TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1: Ready to Roll

  CHAPTER 2: Reputation

  CHAPTER 3: The Contest

  CHAPTER 4: VIPs

  CHAPTER 5: Bullies Are Back

  CHAPTER 6: A Threat

  CHAPTER 7: The Big Day

  CHAPTER 8: Round Two

  CHAPTER 9: Final Round

  CHAPTER 10: The Champion

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Glossary

  Skateboard Words

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  Other Books By Jake Maddox

  Internet Sites

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  CHAPTER 1

  READY TO ROLL

  Riley Alexander looked down into the half-pipe. His skateboard hung over the edge, ready to roll.

  It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. School had been kind of boring, but going to the skate park always made Riley feel better. Just placing his foot on the skateboard’s deck filled him with energy.

  Riley took a deep breath. Then he dropped into the pipe.

  He had been skating that half-pipe since he was nine. Now, five years later, he was an expert.

  By the time he reached the other edge, Riley had enough speed for a kickflip. For an instant, he was completely airborne. With one hand, he held his board against his feet.

  He did a few more tricks. Then he glided to the bottom.

  Finally, he headed back to the top of the pipe to go again. But as he steadied himself before dropping in, someone grabbed his shoulder.

  Riley spun around.

  Three seniors from Riley’s school were standing there. “Nice board, kid,” one of them said. “Mind if I test it out?”

  “Yeah, I do!” Riley snapped. But the other two boys stepped up and pushed him down.

  The older guys laughed. “Take it easy,” the first guy said as he grabbed the board from Riley. “I’m not going to break it.”

  The other guys held Riley on the ground as their friend spun the skateboard in his hands. Riley had a bad feeling that breaking the board was exactly what they planned to do.

  “What are you doing?” Riley yelled as the bully stepped onto his board.

  “I’m just having a little fun!” the guy called as he slid hard along a cement bench.

  Riley pictured the bully taking the slide too hard and cracking the board.

  “You better not break my board!” Riley called out.

  One of the guys told him to be quiet. Riley struggled to get up. “Give it back!” he called out.

  As the leader of the guys was about to go for another rough slide, a voice shouted out from behind the half-pipe. “Hey, knock it off,” the voice said.

  The three bullies looked up. The one on the board came to a stop and kicked the board into his hand.

  “What gives?” the bully said. He looked confused as Bernie Chu, also a senior and one of the best skaters in Riverton, stepped out from the shadows.

  Riley swallowed hard. He’d seen Bernie around school.

  Bernie was a tough kid. He was always giving younger kids — and even some of the other seniors — a hard time.

  “We were just fooling around,” said the bully with Riley’s board.

  “Enough,” Bernie snapped. He took Riley’s board from the bully. “Get out of here,” he added.

  The three bullies looked confused. “What?” their leader said. “Bernie, you do this stuff to these little skaters all the time. What’s your problem today?”

  Bernie just growled. The three bullies glanced at each other. “Whatever,” their leader said. Then they turned and walked out of the skate park.

  Riley got to his feet. Bernie dropped the board on its wheels and slid it over to him.

  Riley stopped it with his foot. Then he kicked the board into his hand.

  “Thanks,” Riley said. But Bernie didn’t even look at him. He just turned around and walked off.

  CHAPTER 2

  REPUTATION

  “It’s true, Jay,” Riley said the next day as he chewed a huge bite of his sandwich. “Bernie Chu saved my board.”

  His best friend, Jay, pointed over at the lunch line. “That Bernie Chu?” he asked.

  Riley turned around and saw Bernie Chu walking away from the lunch line. He was carrying a full tray and elbowing people out of his way. “Move it,” he grunted at one kid.

  The kid stumbled, dropped his tray, slipped on some gravy, and fell face-first onto his own mashed potatoes. The whole cafeteria burst into laughter.

  Riley turned back to Jay. “Yup. That Bernie Chu,” Riley said.

  “I don’t believe it,” Jay said, tearing open a ketchup packet and squirting it all over his fries. “Maybe you should go thank him,” he added with a smirk.

  “If I do go talk to him,” Riley replied, “will you believe me?”

  “I do believe you,” Jay said quickly. “But you should still thank him. I mean, it’s a good idea to be polite to a guy whose left leg is bigger than your whole body.”

  Riley stood up. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll go thank him.”

  He headed to the table on the edge of the room. That was where Bernie always ate by himself.

  “Um, Bernie?” Riley said as he reached the senior’s table.

  Bernie was taking a long drink of milk. He glanced at Riley over the carton as he continued to drink.

  “I just wanted to say thanks for saving my skateboard yesterday,” Riley went on.

  Bernie put down his milk and crushed the carton with his palm. “Go away,” Bernie said through his teeth.

  Riley didn’t have to be told twice. He backed away slowly, turned around, and walked over to his own table. Jay was barely holding in his laughter as Riley sat down.

  “That was awesome,” Jay said.

  “I don’t get it,” Riley said. “Why is he acting like that?”

  “That’s obvious!” Jay said, pushing his empty tray away. “Bernie couldn’t let the whole school know that he’d been nice to you. It would ruin his reputation.”

  Is that the truth? Riley wondered. Is Bernie Chu really just worried about his reputation?

  CHAPTER 3

  THE CONTEST

  After school that day, Riley and Jay walked home past the skate park.

  “I wish they’d let us bring our boards to school,” Riley said, glancing over at the half-pipe. “It’s stupid to walk all the way home to get my board and then come back here to practice.”

  Jay nodded. “Hey, check that out!” he said, pointing toward the fence that circled the park.

  Two men wearing green overalls were up on ladders, hanging a big banner from the top of the fence. The banner read, “First Annual Skateboarding Contest.”

  “Let’s go check it out,” Riley said.

  There was a smaller sign on a wall. It read:

  “Cool!” Jay said. “You have to enter, Riley!”

  Riley nodded. “I will if you do,” he said. “It does sound pretty cool.”

  Jay shrugged. “All right,” he replied, “but I’m pretty nervous about it.”

  The boys walked over to the office. “We’re here to sign up,” Jay said when they walked in.

  “Great!” said the woman at the counter. She held up a clipboard. “Put your names on this list.”

  Riley and Jay filled in their names and handed the clipboard back.

  “All right, Riley and Jay,” the woman said after reading their names. “I’m Lizzie, and I’ll be one of the judges on Saturday. Nice to meet you.”

  Riley and Jay smiled at her.

  “Each of you gets one of these buttons,” Lizzie went on.

  She handed them two buttons. The buttons were bright blue and read, “Skateboard Competition.”

  “Wear them on your shirts whenever you come to the park between now and Saturday,” she explained. “You’ll need them to get in the park to practice.”

  “Thanks, Lizzie,” Jay said. They headed out of the office.

  “This is going to be awesome,” Riley said. He pinned his button on his shirt.

  “I guess,” said Jay, fumbling with his own button. “I’ve never been in a competition before, though. So I guess I’m kind of nervous.”

  “I haven’t been in one either,” Riley replied. “But everyone knows we’re two of the best around here.”

  “Not as good as Bernie, though,” Jay pointed out.

  “And don’t forget that kid who grabbed my board yesterday,” Riley added. “That kid was good, even if he was a jerk.”

  CHAPTER 4

  VIPs

  After Jay and Riley stopped at their houses and grabbed their boards, they headed back to the park.

  Lizzie was hanging around near the park entrance when they arrived. She glanced at them, noticed their buttons, and smiled.

  “Come on in, guys,” she said. “Competitors only!”

  “This is pretty cool,” Riley said.

  “Yeah,” Jay replied. “We’re VIPs.”

  The park was busier than usual, for a weekday afternoon. Skaters with buttons on their shirts were lining up for the half-pipe. The other course, the street course, was empty, except for three kids.

  Jay pointed at the three kids. “Are those the guys who took your board yesterday?” he asked.

  “Yup,” Riley replied. “Let’s stay out of their sight.”

  Jay nodded. “I want to practice on the half-pipe anyway,” he said. “Let them have the street course.� ��

  Riley and Jay headed over to the pipe. They stopped at the end of the line.

  “This is weird,” Riley said. “A line at the skate park on a Thursday.”

  After they waited for ten minutes, it was finally their turn. They climbed to the edge. But before they could drop, someone else sped past them and dropped in.

  “Whoa, buddy!” Jay shouted. “Watch it.”

  The skater didn’t seem to hear him, though. He just kept right on skating.

  Riley and Jay watched as the guy flew back and forth and up and down in the pipe. After a moment, the skater did a nice kickflip off the far edge of the half-pipe.

  Then he seemed to pause in midair. Riley and Jay could see his face clearly

  “It’s Bernie!” Riley said. “He must be practicing for the competition.”

  “You mean he’s not over seventeen?” Jay asked.

  Riley shrugged. “Guess not,” he said.

  They watched Bernie finish his turn on the pipe. Then he left the park.

  Since the line behind them was growing longer, Riley and Jay took their turns quickly. Riley only had time to try out a few new tricks.

  Jay glanced at his watch. “It’s four already,” he said. “I’m late.”

  “Guitar lessons?” Riley asked.

  Jay nodded. “I’m always late,” he said.

  Riley laughed. “Well, I’m going to stay and get in as many runs as I can before dinner,” he said. “I want to get my handplant perfect for Saturday.”

  “If you can pull that off, you’ll win for sure!” Jay said.

  CHAPTER 5

  BULLIES ARE BACK

  After school the next day, Riley waited for Jay out front, like he did every day. It had rained all day, but the sun was finally starting to peek from behind the gray clouds. Riley was excited to get to the skate park to start practicing.

  “Hey, kid,” a voice called out. Riley turned to look. Bernie was standing by the bike rack. The three skate park bullies were behind him.

  Uh-oh, Riley thought. But he stood where he was and called back, “What’s up, Bernie?”

  “Are you Riley something?” Bernie asked, walking up to him.

  Bernie was about a foot taller than Riley, and maybe twice as wide. Riley looked up at him. “Yes. I’m Riley Alexander,” he replied.

  Bernie growled a little. “My friends here tell me you’re entering the competition on Saturday,” he said. “That true?”

  Riley nodded. “Yeah,” he said.

  “My friends also tell me you think you’re some kind of hotshot,” Bernie added. “They say that after I left the park yesterday, you tried a handplant a few times.”

  Riley swallowed hard.

  “Is that true?” Bernie added, poking Riley in the chest with his forefinger.

  “Yes, that’s true too,” Riley replied.

  Bernie threw his head back and laughed. “Are you crazy?” he asked. “You can’t pull that trick off, and you know it!”

  Bernie’s smile went away. He leaned over. Riley could feel Bernie’s breath on his face. It smelled like hot dogs.

  “You can’t win, kid,” Bernie said quietly. “So on Saturday, if you know what’s good for you, don’t show up.”

  Riley didn’t know what to say. He just stared back at Bernie’s face.

  Suddenly Bernie put his hand on Riley’s chest and pushed him. He didn’t push hard, but the ground was slippery. Riley fell and landed in a puddle of mud.

  Bernie looked down at Riley with a blank look on his face. The three bullies behind Bernie cracked up laughing.

  “Good one, Bernie,” one of them said.

  Still laughing, the three guys followed Bernie as he turned and walked away. Riley sat there, watching them leave, feeling the muddy water soaking into his jeans.

  CHAPTER 6

  A THREAT

  “I’d say that was a threat,” Jay said.

  Riley had gone home to change his jeans and grab his board. Now he and Jay were sitting on the edge of the half-pipe at the skate park. They were taking a break from practicing and were watching some of the other competitors.

  “I don’t get it,” Riley said, shaking his head. “He was nice to me the other day, and then he pushed me in the mud today.”

  “Who knows why he’d do that,” Jay replied. “He must be worried that you’re going to beat him.”

  “What gives you that idea?” Riley asked.

  “Why else would he want you to drop out of the competition?” Jay replied. “He must think you have a shot. It’s the only possible reason.”

  “Maybe,” Riley muttered.

  “Maybe?” Jay said, laughing. “You’re better than all these skaters. You’re totally a threat to Bernie’s chances.”

  Riley thought for a moment. He watched a girl from a different high school try a rock and roll. She lost it and ended up sliding on her belly to the bottom of the pipe. A few of the kids on the edge clapped or laughed.

  “See?” Jay said.

  “Fine, I guess I’m better than she is,” Riley said.

  “Yeah, you are. And you’re better than everybody else here!” Jay said.

  “Maybe,” Riley agreed, “but what about what Bernie said?”

  “What do you mean? The threat?” Jay asked.

  “Yeah, the threat,” Riley replied, sounding worried. “He said not to show up if I know what’s good for me! What am I supposed to do?”

  “He won’t do anything,” Jay said. “He’s just trying to scare you.”

  “Well, he’s doing a good job of it,” Riley replied.

  “All he did was get your pants muddy,” Jay said. “Big deal. You have to stay in the competition.”

  “Hmm. If you say so,” said Riley.

  He wasn’t so sure staying in the competition was a good idea, especially if he might actually beat Bernie.

  CHAPTER 7

  THE BIG DAY

  On Saturday morning, Riley met Jay on the way to the park. Both boys were skating slowly down the street as the sun rose higher in the sky. Jay was eating an apple, and Riley was carrying his backpack.

  “You ready?” Jay said to Riley as he skated next to his friend.

  “I guess so,” Riley replied.

  “What’s in the bag?” Jay asked, nodding at Riley’s backpack.

  “Just my board repair tool kit,” Riley replied. “You never know.”

  Soon they were rolling up to the park gate.

  “Wow,” Jay said. “I’ve never seen the park like this before.”

  Skaters were everywhere. At the half-pipe, a bunch of kids were waiting for their turns while one skater did tricks like spins, inverts, and double turns.

  “Whoa, did you see that?” Jay asked.

  Riley nodded. He said, “A double turn. I guess I don’t have a chance after all.”

  The awesome skater did a couple more tricks and then stepped off the board.

  “This guy’s amazing,” Jay said. “Well, at least you can take second.”

  Riley nodded. Then the skater’s helmet came off. “That’s not a guy. It’s Lizzie!” he said with a laugh.

  “Cool!” said Jay. “But she’s a judge, so you’re still the best in the competition.”

  “Okay, guys,” Lizzie announced from the half-pipe platform. “Thanks to everyone for showing up for the park’s first competition.”

  Everyone gathered around the half-pipe. Riley spotted Bernie and his bully friends pushing their way to the front of the pack.

  “We’re going to get the first round started right away,” Lizzie went on. “This is going to be a quick round. And I’ll be the only judge. When you finish, I’ll give you a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to let you know if you’ll be skating in the second round.”

  The skaters realized some of them would be out in just a few minutes. There was some muttering in the crowd.

  “Line up and get ready to show me something awesome,” Lizzie said.

  Soon, music was blasting. A line of one hundred skaters was forming.

 

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