Chapter Three

THE NEW GIRL

Mateo was sitting in his usual spot at lunch. There was a new girl next to him.

“Valeria,” Mateo said. “This is Chloe Platter. She just moved here.”

“Hi,” said Valeria as she sat down. “Where’d you move from?”

“Minneapolis,” said Chloe.

“It’s cold there, huh?” asked Valeria.

“Yeah. You walk outside and your nostril hairs freeze instantly,” Chloe said as she made a goofy face.

Valeria and Mateo laughed.

“Chloe wants to learn to longboard,” said Mateo. “I told her she should hang with you — ’cause you’re the best.”

Used to be, maybe, Valeria thought. But now . . .

“Yeah,” said Chloe, “I figured you could show me how to break my arm. I’ve never done that and, hey, I need some attention. After all, I’m the new girl. I have to stand out in some way, right?” Then Chloe smiled at Valeria. “No seriously,” she said. “Mateo told me how you won all the local comps.”

Valeria smiled limply.

Chloe went on. “I’ve never even stood on a board, but it looks fun. Plus, my mother will freak out — and I’m still mad at her for moving here. So what do you say? Did I make you feel sorry for me yet?” Chloe sighed and made a pathetic face.

“If not here’s a little more: I’m adopted,” she said. “That usually makes people feel sorry for me. You know. Poor baby, abandoned by her parents.”

Mateo and Valeria stared at Chloe, but then Chloe laughed. “Gotcha! See? It works! Now you can’t say no, right?”

“Do you have a board?” asked Valeria.

“Not yet,” said Chloe. “Mateo said he’d take me to Keep On Skating after school.”

“My brother, Emilio, works there,” said Valeria. “But I don’t think they have any used downhill boards right now.”

“But they sell new stuff too, right?” asked Chloe.

Valeria’s eyes widened. A new setup — deck, wheels, trucks, grip tape — would be expensive. Valeria had to scrimp and save for a long time just to buy a set of wheels.

Chloe must have guessed what Valeria was thinking. “My grandparents gave me a wad of cash for my birthday,” she said. “I’m their only grandchild. They tend to spoil me.” Then she shrugged. “Hey, if I don’t like longboarding, you can have the stuff I buy.”