He strapped on his helmet and then leaned forward. 

Resting his left foot firmly on the ground, supporting his weight, his right foot stayed low on the pedal. Matt’s heart raced, but the expression on his face didn’t betray him to his friend – he stayed focused on the road’s steep drop. 

“Let’s go, Matt,” Jon called out. “What’re you waiting for?” 

Matt turned to look at his best friend. “I’m going,” he called back. He inhaled slowly as he turned back to the road. I can do this, he told himself. Matt’s left foot plunged down on the pedal and he soared down the hill. 

Down. Down. Down. 

Faster and faster, his spinning legs became a dizzying blur. 

As the bottom of the hill grew closer, Matt’s heart thumped rapidly. Put on the brakes slowly, he reminded himself. He squeezed the brakes gently, but the intersection at the bottom of the hill was coming too quickly. Matt swallowed hard and he squeezed the brakes firmly. 

Matt’s body lurched forward as the bike skidded to a complete stop. That was close, he thought as he threw off his helmet. He stumbled off the bike and dragged it to the sidewalk. Barely able to put down the kickstand, Matt’s legs collapsed under him. 

“Matt! That - was - awesome!” Jon yelled, as he ran down the hill. 

Jon dropped down beside Matt. Breathing hard, he started laughing. “I thought you were going to run right through the intersection,” he said when he caught his breath. 

“So did I,” Matt said. “I can’t wait ‘til I get my own bike.” 

“You really think your parents will get you a bike for your birthday?” Jon asked. 

“It’s the only thing I want,” Matt replied. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. Smoothing out the wrinkles, he stared at the red bike. “Twenty-one speeds.” 

“You’re going to let me ride it, right?” Jon asked. 

Matt smiled. “Maybe.” 

Time passed quickly for Matt. All he could think about was his new bike. On the day of his birthday, Matt invited Jon over for cake. He also wanted Jon to be there when he got his new bike. 

“Do you want cake or presents first?” Dad asked when Jon arrived. 

“Presents!” Matt said. “Where is it?” 

“Just wait,” Mom said. She turned to Jon. “Did you want to give Matt his present first?” 

“Sure,” Jon said, handing Matt a wrapped box. 

RIP! Paper flew past Jon’s head. 

“Wow, a new helmet!” Matt showed his parents. 

“It’s red to match your . . .” 

“Thanks,” Matt said, interrupting Jon. He glared at him. 

“Oh,” Jon said, realizing that Matt did not want him to mention the new bike. “Er-you’re welcome.” 

Mom shoved a green envelope in front of Matt. “This is from Uncle Jake.” 

Matt smiled. Uncle Jake was his favorite Uncle. He was an illustrator and often made cool drawings for him. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out a card. Matt laughed and showed everyone the cartoon of him on a bike zooming down a hill. 

Matt opened the card. A bill floated to the table. “Wow! Twenty dollars,” Matt said, picking it up. 

“You can call and thank him later,” Mom said. “Now it’s time for our gift. It’s outside.” 

Matt rushed out the back door. 

Leaning against the shed, in the shadow of the garage, was his new bike! 

Matt ran to the bike. “It’s a new-” Matt stopped. “What’s this?” he asked. 

Matt stared at the lime green bike and then poked a finger at the tear in the seat cover. He wiggled the crooked handlebars then ran his fingers across the rusty chain. He wondered how old the bike was. At least the tires look new, he thought. 

Matt couldn’t believe it. Were his parents playing a joke on him? “This -” he pointed, “This is my new bike?”

Matt glared at him. His eyes were burning as he tightened his fists. 

Mom put her arm around him, “I know it needs a little work, Matt.” 

“It needs a trash can,” Jon whispered. 

“A little work?” Matt pushed Mom’s arm away. “This is a piece of junk!” 

“Matthew!” Dad said. 

“I don’t care – I hate it! It’s the ugliest bike I’ve ever seen.” Matt ran into the house. 

He hurried to his room and slammed the door. His dream bike was still a dream. Matt collapsed onto his bed . . . miserable. 

Knock. Knock. 

“Go away,” Matt grumbled. 

Dad opened the door. 

“Leave me alone,” Matt said, pouting. 

“I know it’s not the bike you asked for,” Dad said. 

Matt was silent. 

Dad sat down beside Matt. “All it needs is a little work.” 

Matt turned away. 

“What should I tell Jon?” Dad asked. 

“I don’t care,” Matt said and buried his head under a pillow. 

Matt waited for Dad to leave before lifting up the pillow. He tried to picture himself riding the bike.  

The wheels would probably fall off if I hit a bump, he thought. Jon was right…it needs a trashcan. 

Matt moped around the house all week. When Jon stopped by to ask him to go riding, he refused. “I can’t ride that bike,” Matt told Jon. “It would fall apart.” 

“Did you try?” Jon asked. 

Matt shook his head. “Why bother?” he grumbled. 

“What about the bike race next week?” Jon asked. “You already signed up to be my partner.” 

“That’s when I thought I’d have a bike,” Matt said. 

Jon shook his head. “You do have a bike,” he said, impatiently. 

Matt sighed. “No, I don’t.” 

“When you stop feeling sorry for yourself, let me know,” Jon said. 

Matt watched Jon hop on his bike and ride away. He thought about what Jon said. Was he really feeling sorry for himself? Could he actually fix it? 

Matt went outside and inspected the bike. He made a checklist of all its problems. When he finished, he showed Dad. 

“The brakes still work,” Matt said. “I need to buy some paint, clean and oil the chain, and straighten the handlebars. If I have enough money, I can buy a new seat for it, too.” 

Dad smiled at Matt. “If you need a little extra money, I can give you your allowance early.” 

“Thanks, Dad,” Matt said. 

Matt worked hard every day fixing his bike. He wanted to finish before the race; he wouldn’t disappoint Jon. 

By the end of the week, all Matt had to do was put on the new seat. Dad tightened everything up for him, and then Matt rode it over to Jon’s house. 

“Hey, where’d you get the new bike?” Jon asked when he saw Matt. 

“This is that old bike I got for my birthday,” Matt told him. 

“You’re kidding!” Jon said, taking a closer look at the bike. 

“Nope,” Matt said. “I spent all week fixing it up.” 

“I take it back, Matt…about the trashcan,” Jon said. “Your bike looks awesome.” 

“Thanks.” Matt’s face filled with pride. “Get your bike—we’ve got a race to win.”

THE END

Illustration by: Cecil Paplinskie

Copyright © 2007 by Jeanette Marchand