CHAPTER 8
GETTING BACK ON BOARD

The next morning, Avani propped herself up on the couch. She looked at her puffy, purple ankle.

“Ow!” she groaned. “It’s so sore.”

Dad brought Avani a pillow to put under her foot. Then he gave her some ice.

“Keep icing,” he said. “The doctor said that will help the sprain heal.”

Tears started rolling down Avani’s cheeks.

“Does it hurt that bad?” asked Dad.

“No,” said Avani. “I mean, it does hurt. But I’m sadder that I can’t skate for a few weeks. That’s so long!”

“I know it’s tough to be off your board,” Dad said. “It’s important, though, to take time to recover.”

Avani just sighed.

Krish walked by, buckling on his helmet. He handed his phone to Avani.

“Hey, you should watch the videos we recorded yesterday,” he said. “They turned out great.” Then he went out to the driveway to practice.

Avani watched the clips of all the skaters. They were great! Then she saw her fall. It made her grit her teeth. But what was that? There was one more video!

It was Krish. The video was from yesterday, when they had been waiting at urgent care after Avani’s fall.

Krish looked into the camera and said, “Skateboarding is rough sometimes. Just like in all sports, injuries happen. But it’s what you do after you’re injured that really matters.”

Avani rolled her eyes. Krish was starting to sound just like Dad!

Besides, what can I do right now? I can hardly hobble to the kitchen, Avani thought.

She decided she was just going to feel sorry for herself. She turned on the TV.

An hour later, Krish came inside for a drink of water. “So?” he asked. “What did you think?”

“What did you mean by ‘it’s what you do after you’re injured’?” asked Avani. “I can’t do anything except eat and watch TV.”

“Oh, I think you can do more than that,” said Krish.

“Like what?” asked Avani.

“Well, if I was hurt, I might watch skating videos in slow motion. I could study up for when I’m ready to ride again,” said Krish. “But you’ll figure out how to best use this downtime.”

Avani shook her head. “You are really sounding just like Dad.”

Krish shrugged and went back outside.

Avani sighed. Maybe, just maybe, there was something in what Krish had said. So, she started watching skate videos in slow-mo. It was helpful to see tricks broken down that way.

But Avani had a nagging feeling. Like there was something more she could be doing.

After watching loads of skate videos, Avani fell asleep. She dreamed she was skating. She kickflipped onto a manny pad, slid down a handrail, and raced past… an oak leaf sculpture!

Avani woke up with a start. “Of course!” she shouted.

She knew how to make the best use of her time. She had to keep working to convince the city council that Oakdale needed a skate park. She would finish the video in time for the next meeting, and she would make it something the council couldn’t ignore.

But Avani needed help.