"Come on, Tyler! What's the hold up?"
Tyler took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He was perched at a dizzying height on the roof of his friend Jerry's house. He was somehow balanced on his skateboard at the peak, and Jerry's trampoline was positioned a few feet away. To take the proper precautions, they had piled all the leaves between the roof and the trampoline.
Tyler's heart was pounding , and the autumn breeze chilled him and whispered in his ears. It's now or never. He leaned forward slightly, felt the bumps from the shingles and the rushing of the air as he flew off the makeshift ramp. As he was flying through the air, everything seemed to go in slow motion. The skateboard fell from his feet to the ground. The smooth, black surface of the trampoline was coming closer. He landed on his feet. His knees buckled and he fell on his rear end. The springs stretched to their limit and Tyler was launched toward the afternoon sky. He realized he had been yelling the whole time; now it was not out of fear, but of joy. He laughed as he bounced again and again. Finally, he swung his long legs over the side and jumped off.
"Didja get it?" he asked Jerry.
"Yeah, look at these," Jerry held up the camera, shading it with his hand. He scrolled through several pictures of Tyler in mid-air with the wild look on his face, and the sky as the background.
"This is so perfect! I want this as my facebook picture. "
"I'll post them later. Its my turn to do it." Jerry went into the house and climbed out his bedroom window. Tyler focused the camera on him. The camera belonged to Jerry's parents; this stunt needed a professional camera.
"You ready?"
Tyler nodded.
Jerry learned forward. He rolled down the slope. But he missed the ramp and landed in the leaves. Tyler still managed to take a blurry picture of Jerry, his blonde hair sticking every which way.
After a few more stunts, Jerry's father pulled in the driveway. (Luckily, neither of them happened to be on the roof.)
"Well, hello Tyler."
"Hello, Mr. Haven."
"Ready for me to take you home?"
Tyler rode Jerry's bus, and then his dad would drive him home in the evening. The Havens generously made this arrangement so that Tyler's sister, Karen, would have someone to watch her while Tyler was at school. Their father did "bad stuff" (as Tyler told Karen) and did not take care of them. Their mom was a wonderful mom, but her depression kept her in bed most days.
Mrs. Haven brought Karen out. She was also carrying out a loaf of banana bread. She knew it was Tyler' s favorite.
"If there's anything else you need, let us know."
Tyler thanked her and accepted the bread. The sun was already setting, but it was a short ride there. He hoped he could wake his mom up to sign the thing that Mrs. Gunther, his Government teacher, had given them. It was a "contract" with all the rules that they had to take home and get a parent to sign. Every teacher had given them one, but hers was the only one due tomorow. Tyler had thought that that was a middleschool thing. Other than that, having no homework had left him free to have fun with Jerry.
Mr. Haven remarked, "It gets dark fast, doesn't it?" He waved good-bye as he drove away, but Tyler still caught the concern in his face.
Why do people always look at us like that?
Tyler took Karen's hand and led her to the house. They usually went through the garage to get inside. Tyler was dismayed when he saw a familiar dilapidated car that was seldom parked at their house. His stomach twisted into knots.
