Jonas and X. Bizz, Savannah, and Mark were right behind them.

  “So, what’s the joke?” Jonas asked again.

  “No joke,” Charlie replied. “Guys, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine.” He nudged Rick in the ribs. “We go way back. And you know what? I bet we’re going to go way forward, too!”