There’s no use arguing with Quinny when she gets this excited.
I tap my cup of water against hers. Cheers.
Still, I’m pretty sure there isn’t going to be a blizzard.
I turn back to the window and look outside.
The snow is coming down in slow motion, in fat, gentle flakes.
Falling snow makes the world feel calmer.
I could sit here and stare at it forever.
Boy, do I love being right!
It snowed a ton, and school the next day was really, truly, absolutely canceled.
Now we’re about to sled down Mount Roar, which is covered with nine inches of glorious, fluffy, crunchy-powdery brand-new snow.
Mount Roar is the fanciest, highest part of Whisper Valley, and leads down to the valley part, where the rest of the town lives, like me and Hopper. It’s not as noisy as it sounds. It’s mostly a gentle, pretty hill, but there’s one part, all the way to the left by the pine trees, that goes almost straight down, and some older boys made it even steeper by piling snow into a mound at the top. They really did nickname it the Death Drop. Alex wasn’t lying. And on the way down the Death Drop are a couple of Barf Bumps.
None of the parents of the smaller kids are letting them sled down that part of the hill, for some strange reason.
But Mom went back to the car to get dry mittens for Piper, and she left us with Caleb’s mom, who is on the phone, so I drag Hopper over to the Death Drop because now is our chance to sneak in some truly exciting fun.
“Hopper, look, that’s where all the middle schoolers are going down. I bet no third grader ever went down here…let’s do it, we’ll be legends, let’s go for it.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Your mom will get mad. And, we might die.”
“Hopper, I promise we won’t die. And look, the hill is so steep, it’ll only take two seconds to zoom down it, I promise. We’ll be done before Mom even gets back and we’ll be together the whole time—don’t worry.”
Hopper laughs. Which almost never happens. It’s such a great sound.
Finally he gets behind me on my sled. He has to grab on to me to keep us together, which feels almost like a hug. A hug that strangles my ribs.
“Ready?” I say.
“Ready….Wait, no—”
Hopper starts to get up, but I scoot us forward to get started before he can run away.
“Yes, you are! Ready, set—”
“No—”
“Go!”
“No, Quinny, I don’t think this is such a great ideAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die.
I close my eyes. I cling to Quinny.
This is it. Good-bye, world.
On the other hand…
Maybe I won’t die just yet.
I hope I don’t.
I hope I live to drink some hot chocolate after all this. I guess it’s better to hope a good thing will happen than to worry a bad thing will.
What did Piper call me in her drawing, again?
Hoper.
My name is Hopper, the Hoper.
Who knew Hopper had that much noise inside him? More noise than Cleo, even.
Zooming straight down the Death Drop is awesome, even though I can’t hear so great afterward. I tumble off the sled and shake my head, and hope everything inside it goes back to normal soon. Freeze-y snow fizzes up my nose and tingles inside my boots.
Hopper’s plopped sideways in the snow, too. His eyes look all big and buggy. His mouth pops open. His breath comes out huffy-puffy.
“Hopper, are you okay?”
He doesn’t answer.
But then he sits up, and his mouth curls into a smile, and one tiny word comes out:
“Again?”
ADRIANA BRAD SCHANEN lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and two very, very, extra-very lively daughters. Visit her online at adrianabradschanen.com.
CHARLES SANTOSO is a concept artist and illustrator who loves to draw little things in a little journal. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia. Visit his website at charlessantoso.com.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
About the Author and Illustrator
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