Free Snowboard Maverick by Matt Christopher Page B

laundry sink on the opposite side of the garage and ran
     the water till it was warm. Then he took a scrub brush and some soap and tried to get the paint off.
    Luckily it seemed to wash away easily, and when it was all gone, there was no damage at all to Gizmo.
    “I hate that Rick Hogan,” Dennis said. “Pat Kunkel, too. They are such sneaks.”
    “Rick’s just trying to scare you,” Robbie said. “Are you gonna let him?”
    “No way!” Dennis retorted. “Come on, you guys. Let’s get over there right now. Rick Hogan is about to receive major payback.”
    “Dennis, you’re not going to fight with him, are you?” Tasha asked anxiously.
    “No,” Dennis said, staring out into the distance. “I’m just going to beat the snow pants off him.”
    They went to the corner of Main Street and hopped on the bus to the ski area. Rick and Pat were waiting for them in the lodge
     at Ford’s Mountain.
    “Okay, Hogan,” Dennis said. “What’s the big idea of messing up my board?”
    “Huh?” Rick Hogan’s thick jaw dropped, and he blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about, O’Malley?”
    “Somebody messed up my board,” Dennis repeated. “If it wasn’t you, then it had to be Pat!”
    “Don’t look at me,” Pat said, holding up both his stubby hands. “I didn’t do anything, okay? So lay off.”
    “Yeah, right,” Dennis said.
    “Hey, are you trying to back out?” Rick asked. “Because if you are, everyone’s going to know. Roll the tape, Pat.”
    At Rick’s command, Pat whipped out a camcorder and started taping the conversation. “Pat’s going to tape the whole race, just
     so everyone can watch you go down,” Rick told Dennis. “I’m gonna sell tickets and hand out popcorn!” He laughed, and Pat guffawed
     along with him from behind the camera.
    “Then I guess they’ll all want to hear about thenotes you left in my locker and the letter you sent to my house,” Dennis said, looking right at the lens. “And he spray-painted
     graffiti on my snowboard, too!”
    “Yeah?” Rick retorted. “Where is it?”
    “I washed it off, wise guy,” Dennis said. “Tasha and Robbie are my witnesses.”
    “Look, are we gonna race, or what?” Rick demanded. "I’ve got my board; you’ve got yours. It’s not broken, as far as I can
     see. So, are you ready?”
    “I’m ready,” Dennis said.
    “Then let’s go.” Rick led him to the ticket window, where he bought their lift tickets. Pat, Robbie, and Tasha took their
     positions at the bottom of the run, where they could watch the whole race.
    Several other kids gathered around to watch, too. Dennis recognized most of them. He knew Rick had brought them along, hoping
     to humiliate Dennis in front of them.
    Dennis didn’t care anymore. When he’d found that message scrawled across his brand-new snowboard, he’d seen red. At this moment,
     he didn’t care if he wound up in traction again. He was going to beat Rick Hogan if it was the last thing he ever did!
    The two of them rode up on the lift, side by side. They were alone now, without all their friends close by. Dennis could feel
     Rick’s confident, mocking gaze on him, but he stared straight ahead. No matter what, he was not going to allow Rick to intimidate
     him.
    It seemed to take forever for the lift chairs to reach the top of the slope. They hopped off and trudged over to the trailhead.
     There were several skiers ahead of them, and they needed a clear slope to hold their contest. So they waited silently, each
     thinking his own thoughts.
    Dennis tried to keep all doubts out of his mind. He did not look down the slope, lest his old fears return. He did not think
     about his lack of experience snowboarding. He thought only of the notes in his locker and mailbox, and the red paint sprayed
     across his new board. He thought only of getting even with Rick Hogan.
    Finally it was their turn. They stood about fifteen feet apart as the skiers and boarders behind them looked on. Dennis