Freestyle with Avery Read Online Free

had gotten blown up and framed. Dad, Tim, Scott, and I were standing at the top of Gold Hill, holding our snowboards. My smile was so huge that you could see I was missing three teeth. Later that day we got free chili at a stand by the chairlift and ate the whole bowl on our way up to the summit. The snow was totally perfect—“pow-pow” as we snowboarders would say. I remembered it like it was yesterday. And I knew that Dad was right … I definitely looked a lot older now. (Even if I was still a shortie.)
    The air outside the diner was a combination of burgers, fries, and fresh snow. Dad and I breathed deeply before going in. “Best smell ever!” I declared.
    The restaurant was toasty warm and full of people. “Avery Madden!” Tommy, one of the ski instructors, slapped me five. “Long time no see!” The best part of having a home away from home is seeing everyone again when you came back to visit.
    His girlfriend, Kimberly, waved too. “Welcome back, Avery. Are you ready to Snurf?”
    I loved that everyone in Telluride expected me to enter the competition. “I’m super psyched!” I said. “It’s going to be shred-tastic.”
    “How’s Bah-ston?” came a low voice from behind me. I turned around to see Charlie, a gondola operator at one of the stations in Telluride. His skin was permanently suntanned and leathery from being in the sun every day.
    I tried to keep a straight face when I answered him. People who don’t live in Boston just can’t do the accent, but it was so funny to hear them try. “Boston’s cool, Charlie. Not enough snow yet for shredding, though, that’s for sure.”
    As usual, Robbie, the owner of Fat Alley, was there working the grill. When he saw us, he walked around the counter to give me a big hug. He smelled like grease and ketchup. “You ready for a Fat Alley special?” he asked.
    “So ready.” I hopped onto a spinning stool at the counter. When we were little, Scott and I used to spin around and around until we got so dizzy that we could barely stay on. It was a game that Dad wasn’t crazy about. “Robbie, can you make mine a double cheeseburger with cheddar and bacon, please?” Dad called.
    “You got it!” Robbie went back to the grill and waved his spatula. “And for you, Ave?”
    “Burger with lettuce and tomato!” Dad nudged my foot with his and I added,
“Please.”
    The waitress, Bonnie, walked over with three mugs on her tray. Bonnie was about my mom’s age, maybe a little younger. She had short brown hair and always wore a pink-checkered dress—the Fat Alley uniform—and a warm, friendly smile. Bonnie and my dad had moved to Telluride about the same time. “Coffee for you, Jake. And for Avery … hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, hold the whipped cream.”
    I cupped my hands around the warm mug and breathed in the rich chocolate. “Mmm, mmm! Thanks, Bonnie. Do you know the drinks of like, everyone in the state of Colorado?”
    Bonnie rolled her eyes. “Oh, goodness no! Only in San Miguel County.” She poked Dad in the elbow. “So Jake, where is Andie, huh? I have her green tea here.”
    Dad’s coffee must have gone down the wrong pipe, because he started coughing …
a lot.
    “She’s closing up,” I answered for him. “Andie’s the lady I met at the store, right, Dad?”
    Dad gulped his water. “Uh, yeah, Avery. So I guess no tea tonight, Bonnie. Thanks though.”
    Bonnie looked at Dad and me. “I better go finish up with … stuff,” she said and bustled off.
    “Weird. Why would Bonnie make tea if Andie isn’t even here?” I asked Dad, then whispered, “Maybe she’s getting a little, you know,
loco-loco …
?
”
    Dad shifted in his seat and stared into his mug. He was being so weird! I decided it was to time to tell him the gig was up about his “surprise” party for me.
    “Okay, Dad, what’s up? Is this about my surprise party?”
    “Surprise party?” asked Dad.
    “Dad,
I’ve already figured it all out. I heard you