Snowboard Showdown (10 page)

“I… don't know,” Freddie gasped, wincing in pain for all he was worth.

“This was a stupid idea. And it's all my fault. I don't know why I dared you. I'm sorry, Freddie.” Dondi's voice was cracking
with emotion. “You're gonna be okay, right? Promise me you'll be okay. Oh, man, I can't believe this!”

“Not… all your fault,” Freddie gasped in exaggerated pain. “It takes two. I… could have backed out or never taken you up on
that stupid challenge.”

“There's a lot of things neither of us should have done. Like I shouldn't have horned in on Clarissa when I knew you liked
her.” He shook his head and sighed. “Come on, little brother,” he said, hoisting
Freddie up. He wrapped one arm around his brother, grabbed the snowboard with his free hand, and started trudging slowly back
up the hill. “Let's get you some help right away.”

Freddie let Dondi support him, and every once in a while let out a moan or a yelp of pain. His leg really did hurt a little,
now that the shock of the fall had worn off. But it could have been a lot worse, he knew, both for him and for Dondi.

“Hey!” Nate's voice rang out from far below. “What happened?”

“Freddie got hurt!” Dondi yelled back. “We're going home!”

There was no reply. Good, Freddie thought. There would be time to tell them the story later. For now, he let himself relax
against Dondi's firm grasp and focused on putting one foot in front of the other without stumbling.

In his mind's eye, he saw his father smiling at him, and sighed contentedly. Freddie had kept his word. He had been a good
brother when it counted the most.

T
hey came out of the woods near the entrance to Snowshoe's parking lot. “I'll call Papi to come get us,” Dondi said, fishing
for change in his pocket.

“No,” Freddie said. “You go back and get your board. I'll call Papi.”

Dondi looked at him. “What are you going to tell him?” he asked.

“Just that I fell on the slopes, of course,” Freddie said. “Think I want him to know where we really were? Now go, I'll be
fine here.”

“Yeah?” Dondi searched his eyes, trying to tell whether Freddie really meant it.

“Yeah, I'll be all right,” Freddie said. “I don't think anything's broken. I'll just be… limping around for a while, that's
all.” He limped over to the phone, as
if to prove his point. “You go ahead and get the board. Go on, go.”

Still Dondi stood there, shifting from one foot to the other. “I guess you didn't do so good in the big-brother sweepstakes,
did you?” he asked finally, avoiding Freddie's eyes.

“I did okay,” Freddie said sincerely. “Sometimes brothers fight, that's all. We're no different than anybody else.”

“Only more so, huh?” Dondi asked. He grinned conspiratorially.

“Yeah,” Freddie agreed with a laugh. “Extreme sibling rivalry, a new Olympic sport.”

Dondi laughed with him, then turned back to get his snowboard. Freddie called their dad, and half an hour later they were
all riding home together.

Freddie and Dondi had figured out a whole story to tell about how Freddie got hurt, but it really wasn't necessary. Esteban
didn't even notice that Freddie was limping, he was so excited.

“Guess what, you guys?” he asked his sons. “Your old man got the job! How do you like that?”

“Papi, that's great!” Freddie said.

“Finally, at long last!” Dondi chimed in, saying the wrong thing as usual.

But this time, it didn't seem to bother Esteban. “It sure took long enough, didn't it?” he agreed cheerfully. “But this is
a really good situation, great salary and bonuses—Mami's going to be able to go back to regular hours, how do you like that?”

“Yessss!” Dondi said exultantly. “We get Mami-cooked meals again!”

“Your cooking was okay, Papi,” Freddie assured him.

“Yeah, right,” Esteban said, mimicking his sons' way of talking. “That's me—the magic microwaving heat-'n'-eat chef!”

They were all so excited by the time they got home that Freddie forgot to limp when he got out of the car.

Dondi noticed immediately. “Hey, you're cured already?” he asked, surprised.

“N-no,” Freddie said hurriedly, his eyes avoiding Dondi's suddenly suspicious gaze. “I'm just… toughing it out in front of
Papi, that's all.”

“Hmmm,” Dondi said, regarding him doubtfully.
“I guess you've got bones made out of rubber, huh?”

“Yeah, that's me,” Freddie agreed with a smile. “Good old rubber bones.” He followed Dondi into the house, limping just a
little, wondering if Dondi had caught on to his game—and if he had, whether he would play along.

“So you deliberately tanked your run?” Steve was incredulous. “I can't believe it!”

“I had to,” Freddie explained between bites of the mystery meat that was Monday's school lunch. “It was the only way out.”

“Wait a minute,” Eric objected. “First of all, you could have been killed. Second of all, you could have been killed.”

“Could not,” Freddie protested weakly. “I can make that run anytime.”

“Sure you can,” Eric said sarcastically. “So could I. So could Steve here. But the point is–”

“The point is, it worked,” Freddie interrupted. “Dondi gets to be the big hero, and I get to save him from hurting himself.
Nobody's calling anybody a wimp. In fact, both of us get credit for having
the guts to even go up there. So what's the problem?”

“Start with having to limp around and wear that Ace bandage for weeks,” Steve said. “I can't believe you're going to all this
trouble just to make your brother look good. That is so bizarre!”

“I have to,” Freddie said, “but I won't be limping for long. I'll say it healed fast. By Wednesday, it's over, that's it.”

“What's the purple and green stuff, fake bruises?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. My mom's eyeshadow. It looks pretty gross, doesn't it?” Freddie asked with a grin.

Eric shook his head in admiration. “I guess it wasn't too bad a plan at that,” he said. “Better than going ahead with it,
and better than getting laughed at for the rest of your life. Pretty clever after all. Congratulations.”

“And don't ever do it again!” Steve cautioned. “We wouldn't want to lose you.”

“Man, I'm never going near that place again!” Freddie said with a chuckle. “You should have seen it, with all the snow and
rocks and trees. Whoo!”

“Hey, klutzo!” Nate Sherman came over to their
table, followed by Brad Forest. “How's the leg? Can I sign your cast?”

“It's not broken, it's just a bad bruise.”

“Aw, did the itty-bitty baby fall down and get a boo-boo?” Brad joked. He and Nate cracked up, slapping each other on the
back.

“He's not a baby, you morons!” It was Dondi, pushing his way between them. “He only fell because he's on a brand-new board
and it's a slicker ride than he's used to.” He nodded at Freddie. “He's better than either of you were when you were twelve
years old. Give him a break, huh? Besides, he's got guts—you've got to give him that.”

“More than you, Dondi boy,” Nate said. “I notice you conveniently didn't have to go down the ravine.”

“Oh, because I took time out to help my little brother, I'm a wimp now?” Dondi asked, a challenge in his voice. “You want
to just come out and say it? Because we can take it outside.”

“Don't fight, Dondi,” Freddie intervened. “They're not worth it. They're just being the jerks they are. They can't help themselves.”

“Shut up, you punk!” Brad said, reaching for Freddie.

Dondi grabbed his arm and thrust it away. “Hey!” he warned. “That's my little brother. You mess with him, you have to deal
with me!”

“Man, forget it,” Nate told Brad, leading him away. “Leave them alone. Facts are facts—we're still the only ones to get down
Devil's Ravine in one piece.”

“Yeah!” Brad agreed, and the two exchanged high-fives and contemptuous glances at Freddie and Dondi.

After they had gone, Freddie turned to Dondi and said, “Thanks. You stuck up for me. That was, well, unbelievable.”

“Ah, forget it.” Dondi looked embarrassed. “I just don't like people picking on my little brother. Anyway, I've got to go.
See you.” He moved off, and the younger boys sat watching him.

“Can you believe what we just saw?” Steve asked.

“I never thought I'd see the day,” Eric agreed. “Well, I guess if there's hope for Dondi, maybe the world isn't going to end
after all.”

F
reddie?”

Freddie had been getting his coat out of his locker. At the sound of Clarissa's voice he felt his heart begin to race. He
spun around and found her standing only a foot or so away, smiling at him.

“Oh, hi, Clarissa,” he said, hoping he wasn't flushing as red as he thought he was. “How're you doing?”

“Fine. I heard about what happened Saturday.” Her face grew serious.

“Oh. That. Yeah, well…” He looked down at his sneakers. He knew Dondi must have told her that Freddie had chickened out. She
probably thought he was a total coward, on top of all the other stuff she already believed about him.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said softly.

He looked up and met her gaze. “Huh?”

“For what you did. For not letting Dondi get hurt.”

“But I–”

“I know you faked getting hurt,” she said. “I think that was so great of you.”

“How did you–?” But he already knew how she knew. Dondi must have told her. And if he had, it meant that Dondi also knew the
truth. It meant Dondi had been glad to get out of it too.

“Freddie,” Clarissa said, “I want you to know I'm sorry. I was wrong about you. You're not immature like I thought. So”—and
here she smiled—“want to go to the movies with me? As friends?”

Freddie was stunned. “I, uh… sure,” he finally managed. “But… what about Dondi?”

“Oh,” Clarissa said, sighing. “I like Dondi and all, but I don't think I really want to date him—or anybody, if you want to
know the truth. There'll be plenty of time for that sort of stuff when I'm older. Right now, there's just one new thing I
want to do. Dondi told me to ask you about it.”

Freddie waited, suddenly wary. What could Dondi possibly have told Clarissa now?

Clarissa laughed. “Don't look so suspicious! It's just that I've never snowboarded before, but it sure looks like fun. Do
you think maybe you could–?”

“Give you lessons?” Freddie finished, his voice almost cracking with glee. “Absolutely!”

“Outstanding,” she said. “How about Saturday, before the movie?”

“Cool,” he said, smiling and nodding. “You're going to love snowboarding.”

Freddie stood there in the hallway watching her go, not even noticing the other kids passing by. He was sitting on top of
his own little world, and he didn't care who knew it.

“Lean into it! No! Ahhh! Look out!” Freddie shouted, laughing as Clarissa tumbled into the snow again. He tramped over to
her and helped her up again. She wobbled and slid, and the two of them went down in a heap in the snow.

“Whoo-hoo! Watch it, you two, people are going to start talking!”

They both sat bolt upright. Dondi was standing at
the foot of the bunny slope, laughing and clapping his hands in amusement.

“Dondi, cut it out!” Freddie yelled.

“Uh-oh, he's gonna beat me up! Help! Help, somebody! A little peanut is gonna beat me up!”

“That's it!” Freddie got to his feet and started running toward Dondi.

“Okay, okay, put your dukes up!” Dondi called out, laughing hysterically as Freddie slipped and fell in the snow at Dondi's
feet. “Whoa! He's down for the count, ladies and gentlemen!”

Freddie reached out and grabbed Dondi's leg, pulling him down to the ground. The two boys tussled playfully, throwing stage
punches at each other and grimacing in mock pain.

“Ow! Mami, Mami, it hurts!” Dondi said in a high baby voice. “Do your worst, fool—I'm still a better snowboarder than you.”

“Dream on,” Freddie said, grunting with the effort of pinning Dondi down.

“You're teaching her wrong,” Dondi gasped as Freddie started to tickle him. “You'd better let me do it.”

“Make yourself scarce, Dondi!”

“Would you guys please stop killing each other?” Clarissa called out. “I need some help here. I've fallen, and I can't get
up!”

Dondi stood up and brushed the snow off his pants and coat. “I would have beaten you that time, squirt, if the little lady
hadn't rescued you. And you know it, admit it!”

“Never! One good punch and you would have been out like a light!” Freddie retorted.

With a final laugh, Dondi picked up his board and headed toward the chair lift. Freddie turned to help Clarissa up.

“I guess Dondi and I are always going to be competing,” Freddie said, sighing. “I know you think it's pretty immature.”

“Actually, what I just saw didn't look like two guys competing—not really, anyway,” Clarissa said. “That's not the way you
guys used to fight.”

“Yeah, it is,” Freddie corrected her. “A long time ago, we used to do it that way. It was fun.” He smiled at the memory. “Well,
maybe we can get it back, huh?”

“I know you can,” said Clarissa. “Now, come on. I want to try this again.” She grabbed her snowboard
and started walking back up to the top of the bunny slope.

Freddie took one last look at Dondi's retreating figure. Dondi turned at that moment, gave Freddie the thumbs-up sign. Freddie
smiled, returned it, and headed up the slope after Clarissa. “We're brothers, after all,” he said to himself.

Inside his head, he could see his father's eyes smiling at him.