Today was the day Leo would take the Death Dive.
Five miles from home, in the middle of Fuller Woods, was a steep, narrow path that zigzagged down a big hill. There were tight turns through the trees, low-hanging branches, and roots that made for a bumpy ride. The path ended at the paved bike line that wound through the woods. The Death Dive wasn’t just riding down the path itself. Leo had done that dozens of times. The Death Dive meant sailing down the path at top speed without stopping.
Leo secretly thought it was kind of a stupid thing to do, but it was a rite of passage at his school. His friend Steve had done it ages ago, then Kenny, and finally Joe last Sunday. That meant Leo was the last of his group of friends to do it, and the others kept bugging him about it, asking him when he was going to try. Finally, yesterday, he had blurted out that he would do it today after school.
But he wanted to do a dry run first, so here he was. There was just enough time to do the Dive and get back before his second class. His first class was study hall in the media center, and he figured the librarian wouldn’t even notice he wasn’t there.
Leo sat at the top of the hill and eyed the path.
He was nervous about wiping out in front of his friends—but the worst that would happen would be them teasing him about it for a few weeks. If he chickened out, everyone at school would know he was a wuss and he’d never live it down.
As he tightened the strap on his helmet, he pictured himself flying down the hill this afternoon. He tried to visualize himself making every turn with ease. Maybe it would even be fun, and he could let loose a little as he took the jumps. He would skid to a stop at the bottom and say, “Piece of cake!” All his friends would cheer for him. Every time he faced a tough test or wanted to ask a girl out he would remember this day.
Leo checked that his backpack’s straps were securely buckled across his chest. Then he kicked his way forward. He bit hard into his mouth guard as his front tire dipped. The Death Dive began.
He had to keep his feet pedaling because of the fixed gears, fighting the urge to brake. Though his whole body was tense, he tried to relax and enjoy the Dive. A pine branch whapped his face, but he kept up with the twists and turns of the path.
That pine tree was the halfway point. Almost there! he told himself.
The second half of the path wasn’t as steep, but it had more obstacles. Leo whipped the bike around a tree, rode out a hard bounce, and hit the bottom of the hill. All he had to do now was keep the bike straight and ride through a narrow gap between two trees, like the posts at a finishing line. He sailed through the trees, letting out a loud whoop. His tire hit the paved bike path and skidded on a patch of gravel. The bike jerked sideways and fell. Leo tumbled to the ground, banging and scraping the left half of his body.
Leo checked his bike: the gear had been hit and bent out of shape. He groaned. He had a small repair kit with him, but nothing that could fix this. He checked himself: the left leg on his jeans was ripped and his left arm was scraped up. Nothing serious, but he had wounds that would impress the others. Maybe some of it would even scar.
He walked the bike to a small patch of dead leaves and leaned it against a tree. He undid the strap under the seat to get his emergency kit. He had alcohol pads to dab the dirt out of his scrapes and an ointment to rub into them. He had bandages too, but this wasn’t serious enough for that. Then he turned his attention to the bike itself. He had to push the gear back into place with his bare hands, so he hoped the fix would do for now.
His stomach rumbled. Leo sat down next to his bike and dug through his backpack in search of an energy bar. He tore it open with a frustrated sigh. The wipeout had taken him out of the moment. He was supposed to be celebrating. He’d taken the Death Dive—he’d finally done it!
Leo leaned back against the tree and took a long swig of water from his bottle. As his heart rate slowed, he could feel his limbs grow heavy. I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes, he told himself.
***
When his eyes opened again, it took Leo a moment to realize where he was. His neck muscles were sore from the way his chin had been resting on his chest. His back felt numb from sitting on the ground for so long.
School! he thought frantically. How long was I asleep? He reached into his pocket for his phone to check the time. The screen was black. He held down the “On” button to restart it, but nothing happened. Leo turned it over in his hands. The phone must have been damaged in the bike crash.
“Great,” he groaned.
Leo stood up and wiped himself off. He’d been out in the woods for longer than he’d planned—probably at least an hour. By the time he got to school, he’d be late for second period, and that teacher would definitely notice.
Maybe he could just say he’d wiped out while biking to school. He’d have to limp and groan a lot—act like it was pure suffering to walk into the front office. Show them the broken phone.
He wouldn’t have to fake it much, he realized as he got back on the bike and started to pedal.