So let’s forget both things ever happened. Now,” he added, “there are two last
mysteries that need to be cleared up.”
“What?” X asked.
“Number one, where is my skateboard? And number two,” Charlie said, jerking a thumb at the two other boys, “who are these
guys and do they have crazy nicknames too?”
CHAPTER TEN
The two other boys were introduced as Mark Goldstein and Jonas Malloy. “But you can call me Jonas,” the kid with the flattop
joked. “My bud X here tells me you can surf the pavement with the best of them. That grinding the rails is as easy for you
as blowing a nostril slug into a tissue.”
“Blowing a
what?”
“Nostril slug.” Bizz rolled her eyes. “That’s Jonas’s term for ‘booger.’ He likes to make up things like that. He thinks he’s
being creative.”
“I
am
being creative!” Jonas shouted.
“Gross is more like it,” Savannah murmured.
Laughing, X held up a hand. “Listen, it’s time to take off our helmets and put on our detective hats,” he said. He turned
to Charlie. “Where’s the last place you saw your board?”
“I put it in the garage the night we boarded together. In the morning it was gone.”
“To the garage then, men!”
Bizz cleared her throat and Savannah raised an eyebrow.
“And women too, of course,” X added hurriedly.
One by one they filed through the side door into the garage. Charlie flicked the light on. A quick look revealed the same
stuff he’d seen the morning before: garbage cans, boxes, and lawn equipment. No skateboard.
Charlie sighed and reached over to flick the light off again. His hand accidentally hit the button for the garage door opener
instead. The sudden sound and movement of the door opening startled Jonas. He jumped backward and bumped into the stack of
moving boxes.
“Look out!” Charlie shouted. The whole stack came tumbling down, burying Jonas underneath.
Charlie and the others quickly pushed the boxes aside. Jonas stood up, rubbing his head. “Man, what are those things made
of? Bricks?”
“Don’t be such a baby,” Bizz scoffed. “It’s just cardboard.”
“Yeah, well, something hard hit me, and it wasn’t just cardboard’!”
“Wait a minute.” X waded into the sea of boxes and started to feel around. Suddenly, he broke into a huge smile. From beneath
the cardboard, he withdrew Charlie’s skateboard!
“I don’t believe it!” Charlie grabbed the board and hugged it to his chest. “How did it get stuck in there?”
“I think I can answer that question.” The children turned to see Charlie’s father enter the garage.
“Remember when all the boxes fell over the other night?” he asked. “When I cleaned them up, I just sort of shoved them into
a stack. I guess I shoved your skateboard in with them. Er, sorry. Hope it didn’t cause any problems.”
Charlie and X looked at each other and started laughing. The other kids joined in.
“No, Dad, no problem at all!” Still laughing, Charlie grabbed his board and yelled, “Last one to the skatepark is a nostril
slug!”
Learn the Move! The Ollie
Do you already know how to ride a skateboard? If so, you may be ready to learn the first basic trick of skateboarding: the
ollie. When you do an ollie, your board pops up underneath you. All four wheels clear the pavement as you and your board catch
air. This jump is the basis for most skateboarding tricks. Before you can learn any other trick, you should master the ollie.
The best way to learn to do an ollie is to have someone who already knows how to do it show you. Otherwise, you can follow
the steps on the next page. With practice and patience, you should get the hang of it! *
Step one: Stand on your board and jump, landing with both feet back on the board. Be careful the skateboard doesn’t shoot out from
under you. This first step seems simple, but it requires balance and concentration. Once you feel comfortable with these jumps,
move on to