Skateboard Renegade by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online

today after school?”
    “Oh. I was …” Zach hesitated. He didn't want the guys to know he hadn't shown up because he was giving his little sister skateboarding
     lessons!
    “I had to baby-sit,” he fudged.
    “Oh. Man, that bites. I hope you made good money.”
    “Yeah. I really needed to, after Saturday.”
    There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Saturday?”
    “Yeah, you know, at the mall. I missed you guys there.”
    Another mysterious pause. “Uh, yeah. Well, anyway, are you coming to the park tomorrow?”
    “Definitely. I've got to check out how you guys all look!”
    “Uh, yeah. Well, see you then.” Kareem hung up, and so did Zach, puzzled by the tone in his friend's voice. It was more than
     a little weird.
    “I didn't know you were baby-sitting this afternoon,” his dad said, surprised.
    “That's because I wasn't,” Zach said. “It's complicated.”
    “Oh. I see. Well, then,” his dad said, rinsing another dish. “Come on, let's go back to work.”
    They finished rinsing the dishes and cleaning off the table and putting the leftovers in the fridge. “You haven't said much
     about your first day at school,” his dad suddenly said.
    “Oh. It was fine,” Zach said, rinsing his hands in the sink.
    “How were the facilities?”
    “Great. Those were fantastic.”
    “Good!”
    “Yeah, I guess.” Zach heaved a sigh.
    His dad regarded him for a long moment. “You don't seem very happy about it. Is there something I should know?”
    “No, Dad,” Zach said. He dried his hands on a dishtowel. “Like I said, it's complicated. You wouldn't understand.”
    He left the room, not wanting to see the hurt look in his father's eyes.

8
    H e endured the next day at Amherst, but it wasn't easy. Like the day before, most kids just stared at him, as if they couldn't
     get over how weird he looked. It was enough to drive Zach crazy. He was about ready to start staring back at them, with his
     mouth open like an idiot.
    Luckily, lunchtime rolled around. He sat with the gang from Computer Club. But even among them, he was quiet and thoughtful.
     Something was bothering him … something about how Kareem had sounded on the phone the night before.
    He couldn't wait to see the guys and get back among true friends. These nerdy kids were nice enough, but other than computers,
     what did he really have in common with them? He barely knew them.
    He felt torn away from everything familiar, alonein a strange new world. He paid no attention during his afternoon classes, and barely escaped ridicule when a teacher asked
     him a question he hadn't heard because he was daydreaming.
    After school he went home and put on his gear. He checked himself out in the mirror. Somehow, he just couldn't get used to
     his new look. He didn't blame the kids at Amherst for giving him weird glances. He'd have done the same thing in their place.
    Well, the hair was the hair. Nothing he could do about it. But the iron bar in his ear? It looked totally stupid.
    The guy had said to wear it for forty-eight hours, to keep the hole open until it healed and stayed that way by itself. Well,
     it had to be forty-eight hours by now, Zach figured. Carefully, he twisted the bar open, and pulled it out of his ear.
    There was no pain, to Zach's surprise. He could see the hole now, for the first time. It didn't look too bad. But without
     something in his ear, all there was to look at was his stupid hairstyle. The blond spikes would look okay on some of the other
     guys. But he didn't care what the hairstylist had said. They didn't look good on
him.
    He needed a really good earring for when the guys saw him. Brian already had that fake diamond stud. Zach wondered what the
     other guys would be wearing. Iron bars? He doubted it.
    Now where could he get an earring in a hurry? Zach wondered. He perked up his ears and listened for the presence of someone
     in the house. Nothing. Mom and Dad were still at work, and Zoey was probably over at