CHAPTER 5
Hannah and Brian started to feel a little differently about Zach after they found out about the snowboard cross team.
They weren’t sure they liked the idea of Zach being the captain. But they thought being on the team would be fun.
They were the first two people to put their names on the sign-up sheet.
Ray, B.J., and Will all signed up, too.
For the next couple of weeks, the mood at Snowstream was better.
Every day after school, and all day on weekends, the kids snowboarded on the slopes and the halfpipe.
Their worries about changes to the rules about free skiing were gone.
After all, if Snowstream was starting a teen snowboard cross team, they would have to allow those kids to use the resort.
Brian and Hannah didn’t see much of Zach.
When they did, he was over on the run that was being turned into a snowboard cross course.
The area had been closed to the public. It looked like Zach was helping the workers test the course.
Finally, one day they arrived at the slopes to find the snowboard cross course open. They couldn’t wait to give it a try.
They rushed to get their snowboard suits and boots on, and quickly headed toward the chairlifts.
“Have you heard anything about it?” Hannah asked as they rode up the side of the mountain.
“Not much,” Brian said. “My mom said it was going to be really hard. That’s all I know.”
“Sounds fun to me!” Hannah said.
Brian couldn’t remember a time when he saw her so excited.
When they got to the drop-off point for the chairlift, Hannah cruised over toward the top of the course.
Brian struggled to keep up. “Wait up!” he yelled.
“Not a chance,” Hannah shot back. “I’m not letting you take the course first!”
“Well,” Brian responded, “it is a race course. Maybe you and I should have a little race!”
Hannah wasn’t going to miss a chance to race against her best friend.
Both of them saw the beginnings of a great new game.
It could be every bit as fun as Chase was at the halfpipe.
Hannah waited for Brian at the top of the run.
There was no official way to start them, so they just counted to three.
“One, two, three!” they yelled, and off they went.
The early part of the course was full of sharp, high-banked turns that they both handled easily.
Hannah took a better path, and moved a little bit ahead of Brian.
Coming around the third turn, they ran into a series of moguls.
Brian kept his balance, bent his knees, and bounced over the small mounds quickly.
Hannah wasn’t prepared for them and stumbled over the first few. She didn’t fall, but losing her balance allowed Brian to pull ahead.
Over the next few straightaways and turns, Brian kept his small advantage.
He cruised over some angled bumps, or spines, making small jumps off each one.
Finally, he and Hannah navigated the last turn and headed down the steep, straight slope toward the finish line.
Only one jump remained. Brian took it hard, getting as much air as he could.
He loved to feel the rush of sailing high into the sky. Hannah did, too, but she knew that getting too much air would only slow her down.
She stayed low, sailing off the jump only a few feet but further down the mountain.
When they both landed, they were in nearly the same place.
When they crossed the finish line, it was too close to call.
They both skidded to a stop. “That was awesome!” Hannah yelled.
“Glad you liked it,” came a voice. It was Zach. He was looking directly at Hannah. “Because it’s going to be your last run.”