CHAPTER 4
The next Saturday, Hannah and Conner were at Slim’s before even Slim arrived.
“You two sure are committed,” Slim said as he walked up to the front doors.
“We just want to get better,” Conner said.
Slim fumbled with his coffee cup and keys. After a few moments, he got the doors unlocked and pushed them open. “Well then, I hope you’ll both enter Slim’s Games next month,” he said, heading for his office.
“I forgot about that,” Conner said as he and Hannah headed for the half-pipe. “Are you going to enter? I bet you’d have a shot in our age group on the half-pipe.”
“Correction,” Hannah said, pulling on her helmet. “I would have had a shot if Hank hadn’t shown up. He’s got it locked.”
Conner sighed. “And his friends are pretty good too,” he said.
Hannah nodded and rolled onto the ramp. Then she kicked off, rolling up one side to pick up speed.
“Whoa, whoa!” a voice echoed through the high ceilings of the park.
Conner didn’t have to turn around to know Hank and his friends had arrived. Conner looked at Hannah, who’d stopped at the top of the pipe to glare at them.
“I thought we’d worked this out last Saturday,” Hank said as he reached the pipe. “When we’re here, you two are not.”
“I guess you thought wrong,” Hannah snapped.
“Come on,” said Conner. “We’re not bothering anyone.”
Hank’s friends laughed. “Come on,” Drew repeated in a whiny, mocking voice. Then he gave Conner a shove.
Conner put his hands up and backed away. “Come on, Hannah,” he said. “Let’s just go practice the street course.”
Hannah growled in frustration. “Fine,” she snapped. “Let’s go.”
She dropped into the pipe and skated right off it, toward the street course. Conner stepped onto his board and followed her.
Hannah stopped at the start of the street course and stepped on her board. She grabbed the nose and banged it on a rail.
“Calm down,” Conner said quietly when he reached her. He pointed toward Slim, who was watching them from across the park.
“Whatever,” Hannah muttered under her breath. “If anyone gets in trouble here, it should be those guys.”
“I know,” said Conner.
Hannah sighed. “Let’s just practice, okay?” she said.