Snowboard Struggle

by Jake Maddox

  “I’m glad you did, though.”

  “Me, too.”

  They hurried out the door, where the boys and girls of the Kingsford SBX team were loading up for another day on the slopes.

  * * *

  “I’ve never tried boardercross before,” Miles said to Alex under his breath. The two stood at the top of King’s Crown, near the starting gates.

  “You’ll get the hang of it,” Alex said.

  A group of three boarders, including Tia, were in the gates. The rest of the team stood nearby, their boards stuck in the snow.

  Coach Gregg sent the group off, and they raced down the slope. When they reached the bumpy terrain, they slid in close to one another, so close their boards nearly touched.

  “Whoa,” Miles said.

  “Okay, new guy,” Coach Gregg said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  “Heh. Good luck,” Kevin added under his breath, just loud enough for Alex and Miles to hear.

  Miles and Alex pushed off and glided up to the gates. For his first couple of runs, Coach Gregg wanted Miles to practice with another racer, someone he was comfortable with. Alex was the clear choice.

  Miles slipped into the gate. Coach Gregg showed him how to grab the handles. “Lean back and watch the gate,” he said. “The second it moves, pull yourself forward and let it ride.”

  “Let it ride,” Miles muttered under his breath.

  Coach Gregg called them to attention, then . . .

  Bam! The gate dropped.

  Alex rocketed forward, same as always. He knew he shouldn’t look to his side, but a flicker of movement caught his eye, and he flashed a glance. Miles was right beside him, courtesy of a clean start.

  “Nice!” Coach Gregg cheered. Some of the other team members whistled and clapped.

  Alex and Miles hit the rhythm section of the course. This was where Miles’s skateboarding skills took over. He rolled easily over the berms, adjusting his weight perfectly. Alex slipped behind. He strained to pick up his pace, but Miles had him beat as they entered the curves. They dug their edges into the snow, flying past the flags and gliding across the finish line.

  Alex and Miles came to a stop. Alex couldn’t contain himself.

  “What did I tell you?” Alex yelled. “That was amazing!”

  “I can’t believe I just did that,” Miles said.

  “Believe it! You’re a natural!”

  The two boys watched as the next group made their way downhill. Among them were Kevin and Eddie. Kevin crossed the line first, and Eddie thundered past in third place.

  Eddie didn’t care about his performance, though. He came right up to Miles. “Dude,” he said. “Nice boarding.”

  “Thanks,” Miles said.

  “Kevin,” Eddie said, “Miles is going to give you a run for your money.”

  Kevin didn’t look happy to hear this.

  But Coach Gregg was impressed by Miles’s initial run. “You and Alex make a good team,” he said, as he sent the two boys down the trail again.

  As before, Miles propelled himself through the course like he’d been doing it all his life. He was even able to twist his body ninety degrees midair and execute a shifty in the middle of the fast-paced run.

  Finally, as practice began to wind down and the buzz of Miles’s performance was starting to wane, Coach Gregg coupled Alex and Miles with Kevin and Tia. “All four riders ready!” he called out.

  Alex honed his focus. He looked over and saw Miles doing the same thing. He glanced the other way at Kevin and smiled.

  Kevin wasn’t smiling back, though. He was staring at Miles.

  The gates dropped, and they were off.

  The boys on either side of Alex pulled ahead. Miles was focused on the course. Having only raced it a few times, it was clear he was still trying to get the hang of it.

  Past the berms and onto the curves. Alex trailed by a small margin, along with Tia. Kevin and Miles surged ahead. Kevin wove close to Miles around the turn, like he was trying to collide, then slipped away just as quickly.

  What is his problem? Alex thought.

  Kevin did it again on the next turn, rushing up until their boards nearly hit, then slipping back. This time, though, Miles lost his balance for a split-second. He dropped one hand to the ground to steady himself. As he did, his board kicked out, and a thick spray of powder flew into the air — right into Kevin’s face.

  Kevin, blinded, twisted his body and threw his arm up to protect himself. As if it happened in slow motion, Alex watched Kevin sway, turn, and then strike the snow at the edge of the trail. He rolled, his board coming free, one boot flying off and narrowly missing Alex as he zipped past his fallen friend.

  Alex twisted his board horizontally to the hill and dug into the heel edge. He came to a stuttering stop, unlatched his boots, and ran up the hill.

  “Kevin!” he shouted. “You all right?”

  Miles did the same. Tia stopped, but watched the action from afar.

  “I’m so sorry,” Miles said. “I just . . . lost my balance. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  Kevin groaned. His face was coated in snow, but he appeared to be all right. His ears were bright red, but Alex couldn’t tell if that was from the cold or the humiliation.

  “Seriously,” Miles continued. “I didn’t mean to spray powder at you.” He reached out a hand to Kevin, who sat half-buried in a mound of snow.

  Kevin swatted his hand away. “I don’t need your help,” he said. He lifted himself up. Alex, meanwhile, had retrieved Kevin’s snowboard. He passed it over.

  “For real,” Alex said. “You good?”

  “Nice friend you have there, Alex,” Kevin said. He clicked his feet into his board.

  With a small kick of spray, enough to hit Miles and Alex in the legs, Kevin took off down the hill again.

  CHAPTER 8

  ALL FUN AND GAMES

  Kevin was still holding a grudge against Miles the following day. When he came to sit with them at lunch, he slid into a seat at the opposite end of the table from Miles. They ate in an awkward silence peppered with terrible Eddie jokes. And when Miles and Alex ran into Kevin in the hall, Kevin looked down at his phone and pretended not to see them.

  So, when practice was over and Miles asked if Alex, Eddie, and Tia wanted to stop by Skate Kings, Alex didn’t give it a second thought that Kevin was nowhere to be seen.

  The quartet walked to the skate park. Miles was the only one with his own skateboard, so the others rented decks and joined him on the course.

  “This place has been like my outlet,” Miles said right before he kickflipped onto a rail and right into a 5-0 grind. “It’s a little more in my price range than a pass out at the slopes.”

  Alex thought of his winter coat hanging near the rental counter, and the colorful lift passes adorning it.

  After they’d skated a bit, the group bought sodas from the vending machine and lounged in one of the booths.

  “So what’s your story, Miles?” Tia asked.

  Alex gave Miles a sidelong glance, but Miles seemed cool with the question. They were all starting to be friends, so the truth wasn’t really a burden to tell.

  When Miles was finished, the group sat in silence. Then Tia asked, “So your mom is cool with you being on the team?”

  Miles shrugged. “Yeah. She goes to work after we all get ready for bed. I’m in charge at night while she’s gone. Plus my aunt comes and helps out. Like tonight. And she’s going to step it up when we need it, since I’m on the team.”

  “Man,” Tia said, “That’s still a lot of responsibility.”

  “Yeah,” Eddie added, “I have a hard enough time just making my bed in the morning.”

  Miles shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

  Eddie lumbered to his feet. “Who wants a chili dog?” he asked, nodding at the concession stand.

  Alex moved to dig out some money, as did Tia beside him in the booth.

  Miles reached for his pocket and Eddie said, “N
aw, man. I’ve got this round.”

  “No,” Miles said. “I can buy my own — ”

  “Yeah,” Eddie said. “Next time.” He smiled. “You buy the next round.”

  “Deal.”

  They ate and skated and joked around until it was almost closing time. Then they hustled off in their separate directions to get home before Miles needed to be back for his siblings’ bedtime.

  Alex had been having so much fun, he didn’t notice the text from Kevin until he was already home.

  HEARD YOU WENT TO THE SKATE PARK. THANX FOR THE INVITE. GOOD TO KNOW WHOSE BACK YOU’VE GOT.

  Aw man, Alex thought as he flopped down onto his bed face first.

  * * *

  “Scarf your food down fast,” Tia said the next day during lunch. “Kevin will be here any minute.”

  Alex and Miles had just sat down beside Eddie, their trays full of indeterminate cafeteria food substances. Alex began to shovel food into his mouth.

  “Do it,” he urged Miles. “Eat quick. Otherwise we won’t have enough time to play.”

  “Done,” Eddie said, as though he was part of a competitive eating contest. It sounded more like ‘murf,’ though, because his mouth was crammed full of his submarine sandwich.

  “Why are we doing this?” Miles asked as he flung three tater tots into his mouth.

  Alex explained as he ate. “Tradition,” he said. Bits of food flew from his mouth. “Day before an SBX meet, the team plays a pick-up football game on the lawn outside.”

  “Here we go,” Tia warned them. “Coming in hot at two o’clock.”

  “You fools ready?” Kevin tossed a football into the air. Behind him were other members of the boardercross team. Kevin chucked the ball to Eddie, who caught it right in the gut.

  “I was born ready,” Eddie said, lumbering to his feet and laughing.

  “Come on, Alex,” Kevin said. “And don’t forget your napkin, cuz my skills are filthy!”

  Alex wolfed down the last of his food. “Finish up, Miles,” he said.

  “I think I’ll pass,” Miles said.

  “Oh, come on,” Kevin said. “I’ll let you be the other team captain. My way of apologizing for acting like a jerk. It’ll be fun.”

  Miles shook his head.

  Kevin placed the football on the table and leaned forward. He reached out one hand to shake. “No tricks up my sleeve,” he said.

  Miles looked long and hard at Kevin.

  “All right,” he said cautiously before shaking Kevin’s hand.

  “All right!” Kevin shouted.

  The snow outside was coming down pretty strong. In most places, this kind of weather would be grounds for early dismissal. But not in Kingsford. In Kingsford, this was a “light dusting.”

  The school’s front lawn was coated white. Alex zipped up his hoodie and took his stocking cap from his pocket. They split into teams — Kevin took Alex with his first pick, while Miles was able to snag both Eddie and Tia.

  The wind howled, and the fresh flakes pelted Alex’s face. His fingers went numb before he’d even caught his first pass. By then, the ball had been rolling in the snow, and catching it felt like trying to pull in a spiraling cinderblock. Still, he caught it in stride and kept running.

  “Touchdown!” Alex shouted as he jogged into the fake end zone.

  “Nice catch!” Eddie’s voice cut through the air. Alex could barely see him in the swirling snow.

  “Impressive,” Miles said.

  “Thanks,” Alex said, bumping fists with him and then jogging back to position.

  Miles’s team took over on offense. On their third play, Miles caught a short pass from Tia and wove between defenders. He was almost home free when Kevin came at him from the left. He drove a shoulder into Miles and knocked him to the ground.

  “Boom!” Kevin shouted. “Welcome to the brick wall, new kid!”

  He jogged off. Miles stood and wiped snow from his clothes.

  “You okay?” Tia asked.

  “He’s fine,” Kevin said. “We’re just playing. Right, Miles?”

  Miles said nothing.

  Three plays later, Miles’s team was right at the imaginary goal line. Tia took the snap from Eddie and flipped the ball over to Miles, who easily ran in for the touchdown.

  As he held up the ball to celebrate, Kevin came rushing in and dove at Miles’s knees, wrapping his arms around his legs. The two crashed to the ground.

  “What was that?” Miles shouted. “I already scored!” He and Kevin were a tangle of limbs. Alex hurried over. The rest of the players gathered around, watching uncomfortably.

  Alex froze. Do I jump in? Break them apart? I need to do something.

  But instead, he did nothing.

  “Sorry,” Kevin said, though his tone implied otherwise. He pushed himself off Miles and stood, wiping snow off his coat and pants. “Hard to see the end zone.”

  The bell cut through the thick snowfall. “Great game, everybody!” Kevin said as the rest of the boardcross team hurried inside.

  Alex saw Miles starting to get up. I should lend him a hand, he thought. That looked like a hard hit. Before he could move, though, Kevin wrapped an arm around his shoulder and turned him toward the door. “Don’t want to be late,” he said. “Man, that was a great TD catch, Alex.”

  “Thanks.” Alex nearly looked back over his shoulder, but he and Kevin were at the door.

  They walked inside, Alex and his best friend, leaving Miles alone in the snow.

  CHAPTER 9

  ONE AND DONE

  It was just a stupid game. He’s all right.

  Alex repeated the words in his head for the remainder of the school day. He repeated them in Mr. Carlson’s Bio class. During a Geography pop quiz. As the final bell rang and he headed to Miles’s locker to check on him. The words repeated endlessly.

  He couldn’t shake it. The way Kevin had tackled Miles, the way he’d laughed and left him in the cold. That wasn’t the Kevin he knew, not his best friend.

  He’s just jealous, Alex thought. It’ll all blow over now, and I won’t have to do anything about it. A tiny voice inside whispered, you’re not following through again—not taking a stand, but he tamped it down.

  Miles was not at his locker, which meant he was already getting ready to board the bus. They only had one more practice before the big meet.

  A few of Alex’s teammates were already in the locker room when he walked in. They sat on the wooden bench, duffel bags of gear resting next to them.

  But no Miles.

  The door to Coach Gregg’s office opened, and Miles walked out. Coach Gregg followed, a serious look on his face. The sight of it weirded Alex out.

  Uh-oh. Something’s up.

  “I’m sorry to hear it,” Coach Gregg was saying. “But I understand. You have to take care of your priorities. I respect that.”

  Alex watched, concerned, as Coach and Miles shook hands.

  Miles walked toward the locker room door. Alex intercepted him.

  “Hey,” Alex said. “What was that all about? Where are you off to?”

  Miles shrugged. “I’m missing practice today,” he said. “I’ll be at the meet tomorrow, but after that . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “After that, what?”

  “After that, I’m done,” Miles said. “You can have your board back. I don’t have time for people who claim to be my friend. My family is what’s important.”

  Alex felt like he’d just yard-saled across Jagged Boulder.

  “But I thought I was your friend,” he said quietly.

  “Yeah,” Miles said. “Me, too. That was before you let Kevin walk all over me.”

  “You don’t understand,” Alex said. “Kevin and I have been friends since kindergarten. It’s complicated — ”

  “No. It isn’t. Sometimes all it takes is one person standing up for what’s right. You could have been that person, Alex.” Miles turned on a heel and walked away.

  He didn’t even break str
ide as he exited the locker room.

  CHAPTER 10

  MEET DAY

  Alex never slept well the night before a meet. Not out of nerves. Out of excitement. When he did sleep, he dreamt of racing, of flying down hills or soaring through the sky. That night, though, there was a different reason for his insomnia: Miles Vaughn.

  He kept hearing Miles’s words echo in his head: One person . . . standing up for what’s right.

  When the alarm on his phone chirped him awake, Alex had hardly slept a wink. He needed a blast of energy, and he found it downstairs in the kitchen. His mom had made him his usual race-day breakfast: egg whites, toast, and orange juice. He ate them quickly, could feel himself perking up as he did.

  Alex rode with his family out to Mount Kingsford. They knew not to ask questions or bother him. He plugged in his earbuds and listened to music to get his adrenaline pumping.

  Mount Kingsford had been transformed for the competition. Near the chalet, a number of pop-up tents had been set up, one for each school and one at the base of King’s Crown for the judges and officials. An electronic board stood beside it, where player’s names and times would post after each race. Cables snaked everywhere as each tent included a space heater for warmth.

  Alex saw Miles standing alone near the Kingsford tent. This was his first competition, and he looked overwhelmed and out of place. Alex began to walk over to him, but stopped. This wasn’t the time to hash out their problems. He needed to focus on the meet.

  Tia stood signing in with the judges near their tent. As he dashed off to join her, Alex tried to convince himself that he wasn’t simply avoiding the problem again.

  He didn’t do a very good job.

  The boys’ individual race consisted of thirty-two competitors from five schools. A number of qualifying races would determine the five finalists for the championship run.

  Alex was in the first group of qualifiers. As he lined up for the lift to the top of the mountain, he heard Kevin behind him shout, “Hold up!”

  Kevin slid in next to him. “Mind if I join you?”

  Alex shrugged.

  From high above, the activity around the mountain was mesmerizing. Alex watched it, not knowing what to say to his best friend. He should be happy to have a comforting presence around him before the first race of the season. But he wasn’t. Kevin’s attitude toward Miles, and Alex’s inability to call him out on it, was beyond frustrating. His stomach began to churn.