Kyrie Elias has a crazy dream to be a professional skateboarding star. She has been training hard and has mad skater skills.
But there's one dude who is doing everything to keep her from joining his all-star team. Yet her enthusiasm knows no bounds; game on, dude!.
Excerpt:
I was born with crooked feet. Pigeon-toed does not even come close to describing my crazy stride. When I walked it looked as if my big toes were magnetically drawn to each other. I could not control the way my legs moved, no matter what I did.
How I decided one day that I should pursue skateboarding would remain one of those unexplainable mysteries.
Until I found skateboarding, I had no idea of this 'want to do' business. You know, adults are always asking all these questions about what you want to do, what you want to be when you grow up. Like they're trying to push you into adulthood. And watching all these adults it doesn't seem like being an adult is such a wild gig to want.
With skateboarding I feel like I've found the one thing that defines me.
When I'm on my board, dropping into the half pipe, flying through the air, I feel like I'm where I was always supposed to be. My parents are not so sure about my choice. They say parent things like, "You'll get hurt. Skateboarding's just for boys anyways."
What's the big deal? My schoolwork gets done, no prob there. But my mom, Monique, doesn't let things go easily, "You should at least pick a sport you can get a scholarship for. Skateboarding is not one. And even if it were, it's not for girls."
Larry-dad is cool with it though. He doesn't say much on the subject. He just lets Monique lead. Smart guy.
Okay, so Monique's stuck on the not for girlz bit. But hey, the world is changing every day and I see girlz out skating. Like my step-sib, Molly. She likes to hang around when I'm skating. She digs it. Even likes it when I call her 'little skater.' She skates for the same reason as I do; because it's fun. And there's no such thing as having too much fun. Yeah, you've gotta deal with the 'rents. But they aren't so bad…if you know how to manage them.
If I believe Monique's stories about my bio-dad, Ned, I would think she did me a big favor saving me from the clutches of that loser. According to her, "loser" has a way of rubbing off on you so best to keep your distance. But I'm not sure. I did meet him once, when I was five I think. He called me "hell on wheels." Maybe because I crashed into an old lady in the Target as I raced through the store on a scooter. Of course, he bought it for me. That's what biological fathers do when they see their kids. Be all generous and guilt inspired. He is tall, skinny, and has reddish brown hair like me.
I think he was like the dangerous, not preppie, kind that all the girls swooned over. I remember him being in the "hot" older guy category, but what did I know at five.
Anyway, I could totally understand how Monique could have fallen on her "oh-my-god" face over him. She had wanted to be a dancer and was pursuing that dream when they met. No sign of that dream anymore except for a few strategically placed pictures. So teenage angst incarnate she was. Bio-dad somewhat older than her nineteen year-old self, exciting and crafty in getting next to her. Then spark met flame and along came me. Evidently this was before contraception awareness.
Sometimes I think how cool it would be to see bio-dad again. Look him up and drop in say hello, bio-dad, check out your hot seventeen year old skater girl! Then I think it sounds childish stupid and I put it away. Though still, psychologically speaking, it is good for me not to ignore my inner child. Mother should be okay with it, right? I mean, she's won.
But there are parts of me that are so out of sync with who Monique is. She's quiet, I'm not. She's about safety, I'm about danger. She's about giving up on your dreams, I'm not. I'm thinking my tenacity must come from bio-dad. I could be wrong. The only way for me to be sure is to hunt him down and spill. Hey, dude, are you like totally wild crazy or is that just me? You know. Whoop it out and lay it down. Finding him shouldn't be too tricky, nothing a little junior detective would couldn't uncover.
Oh yeah, Nancy Drew, Agent Elias reporting for duty!
