Free Dunc Gets Tweaked by Gary Paulsen

Duncan—Dunc—Culpepper stood next to the starting gate of the track at the Speedway Skateboarding Park. He was watching his best friend, Amos Binder, put his crash helmet on. Amos was getting ready to compete in the Skateboard National Open, amateur division.
    “Are you sure you want to do this, Amos?”
    “It’s not a question of wanting to or not wanting to. I have to.”
    “I’m not real clear on this ‘have to’ stuff,” Dunc said. “Maybe you better explain it to me again.”
    Amos had his helmet on and was pulling up his kneepads. “It’s easy. All I have to do is win this championship.”
    “And?”
    “And Melissa will be so impressed she’ll be crazy about me forever.” Amos was madly in love with Melissa Hansen. Melissa Hansen didn’t know that Amos existed.
    “But you’ve never skateboarded before in your life.”
    “Yes, I have.”
    “That driveway thing doesn’t count.” Amos had borrowed the neighbor’s skateboard once and tried riding it down the driveway. He did fine until he reached the street. The skateboard flew out from under his feet right into the window of a passing car.
    “Poor Mrs. Watkins,” Amos said. “That skateboard passed right in front of her face. One of the wheels left a track on her nose.”
    “She went to the newspaper with a story about a UFO.”
    “I know. She was so frightened, she drove her car right into the living-room window of Mr. Meany.”
    “The policeman,” Dunc said.
    “Yeah.” Amos picked up his board and spun all four of its wheels. “He told me that as soon as I’m old enough, he’s going to put me in prison for life.”
    “At least there you won’t get in trouble.”
    “I don’t get in trouble now. You get me in trouble.”
    “I didn’t have anything to do with the skateboard incident.”
    “And you won’t have anything to do with this skateboard incident, either. For once, I’m not going to listen to any of your advice.”
    “But you have to get advice from someone.”
    “Then I’ll get it from somebody else.”
    “Who—Lash?”
    “Yeah.” Lash Malesky was Amos’s first cousin. He was a professional from San Diego and one of the best skateboarders in the country.
    “He’ll tell you the same thing I tried to,” Dunc said. “He’ll tell you you’re crazy to try this.”
    “He already told me that. When Iwouldn’t listen, he gave in and promised to tell me how to win.” He turned his head, and together he and Dunc watched one of the other competitors wait in the starting gate.
    “
Now making his run
,” the announcer said over the loudspeaker,
“Billy Slide
.”
    The whistle blew and the gate opened and Billy zipped out onto the track. He went down the course flipping up in the air doing somersaults. Right before the end, he pressed into a handstand. The crowd cheered.
    “Even with Lash’s advice, you won’t be able to do that,” Dunc said.
    “Except for the handstands I will.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I have a secret weapon.”
    “A secret weapon? What is it?”
    “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.” Amos smiled the way he did when he knew something that no one else knew. He cradled the board in his arms and waited for his turn.
    “Hey, dudes.” They turned around. Lash was standing behind them, bobbing his head up and down and smiling. He waswearing a fluorescent orange crash helmet and a pair of reflective sunglasses. He had a board in his hand with the word
Maggie
painted across the top of it.
    “Hi, Lash,” Amos said. “Are you here to wish me luck?”
    “Forget the luck,” Dunc said. “You better just give him some advice.”
    “Radical,” Lash said. “Cut loose and bone out all your tricks. Rock and roll on all your axle grinds. Dig into a mctwist on this jam with a five-forty—so radical. Just totally insane.” He smiled and bobbed his head up and down again. Amos and Dunc looked at each other.
    “Uh, thanks, Lash,” Amos said.
    Lash nodded. He patted Amos on the back