Rev Girl
âHutton's real life experience as a dirt bike champ roars off the page. A gritty, modern girl hero for the 21st century.'
â EDWINA SHAW, author of
Thrill Seekers
âREV GIRL is an inspiring ride through the bumps and jumps of teenage life. Hutton's descriptions of youthful passion on and off the track are as relatable as they are exciting. You'll be with Clover Kassedy all the way as she tackles the terrain of first love, friendship and following your dreams. An impressive debut that will have your heart racing.'
â SALLY BROWNE,
The Sunday Mail
âREV GIRL explores how a girl survives high school, family, first love and what it takes to become a world champion endurance trail bike chick. Dramatic, adrenaline pumping, thought-provoking, wonderful. This is no princess fairytale story. This is real. Congratulations to Leigh Hutton for an exceptional first book. Thank you for bringing us REV GIRL.'
â CAROLYN MARTINEZ, author of
Finding Love Again
âI felt very connected with REV GIRL, this book and its characters truly express and emphasize how important it is to believe in yourself! Leigh Hutton has written this so realistically that it reveals all the determination, motivation, success and all the negatives that come with big decision making, too. While reading this book I had just finished competing in the World Enduro Championships myself. This book will inspire many girls and women of all ages to stay strong and shine in your adventures that you create.'
â JESS GARDINER, world Enduro racer and International Six
Days Enduro (ISDE) 2013 Women's Champion
First pubished May 24th 2014
Copyright © Leigh Hutton 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
*This book includes teenage themes and mild swearing.
Leigh Hutton Books
Brisbane | Calgary | Denver
PO BOX 828
Samford, QLD 4520
Australia
www.leighhuttonbooks.com
ISBN 9780992495619 (eBook)
Internal Design by Rosie Lalonde
Digital edition distributed by
Port Campbell Press
Conversion by
Winking Billy
Praise for "Rev Girl" and Leigh Hutton
About the next title in the "The Go Girls Chronicles"
REV GIRL, the story and its characters, are fictional. Although some celebrities' names and real entities, places and events are mentioned, they are all used fictitiously. The book is, however, inspired by the author's life and experiences and the growing trend of girls and women getting involved in dirt bike racing and action sports, a trend that is being spearheaded by incredible athletes including the REV GIRL Ambassadors, featured at
www.leighhuttonbooks.com
Leigh Hutton Books have used Australian spelling for the text of this book, as Australia is where the book is being launched and where the author is now based, while staying true to American and Canadian slang and pronunciations within the dialogue. This has affected words such as: colour, honour, rumour; apologise, organise, realise; centre, fibre, metre etc. However, they've remained consistent with the American spelling of âMom' (and not used the Australian âMum'), as it is essentially a character name and pronounced âMom' by the North American characters.
ONEFor my girls from high school: Amy, Krista, Jamie, Anna and Lily, in honour of all our great times and crazy nights.
My superstar designer and best sister ever, Rosie thank you for everything.
My family: Kirk, Mom, Dad and the kids, for all the inspiration and support.
And Rev Girls everywhere.
I love you guys.
Clover Kassedy winced and dropped her chin, using the visor of her helmet as a shield against the rocks and mud being flung off the tyre of the dirt bike in front. It hit her chest protector like gunfire, stung at her cheeks and clung to her goggles. But she kept the throttle pinned. Just a few more corners and she would have her. Lasha Moore was going to get knocked off her throne, and Clover was going to win this championship.
The narrow track was heading upwards, through a funnel of trees, and their autumn leaves streaked past in a haze of red, yellow and orange as Clover wound her way up and over a tall spine of the Rocky Mountains.
Her bike vibrated beneath her as she hunted Lasha down: up the short straight away, hairpin left, right sweeper, driving onwards, up towards the sky. Her body was shaking, but not from the cold. She was hot, burning up. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging, clouding her vision. Her muscles were wasted from the hours spent glued to the bike. All she could smell was exhaust and swamp mud from the low-lying bogs.
Then she hit snow. Watched as Lasha slid on a patch of white on the precipitous trail. Her bike bogged down, losing momentum, back end swapping from side to side, her feet flung off the pegs. She was paddling to get to the top.
I've gotta pass NOW,
Clover thought. A grey haze was all that remained of the daylight. A wicked northerly wind cut through the trees, their shadows spread across the trail, camouflaging the nasties tyre-cutting rocks, slippery logs, patches of black ice. Dangers she would normally be wary of. But not now. Not when she was desperate to get in front and secure the win.
Clover threw her weight forward, turning the bars to the left and holding firm to the side of the trail, as branches whipped at her arms and the bike's swing arm clanged against the boulders on the edge of the tree line. Her front tyre pulled in line with the rear of Lasha's bike, and suddenly Clover's mind was gone; she could see the finish line, could see herself,
finally
taking her first ever title. Trumping one of the fastest junior girls in America. Proving everyone wrong: her pushy father, her absent mother, her best friend, Sera, who'd never been supportive of her racing. Proving to the kids at school, the bitchy girls who called her a âtomboy' and a âtry hard' not a real racer. She wanted to know it was possible. That she could be a winner.
Too bad her body didn't follow.
Lasha's back tyre flicked off a rock and into her motor.
Clover screamed out in shock. A loud
CRACK
sliced through the air as her bike hit the boulders on the edge of the track and stopped dead. The force shot her forward her stomach crunched against the cross bar pad, punching the wind from her chest. Rocks ripped through her pants and jersey, scoring into the soft flesh of her legs. But her head hurt the most her hair stuck in her plastic chest protector and it felt as though it was being ripped from the roots one strand at a time.
I've gotta get back up!
Winded, she gasped the cold air in and out, as if something was lodged in her throat. Her chest burned with the effort. Her bike was silent. She wriggled from under the weight of it, frantic now as precious seconds were being lost.
The stiff fabric of her gear rubbed against open wounds but she couldn't stop, couldn't let herself register the pain. Her arms shook with the effort of trying to stand the bike up, and keep it from sliding backwards down the slope.
She eyed her bike for damage. As soon as she spotted the front of the swing arm, she knew it was over.
Shiiiiit!
Her chain was snapped in two, coiled up around the front sprocket. She had no idea how to fix a broken chain.
This was it. The chequered flag out of reach.
Panic rose within her, like a raging fire, when a voice came from above her, âNice try, loser!'
Clover looked towards the darkening sky. Lasha had stopped at the summit and was glaring down at her. Her body started to tremble. âBet that hurt!' Lasha said, shaking her head and laughing. Her cold blue eyes burned from the top of the hill.
Clover's fists balled with hatred, and she gritted her teeth at the perfection that was Lasha Moore. Her bike was hardly dirty, and her gear was spotless. Lasha had it all, including natural talent, and she knew it.
At one time, Clover had actually thought they were becoming friends, until their second season in juniors, when Lasha stopped talking to her. Not just that, she'd turned every girl in their class against her and made her life hell at every possible opportunity. Clover wished more than anything that she knew why.
Clover's eyes weighed with tears as she looked down at her gloves; there were holes at the end of nearly every finger. She'd kill for Lasha's gorgeous FOX gear; all the guys loved her. It fit Lasha's curves, perfectly feminine, instead of Clover's father's old, baggy stuff he'd said would do fine.