Freestyle with Avery Read online

  Jason nodded. “That’s so …”

  “So … ?”

  “Mature.” He grinned.

  Wow. I’d never ever in all twelve years of my life on this PLANET been called mature by someone my age! In fact, it was usually the opposite. I wanted to run up and hug him and then I thankfully came to my senses. No way. Way way WAY no way.

  For about ten seconds neither of us said a word and the only sound in the room was Radley squirming around his gym. “Truth or dare?” I asked to break the strangeness.

  “Um … truth.”

  Then finally I asked him the question that had been on my mind for days. “What happened to your parents?” I knew it was personal, but for some reason I also knew that Jason wouldn’t mind talking about it to me. It was just one of those things … a gut feeling.

  “I’m not sure, actually.”

  That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. I opened my mouth to say Sorry—never mind, but then Jason started talking about it.

  “I always thought my parents had these boring, boring jobs when I was little. My mom worked at the town library and my dad was a computer repair guy. We moved around a ton when I was younger, and Mom and Dad were always going away on ‘business’ and leaving me with my grandparents in Durango. I don’t know what kind of business trips a computer dude and a librarian had to go on, but whatever. Then a bunch of years ago, when I was four, they said they were going camping and left me with my grandparents. The whole way there my mom seemed pretty upset though. She gave me an extra long hug good-bye, I remember. They left that day and drove into the woods, and then it was like … I dunno … they disappeared. I haven’t heard from them since … and,” he said quietly, “nobody has any clue about what happened to them. The police found their car with all their stuff in it but my parents were gone. No notes, no nothing.”

  The hair on the back of my neck was standing straight up. “What do you think happened?”

  “Gramps thinks it might have to do with the government, but who knows, really. I keep wondering if they’re alive … if they’ll find me again someday. But I try not to get my hopes up. Besides, things have been pretty good for me here. I loved living with Gramps and Grammy, but they were getting too old to take care of a teenager. I still get to see them when I take the bus to Durango once a month. Anyway, the Hulberts are awesome. Grammy found them herself through social services and thought they’d be perfect for me. She was right. And Frankie’s a great kid. I mean, it’s hard to be new. But other than that, things are cool.”

  Jason’s story would blow anyone else’s I knew right out of the water. It was like something out of a movie. Now there was no doubt about it—Jason was seriously the bravest person I’d ever met. Who cared if he was shy around other kids sometimes? “I’m really glad you told me that, Jason.”

  “I’ve never told anyone before,” he admitted.

  “Well … your secret’s safe with me,” I promised. And it was.

  “You want to go visit Ollie now?” Jason asked.

  “Definitely!” Enough secrets and mushy stuff for one night—there was a red-tailed hawk to visit! I put on my coat and gloves but still felt kind of shivery. Something about being near this hawk gave me goose bumps. I couldn’t imagine what Jason must feel like when he trained him.

  As soon as we opened the door to the shed, I heard Ollie fluttering on his perch. Jason pulled a string and the overhead light came on. It was dim, but we could see.

  “There you are, Ollie.” Jason spoke to Ollie like he was talking to a person. It was different from the funny way we talked to Radley and Marty. “Are you hungry?” Jason turned to me. “I was reading Oliver Twist when I found him. He was so hungry … he reminded me of Oliver.” So that was how Ollie got his name! I wondered if Jason knew that an ollie was also a sweet boarding trick.

  All of Jason’s hard work feeding Ollie definitely seemed to be paying off. “I can’t believe how big he is. I feel like he might be bigger than just a few days ago,” I said.

  “Yup. It’s almost time to let him go. He needs to be free.”

  Jason put on his leather glove and started to pick up Ollie’s swivel. I felt my heart beat faster. “Wait … are you freeing him tonight?”

  Jason shook his head. “Nope. Tonight is just a little exercise. That’s why I brought this.” He held up an almost empty package of hamburger meat. “Ollie hasn’t ever had to hunt for his own food in the wild, so as long as I keep a little burger with me he’ll come right back.”

  Wow. Jason was so smart. His gramps sure taught him a lot about hawks.

  We walked—quiet as mice—out of the shed with Ollie perched on Jason’s left arm. Jason led us through the grove of trees to an open space, a frozen creek, and the River Trail. I didn’t have any trouble seeing where I was going. The moon was almost full and—believe me—it was humongous! For some reason, the moon always looked bigger in Colorado. The whole way there, Ollie kept looking around like he was ready for his next adventure to begin. I knew just how he felt.

  “Is it all right to let him fly at night?” I asked. Lucky me, I got to be in charge of holding the old package of hamburger. Gross!

  “Usually we sneak out during the day. Sometimes I come home from school on my lunch break. But I haven’t worked him today, and he needs the exercise.”

  Jason checked Ollie’s anklets and jesses. Then he checked the swivel where they were attached, and he unclipped Ollie so he could fly free. I stood as still as a statue. The last thing I wanted was to startle Ollie as he started to practice.

  Jason reached into his bag and took out a stick with a cord rolled around it, sort of like a ball of kite string. With one hand and his teeth he tied the string around what appeared to be a bunny stuffed animal with a bushy white tail. “This is the bait. Ollie goes right after it and brings it back to me.”

  “And gets a hamburger reward?”

  “Exactly. He needs to be hungry when I fly him or he might keep going. The hunger will bring him back.” Jason whirled the fake rabbit on a string around his head. It really was like a kite! It went higher and higher. When it was far enough away, Jason tossed Ollie off his fist. Ollie flapped his wings and flew upward after the lure.

  Once he caught it, Jason let him take it farther, holding onto the stick and string. Then Jason blew a sharp blast on his whistle. He blew again. Ollie flapped down, feet first as he got closer. Wham! He landed on Jason’s gloved fist—hard! I was surprised that Jason didn’t fall over himself. But he only made a little flinching face when it happened. Otherwise he didn’t even move!

  “Atta boy. Good boy.” Jason took a ball of the partly frozen hamburger, and tucked it into the V of his thumb and forefinger.

  Immediately, Ollie bent down and pecked at the meat. His razor-sharp beak tore out chunk after chunk.

  “It seems like he’s almost ready to be released.”

  Jason nodded. “He is, and I have it all planned. I’m going to take him up Bear Creek for the release. It’s near where I found him, so hopefully he’ll fly right back to his friends and family.”

  I half smiled and looked at the lure. “Is Ollie going to think that rabbits fly?”

  A smile crept onto Jason’s face. “I hope not. But he’d go for a small bird, if it was slow enough. That’s how hawks keep their prey healthy … by hunting for the weaker birds. It’s the whole balance of nature thing.”

  “Just like wolves make deer or elk herds stronger by taking the sick or weak animals for food.” I’ve read tons of books about wolves, and I even got to meet some face-to-face when I visited Montana with the BSG.

  Jason smiled at me. “I’ve never met a girl who knows as much about animals as you do. It’s … cool.”

  “I know!” I smiled back but then looked down. We were having so much fun, and it was like we barely even had to say anything. Was it possible to make a new best friend in just a couple of days?

  Jason tossed the lure out one more time for Ollie, who repeated his catch
-the-flying-rabbit trick. As for me … well … I was beginning to wish this trip didn’t have to end. I could’ve watched Jason fly Ollie all night, but it was getting colder and colder outside. Besides, Dad was coming at ten.

  Jason and I headed back to the shed and put Ollie back where he belonged. I would’ve been way more nervous that Bonnie or Fred would find out, but Jason was as cool as a cucumber about keeping his hawk a secret.

  As we walked back to the house, I thought about how to ask Jason the question that I’d been thinking about, well, pretty much all day. “Hey, the Snurfer is the day after tomorrow…” I began. “And I know you just started boarding, but … it would make me feel a lot better if—”

  Jason suddenly looked crushed. “You don’t want me to come? Would it make you nervous?”

  Had Jason totally lost it? “No! Just the opposite! I want you to come. You’re my only real friend here.”

  Jason grinned. “Phew. You didn’t need to ask me, you know. I was going to come anyway. Your dad and I already talked about it today.”

  Dad! That explained his funny smile when we got back from the mountain.

  I picked up the pace as I felt my cheeks get hot. Dad must have thought I had a crush on Jason—and I bet Tessa and Kazie did too! Well, they had it completely wrong. Jason and I were just friends … right?

  Oh no, I thought, as an even more embarrassing idea slowly came together in my brain. I sneaked a glance over at Jason. Did he think I liked him … like that? And more importantly… did I?

  CHAPTER

  18

  Effective Edge

  The next day I hit the slopes practically at sunrise—after a hearty breakfast, of course. As I raced down the Superpipe over and over again, willing myself to concentrate on my ollies and handplants, other thoughts somehow kept creeping in. Like while I was headed up the side of the pipe, all set to catch some air, my brain would be thinking “eggplant-eggplant-eggplant-Kazie-thinks-I-like-Jason-ahhhhh!” Splat. Total garage sale. It was soooo frustrating!

  Finally, around three o’clock, I gave up on the practicing and headed back to the house. I’d gotten a few good runs in, and Dad always says too much practice the day before a big game—or competition—isn’t good, anyway.

  As I walked down the sidewalk carrying my board, I was totally missing the BSG. If I could have just spilled to Katani, or Maeve, or any of them, I knew I would feel one hundred percent better. My hand automatically went to my pocket, reaching for the little key ring Charlotte had given me. But the only thing there was a piece of candy. I checked the other pocket to be sure. My mouth felt dry. The pen and key ring were gone.

  I tried not to panic and to think clearly. What if it had fallen out of my pocket on the pipe? In that case, it was totally and completely gone. But did I have it in my pocket before I headed out this morning? Think, think, think—where was the last place I remembered seeing the key ring? Then I remembered—the museum! I immediately changed course and headed for the big building with the green door, swallowing hard as I half ran/half speed-walked my way there. That was the last place I’d had the key ring—I was sure of it. My heart was aching! How had I managed to lose two of my special BSG gifts in only three days?

  When I got to the museum I burst through the heavy door and stopped, panting. I must have looked pretty crazy, all out of breath and dragging a snowboard into a museum lobby.

  “Is something wrong?” the woman behind the front desk asked, concerned.

  “I lost my lucky key ring! My best friends in Boston gave it to me, and I have to have it in my pocket tomorrow for the Snurfer Competition. I was here last night, and I think maybe I left it here somewhere.” The words spilled out. It was way more than the woman needed to know, but I wanted her to understand that this was urgent.

  She smiled. “Let’s look around. Do you think you lost it in the room where Cowboy Jack was speaking?”

  “It has to be there. I know I had it then.” I leaned my board against the closest wall and leaped up the stairs, with the woman following.

  She turned on lights, and I searched the storytelling room and the entire hall. No key ring. I felt like the whole world was caving in around me. The woman was very nice and promised to call if anything turned up, but how was that supposed to make me feel better? I was devastated. Totally, one hundred percent devastated. The Snurfer was tomorrow, after all.

  As I dragged myself and my board back home I got more and more upset just thinking about everything. When I got home I ran into the house where Marty met me, bouncing and barking. “Oh, Marty. It’s good to see you.” I tried to grab him into a hug, but Marty would have none of that. He barked and wiggled free.

  I felt like a balloon that had just been popped. Even Marty had deserted me!

  Dad came out of the kitchen to see what Marty was making so much noise about. “Hey,” he said, sounding concerned. “What are all these tears for?”

  That’s when I realized I was crying. Ugh. I never cried. Not really, anyway. Suddenly everything came spilling out.

  “Okay, yesterday morning I couldn’t find my Kgirl original ear warmer …”

  “You mean that headband?”

  “Headband, ear warmer, whatever. And then today, I realized my key ring from Charlotte is gone too! What else can go wrong? I’m probably going to make a total fool of myself in the Snurfer tomorrow. Dad, this stinks.”

  Dad gave me a big Dad hug. “Maybe this will cheer you up.” He handed me a package. “I wrapped it myself.”

  “I can see that.” The present was all bumpy and wadded up in a Snurfer poster. It made me laugh, even through my sniffles.

  I slipped off the string and unrolled the poster. Inside was a light blue T-shirt. Best of all was the picture on the front. Dad had gotten the photo he took of me and him before we went boarding silk-screened on the front of the shirt. Beneath the picture, in big block letters, it read: THE SNURFS. This shirt said that Dad and I were best buds, as well as super snowboarders. I could hardly wait to wear it to school to show everyone how awesome my dad was.

  I gave Dad a hug. “I love it! I’m going to put it on right now. If this doesn’t help me win the Snurfer, I don’t know what will!”

  “Hey, but remember, Ave, it’s not what you wear, it’s how you—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know … it’s how you snurf. Doesn’t matter, Dad. This T-shirt is the coolest!” I was going to sleep in it for good luck.

  Dad gave me another hug. “Try not to worry about the contest, Avery. Just do your best. You’re going up against the top snowboarders in the state, you know.”

  I had a feeling he was talking about Kazie. Did that mean Dad thought I wasn’t good enough? I felt a pinch in my stomach.

  Dad went back to the kitchen to finish working on dinner. I snatched up Marty, ran upstairs, and flopped onto my bed. Maybe I would e-mail the BSG. I didn’t have to mention the lost key ring or the ear warmer, right?

  To: Katani, Maeve, Isabel, Charlotte

  From: Avery

  Subject: Snurfers Unite!

  Hey guys! I’ve had the craaaziest vacation ever! 2morrow is the Snurfer and I gotta admit … I’m kinda nervous. Kazie (the gf’s daughter) is wicked good. Oh well. Wish me luck! Miss you!

  Avery.

  PS—Marty met an evil cat named Farkle—more later.

  CHAPTER

  19

  Method Air

  Once, when I was in fifth grade, we had to try out for the A team and the B team for soccer. Soccer’s always been my super sports specialty. But that day in fifth grade, I was so nervous I put on two pairs of socks. Seriously. I’m talking two socks on each foot. (Don’t worry—I still made the A team.) Now just to give you an idea, that nervousness doesn’t even come close to the butterflies in my stomach on the morning of the Snurfer.

  I ate a huge bowl of oatmeal with banana slices for breakfast. I needed my power fuel more than ever. Then I got dressed—with only one sock on each foot, I swear! As I got into the car and buc
kled up, everything seemed okay. So far, so good. I knew I was kind of fidgety, but I didn’t realize how much till Dad said, “Avery, tell me honestly. Did you have Mexican jumping beans for breakfast this morning?”

  “I’m just excited!” I said. “Check out this pow-pow.”

  It was true. The snow all around us was thick and sparkly. I was going to tear it up today on the pipe! I looked around for wood to knock on so I wouldn’t jinx myself, but there wasn’t any so I knocked on Dad’s head.

  He laughed and rubbed the spot where I knocked. “Well, if you’re so excited already, then maybe I shouldn’t tell you this …” he trailed off with a mysterious smile.

  “What?” I replied immediately. “What is it? Come on, you can’t just start to spill and then stop like that!”

  Dad’s grin got even bigger. “Well, if you must know … it just so happens that we have another ‘surprise’ celebrity judge. I wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to make it, so I didn’t want to announce it to everyone …”

  When I heard “she,” I got the chills. I knew exactly who it had to be. Only the most famous female snowboarder of all time. Only the 2006 silver medal winner in Snowboard Cross at the Olympics. Only—

  “Lindsey Jacobellis!” I squealed. Dad laughed again as he pulled the car into the ski resort parking lot.

  “Yep, that’s the one,” he informed me. “But don’t let it make you nervous, okay, Ave? Just do your best.”

  Right, I thought. Just do my best in front of my IDOL.

  When we got out of the car, Dad and I turned to each other and breathed at the same time, “Whoa.” It looked like the set of a Hollywood movie. Ajax Mountain was always crowded, but now it was a total zoo. People swarmed all around—cameras and trucks were everywhere. I counted at least six TV stations.

  As we unloaded the Snurfmobile, people kept coming up to Dad and shaking his hand. “Great job, Jake. This is going to be a truly momentous event,” said a dude with a long curly beard wearing a TV station baseball cap.