Mountain Bike Mania

by Matt Christopher

  Besides, there were bound to be lots of mountain bikers at the ramps. He didn’t want to run into Ace or any of the club members who would tell Ace he’d been out biking. Not after he’d lied about it.

  “The reservation? I’ve been there a couple of times for class picnics,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, but that’s only a little corner of it,” Will told him. “That’s the great thing about mountain biking — you can go everywhere and cover a lot more ground than if you were on foot.”

  “We’ll see,” Danny said. But Will could see that his friend was already looking more confident on the bike.

  “That bike looks good on you!” Will told him, grinning.

  “Aw, be quiet,” Danny said, shaking his head but smiling.

  It was a perfect biking day, sunny but not too hot, with a slight breeze whistling in the treetops. Will was feeling on top of the world as he turned off the road and into the reservation, leading Danny onto the wide dirt road.

  “Uh-oh, here we go!” Danny said, suddenly wobbly as he hit a pothole. “Whoa!” He went over with the bike, hopping away just before it hit the ground.

  “You okay?” Will asked.

  “No problem,” Danny assured him. “I just got spoiled by riding on paved roads all the way here.”

  “Yeah, gotta watch out for those potholes,” Will joked.

  “Okay, lead on,” Danny said, getting back onto his bike.

  Will did, heading off the main dirt road onto a smaller one, and then onto one of the reservation’s main trails. It was a well-traveled path, and pretty smooth except for the occasional tree root or steep hill. Will had been on it before, the day the club had come here, and he had liked it then, back when he was a beginner. He figured it would be just right for Danny.

  “Whoa!” Danny shouted behind him. Will braked and looked back to see Danny on the ground again.

  “You okay?” Will asked.

  “Yup. I can see I’ve got a talent for falling,” Danny quipped.

  “It comes with the territory,” Will assured him. He had even seen Ace fall once or twice, and he thought of mentioning this fact to Danny but decided not to. The mere mention of Ace’s name might be enough to spoil the mood for his old friend.

  In the next fifteen minutes, Danny fell five more times. But he seemed to be enjoying himself — more and more as the time went by.

  After about half an hour, they stopped for a quick drink and then rode on. This time, they went twenty minutes without Danny falling even once.

  “You’re getting good on that thing!” Will encouraged him.

  “Not bad, not bad,” Danny said with a self-satisfied grin. “Hey, I’m hungry. All this exercise is giving me an appetite!”

  “Cool. Let’s eat,” Will said. They had stopped by a bench, and now they opened up one of their packs and pulled out the fruit and sandwiches they had brought along.

  “Ah, peanut butter and jelly. Gourmet!” Danny said, holding it up to admire.

  Will munched on his tuna salad sandwich and smiled. This is pretty perfect, he thought. Out on his bike on a beautiful day, on an excellent trail, with his best friend for company.

  Yes, Danny was his true friend, Will realized, in a way that Ace Diamond could never be. Will felt like he could be himself with Danny and could enjoy Danny for who he was.

  “So, Dan,” he ventured, “how do you like it so far?”

  Danny scrunched up his face as though he were thinking hard about it. “Well,” he said, “my rear end is a little sore, but what really hurts is admitting I was wrong.”

  “It’s fun, right?” Will prodded. “What did I tell you?”

  “Don’t rub it in,” Danny said. “I hate people who say ‘I told you so.’”

  “I told you so,” Will said.

  “I hate you,” Danny said.

  And they both burst out laughing.

  On the way back, Danny couldn’t stop talking about how great mountain biking was. “You know what’s really great about this,” he said excitedly in his funny, nasal voice. “You really get to cover a lot of ground. Like, with hiking, we could have walked for three days to cover the ground we did today.”

  “That’s right,” Will said. But he didn’t say “I told you so” this time.

  “I don’t think people understand mountain biking,” Danny said. “I know I didn’t.”

  They were riding single file now, with Will trailing. He figured it would boost Danny’s riding confidence to let him take the lead.

  “You were just angry about nearly getting run over,” Will reminded him.

  “Yeah, but for instance, we were out all day today,” Danny said, “and there must have been fifty bike riders out there, but none of them did anything stupid or dangerous. I thought all bikers rode like maniacs.”

  “You thought I would ride like that?” Will asked, a little hurt. Danny didn’t answer, and Will thought back to the rides he’d taken with Ace Diamond. He’d done some pretty stupid things just to go along with Ace.

  “You know what would be good?” Danny asked. Without waiting for a reply, he said, “It would be good if the club would sponsor a ‘get acquainted’ day.”

  “A what?” Will asked.

  “You know, like public relations. You throw a little party, with free stuff and maybe a little brochure about mountain biking. Mostly it’s so you can show people you’re not a bunch of idiots with no manners. Tell them a little about how great mountain biking is, and listen to what they have to tell you, too. Some of their complaints might be worth hearing.”

  Will shook his head in admiration. “You’ve got to join the club, Danny,” he said.

  “Forget it,” Danny said quickly.

  “No, listen,” Will insisted. “Those are great ideas. I think the club should do it. So you’ve got to at least come to the meeting and tell them about it.”

  “Why can’t you tell them?” Danny asked.

  “It’s your idea,” Will said. “Besides, you say it better than I would. I’ll back you up. I promise — not like that other time,” he added, remembering the incident in the library.

  “I don’t need to be in the club,” Danny said. “I’ll just go biking with you on weekends.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to buy a mountain bike?” Will asked hopefully.

  “Well, gee, yeah — I guess I’ll have to,” Danny said. “Hey, it’s my birthday in two weeks! I’ll just grovel and beg for my parents to get this one for me!”

  “You like that one?” Will asked.

  “Definitely,” Danny said. “I’m comfortable on it already. Who knows if I could even ride another one!”

  “Come on, they’re not that different,” Will said with a laugh. “Hey, I’ll get you your own elbow and knee pads for your birthday.”

  “Will,” Danny said, suddenly coming to a stop at the side of the road.

  Will pulled up beside him. “What’s up, Dan?” he asked. “You okay?”

  “Listen,” Danny said, looking at Will intently. “Just because I’m into mountain biking now, that doesn’t mean I’m joining the club at school. ‘Cause I’m not.”

  “Danny, try it, okay?” Will begged. “You’ve got to admit, I was right about mountain biking. So trust me on this one, all right?”

  Danny was silent for a moment. “I’ll come to one meeting,” he finally said. He shoved his bike back into motion. “But I’m not promising to join. And don’t try to talk me into it.”

  “I won’t,” Will promised, riding after Danny with a wide grin on his face — and his fingers firmly crossed.

  11

  The moment he saw it, Will knew he would never forget the look on Ace Diamond’s face when Danny showed up for the club meeting on Monday afternoon. Ace had the expression of someone who has just been teleported from a biking club meeting to an alien planet in another galaxy.

  “What… is going on?” Ace finally managed to say.

  “Guys, I’d like to introduce you to Danny Silver,
my best friend,” Will said pointedly.

  Everyone else said hi to Danny, and he nodded back, avoiding Ace’s gaze.

  “I’ve been getting Danny into mountain biking,” Will told them, “and I wanted him to share with you some of the ideas he came up with for us.”

  “What?” Ace asked, blinking in disbelief. “When was this? Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you the kid who wrote that petition that got us suspended?”

  “The petition didn’t get the club suspended,” Danny shot back. “Spray-painting the school walls had something to do with it.”

  Ace tensed, and so did Danny. “My point is,” Ace said, “that you tried to get us in trouble. You tried to make it so we couldn’t go biking anywhere.”

  “Not just anywhere,” Danny corrected him. “I still think mountain bikers have to realize they don’t own the trails. But I’m not against mountain biking. Not anymore. Will took me out riding this weekend and kind of got me into it.”

  Will winced. Danny had blown his secret, and Ace shot Will a look of betrayal. Will looked down at the floor.

  “So you’re, like, not against mountain biking anymore?” Gail asked.

  “No,” Danny said, glancing at her shyly. “Actually, I think I could get into it.”

  “You know,” Gail said, “I’m the editor of the school newspaper, and it would really help us if you would write, like, a letter to the editor saying you were wrong about mountain biking.”

  Everyone looked at Danny. He bit his lip, nodded, and said, “Okay. I’ll do that. I was wrong, and I guess I have to admit it to everyone.”

  “You would do that?” Juliette asked, clearly impressed. “Hey, you’re okay.”

  “Yeah,” Candy agreed.

  Ace spat on the ground. “Dork,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Shut up, Ace. He is not,” Will quickly said.

  “Did you just tell me to shut up?” Ace asked disbelievingly.

  “Sorry,” Will said. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t up front with you about what I was doing this weekend. But Danny is not a dork. And he’s not a loser. He may not be able to ride like you, and maybe he isn’t as cool or as popular, but I know one thing. He would never be reckless on the trail, or scare hikers or horseback riders, or litter, or be mean to somebody just for the fun of it.”

  There was dead silence from everyone. All eyes went from Will to Ace and back again.

  “So — so what are you saying?” Ace asked, at a loss for a comeback.

  “I guess what I’m saying is, I want Danny in the club.”

  “Huh?” Danny said, taken by surprise. “Wait a minute —”

  “Forget it!” Ace shouted. “If he’s in the club, I’m out!”

  “Ace!” Gail said. “Last time I checked, I was still president of this club. And the rule has always been that anyone who wants to join can.”

  “I don’t want to join anyway!” Danny broke in.

  “You don’t?” Juliette asked. “Why not?”

  Danny glanced at Ace. “I just don’t — that’s all,” he said. Turning to Will, he flashed him an angry glance.

  “Sorry,” Will said.

  “I just came because Will said I should tell you about my idea for the club.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Gail said. “What idea?”

  “I thought that, since a lot of people are all weird about mountain biking because some mountain bikers act like jerks,” he looked pointedly at Ace, “you guys should have an event to change people’s opinions.”

  “Like a public relations event,” Will put in.

  “Yeah,” Danny said. “Try to show them that you’re thinking about everyone and not just yourselves.”

  “I think that is the dorkiest idea I ever heard,” Ace said with a derisive laugh. “Like anybody would come.”

  “They would if you plan it right,” Danny insisted. “You could offer free food and drinks and give out a flyer listing all your plans for improving things.”

  “What plans?” Steve asked. “We don’t have any plans.”

  “Well, we need to make some, then,” Juliette said. “I think we should say, ‘We know some bikers don’t go by the rules, but we don’t accept that.’ We could adopt a set of club rules to avoid conflicts on the trails. And to join the club, you’d have to sign a form promising to be courteous to whoever shares the trail.”

  “Great idea!” Gail said. “We could hand out copies of the rules at the event. But I think we still need something to make it special.”

  “Hey!” Candy said. “What if we ask for donations to help pay for trail repairs, to mend some of the damage bad riders cause?”

  “Fantastic!” Gail said. “And we could have a raffle, too!”

  “And maybe a little biking demonstration from Ace,” Mitch suggested.

  “Oh, no!” Ace said. “Leave me out of your stupid plan. I’m not doing demonstrations for anybody, and I’m not signing any bunch of rules, either.”

  “Ace, if we vote the rules in, you’ll have to go along with them if you want to stay in the club.”

  “What do we need a bunch of rules for?” Ace complained. “I say we should have the freedom to ride on any trail we want, anytime we want! Nobody can tell us what to do!”

  “It isn’t a matter of anybody telling you what to do,” Danny said. “It’s a matter of agreeing to it yourselves.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not agreeing to anything,” Ace insisted.

  “I say we vote on whether to draw up a new set of rules to regulate biking behavior,” Gail said.

  “I second the motion,” Will said, raising his hand.

  “I third it,” Juliette said.

  “Okay, have a vote,” Ace said. “You’ll lose anyway. Right, guys?” He turned to Steve and Mitch, but both of them looked down at their shoes.

  “I don’t know, Ace,” Steve said. “It sounds like a good idea to me. Especially if Mr. Rivera knows about it. He won’t be looking to suspend the club anymore.”

  “Yeah,” Mitch agreed. “If we tell people we’re not going to bother them, then maybe they won’t bother us anymore.”

  “What? I can’t believe you guys!” Ace was livid. “What about you?” he asked Candy.

  “I… I don’t know,” she said, biting her lip.

  “Fine!” Ace said, steaming. “That’s just fine. You can take your new rules and sign them, but count me out! I quit this stupid club, and I’ll tell you what else — without me, you guys are nothing!”

  He grabbed his bike and rode off. Nobody tried to stop him, not even Steve or Mitch.

  “He’ll get over it,” Candy said, not sounding too sure of herself. “He’s just mad.”

  “He’s always mad,” Gail said. “I guess he has problems he’s got to work out on his own. But I think this club can live without him. As long as nobody else quits.”

  She looked hard at Steve and Mitch. The two boys looked at each other.

  “You staying?” Mitch asked Steve.

  “I guess so,” Steve said.

  “Me, too,” Mitch said.

  “Danny?” Will asked, turning to his friend.

  “What?” Danny asked. “I told you —”

  “Yes, but you said it was because of Ace,” Will pointed out. “Ace just quit.”

  “He might change his mind and decide to come back,” Danny said.

  “If he does, he’ll have to agree to the rules and to accept that you’re in the club,” Gail said. “That is, if you want to be in. I hope you do.” She smiled at him, and Danny blushed beet red.

  “Me, too,” Candy said. “That was a good idea you had. I think we should do it. I could bake some cookies and stuff.”

  Danny looked from one face to the other. “You guys really want me in the club?” he asked.

  “Sure!” Juliette said.

  “Mitch? Steve?” Danny asked, trying to gauge their reaction.

  Steve shrugged. “Okay with me, I guess. Whatever.”

  “Same here,” Mitch sa
id.

  “Welcome to the club, Danny!” Gail said, sticking out her hand for him to shake. “I hereby appoint you head of the event committee!”

  Danny blinked, totally speechless for once in his life.

  “I think we need something to call the event,” Juliette said. “You know, a catchy name.”

  “How about Biker Courtesy Day?” Will suggested.

  “If we’re raising money for trail repair, we could call it the Repairathon,” Danny suggested, recovering his voice.

  “Repairathon — that’s excellent!” Gail enthused. “Like, it’s about repairing relations and repairing trails! I’m going up to the school newspaper office to write out some notices right now!”

  “I’ll help you!” Juliette said. “Come on, everyone — we can write out the new rule sheet and the brochure!”

  They all trooped up to the newspaper office, full of energy and excitement. “Hey!” Mitch said as they all sat down to work. “What about our bike ride? Weren’t we going to go riding today?”

  “It can wait till Wednesday,” Gail said, already starting to type at the computer keyboard. “We’ve got work to do!”

  12

  The Repairathon was put together in record time. When the club members went to Mr. Rivera with their plan on Tuesday morning, he was thrilled and promised to help get the word out. They decided to hold the event a week from Saturday, to give people enough time to hear about it. The Thursday edition of the school paper trumpeted the news as well.

  When the day arrived, the entire school campus was given over to the big event. There was a table with free cookies and soft drinks, a raffle to benefit trail repair, brochures about biking etiquette and safety, with a list of the club’s rules included, and lots of other handouts, too. And there was a suggestion box for anyone who wanted to say their piece.

  There were several attractions the club had planned for the big event. Since Ace had made himself unavailable to do a biking demonstration, Gail and Will asked Julian to come and give a talk about how to keep a bike in good repair. Julian also brought half a dozen beautiful bikes with him. Mr. Diamond had agreed to sponsor the event on condition that some of his bikes were put on display.