Dropping In (11 page)

When I think about the accident I see James lying there all crumpled and covered in blood with Ranga wailing next to me. At first it felt real, like it was happening all over again, but now it's more like a bad dream. The last four days have stretched out forever. They were both hurt badly that day but James is already pretty much over it. He wants a game of Dip and Gunk.

Mum puts on the kettle for us and I'm just getting
the ramp ready for James to roll into the house when he calls, ‘Hey Sticks! Ranga just ran out on the road without looking. He's coming here.'

Ranga leans over as he pelts past the letterbox. He's beaming. ‘James, you're home!'

‘Yeah!' says James as if it was never in doubt.

‘Milo's ready, boys,' Mum calls from the kitchen. ‘Oh, hello Warren. Do you want a Milo?'

‘Ta, Mrs Whyte. That'd be great.' He looks nervous.

Mum gives him a big smile as though she actually likes him. ‘It was nice of you to try and do something for James,' she says and then she looks around at all of us, ‘but you guys should think about what might go wrong before you do anything like that again.'

We all nod together. I know I will, but I bet caution doesn't even enter Ranga's head next time he gets an idea. James' either. I just hope I can get them to listen to me.

Mum puts our cups on the table and we all sit down.

‘Guess what, guys,' Ranga says. ‘The contest was postponed to this weekend 'cause of the storm. Mum says I can go in it.'

James gives a hoot so loud that I jump.

Ranga is about to win the skateboard contest and we're all here to watch.

I can't wait to watch him go off in the final battle round! He's already blitzed the heats. No one came close even though Ranga was playing it safe. He only did the moves he can pull off one hundred per cent of the time. In the early battle rounds he pulled out some of his more technical moves. He was the best by miles but he's still got heaps left in reserve. That bully kid, Luke, has been blitzing it too but I reckon he's been skating at his limit. I don't think he can step it up from here.

Jess squeezes my hand. I've been rocking back and forth and saying, ‘Come on, Ranga!' under my breath. My legs are jiggling. Jess smiles at me and I feel the grin on my face grow wider. I can't stop it, it just spreads and
spreads. Could today get any better? My grin is probably at my ears by now. James must feel the same because his face is nearly splitting in half except for when one of those random expressions comes and goes.

Ranga's mum is sitting next to Mum and Dad. I think she's happy. She's smiling but her eyes are full of tears. Parents are funny like that — kind of mixed up. Mum's looking a bit teary too, but everything makes her teary, even birthdays.

Jess looks like she's about to say something when they announce the start of the final. Ranga and Luke are standing up there on the edge of the track with the officials. The judges are all there with their pads waiting. When the announcer says their names, Ranga and Luke raise their arms like they are boxers or something. Then they shake hands.

I breathe out. I kind of expected Luke to do something, but he looks okay — even friendly! Ranga is smiling too, as though he's not nervous at all, but he's scratching his arm. That's what he does when he's worried. All of a sudden a little dark cloud of doubt comes sneaking into the back of my mind. I'm trying to push it away when Luke starts his first run.

I hate to admit it but Luke goes off. He seems to have
found a new level. Everything is working. Today his airs are higher and he sticks the landings. For the whole minute of his run he flies all over the place like a pro. The judges are nodding and when he finishes everyone claps.

Then it's Ranga's turn. He stands on the edge and licks his lips. Then he tips over the edge and he's off. I feel myself relaxing. Ranga has lifted his level too. Not just one level either. He looks like something from the future. It's not just his moves, how technical they are or how high his airs are, it's how he links them together. I'm just thinking Ranga has it in the bag when he falls — hard! He's up straightaway but he's hurt his arm. He finishes his run and stands there holding it across his body. I feel sick.

When the scores are read out Luke is in front. Only by a little, but he's full of confidence. I'm thinking about what a jerk he is when he turns to Ranga. I can't hear what they are saying but Ranga shakes his head. Then Luke says something else and Ranga smiles and nods.

Then Luke starts his next run. It's almost the same as the first. He does the same moves, just in a different order. There might not be that much diversity but he kills it. He's going to get another great score.

Ranga looks nervous this time. He's flexing his hand,
making a fist and then stretching his fingers out like a starfish. He steps up to the ramp, then he looks across at all of us. We all cheer our faces off. He nods and smiles, then tips over the edge.

I shouldn't have worried. Ranga goes so high on his airs he almost goes into outer space. He invents grinds you'd think were camera tricks if they weren't in front of you and his final move was some sort of flip doublerotation that happened so fast and went so high I couldn't have even imagined it. The crowd goes ballistic as he kickflips his board into his hand and lands light as a feather on the starting platform at the end of his run. I'm cheering like a lunatic when I notice Dad doing a little war dance and punching the air. It's weird, but cool.

We have to wait for a few minutes as they tally scores but I think Ranga has won. Still anything can happen so we sit there, waiting. Finally the announcer calls Ranga and Luke up to the stage. He pauses for a moment, then declares that Ranga has the first set of perfect ten scores ever given by all the judges. He's won. The cheering and war dancing start all over again. Ranga's mum rushes up to him and hugs and kisses him, right there in front of everyone, but instead of it being uncool and embarrassing, it makes the crowd cheer even louder — even when she
inspects his arm, like he's a little kid. Just like always, she's patching him up when he's hurt himself.

Then Jess is hugging me and jumping up and down at the same time. I'm hugging her back and she kisses me, in front of everyone. It's nice and I close my eyes for a moment but when I open them, over Jess' shoulder I see James looking at us. There is the saddest look on his face. It's only there for a moment. He blinks it away, smiles and gives me his version of a thumbs-up sign.

I stand at the edge of the skate park with my right foot on the back of my skateboard. I'm just as scared as ever but I'm not going to give up. I lean forward but my chicken legs won't push me off. I try again and they still won't obey me. Then James yells out, ‘One, two, three, go!' and I do. There's a moment of panic and suddenly I'm flying up the other side. Then I manage to pull my first ever air. It's a tiny one, I know, but it feels like the biggest air ever, and I land it. I'm so shocked I just fly back up the other side and kick out.

James and Ranga are hooting and I bow. I'm getting set to go again when I feel like somebody is right behind me. I spin around and it's Luke. My eyes dart from side to side, looking for a way to escape. There isn't one. He steps closer.

‘Cool move,' he says.

The End

Geoff was born in the mountains of New Guinea. As a baby he liked to sit in a sand pit on the edge of the jungle, scoffing bananas. His manners have improved a little since then. Now he likes surfing, fixing up old cars and of course, writing stories. He has been a primary school teacher for thirty-five years and thinks that is why his stories are for children. His wife says he just never grew up.

Geoff teaches at Kinross Primary School where he is always amazed at the fantastic stories the children in his class write and read to each other.

Geoff is the author of two picturebooks:
Ca-a-r Ca-a-a-r
(1996) and
Punzie ICQ
(1999); and several novels:
The Real Facts Of Life
(2001),
Grave of the Roti Men
(2003),
Babies Bite
(2004),
The Master
(Walker, 2009) and
Water
(Scholastic, 2010).

These days Geoff lives in Perth with his beautiful wife Sindy. Their two children, Jade and Josh, have grown up, left home and now have children of their own.

You can find out more about Geoff on his website:

www.geoffhavel.com