Wild Ride Read Free Page B

lucky he’d been to walk away from his fall with only a few bruises. He returned to the kitchen to get some clean rags. But before he could find any, he heard the garage door open and a car drive in.

    “Hey, Jonas!” he heard his father call. “I hope you got those chores done, because I have some plans for us this afternoon!”
    Mr. Malloy entered the kitchen a moment later. He was holding two tickets. “They’re for that skateboard movie you’ve been dying to see,” he announced. “Show starts in twenty minutes. We’ll grab a bite to eat after that, okay?”
    Jonas hesitated, his thoughts on his bike. If he went with his dad, he might not get to it until the next day. But he couldn’t very well tell his father that he needed to clean his bike instead of going to the movies. His father would want to know why it was so urgent, and he might even want to see the bike!
    As it turned out, his father solved the problem for him.
    “Did you get caught in that rainstorm on the way home?” Mr. Malloy asked. “There were some pretty big puddles.” He pointed to his feet. “I stepped in one. Soaked my shoe straight through to my sock!”
    “Yeah,” Jonas said. “I, um, I rode my bike to the park, you know. It got pretty wet on the ride back.” He looked toward the garage. “In fact, I should probably clean it up.”
    Mr. Malloy checked his watch. “You’ve got ten minutes. But that should be enough, right? After all, it was just a little rainwater. A quick wipe down should do it.”
    “Uh, right,” Jonas replied, wondering how much dirt he could clear off in that short amount of time.
    Just then, the phone rang. Jonas answered. It was Alison.
    “Jonas, I’m calling to tell you I’ll have a surprise for you at the mountain tomorrow.”
    Jonas had almost forgotten about the mountain cleanup scheduled for the next day. “Surprise? What kind of surprise?”
    “I’ll give you a hint. Right after the rain stopped, someone called to say they spotted a biker going up the mountain.”
    Jonas’s heart stopped. “Oh, yeah?” he managed to squeak.
    “Yeah,” Alison said. “And my surprise has everything to do with that biker. Well, see you tomorrow.”
    Jonas slowly put the phone back in its cradle. He felt numb. He knew he was the biker she was talking about. He dreaded finding out what her “surprise” might be.
    “All set to go?” Mr. Malloy asked, coming down the stairs. Jonas just nodded. It wasn’t until they were pulling out of the garage that he remembered he hadn’t taken care of his bike.
    Not that it matters,
he thought dismally.
Dad will find out tomorrow that I was on the mountain alone. And when he does, it’s good-bye, biking. . . .

CHAPTER NINE
    Jonas slept poorly that night. The next morning, all he wanted to do was stay under the covers. Instead, he got up and dressed in long sleeves and pants.
    “You’re awfully quiet,” his father commented over breakfast.
    Jonas shrugged. “Just thinking about the cleanup, I guess,” he mumbled, pushing his cereal bowl away and heading to the garage. “I’ll meet you in the car.”
    Mr. Malloy followed him. “Don’t you want to ride our bikes over?”
    “Might as well,” Jonas replied, adding silently,
since it may be the last time I ride for a while.
    When he wheeled his bike, still covered in dirt, away from the wall, Mr. Malloy’s eyebrows shot up. “That must have been some puddle you rode through yesterday!” he exclaimed.
    Jonas picked at a clod of dirt stuck to his handle-bar. “It was,” he said.
    His father continued to stare at the bike, particularly at the back wheel. Then he looked at Jonas questioningly.
    “C’mon, we better get going,” Jonas said hurriedly, before his father could ask him about the mud. He mounted his bike and coasted down the driveway. Then he pushed off and started pedaling in the direction of the mountain.
    Click. Click. Click.
    For a moment Jonas couldn’t figure out what he was hearing. Then he