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enough, he was able to get the bike going and keep it going, all the way up to the trail head. Still,
     he was huffing and puffing by the time he made it. The others were waiting for him there, applauding him as he pedaled the
     last few yards.
    Will flushed with embarrassment. He
stunk
at mountain biking!
    “Hey, don’t feel bad,” Candy said, smiling. “It’s hard going uphill.”
    “Yeah, tell me about it!” Will said, managing a laugh. “Now I know why there aren’t a hundred kids in this club.”
    “Hey, don’t knock mountain biking,” Ace warned him sternly. “It isn’t for everybody. That’s just the point. Who wants a huge
     crowd on the trail, anyway? Not me!” He clapped Will on the shoulder. “You got up here okay,” he told him. “Not bad for a
     first time. Proud of you, kid.”
    Will grinned from ear to ear. “Thanks,” he said, feeling a lump of pride in his throat. Looking out at the snowcapped mountains
     in the distance and feeling the fresh wind in his face, Will took a moment to bask in the new friendships he’d made.
    Will took a few long drinks of water and ate a granola bar. After a few minutes, Gail checked her watch, looked at the sun
     getting lower in the sky, and said, “Okay, guys. It’s time to go down!”
    “Ya-hoo!” Ace and Steven yelled. “Ya-hoooooo!”
    The sound chilled Will. That yell was identical to the one he and Danny had heard from the maniac bikers on the mountain.
     He looked at Ace and Steven and wondered if it were possible.…
    “Let’s go!” Mitch called. “Come on, Will!”
    “Just remember to feather your brakes,” Gail reminded him. “It will help you keep an even pace. And use your feet to steady
     you whenever you have any sense of trouble.”
    “Okay,” Will said, nodding and concentrating as he shoved off.
    “Above all, watch out for hikers, horses, et cetera,” Gail called out to him. “You never knowwho’s out there, and we sure don’t want anybody getting hurt.”
    They went single file, spaced out at safe intervals, so they wouldn’t risk collisions. There were boulders, and tree roots,
     and dips in the terrain to watch out for. Will found himself applying the brakes a lot. It wasn’t scary, but he wasn’t ready
     to go too fast — not on his first downhill run.
    Far ahead, he could hear Ace and Steve, and the others, too, whooping it up as they careened down the trail. But Will didn’t
     try to catch up with them. He found himself being ultra-careful, and it surprised him. Dimly he wondered if it could have
     anything to do with the near-accident he and Danny had had.
    At first, most of Will’s attention was focused on staying on the bike and not falling. He bounced over rocks and ruts, felt
     the jarring sensations shoot up his arms. His leg muscles burned with the effort of keeping his pace steady.
    Gradually he grew more confident. He realized that if he let his arms go limp instead of holding them stiff, they’d absorb
     the shocks better. Hefeathered his brakes less often and let his pace increase. Finally he became aware of the wind rushing up at him and the trees
     whooshing by on either side. The sensation of full flight was totally awesome!
    It was heart-pounding, second-splitting action, all right. It was about the most exciting thing he’d ever done! As he neared
     the bottom, he could see that they were all waiting for him, cheering him on, waving and laughing.
    Once again, though, they were laughing
with
him, not
at
him. “Hey, you made it!” Ace shouted, applauding and whistling. “Whoo-hoo!”
    “Yeah, Will!” Steve Barrad shouted, giving Will the mountain biker’s handshake. Mitch and the others followed suit, giving
     Will multiple slaps on the back till he cried out for mercy.
    It was only on the way back to town that Will thought about Danny again. Ace, riding beside him, noticed the look on his face.
     “What’s up, kid?” he asked. “Something bothering you?”
    “Nah, not really,”