Wild Ride Read Free

left most of the ride home. Now it was directly in front of him. Jonas slowed to a stop.
    Not that mud’s always a bad thing,
he thought, gazing up. He stared at the mountain for a moment, thinking. Then he checked his watch. It was twenty minutes to twelve.
    Plenty of time for a quick ride over to the mountain.
He pushed down on his pedals.
In fact, I probably
should
go to make sure the rain didn’t wash away the sign Alison put up.
He pedaled faster.
    Fifteen minutes later, he reached the trailhead. Alison’s sign was posted nearby: TRAILS IN NEED OF REPAIR. PLEASE STAY OFF UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE — THANK YOU. He wiggled it. It was a little loose but otherwise seemed fine. He lingered for a moment, staring longingly at the trailhead. Then, with a sigh, he hurried over to his bike and got ready to leave.
    “Yeee-haw!”
    A loud shout echoed down the mountain. It was closely followed by another and then by a sound like branches breaking. Surprised and curious, Jonas wheeled his bike back to the trailhead. That’s when he saw, in the muddy ground at his feet, a set of freshly made bike tracks. Someone was biking on the trails!
    Jonas’s first thought was to ride to the Community Center to tell Alison. But as he threw a leg over his bike, he heard another triumphant yell and loud laughter. Whoever was on the trails was having a great time. He paused.
    You could be having a great time, too,
a small, sly voice inside him whispered.
No one would ever have to know. And after the morning you just had, don’t you deserve it? Besides, someone else has already ignored Alison’s sign. What harm can it do if you ignore it, too?
    Jonas turned his gaze to Alison’s sign. The front was white with black letters. Slowly, he reached forward, grabbed the sign, and twisted it around. The back of the sign was unpainted. It blended perfectly against the dark-green pine trees. Unless you were looking for it, you’d never know it was there.

    I can always say I didn’t see the sign,
Jonas told himself. His mind made up, he took off his heavy backpack and hid it behind a rock. Then, with one last glance over his shoulder to be sure no one was watching, he mounted his bike, shoved off with one foot, and rode onto the tree-darkened trail.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    The trail Jonas chose snaked back and forth, leading him up the mountain slowly. The incline wasn’t that steep, but it was steady. He was forced to shift down to the lowest gear in order to keep moving. Even then he had to stand up and pedal in spots.
    As he gradually made his way up the path, he wondered if he’d run into the other bikers. But when he stopped to take a drink, all he heard was rain water dripping off the trees. He realized he was on the mountain by himself.
    Maybe I should head back,
he thought, suddenly feeling uneasy. He glanced at his watch and saw that he’d been biking for twenty minutes. It would take him only half that much time to get back down. If he turned around now, the ride would be over before it had even begun.
    He returned his water bottle to its carrier and began pedaling up the trail again.
    It took him twenty more minutes to reach the top. By then, his legs were burning and he was breathing hard. He gulped some more water and looked over his shoulder down the winding path. His uneasiness returned.
    He’d biked this trail many times before, but never so early in the season. Nothing looked familiar. The trees, many still bare of leaves, were wet from the rain and looked like black skeletons. Boulders he was sure he’d ridden by countless times seemed more jagged than he’d remembered. Murky puddles dotted the path.
    There was no turning back, though, not unless he wanted to walk his bike all the way to the bottom. A quick glance at his watch told him he didn’t have time for that, not if he was going to get home in time to do the chores his father had left for him. If he didn’t get the chores done, his father would want to know what he’d been doing