Free Rock On by Matt Christopher, Stephanie Peters Page B

rock-climbing wall set up at the mall. It’s two stories high. I’m getting a trip together to check it out. If you guys want to go, sign up at the Community Center. But do it soon because I can only take ten kids.”
    “A rock-climbing trip? Totally awesome!” Jonas said after Alison had left. “C’mon, you guys, let’s go sign up.”
    “I don’t know,” X said doubtfully. “I’ve never been rock climbing. And in the mall? How do they do that?”
    “I’ve seen something like it before,” Mark replied. “The wall is man-made, out of heavy-duty plastic or something, and has handholds and footholds sticking out of it. You get strapped into a safety harness attached to a rope. Then you just, you know, climb as high as you can. When you let go of the wall, the harness takes you to the floor safely.”
    “So is it hard to do?” X wanted to know.
    Jonas laughed. “What do you care if it’s hard? You’re good at everything! This wall will be a cinch for you!”
    “Yeah, right,” X replied. Despite Jonas’s confidence, he wasn’t so sure.

CHAPTER FOUR
    There were only two names on the sign-up sheet so far: Bizz Juarez and Savannah Smith. Mark laughed when he saw them.
    “Looks like Alison already told Bizz and Savannah about the trip!” he said. He added his own name beneath theirs, then handed the pen to Jonas. Jonas scrawled his name and stepped away so X could do the same.
    X hesitated. “You know, it doesn’t seem fair for us to take up all the spaces. What if some other kid wants to go but can’t because I signed up instead? My mom could always take me some other time.” He started to put the pen down.
    Jonas wouldn’t let him. “It won’t be as much fun if you don’t go with us,” he said. “Besides, these trips are always first come, first served.”
    So X signed his name underneath Jonas’s and laid the pen aside. They all took copies of the permission slip for their parents to sign and started to leave.
    “Hold on. What about Charlie?” Mark asked. Charlie Abbott was another friend. “Should we put his name down, too?”
    “I don’t think we’re allowed to,” Jonas said. “I’ll call him later, tell him to get his keister over here pronto.”
    “He could always take my place if he doesn’t get on the list,” X said.
    Jonas gave him a puzzled look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t want to go on this trip!”
    X was saved from having to answer by a cry from Mark.
    “Hey, it’s almost three-thirty! Alison’s going to close the hill soon. If we want to get in any more runs, we better get a move on!”

    The boys snowboarded for another half hour before the sun set and Alison had to shut down the hill. X waved good-bye to his friends and trudged home with his snowboard under his arm. He was tired and aching, but he barely noticed. He was too busy thinking about what Jonas had said — that he, X, didn’t want to go on the trip.
    X was as mystified by his reluctance as Jonas was. Usually, he was ready and raring to try new things, especially new sports. But every time he thought of climbing straight up a wall, his insides felt funny.
    He dumped his snowboard in the garage when he got home, then pushed open the door to the kitchen. Delicious smells tickled his nose. His favorite meal, spaghetti with meatballs, was warming on the stove. X’s older sister, Ruth, was setting the table like she did every night. X’s job was to make sure each place had a glass of milk by it. He pulled the milk from the refrigerator, then stopped short.
    “Hey, where are the glasses?” he asked Ruth.
    “In the dishwasher,” she replied. “Mom forgot to run it again. She was too busy playing with Sarah and Kyle.”
    X laughed. His mother would rather play with her kids than do housework. It meant that their house was messy sometimes, but X didn’t care. What fun was a mom who just cleaned all day?
    “So what should I use for the milk?” X asked. Ruth pointed to a small