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catch up!”
    Will waved to signal that he’d heard. Soon, he fell into a comfortable rhythm behind the other bikers. As they rode, through
     the heart of town and out into the hills, he began getting used to his new bike. RememberingJulian’s advice, he practiced shifting gears and braking.
    Soon they came to the dirt road that wound around the lake. The road snaked in and out, following the curves of the land.
     The leaves were falling all around them as they rode. The sun, low in the sky, glinted through the trees at them. Will squinted
     into the brightness and felt a rush of warmth and happiness flow through him.
    This was it. He had found the answer to all of his after-school problems! Nothing could ruin his happiness now!

5
    T he next twenty-four hours flew by the way the scenery had on Shepard Lake Trail. Today Will had eaten lunch with Candy and
     Mitch. He could sense other kids wondering how he’d managed to get so tight with them so quickly.
    The same thing had happened a couple of times when he’d passed Ace Diamond in the hall and the older boy had given him the
     special handshake. Every eye in the hall had been on Will then, and he liked it. He felt like one of the really popular kids
     for the first time in his life. It was a heady, wonderful feeling.
    After school, Will made his way across the street to the town library. He figured he could get onto a mountain biking Web
     site or chat room on the Internet, or maybe look at some books about it.
    But as he came into the big reading area, with its old wooden tables lined up one after the other, he saw Danny sitting there,
     doing his homework.
    They hadn’t talked all week. Since last Saturday, Will had just been too busy with his newfound hobby.
    But Danny was still in the world of the lonely latchkey child, the brainiac who spent his afternoons studying alone. Will
     suddenly felt sorry for him. Danny would have loved mountain biking, too, if he ever tried it — Will was sure of that. But
     he wasn’t so sure he could convince Danny. He plopped his book bag down on the table and sat down across from his old friend.
    “Danny,” he began, “how’s it going?”
    “Okay, I guess,” Danny replied with a shrug. “Everybody’s been talking about you today, you know.”
    “Really?” Will shifted in his seat. The idea that he was the subject of people’s conversations made him a little uncomfortable.
     “What are they saying?”
    “They’re saying you’re a poser and a wannabe. Some of them, anyway.”
    “Who?” Will wanted to know, hurt that anyone would think that way about him.
    “Oh, no,” Danny said, shaking his head. “I’m not gonna get into the middle of this. You asked me what people were saying.”
     He peered at Will through his thick glasses. “A few people also said you were okay.”
    “Who! Who?” Will had to know.
    Danny drummed his fingers on the table. “No one. I made the whole thing up,” Danny said. “What do you care what people think,
     anyway?”
    “You made the whole thing up?” Will repeated, stunned.
    “Maybe yes, maybe no,” Danny said cryptically. “So what is all this about, anyway? Are you ‘acting out’ or something?”
    “What do you mean?” Will asked. “I don’t get you.”
    “I mean,” Danny said, rolling his eyes, “on Saturday afternoon the two of us are nearly killed by a marauding pack of maniacs
     on mountain bikes, and instead of fighting back or swearing revenge or at least being mildly annoyed, you go out and spend
     hundreds of dollars on a murder weapon of yourown and join the Ace Diamond Fan Club. Does that strike you as weird, or is it just me?”
    “Whew,” Will said, blowing out a deep breath. “Jeez, Danny, chill out. I thought you would have gotten over it by now.”
    “Oh, okay, so
I’m
the one who’s acting strangely.” Danny’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I should have realized.”
    “Look,” Will said, trying to get through to his friend, “it’s just