“She’s okay,” said Mateo, trying to keep hold of his cool.
As though she planned it, Hayley did a perfect double axle jump right then, leaping high with her leg straight out after the jump.
“Wow.” The dumb jock, also known as Mateo’s old best friend, couldn’t take his eyes off her.
To distract him, Mateo did a fancy little shuffle with his skates, a just-hanging-out-with-the-guys kind of move. “Yeah, so how’ve you been, bro?” he said.
“Great. You know, busy with baseball. Hey, you should come to a game sometime.” Then it was almost as if he changed his mind. Maybe because they’d been down this road too many times or maybe because he wasn’t sure he wanted to be seen with a giant kangaroo. Either way, before Mateo could respond, Jason asked, “What’s with the weird outfit?”
“All part of the job,” said Mateo, adding quickly, “You know, working here with Hayley.” He tried to think of something else cool to add, but Jason seemed to have moved on. He kept looking at his cell phone, either checking the time or hoping for a text. Maybe this was a guilt visit. Despite a few attempts by both of them, they hadn’t seen each other since school had gotten out for summer vacation. Past summers, they’d hung out all the time, chasing ice cream trucks, tossing baseballs around, swapping comic books.
Mateo glanced at the wall clock. Ay caramba. He had four minutes before he was supposed to lead the party song. If he didn’t get Jason out of there quickly, Jason’d really have something to laugh about: watching Mateo wiggle his butt with the little kids. He purposely headed Jason to the door to put them both out of their misery. Jason glanced over his shoulder a few times, maybe looking for Hayley.
“I’ll try to stop by for a game,” Mateo called out as the door swung behind him. He wasn’t sure if Jason had heard. And he wondered if he’d really blown it—wondered if they could ever be best friends again. He swallowed hard.
Now that Jason was gone, though, it was back to work. Mateo soared across the floor, grabbed the kangaroo costume and ducked into the office to get suited up for the third time in twenty minutes.
He went to the center of the rink as the first notes of the now-very-familiar “Chicken Dance” sounded overhead. Kids from the birthday parties scrambled around and through each other to stomp their way across the floor and stand next to Mateo. Then they started in with the movements. All the runny-nosed kids copied him as they flapped like fowl and acted out the song. He felt like a superhero the way they followed his lead. Skating with this party of kids helped him to forget Jason, a little. He purposely skated by Hayley—fast—with a trail of fans on his tail.
Chapter 12
On Sunday, tango practice went pretty much the same as the first time. Mateo may not have looked any smoother yet, but he felt more comfortable with the moves and with Ted. Seemed weird to him how Ted was always so focused, always stating the rules of skating, as if it were some big important thing that mattered to the rest of the world. In fact, now that Mateo thought about it, he’d never heard him talk about anything else. It was like Ted ate, drank, and slept roller-skating.
After Hayley dashed out to her mother’s waiting car, Ted said, “You’ve been working hard for a couple of months now. Let’s look at some skates.”
Mateo followed him over to the skate shop like a zombie, hoping nobody would pinch him awake from this dream.
Ted picked up a pair of black ones from the top shelf. “The boots, chassis, bearings, and wheels all work together.” He spun them. “These wheels are nice and firm. They’ll give you a good roll for artistic skating—fast and slick.
Softer wheels give more traction, but they can slow you down. Here, try them on.”
Holding them in his hands, Mateo could already feel the difference. They were smooth and solid. And, just as important—black. He slid his feet into the skates and took care to loop the laces around each hook so as not to skip any, and BOOM, he immediately felt like a professional skater. His breath picked up speed. He wanted to skate more than anything. His fingers got clumsy as he struggled to finish tying the lace ends. Then he looked up at Ted, expectantly.
“Make sure they fit snug.” Ted took a seat on the bench, combed back his thinning gray hair with his fingers, and then pressed the toes of Mateo’s skates. “Well, maybe half an inch room at the most, in case you grow fast,” he added. “What do you think?”
“Wow,” whispered Mateo.
“Come again?”
“These seem good,” he said louder. Mateo’s heart raced, almost as though he worried these amazing skates would be taken away from him as magically as they’d appeared.
“Leather boots are best for wear and tear, but you can go with these in a less expensive material, since you’ll grow out of them before they wear out. Give them a spin?”
Ted didn’t have to ask twice. Mateo rolled out onto the floor and did a couple of laps. His feet felt more supported, and the ride was incredibly smooth. He wished he could wear them forever, but after a while he got out of the skates and forced himself to hand them back to Ted.
“There’s no way I can afford these,” he said.
“It will be like you’re renting them,” said Ted. “I’ll keep track of the work hours. It will all match up in the end.”
Mateo couldn’t stop staring at the skates. They were perfect.
Ted flipped one of the skates upside down, seemingly unaware of Mateo’s good fortune. “See here, these have nice bearings and solid plates.”
“Plates?”
“Right here. They’re what make your skates work.” Ted nodded as he considered the pair. “A lot of roller-skate companies offer upgrades for their products, so as you advance, you can move up to different wheels and bearings.” He gave the back wheels a final spin and then smiled and stood up. “Good then, we’ll set them aside for you. Leave them here at the rink—a rent-to-own program.”
Mateo felt like a little kid, like he was going to start bawling or some stupid thing. And Macho Mateo was not a crybaby. He squeezed his eyes shut for the briefest of seconds. The last time he’d really blubbered was when he fell off Jason’s older brother’s bike, back when he was five. Ava was always crying about something, but not him. That’s why she’d given him the nickname Macho Mateo. Because of that, and because sometimes, especially at school, he’d put on an
extra-cool act, so kids wouldn’t think of him as that skinny little Hispanic kid. Mateo steadied his chin and looked at Ted, this guy who was so concerned about him. Heck, his own father, wherever he was, couldn’t care less.
He finally nodded, unable to come up with anything to say. But as they locked the door behind them that night, Mateo found his words. “Thanks, Ted,” he said. “For everything.”
Ted grinned and paused at the door to his big Buick. “Need a lift home?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Breezing along on his bike, Mateo whistled tango tunes all the way home.
“Hey, Mateo,” said Hayley the following Saturday. “Ted says he’s entering you into boys’ singles no matter what.”
Mateo had been blocking out this idea for the past week and to hear Hayley say it out loud hit him like a ton of bricks. The last thing he could picture was competing in a skating meet.
But maybe he owed Ted. Now that he had good skates, it was like his brain signals went directly to his toes. Instead of placing his feet into each position, they knew as soon as he did, or maybe before he did. Before he could even think of the next move, those skates knew what to do. But still, having great skates didn’t exactly mean he wouldn’t stink in a meet.
Hayley stood there smiling, waiting for his reaction.
“Maybe,” he said.
“He wants me to help you find some music.” Hayley rocked back and forth on her skates. “And since you picked out ‘The Pink Panther’ song for me, I’ve been thinking about what would work for the stuff you’ve
been learning.”
“I’m cool with that.”
“Well, I’ve got some here.” Hayley skated towards the back of the rink. “They have to be a certain type, usually instrumentals,” she called out before ducking into the office. “I’ll play two.”
Mateo listened to the two pieces. They were both pretty catchy.
“Which do you like best?” said Hayley.
He shrugged. “I’ve never heard those tunes.”
“They’re original themes from old television shows. A lot of the guys use these kinds of pieces. What do you think?”
Mateo shrugged again.
“I think I like ‘Mission Impossible’ best. ‘Hawaii Five-O’ is kind of fast for your first meet.”
“Which was which?”
“‘Mission Impossible’ was the second one.”
He nodded. “I like that one, too.” The song made him think of alien spaceships zipping around. He wasn’t sure if that would help him skate, but one thing he knew: competing would be an impossible mission for sure.
“Great. Ted will teach you a routine that will make your jumps and turns match the music.”
“If you say so, Boss.” Mateo threw her a fake grin, as he tried to block out a picture of himself leaping around in front of an audience.
Chapter 13
Several days later, Mateo woke with a start from a wild dream. Jason was in it, except he looked younger, like he had a few years ago. The two of them were goofing around and laughing like crazy. Then Mateo saw this grizzly come out of nowhere heading straight for him. Jason tried to push Mateo aside and the bear went for Jason instead. Mateo’s heart was ready to leap out of his chest. He forced himself awake. Throughout the morning the dream stayed at the edges of his mind, flashing clearly every once in a while. He missed Jason and how they always used to hang out. He called him that afternoon.
“Hey, when’s the next game?” said Mateo into the phone.
“Mateo? Yeah, ah, Thursday. One o’clock at Masters’ Field. You coming?”
“Yep, looking forward to it,” Mateo said, not really sure if he was.
On Thursday, he wolfed down an early lunch and then biked over to Masters’ Field. It was a long haul to get there, since you had to go pretty far away from downtown to find enough space for a baseball diamond. He tossed his bike on a rack and crossed the field. He hadn’t thought to bring a visor and the sun beat down on his face. Ball caps were a little strange on him anyway. It was hard to get a hat to fit all the way over his thick hair. Either the cap sat useless on top, or if he could jam it down far enough, clumps of fuzz would stick out below it like Mickey Mouse ears.
He found a spot on the bleachers and looked around. He was surprised by how many people had come out to watch the game. He’d pictured himself sticking out like a sore thumb, but instead he blended right in with the crowd.
The other team had dark red uniforms. Franklin had blue ones, bright as the sky. He’d always hoped to wear one of those blue suits.
It wasn’t long before Jason spotted him. He nodded from his place in the dugout. Another kid, Mike, gave a wave, too.
By the time the second guy was up to bat, Mateo was caught up in the game. He studied Coach McGillicuddy and wondered what it would be like to play under him. Seemed he checked his phone a lot, but was otherwise on top of stuff. Every time someone struck out or stole a base, the audience went wild, cheering or booing, depending on which side they hoped would win. The crowd’s enthusiasm made Mateo want to be out there running the bases, too. He started feeling lousy—turned out he did miss baseball a little. All the excitement was so different from the silent rink where he practiced skating. Would the meets be like this, with screaming crowds? He doubted it. Skating couldn’t compete with baseball.
Jason hit a nice low ball and got to first base in the fourth inning. Mateo stood up and cheered as Jason ran to second base, but then this fast kid in red tagged him out, so Mateo sat back down.
A humongous family sat in the row in front of Mateo. Looked like a mom, dad, siblings, and even a grandmother were there to watch their kid. Every time the kid got anywhere near the ball, his little brothers and sisters would leap up and start hollering. It didn’t take long for Mateo to pick out whom they were cheering for. Once in a while, the boy would wave at them or take a bow. Mateo remembered him and Jason saying they didn’t want their parents at their games—that their folks would embarrass them—but watching this group changed his mind. He decided it must feel awesome to have all those people cheering for you, caring about what you’re going to do next.
At about the seventh inning, Mateo had had enough. It was one thing to play baseball, but to sit and bake in the sun while others played got boring. Since Jason had already seen him there, maybe he wouldn’t have to stay for the whole game. The other team was going to cream them anyway. He left his seat and casually stepped down the bleachers to watch from the sidelines for a while. Something past the field caught his eye. A mass of black shirts—five kids from Dudd Street were headed for the bike rack. Sash wasn’t with them today. Mateo moved fast in the same direction, thinking he should have used his lock. The one thing he owned was his beat-up old bike and they were headed right for it.
“Hey,” he shouted as he moved in closer. The guys stopped and turned around. That bought him an extra minute. He rushed past them and grabbed his bike.
One of the biggest, toughest-looking kids in the group put his thick arm across the bike seat before Mateo—who couldn’t help staring at a little skull tattoo on the guy’s wrist—could get on.
“I wouldn’t mind this ride,” said the big dude.
Mateo shook his head. “Nope. Sorry, amigo.” He yanked the handlebars fast and hard, jerking the guy’s hand free. Mateo ran with his bike a few yards, but knew he didn’t have time to hop on. The gang moved fast, too. They circled him until there was no place left to go.
“I’ll tell you what,” said the big guy, scratching an itch under his orange do-rag. “We probably couldn’t get too much for this junk heap. Give us fifty bucks instead.”
Although he was shaking inside, Mateo burst out laughing. “Where am I going to get fifty bucks?”
“We see you down near Roller City. You’ve gotta have money, hanging out there all the time with that chick.” He said that chick like he’d tasted something bad.
“I help out there.” None of their business, but he was buying himself time. One of the guys lit up a cigarette. Mateo turned his head away from the stench.
“Give me a drag on that,” said the guy closest to him.
“Get your own pack,” said the first guy.
Mateo shifted ever so slightly to line himself up next to his bike. He’d have to swing one leg over and then push down on the pedals.
A helicopter flew over. Right as it passed, Mateo leaped onto the bike and took off. He plowed straight through one guy, knocking him down as he slammed past. He heard curses, but didn’t turn around, just kept pedaling. At first there were shouts and heavy footfalls behind him, but they soon faded. Mateo was fast on any kind of wheels.
A few miles later and Mateo was fading from the heat. He pulled up in front of an apartment building with a sprinkler set up on the side lawn, got himself in it and just stood there gulping water until he was chilled and drenched. Then he continued on his way, drying off as he traveled.
Mateo looked in all directions before turning his bike down the little alleyway behind his place. He hid his bike around back, locked it, and then stomped up the stairs. A damp trail followed his soggy sneakers.
Mr. Obeneski peered through the slit of his slightly-
opened door. “What’s all the racket?”
Before Mateo could reply, Mr. Obeneski pulled his door open wider and raised one hand. “Wait, don’t tell me. Celebrating another day of survival, right?” He pointed his finger at Mateo and ch
uckled like he was some sort of genius for remembering Mateo’s usual line.
Mateo laughed. “You got it, Mr. O.!”
Chapter 14
Mateo could tell he was getting to be a strong skater, especially in his new skates. His legs and feet no longer felt bruised and abused as they had during the first weeks. All the moves were much easier to do in his black skates. He tried all kinds of tricks, stuff he never thought he’d be able to do.
Coach Ted had him go over the same steps again and again until Mateo thought he could do them in his sleep. And then on Sundays, Hayley and Mateo continued to improve their tango, along with another freestyle dance. They wouldn’t be entering either of these dances in this first competition, but Ted wanted them to try one later in the fall. Yep, it had happened all right: Mateo was signed up for the August meet.
Mateo and Hayley sat on a bench lacing up before their lesson. He glanced at her skates and grinned at the hot-pink wheels. “New wheels?”
“How’d you guess?” Hayley said with a giggle. “My skates are finally broken in just the way I like them, so I thought I’d dress them up a bit.” She laughed. “Hey, I’ve got to keep up with your snazzy new skates.”
Mateo grinned and stole a glance at his own well-dressed feet.
As soon as they had their skates on tight, they jumped up and rolled onto the glossy wooden floor. Mateo raced back and forth to warm up while Hayley practiced some figures. Round and round she went in perfect circles about eight feet across.
“Looking good!” he shouted.
“It’s these new wheels! They’re so smooth.”
He watched Hayley complete another perfect figure as he glided backwards across the rink.
After practice, Ted said, “You’ll have to get a note from your mother. We’ll need it in writing that she approves of all this—the meets, riding in my car, everything.”
“Sure, no problem.” But inside, Mateo was worried. Skating still wasn’t exactly on Mamá’s list of goals for him. Goals that always began with: Do well in school, graduate, and go to college. Of course Mamá knew he worked at Roller City and that he sometimes skated, but unless Ava had filled her in, Mateo had never really gotten around to telling Mamá the extent of his involvement there.
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