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"Coo, Katie God hates a coward " Then, quietly, she added, "Trust me "

Now Kate had no choice Trust was part of being friends, and Tully wouldnt hang out with a chicken "Co to sound stern

Taking a deep breath, she said a prayer and eased her arms out

She was flying, sailing through the night sky, down the hill The air s stable nearby, of horses and sweet hay She heard Tully laughing beside her, but before she could even s Her front tire hit a rock; the bike bucked like a Brah Tullys tire in its arc

She screamed, reached for the handlebars, but it was too late She was in the air, really flying this time The pavement rushed up, s in a heap in a muddy ditch

Tully rolled across the asphalt and slaround

Dazed, Kate stared up at the night sky Every part of her hurt Her left ankle ht be broken It felt swollen, tender She could feel where the road had ripped off her skin in patches

"That was incredible," Tully said, laughing

"Are you kidding? We could have been killed "

"Exactly "

Kate winced in pain as she tried to get up "We should get out of this ditch A car could co—"

"But wasnt that cool? Wait till we tell the kids about this "

The kids at school This would be a story, and Kate would be one of the stars in it People would listen raptly, ooh and aah, say things like, You sneaked out? Suotta be a lie

And suddenly Kate was laughing, too

They helped each other to their feet and retrieved their bikes By the time they were across the road, Kate barely noticed where she was hurt She felt like a different girl suddenly—bolder, braver, willing to try anything So what if trouble followed a night like this? What was a sprained ankle or a bloody knee next to an adventure? For the past two years shed followed all the rules and stayed hohts No more