Reckless by Lesley Choyce

Author:Lesley Choyce
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: ebook, JUV000000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2010-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

chapter seven

My bike was back in the shed, and I was washed and presentable when my parents returned. They weren’t even suspicious. Once I realized I had gotten away with that, I vowed I’d leave the bike alone for the rest of the week.

I wondered if Deano or Billy would tell other kids what had happened at the pit. I had bragging rights, but I wasn’t going to use them. At school I kept expecting someone to at least ask me what happened, but no one did.

Despite her Saturday night phone call, Sonia had avoided me on Monday and Tuesday. I finally saw her Wednesday. “Thanks again for the heads-up,” I said quietly.

She looked straight ahead as we walked.

“What?” I asked.

“You didn’t have to go and do what you did,” she said angrily.

“What did I do?”

“Sabotaged Anton’s bike. Billy said you put something in the gas.”

I was stunned. “That’s a lie.”

She stopped. “Well, Anton’s bike is mangled. How do you explain that?”

“He challenged me. I beat him. He pushed his limits and got wasted. It wasn’t my idea, and I didn’t do anything to his bike.”

She didn’t believe me. “I feel like I betrayed him,” she said. And then she walked away.

I wanted to find Deano and Billy and kick them both in the head. I wanted to confront Anton. I was so mad.

But I didn’t. I knew that whatever I said or did, Anton would make me look bad. It wouldn’t be hard with Billy and Deano to back him up. So, instead, I went to class and fumed. I thought about Jonathan as I sat through history class. And I thought, yeah, maybe I’ll move out in the woods and become a hermit like him. Then I won’t have to deal with this crap.

I left school quickly to avoid Anton. I didn’t trust myself. I actually ran out the front door. If I couldn’t bike today, maybe running would help. I thought about going to see Jonathan. I felt like he was my only friend now. But it was too far, and I didn’t have enough daylight.

When I was three blocks from school, I phoned Kyle on my cell.

“Josh,” he said. “What do you have, like, an evil twin or something?”

“You heard the stor y that Anton’s spreading?”

“What was it? Sugar?”

“It was nothing. I did nothing. I beat the creep, fair and square.”

There was a pause. “I believe you,” he said. “I really do. But no one else does.”

“I don’t really care,” I said. “But Kyle, you said there were ATVers who are friends with the hermit. Who are they?”

“Um, Carl Wilson for one. And Gabe’s father, Dwight. Oh, and Dave Jenkins, who works at the hardware store.”

“Thanks, Kyle. Thanks a lot.” I hung up.

Dave Jenkins was standing behind a counter at the back of the store. He was a cheerful middle-aged man with a messy head of hair. I introduced myself and told him about my encounter with Jonathan. At first he seemed wary.

“You weren’t harassing him

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