Grind by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online Page A

overnight.”
    â€œWanna bet? Just look at it.”
    â€œAll right, but this better be good.” I rolled out of bed, keeping the mobile phone in my hand and walking over to my desk. I tapped the computer and the screen came to life. Our web site was already on the screen. I’d left it there last night when I went to sleep.
    â€œLooks the same to me,” I said.
    â€œScroll down.”
    I moved down the page. It all looked the same.
    â€œWhat is it I’m supposed to see?” I asked.
    â€œThe bottom. Look at the visitor count.”
    I could only imagine that Wally was so excited because a few people had looked at our site. I scrolled to the visitor counter and—“Oh my god…that can’t be right.” It read 11 924. “Nevin must have gone back in and set the numbers higher,” I said.
    â€œHe didn’t,” Wally said. “I already talked to him this morning.”
    As I watched, amazed, shocked, the visitor count began flipping over, getting higher and higher as more people logged on.
    â€œThat can’t be right,” I said. “How could that many people be visiting our site, especially in the middle of the night?”
    â€œBut it
isn’t
the middle of the night—it
wasn’t
the middle of the night in Japan and China and Australia.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œGo to the guest book. We’ve had visitors from lots of different countries. They don’t call it the World Wide Web for nothing.”
    I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless.
    â€œPhil, are you still there?” Wally asked.
    â€œI’m here. Does Lisa know?”
    â€œNot yet. I wanted to call you and then I figured you’d probably be the one who wanted to call her. Good luck.”
    â€œThanks,” I said.
    â€œThat’s okay. That’s what friends are for. And Phil, if you do eventually convince her to get back together with you, treat her good this time.”
    â€œI’ll try,” I said.
    â€œYou better do more than just try, because, I’m warning you, the next time you two break up, I don’t care if you are my best friend, I’m giving it a shot myself.”
    â€œYou’re going to ask Lisa out?”
    â€œDon’t sound so shocked. She might go out with me you know.”
    â€œI wasn’t shocked. I was just thinking.”
    â€œAbout?”
    â€œThat she probably deserves some-body better…I mean better than me,” I explained.
    â€œShe probably does, but that doesn’t mean you should give up yet.”
    â€œI’m not giving up. Giving up isn’t something I’m good at.”
    â€œThat I know,” Wally said. “Nevin wants us to meet before class,” he added. “Can you be there at eight?”
    â€œConsidering I’m up an hour earlier than usual already, I think I can manage. I’ll let Lisa know.”

Chapter Eleven
    We stood around the computer, staring at the screen. As we watched, the number of hits on the site kept growing. It was unbelievable.
    â€œThis goes way beyond anything I had ever imagined,” I said.
    â€œDidn’t you imagine sponsors and making money?” Nevin asked.
    â€œYeah, I thought that could happen."
    â€œThis is the Internet. Anything that’s going to happen will happen fast,” Nevin said.“We’ve already been approached by e-mail by a skateboard company.”
    â€œWhat company?” Wally asked.
    â€œThey’re new. It’s called Street Illegal Boards. They’re sending us their product, new boards for everybody.”
    â€œThe new boards…how much do we have to pay?” Wally asked.
    â€œYou don’t pay anything. They give you the boards so that people can see you skating on their product.”
    â€œBut I like my old board,” Wally said.
    â€œYou can like it all you want, but if we want them to sponsor the web site we have to have