“Why does he always have to start with me?” Freddie wondered aloud.

  “I know what it is,” Eric replied, looking back over his shoulder. “He's jealous of you.”

  “Jealous? Are you kidding me? Why should he be jealous?”

  “Because you're a better athlete than he is—isn't it obvious?” Eric was always saying that everything was obvious. Maybe to him it was, with his straight-A average. But to Freddie, Dondi's behavior was one big mystery.

  “You think so? He's faster than me in track.”

  “Yeah, but that's only because his legs are longer. A couple years from now, you'll beat him at that, too.”

  “Hmm.” Freddie smiled at the thought of it. He knew that sooner or later, he was going to start growing in leaps and bounds. He'd been two inches longer at birth than Dondi, and the doctors were always telling his mom that Freddie would be taller as a grown-up. But for now, it was really irritating to be the smaller, skinnier brother.

  “I'll tell you one thing,” Freddie said as they entered the noisy cafeteria, “I'm never going snow-boarding with him again. He always wants to play Pig, but when I beat him, it always makes him mad. What's the point?”

  Eric heaved a sigh. “I wish I could go snowboarding with you,” he said.

  Freddie pushed Eric toward the tables, looking for a place to sit. “Yeah. I wish you could too.”

  Eric had been in a wheelchair ever since a car had hit him when he was six. He made the best of it, though. No one could say that Eric Schwartz wasted time feeling sorry for himself, Freddie reflected with pride. Eric was proof positive that you didn't have to dance or play sports or even walk to be popular. He had been elected president of the seventh-grade student council that September, by a huge margin. Freddie couldn't think of a single person who didn't like Eric—even Dondi.

  “Hi, Freddie,” came a girl's voice from one of the tables as they passed. “Hi, Eric.”

  Freddie didn't need to turn to find out whose voice it was—it was Clarissa Logan's. Freddie had had a major crush on her ever since sixth grade when she'd suddenly grown from a skinny little kid to a willowy, beautiful girl with dark, wavy hair and long lashes shading big green eyes.

  Freddie had a hard time not staring at her whenever they were in the same room together. He'd actually joined chorus because he knew she'd be in it. A couple of times, the music teacher had singled him out for not paying attention. Worse, Clarissa had even caught him staring once. He'd looked away immediately, but he knew she'd seen him. From the corner of his eye, he caught her cover her mouth to stifle a giggle. Freddie wasn't sure if she was laughing at him or because she liked him. But he felt himself go red all over anyway.

  He'd promised himself to be cool around her from then on. When the Thanksgiving dance had come around, he hadn't been able to get up the nerve to ask her, and she'd gone with someone else—an eighth-grader. And why not? Freddie thought. Clarissa Logan sure looked like an eighth-grader herself. And him? He looked like a sixth-grader, at best. When, oh, when, was he going to start growing?

  “Hi,” he murmured, slowing to a halt. He'd meant to keep going, but Eric and Clarissa started talking about a math test they'd both taken that morning. Freddie stood awkwardly, waiting for them to finish.

  “You guys want to join us?” Clarissa asked. “Girls, shove over, okay?”

  Freddie looked down at Eric. “You want to?” he asked.

  “Sure. You?”

  “I guess.” Trying to seem nonchalant, Freddie sat down next to Clarissa. As he did, he bumped her elbow. Freddie drew back as if he'd touched fire, stammered an apology.

  The table was crowded with other kids Freddie knew, all busy talking with one another. Smart Krissie from French class, and Kareem the computer wizard, and tall Oliver, the star of the basketball team.

  “I was wondering,” Clarissa asked Eric, continuing their conversation about the math test, “if you understood the part about the slopes and meridians. Midterms are coming up and I don't know what I'm doing.”

  “Well,” Eric said, “it's not that complicated really. I could help you study sometime if you want.”

  “Really? Cool!” Clarissa said with a dazzling smile.

  Freddie squirmed. Eric was so up front, so out there. He'd practically asked Clarissa out, and she'd pretty much said yes, while Freddie just sat there, too shy to say anything. On the other hand, maybe Eric was just being friendly, and Clarissa was just being friendly back. Maybe…

  “I could use a lesson on that stuff too,” Freddie blurted out. “Maybe I could join you?” He knew he was horning in, but he'd opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

  Before Clarissa and Eric could say anything, Dondi appeared over Clarissa's shoulder.

  “Hey, squirt,” Dondi said, nodding to Freddie.

  Freddie glared at him, reddening. In two seconds, with two simple words, Dondi had humiliated him in front of his best friend and the girl he had a major crush on. Boy, was that ever Dondi. “What do you want?” he asked Dondi.

  “Guess what? I got my working papers!” He held them up for the whole table to see. “Anybody wanna hire me? Only fifty dollars an hour!” Everyone laughed at Dondi's clowning, as everyone always did. Dondi never seemed to get embarrassed or worry that he'd said or done something wrong—take now, for instance. It was like he was a stand-up comic or something. Freddie wished he could be like that, but whenever he tried to be funny, it usually came out wrong. So he didn't try to be funny much anymore.

  “Wow, that is so awesome!” Clarissa said enthusiastically, handling Dondi's working papers as if they were made of diamonds. “I wish I could get a job. Something cool. Like Mabry's, where they sell all those great clothes.” She looked up at Dondi admiringly.

  “I'm gonna get you a special discount if you come in to where I work,” Dondi promised.

  “I am so there!” Clarissa told Dondi, and they slapped each other five. Then, to Freddie's horror, Dondi winked at her.

  “Y-you don't even have a job yet,” Freddie blurted out, stumbling over the words. He wanted to take the working papers and crush them into a ball. Instead, he handed them back to Dondi.

  “I will by tonight, you wait and see,” Dondi told him. Then he sauntered off, pointing meaningfully at Clarissa, who giggled.

  Suddenly, Freddie felt like he was drowning. He stood up, using the table for support. “I… gotta go,” he said, grabbing his book bag and waving a quick good-bye. “See ya.”

  He broke into a trot as he neared the exit doors, then stopped and leaned against a wall in the stairwell. He breathed deeply, trying to collect himself. Had Dondi flirted with Clarissa just because he suspected Freddie liked her? But how would he know? Not even Eric knew Freddie liked Clarissa. But why else would Dondi have paid any attention to a seventh-grader?

  One thing was for sure: If Freddie wanted to get Clarissa to like him, he was going to have to get her attention away from Dondi first.

  The rest of that day, Freddie couldn't stop thinking about Dondi and Clarissa. He imagined Clarissa coming into the place where Dondi worked. It was painful to imagine them together.

  Well, he consoled himself, maybe Dondi wouldn't get a job. After all, not many people were willing to hire fourteen-year-olds. And if he did get a job, it probably would be something nasty, like taking out smelly garbage from restaurant kitchens. Freddie chuckled at the thought of Clarissa coming to visit Dondi at his job and being grossed out because he smelled like rotting garbage.

  But no such luck. That evening, Dondi burst into the kitchen, his fists raised in triumph and a big smug smile plastered all over his face.

  “Guess what—I got a job!” he crowed. “Say hello to the working dude, here. Yes! I am the man!”

  Aida Ruiz rose from her chair to embrace her son. “My baby! That's fantastic!” she cried.

  “Bueno, Donovan. I'm proud of you,” Esteban said lightly. “Come, sit down, let's eat, and you'll tell us all about it.”

  They sat down, and Dondi launched into his story. “I couldn't believe it—I figured I'd have to go into half a dozen places before I found something. But I happened to go straight to Buddy's, first thing, 'cause I wanted to check out this excellent snowboard.”

  Buddy's Sporting Goods was Freddie's favorite store in all of Crestview. He had bought his baseball mitt there, and his Rollerblades and hockey stick, and his soccer ball, and his tennis racket.

  “And I see this sign in the window saying they're hiring part-time, and I figured, Well, that's me, so I go up to the guy and show him my working papers, and he remembers me because I'm in there a lot, so he hires me! Is that awesome or what?”

  Dondi's eyes were sparkling with joy. “And guess what else? I get to buy anything in the store at a special employee bargain price! Man, I'm gonna get me some gooood stuff!” He clapped his hands delightedly and dug into his food. “I'm gonna buy you something too, squirt, you'll see,” he told Freddie. “Something you'll like.”

  Freddie was startled. Evidently, Dondi was in such a good mood that he'd decided he could afford to be nice to his brother.

  “So what do you say?” Dondi prodded, leaning forward.

  “Thank you,” Freddie mumbled, knowing that was what his parents were expecting him to say. Sure enough, he caught them smiling at each other. They did that whenever Dondi and Freddie were getting along.

  Enjoy it now, Freddie thought ruefully. Dondi will never get me anything. We'll be sworn enemies again before too long, I'm sure.

  4

  Freddie was in social studies class a few afternoons later when his friend Steve Myers leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Your brother has been dissing me around.”

  Freddie's eyes widened. “Really? What'd he say?”

  “Tell you after class,” Steve said, eyeing the teacher, Ms. Raven, who was turning in their direction.

  Once the bell had rung and the two boys were gathering their books, Freddie said, “Tell me. What'd he say?”

  “He's been telling everybody in school that I don't know how to snowboard,” Steve said, his mouth twisting into a grimace.

  “Dondi's a jerk,” Freddie said sympathetically. “It's not like he's so great himself, either.”

  “I know!” Steve said as they went out into the hallway. “He acts like he's all that, but he isn't that much better than me. And you're much better than he is, Freddie.”

  “Yeah, well, so what?” Freddie asked glumly. “What good does that do me?”

  “Huh?”

  Freddie sighed. “Oh, nothing. Forget Dondi. I try to,” Freddie said. “We could go out to the halfpipe after school.”

  “Cool!” Steve said, brightening. “You could show me some fresh moves and maybe tell me what I'm doing wrong.”

  “You don't necessarily have to be doing something wrong,” Freddie commented. “Dondi could just be trying to push your buttons. He does that to me all the time.”

  “What if he's there?” Steve asked, suddenly anxious.

  “Relax, he won't be there,” Freddie assured him. “He's got a job after school now. At Buddy's.”

  “At Buddy's? Man, he is so lucky!” Steve said, a look of envy on his face.

  Coming toward him in the hallway, Freddie saw Clarissa wheeling Eric. “Hey, you guys,” Freddie greeted them. “We're going out to the halfpipe this afternoon. You want to come and watch?”

  “Can't,” Eric said. “I've got to do my science project.”

  “You didn't do that yet?” Steve asked. “How can you leave it to the last minute like that?”

  “He can,” Freddie assured him. “He'll get an A, too. He always does. I could punch him, he's so smart.”

  Freddie turned to Clarissa. “How 'bout you, Clarissa? Want to come snowboarding?” Freddie asked hopefully.

  “No, sorry,” she said. “I've never gone snowboarding.”

  “Really? Maybe I could–”

  “Anyway, I can't,” she interrupted him. “I'm going to the mall.”

  Freddie gulped. “The mall?” he repeated.

  “Yeah,” she said, giving them all a captivating smile. “Dondi invited me to come visit him at his new job. He said he'd buy me a sundae at Barlow's. Can't resist that,” she said.

  The second bell rang. “Dang, we're late,” Eric said. “Come on, Clarissa. See you guys later!” Clarissa began pushing the wheelchair, and the two of them were off.

  “We'd better get to study hall,” Steve said to Freddie. “Hey. What's the matter with you? You look like you just got bad news or something.”

  “I did,” Freddie said.

  “Huh? Oh, I get it,” Steve said knowingly as the truth dawned on him. “You like Clarissa, huh? Man, get in line. Half the guys in school like her.”

  “Thanks for sharing that, Steve,” he said. “Besides, she likes Dondi, so I can forget about it.”

  “Come on,” Steve said as they entered the auditorium for study hall. “How could she like him better than you?”

  “Well, let's see now,” Freddie said. “He's an eighth-grader, he's got a job, he knows how to act with girls… want me to go on?”

  “At least you're better at snowboarding,” Steve offered lamely.

  “Yeah. Great.” Freddie sighed, taking a seat and dropping his bookbag on another. “That will really do me a lot of good.”

  “How do you do that?” Steve asked Freddie, his eyes wide with admiration. Freddie had just finished a 360° turn complete with grab.

  “I don't know,” Freddie said. “I just do it.”

  “I could never do that,” Steve said.

  “Sure you could, dude,” Freddie assured him. “Let me see you try it. Come on.”

  “Nah, I'd be too scared,” Steve said. “I mean, what if I lost control and landed on my head or something?”

  “You won't lose control,” Freddie insisted. “Not unless you freeze up. Don't you see, Steve—it's the fear that makes you lose control.”

  “Great,” Steve said disconsolately. “How'm I supposed to get rid of that?”

  Freddie thought for a minute. “Maybe if you just go all the way with the move, and don't do it halfway. Try it, Steve. Just try it once, for me.”

  “Well… okay,” Steve said. He started up the hill to the top of the halfpipe. “Just go all the way with it, huh?”

  “That's it… think like you're a famous acrobat getting shot out of a cannon, or like you're a champion high-diver. Stretch out your body. Yank it left, and from the waist, not the shoulders. That's where Dondi always messes up. He moves from the shoulders and winds up pulling himself right into the snow.”

  “Hmmm,” Steve grunted, strapping on his board and adjusting his helmet. “Better get ready to call 911 just in case,” he said with a bit of a grin. Then he shoved off.

  Freddie watched as he slid down the slope, picking up speed. “Don't anticipate!” Freddie yelled after him. “Time it out! Keep your center of gravity low!” As Steve neared the top of the wall, Freddie unconsciously bent into a crouch, willing Steve to time the jumpoff and twist just right.

  Steve, understandably a little anxious, pulled up early and didn't get the height on his jump that he needed. But he did pull well from the waist and got all the way around on his turn just before he hit the snow again. The surprise of making the move threw him off, though. After a lot of wobbling, he toppled and slid down the rest of the way on his backside.

  Freddie boarded down after him, stopping just as Steve was getting up off the ground.

  “I did it, kind of!” Steve said, sporting a big grin. “I see what you mean about twisting from the waist.”

  “Yeah,” Freddie said, nodding happily. “Next time, just don't anticipate the takeoff, and you'll nail the landing too. See, I told you you could do it.”

  Steve laughed. “Not like you,” he said. “Oh, and that reminds me. About Clarissa?”

  “Ugh,” Freddie said. “Don't depress me. She's at the mall with Dondi right about now. I hope he spills ice cream right on his lap.”

  Steve chuckled. “That would be pretty cool,” he said. “Anyway, I had an idea. Remember what I said about you being better than Dondi at snow-boarding?”

  “Yeah. So?” Freddie asked. “I told you already, it doesn't make any difference.”

  “Well, it could,” Steve said. “If she could see how much better a boarder you are than Dondi, she might change her mind about who she likes best.”

  “Right,” Freddie said hopelessly. “Anyway, I'm not that much better than him.”

  “Sure you are!” Steve assured him. “And since he's working all the time now, you'll be getting more practice than him, and you'll only get better! In fact, I was thinking you could challenge Dondi to a contest and make sure Clarissa's there to see it.”

  “Too obvious,” Freddie pointed out. Then he blinked as an idea came to him. “Unless maybe we made it a big contest, with other boarders.”

  “Yeah!” Steve said excitedly. “Let's do it!”

  “You know, Steve,” Freddie said with a smile, putting an arm around his friend's shoulders, “you're not as dumb as you look. That is a most excellent idea. Not bad at all.”

  5

  The first thing the two boys needed to do was lay out their plan for Eric. It was one thing to have a big idea. But if you really wanted to think something through, Eric Schwartz was the man to see. The very next day at lunch, Freddie and Steve took him over to a table in the far corner of the cafeteria.

  “So, what's up?” Eric asked when they were out of earshot of everyone else.

  Freddie jumped right in. “We've got this idea for a snowboarding contest,” he said. And he laid out the plan for Eric.

  “Let me get this straight,” said Eric when Freddie was done. “Freddie likes Clarissa, who likes Dondi. Freddie thinks that by beating Dondi in a snow-boarding contest, Clarissa will suddenly like him better than big brother?”