Max picked up his sled and took off running toward Cherry Hill.

My feet wouldn’t move. It felt like they were frozen into the ground.

“Come on, Freddy. What are you waiting for?” asked Josh.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I said.

“What do you mean? Of course you can,” said Josh. “Remember, it’s all in your head.”

I nodded.

“Change your thinking,” said Robbie.

“After this race, Max will never be able to call you a baby again,” said Jessie.

I gulped. “You guys really think I can do this?”

“Yes!” they all said together. “We know you can.”

We high-fived one another. “You guys are the best friends ever!” I said.

“Let’s get going before Max thinks you chickened out,” said Josh.

We grabbed our sleds and ran toward the hill. As we got closer, it looked even steeper than I remembered it.

“It’s all in your head. It’s all in your head,” I whispered to myself.

“There you guys are,” said Max. “I couldn’t see you. I thought the little baby had chickened out at the last minute like he always does.”

“Are you crazy?” said Josh. “Freddy’s been waiting for this race all morning.”

“Oh really?” said Max, grinning.

“Yeah. Really,” said Josh.

“Then let’s get going,” said Max. “What are we waiting for?”

We slowly climbed to the top of Cherry Hill.

“Okay, here are the rules,” said Josh.

“We don’t need any dumb rules,” said Max.

“Yes, you do,” said Josh, “so listen up. Rule Number One: No one starts until I say ‘go!’ Rule Number Two: You cannot crash into the other person’s sled on purpose. And Rule Number Three: The first person to cross the finish line is the winner.”

“Where’s the finish line?” asked Max.

“You see that big tree over there?” said Josh.

“You mean the one with the crooked branches?” I said.

“Yep. That’s the one. The first person to pass that tree is the winner.”

“Easy peasy,” said Max.

“All right. Get on your sleds,” said Josh.

I put my sled in the snow and sat down on it. I could feel my palms sweating in my mittens. My heart was racing.

“It’s all in your head. It’s all in your head,” I told myself over and over.

Josh bent down and whispered in my ear, “Face your fear, Freddy. You can do this.”

“Hey! What are you telling him?” shouted Max. “You can’t make any secret plans. That’s cheating!”

“Calm down over there,” said Josh. “We’re not making any secret plans.”

“Ready, Freddy?” Josh whispered.

I nodded.

Josh stood up. “Get ready, get set, go!”

I gave my sled a little push, pulled my legs in, and we were off!

My sled was practically flying down the hill. The wind stung my eyes. The trees were whizzing by so fast they were a blur. I couldn’t see Max anywhere.

I hit a huge bump, and my sled flew into the air. I hung on to the sides of the sled with all my might and held my breath. The sled hit the frozen ground again and continued on down the hill.

The big tree was getting closer and closer.

I could hear my friends chanting, “Go, Freddy, go! Go, Freddy, go!”

A smile crossed my face. Maybe I was actually going to win this race.

Then, out of nowhere, Max flew by me on his sled.

My heart sank.

Max turned around and yelled, “See you later, loser!”

Turning around to brag like that was a big mistake. He didn’t see a huge bump directly in his path. His sled hit the bump, and Max went flying through the air.

He landed face-first in the snow, just as my sled crossed the finish line.

My friends all came running over.

Josh picked me up and swung me around. “You did it, Freddy! You did it!”

“You won the race!” said Robbie.

“You beat the biggest bully in the whole second grade,” said Jessie.

I still couldn’t believe it. I beat Max in a race down Cherry Hill!

Josh walked over to Max, who was lying on the ground covered in snow from head to toe. “Who’s the loser now?” said Josh.

“Yeah. Whatever,” Max mumbled.

“Not ‘whatever,’ ” said Josh. “Freddy won fair and square. You need to congratulate him.”

Max looked up at me with snow still clinging to his eyelashes. “Congratulations, you little baby,” he grumbled.

“You can’t call him that ever again,” said Jessie. “Not after that race.”

“Fine. Congratulations,” Max mumbled again.

I smiled. I did it, I thought to myself. I changed my thinking and faced my fear, just like Josh had taught me. I beat Max Sellars in a race down Cherry Hill.

“So what did you think?” asked Josh. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No! It was sweet! Really sweet!” I said.

We laughed.

“I’m ready to do it all over again,” I said.

“Then what are we waiting for?” said Josh. “Let’s go!”