Freestyle with Avery Read Online Free PDF Page B

from the mountain. I thought of a bumper sticker on the Snurfmobile: “Born to Ride.”
That’s me
! I thought.
    Wind whistled past my helmet and gigantic snowflakes ricocheted off my goggles. I was about to shout when I heard a loud “Whooooo-hooooo!” whizzing by. It was Dad! I went into a tuck position and whooshed even faster. Dad and I weaved around the trail and stopped when we reached a post with signs and arrows that told us which trails were for beginners, intermediates, experts, and the completely insane!
    “Is this nirvana or what?!” Dad exclaimed.
    “Ner—what?” I asked as I tried to catch my breath.
    Dad laughed. “It means a state of heavenly tranquility,” he explained.
    “Oh yeah, then this is
definitely
nirvana!”
    “Better than soccer?” Dad challenged me with a grin.
    “Don’t even go there! That’s like … that’s like asking me which BSG is my favorite.
Impossible
.”
    I was about to push off again, when Dad caught my shoulder. “Hold up a second, Ave. See that group of boarders coming down the double black diamond ? Keep your eyes peeled for the pink helmet. Watch.”
    I squinted and focused in on a bright pink figure bouncing over moguls. She turned at the bottom where her trail intersected with ours and coasted toward us at avalanche speed. Just when I thought she was going to crash into me, she slid to a quick stop, sending a mini snowstorm all over us. It was a move that I used to pull on my brothers all the time … but no one had ever sprayed
me
with snow before!
    “Jake the Snake!” said the girl. She wore a magenta jacket with orange pants. Blond braids woven with purple ribbons hung from her matching pink helmet. I had a pretty good guess where the helmet came from. The crew of boarders hung back a few yards away.
    Dad held up his glove and slapped her hands in a series of high fives, like a secret handshake or something. “You almost gave me a heart attack!” Dad laughed. “Way to make an entrance!”
    “How sweeeet is this shredding, Snurfman?” Pink girl pulled up her goggles. “Talk about perfect pow-pow!”

    “Better believe it!” Dad agreed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Kazie, this is my daughter, Avery. She just got in yesterday from Boston. Avery, this is the one and only Crazie Kazie, Andie’s daughter.”
    “Hey, nice to meet you,” I said slowly.
    “Nice to meet you too.” Kazie grabbed my hand and squeezed—hard. She was more than a whole head taller than me, probably as tall as my friend Katani. The kids behind her all looked a little older than me too.
Were they high schoolers?
I wondered. Kazie tilted her head at them and raised her eyebrows. “You guys want to come with?” she asked.
    I glanced at Dad and tried to send him a psychic message.
Say no
…
Say no
… But I think we must have been disconnected, because a huge grin spread on his face.
    “Wow! That’s nice of you, Kazie. What do you say, Ave? Want to go?”
    “Um …” I stalled. These kids seemed cool enough, but I didn’t feel like dealing with new people. This was supposed to be my day with Dad … not Kazie’s. “Nah, that’s okay,” I mumbled.
    Dad looked confused. “You sure? Kazie’s crippler is world famous.”
    Boy, our psychic line was
way
off. For a second, I wished I were a skier so I could tap Dad with my ski pole.
Hello? Get a clue! This is kind of weird for me
. “I still want to warm up a little,” I explained. It was true—well, kind of.
    “Come ON, Kazie!” one of the kids shouted. “Let’s shred it up already!”
    “Yo, chillax,” Kazie called back. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tonight, Jake-the-snake-Snurf-dude-man! Sick riding, Avery. Later gators!” Kazie and another kid rode toward a major snow ramp and flew off it at the same time. In midair, they bent their knees and their snowboard bottoms smacked, bonking perfectly. The echo boomed through the trees even after they disappeared over the slope.
    Was that my