Super Fast, Out of Control! (2 page)

He wasn’t just afraid of Suicide Hill. He was afraid to ride his new bike.

It seemed so big. And it had hand brakes. He had never used hand brakes before. He also didn’t know how to use all the different gears.

What made it worse, he was the one who had asked for a new bike. He’d begged for a new bike. His parents had said it was very expensive. They said he already had a bicycle, but he’d called that a “baby bike.” He wanted a mountain bike. He said Linzy could have his old bike.

And in the end, they bought it for him.

That was ten days ago, and he still hadn’t ridden it. Just thinking about it made him sick to his stomach.

At least he wouldn’t have to ride it for a week. He wished he still had his baby bike.

“You’re so brave,” said Casey Happleton. She sat next to Marvin in Mrs. North’s class. She had a ponytail that stuck out the side of her head, instead of the back.

Marvin shrugged and smiled. He didn’t know why Casey thought he was brave, but he was glad she did.

“Judy and I are going to come watch you,” said Casey.

“Watch me what? When?”

“Saturday,” said Casey. “When you ride
your new mountain bike down Suicide Hill.”

Marvin felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. He tried not to show it. He didn’t want Casey Happleton to think he was scared. “Who told you that?” he asked.

“Judy,” said Casey. “She said you would have ridden down last Saturday, but you got in trouble for calling your sister a stupid pest. Now you can’t ride your bike for a week.”

Marvin didn’t know how Judy Jasper knew so much about his life.

“Stuart told her,” said Casey.

Marvin never told Stuart he’d ride down Suicide Hill on Saturday. He just told him that he couldn’t ride his bike for a week.

“Marvin,” said Mrs. North. “Have you
been listening to anything I said?”

He looked at his teacher. “Um, I’m not sure. What did you say?”

Mrs. North gave Marvin the Look.

At recess, Marvin asked Stuart why he told Judy that he had called his sister a stupid pest.

“She asked me,” said Stuart.

They were playing wizzle-fish tag.

“Let me get this straight,” said Marvin. “Judy Jasper just came up to you and said, ‘Did Marvin call his sister a stupid pest?’ ”

“Something like that,” said Stuart.

“And you told her we’re going to ride our bikes down Suicide Hill on Saturday?” Marvin asked.

“No,” said Stuart.

Marvin was glad about that.

“I told her
you
were going to ride
your
bike down Suicide Hill. My mom won’t let me.”

“My mom won’t let me, either,” complained Nick. “Just because it’s
dangerous
or something.”

“But we’ll come watch you,” said Stuart.

“You might need someone to call 911,” said Nick.

Marvin couldn’t believe it. They were the ones who had wanted to ride down Suicide Hill, not him. He thought he remembered Nick bragging about how he’d ridden down Suicide Hill lots of times, full speed all the way.

“I thought you said you’ve ridden down Suicide Hill,” he said.

“No, I never said that,” said Nick.

Marvin knew he was lying.

He tossed a paper plate on the ground and stepped on it. Everyone had two paper plates. The paper plates were the wizzle fish.

Clarence and Travis wizzled beside him.

“Hey, Marvin,” said Clarence. “Are you really going to ride down Suicide Hill?”

“Uh, I’m not sure.”

“See, I told you he was chicken!” Clarence told Travis.

“We’re not scared,” said Nick.

We
? thought Marvin.

“If Marvin says he’ll ride down Suicide Hill, then he’ll ride down Suicide Hill,” said Stuart. He patted Marvin on the back.

But Marvin never said he’d ride down Suicide Hill
, thought Marvin.

“When?” demanded Clarence.

“Saturday,” said Nick. “At twelve o’clock.”

“High noon,” said Stuart.

“This I’ve got to see,” said Clarence.

“I’m going to get a front-row seat,” said Travis.

“It’s going to be the biggest wipe-out in history,” said Clarence. He and Travis laughed.

Marvin didn’t know what to do. Everything was happening too fast. He felt like he was speeding downhill, out of control, unable to stop. He wanted to scream.

Linzy was wearing unicorn pajamas. “Do you want to frolic?” she asked.

“Frolic?” asked Marvin. He didn’t know what the word meant. He wasn’t sure it was a real word.

“That’s what unicorns do,” Linzy explained. “We frolic.”

She showed Marvin how to frolic. She skipped down the hall and sang, “
We’re happy, happy unicorns. Oh, happy unicorns frolicking
.”

Marvin didn’t feel like frolicking. He wasn’t a happy unicorn.

It was Tuesday night. Saturday was only four days away.

He could see the light on in his brother’s room. Jacob was doing homework. Jacob had ridden down Suicide Hill before.

Marvin knocked on his brother’s door.

“What?”

Jacob sounded annoyed. They gave a lot of homework in middle school.

“I just wanted to ask you something,” Marvin said timidly.

“What?” asked Jacob.

Marvin wasn’t sure what to ask. “I don’t remember,” he said.

Jacob glared at him.

Marvin could tell Jacob thought he was
just a dumb little kid. Marvin felt like a dumb little kid.

He headed back to his room.

The whole school was expecting him to ride down Suicide Hill on Saturday.
He couldn’t figure out how it happened. He never wanted to ride down Suicide Hill in the first place. It was Stuart and Nick’s idea, but their parents wouldn’t let them.

That gave him an idea. It was so obvious, he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. He walked quickly to his mother’s office.

His mother was working on the computer. She turned and smiled at Marvin as he entered.

“Sorry to bother you,” Marvin said.

“Oh, that’s okay.” She took a sip of coffee.

“In four days I get to ride my bike,” Marvin said.

“That’s right,” said his mother. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”

Marvin nodded. “You know the first place I’m going to ride it?” he asked, trying to sound excited.

His mother smiled and asked, “Where?”

“Suicide Hill!”

“Sounds exciting,” said his mother. She entered some numbers into the computer.

Marvin thought maybe she hadn’t heard him. Or maybe she thought it was no big deal, since Jacob had ridden down it lots of times. Didn’t she realize Jacob was a lot older?

“
Suicide
Hill,” he repeated. “I’m going to ride my brand-new expensive bike super fast down Suicide Hill!”

“I’m glad to see you’re so excited about riding your new bike. Your father and I were beginning to wonder.”

“Stuart’s and Nick’s parents won’t let them ride their bikes down Suicide Hill,” said Marvin. “I guess they think it’s dangerous or something. For a
third grader
.”

“I guess,” said his mother. She entered some more numbers into the computer.

Marvin wondered if she heard anything he said. He kept trying. “I guess Stuart’s mom is worried he might break his arm, or worse.”

“I know you’ll be careful,” said his mother.

“Sure, I’ll try to be careful,” said Marvin. “But when you’re going downhill super fast, out of control, it’s—”

“Is it raining?” asked his mother.

Marvin didn’t know what that had to do with anything. “I don’t think so,” he said, but then he saw a flash of lightning.

A few seconds later, he heard thunder. A few seconds after that, Linzy came running into the room.

“Turn off the computer!” she screamed. She was wearing her wild and worried face. She clutched her mother.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” said her mother.

There was another flash of lightning. “Turn it off! Turn it off!” Linzy demanded. She was crying.

“I know you’re scared,” said her mother. “But I—”

“The lightning will come through the computer!” Linzy shrieked.

Her mother sighed. “We are all very safe,” she said.

Marvin’s father came into the study. He picked up Linzy and held her close. “Everything is all right,” he told her.

“She has to turn it off before it explodes.”

“She has an important job to do. And it’s our job to let her do it. You too, Marvin.”

Marvin followed his father as he carried
Linzy to her room and set her on her bed.

“Can I sleep with you, Marvin?” Linzy asked. “Please?”

Marvin felt bad for her, but he’d tried sleeping with Linzy once before. She could never keep still. She kept kicking him all night, and ended up sleeping sideways across the bed.

“Lightning and thunder are just part of nature,” he said.

“The bad part,” said Linzy.

“You are perfectly safe,” said her father. “Do you think I would leave you alone if I thought you were in danger?”

“No,” Linzy whimpered.

“You’re the gold unicorn,” said Marvin. “Unicorns aren’t afraid of storms.”