Snow Day

A rumor spread throughout the junior high lunchroom like a snowball tumbling down a fresh white hill. Fifteen inches of snow is coming, and a snow day is likely.

Sam plopped his food tray onto the round table and took a seat at his usual spot with John and Jeremy in their self-appointed chairs.

“What do you guys want to do tomorrow?” John asked with a grin.

Sam's eyebrow sharpened. “Do you know something we don't?"

John shrugged with a smart smile and took a bite of the food of the day. “Mmmmm, I love pizza.”

The two boys leaned in as John chomped away.

“Well?” Sam implored.

John wiped sauce off his smug face. “Mmmmm.”

Jeremy shot his straw wrapper at John and hit him in the eye.

“Ow, you could’ve gave me a paper cut on my retina.”

“That's what you get for being an ass,” Jeremy said.

Sam blew his paper missile, smacking John's cheek. “What do you know?”

“Jeez, fine. I was just having some fun.” John said as he rubbed his invisible wounds. “Miss Cunningham told me they have already decided to cancel classes tomorrow.”

“Yesssssss,” Sam hissed with a fist pump.

“Alriiiiiiight,” Jeremy said and stood on his chair with his hands out to the side like a ringmaster announcing the next act. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention?”

Every head in the cafeteria spun to the ringleader.

“A little birdy has told me—.”

“Tweet tweet,” John said and flapped his elbows like wings as he shuffled his butt in the stackable chair.

Jeremy chuckled, “Tomorrow is officially a snow day.”

The lunchroom erupted with cheers that turned into chants of snow-day, snow-day, snow-day.

A lady with a hair net and rubber gloves stormed out of the kitchen. “What is going on out here?” she said with a crunchy voice.

Snow-day, snow-day, snow-day.

“Shhhhhhhhhh, calm down,” she spat out through her ruby-painted lips. “There has been no official ruling yet.” The excitement in the sterile room chilled as she shuffled back into the kitchen.

“May I have your attention?” a nasally male voice cracked over the building's loudspeaker. “There will be no school on Tuesday due to the incoming storm. That is all.”

“What do you guys want to do tomorrow?” Sam said with a gleam in his eyes.

“Is this the year fellas, should we do it?” John said.

Jeremy settled back in his chair. “Are you referring to what I think you are?”

“Yep, Deadman's Hill,” John smirked.

Sam winced, “That's a no for me. The last kid who attempted it hit a tree so hard he wrapped around the trunk and kicked himself in the head. He had shoe treads on his forehead for a month. And the one before him got so mangled he ate Thanksgiving dinner with a straw. I also heard one kid went completely missing. They think maybe he fell through the pond's ice at the bottom of the hill.”

John giggled, “You scared or something?”

“Yes,” Sam said as his eyes darted to the right.

Jeremy spun around to see what caught Sam's attention. Sam's crush was headed their way. “Hey, Casey,” he shouted as he waved her over.

“What are you doing?” Sam said with a flushed face.

“I’m doing you a favor.”

“Hi, guys,” Casey said with a bright smile. What are you all going to do tomorrow?”

“Sam's going to take on Deadman's Hill,” Jeremy said with a smirk.

“Wow, Sam,” she said and bit her bottom lip. “That's really brave of you. I heard the last guy who tried was in a coma for a year.”

“Well, Sam's going for it tomorrow,” John said with a side eye at his buddy.

“Cool, what time?”

“Noon,” Jeremy said.

She winked at the anointed stunt man, “I can't wait to see what you can do, and I will let everyone else know. Later, boys.”

Sam watched her saunter away. “What the hell, guys. I thought we were friends,” he groaned.

“Stop being so dramatic. After school, we’ll go to the hill and scout out the best route for you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

The three boys stood atop Deadman's Hill.

“I have a theory,” Jeremy said. “I think everyone who's attempted this used the wrong sled. They never get enough speed to make it over the pond at the end of the run.”

“Speed? I can't do this, it's like a 90-degree drop.”

“I think it's more like 70, and I have the perfect sled for fresh snow. Remember that big, blue, plastic toboggan I got for Christmas a couple of years ago?”

“The one that's uncontrollable?”

“All you need to do is go straight, and I have a helmet for you to use. It's all good.”

“It's not good, and I’m not doing this.”

“You don't want to disappoint Casey, do you?” John said.

Jeremy pointed, “Look, you see the open strip between the trees? We’ll call it the runway. If you hit that spot, you'll be golden. We just don't want you to veer to the right.”

“What happens if I—”

“You most definitely will hit a tree. Your only shot is straight through the runway. But don't worry about that. Once you make it past the first section, that's where you’ll pick up the necessary speed to shoot across the plowed road. If you lose your momentum on the asphalt, you won’t be able to skim over the half-frozen pond. Think of it like skipping a rock.”

Sam shook his head, “It's like a hundred yards of water. I'll fall through.”

“I bet it will be completely frozen for your run,” Jeremy said and put his arm over Sam's shoulders.

“Your plan sucks,” Sam said as he gandered down the snowless brown hill.

“Tomorrow you'll get the girl and become a legend,” John said.

A single snowflake fluttered down and kissed Sam's nose. “Great, why can't the weather people be wrong like normal?”

Noon the next day, the three boys stood on the white-covered mini mountain. “It's your lucky day Sam. The snowplow hasn't been through yet. There's nothing to slow you down.” Jeremy peeked at his watch. “It's twelve sharp, are you ready?”

“No,” Sam uttered.

“Look at the crowd, you can't back down now. There's Casey, wave.”

“Where?”

“See that little red dot to the left, next to the street?”

“I can't see her. This is ridiculous. I’m going home.”

“She has a sign.”

“Really, what does it say?”

“Go Sam.”

“You have to do it now. Here's a helmet. It's my dad's, so it's a little big.”

“You sure she's not telling me to go home?” Sam said as he put on the headgear.

Jeremy flipped over the blue missile and grabbed an old candle out of his pocket. “This will give you less friction so you can get maximum speed,” he said, rubbing it up and down on the sheeny hull.

“The crowd is getting restless,” John said.

Jeremy plopped the hunk of plastic into the virgin snow, and it started to inch away. He stepped on it to stop its momentum. “Oh boy, it's slick. Get in.”

Sam stepped into his plastic coffin. “Just so we're clear, after I do this, we are no longer friends.”

“You'll be thanking me.” Jeremy grinned. “Okay, put your feet all the way forward and lie flat, like you're in bed. Don't stick your head up, it will cause too much wind drag. You need speed to get over the pond. Here,” he handed Sam a rope tied to the front. “Just hold on.”

“It's five after, are you ready?”

Sam tightened the strap around his chin. “It doesn't fit,” he said as the nylon belt dangled under his jaw.

“Yeah, like I said, it's my dad's.”

“On the count of three, we are going to push you like a bobsled team.”

“Nope, I’m out.”

“One.”

Sam squirmed. “Did you hear me?”

“Two,” they began the launch.

“Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyy.” Sam clenched the rope and his teeth as he descended.

The sled drifted to the right of the runway. “Uh-oh,” John mumbled.

“Abort!” Jeremy yelled. “Abort!”

“What is he saying?” Sam lifted his head to take a look, but the oversized helmet fell over his eyes. Blinded, he lowered his head and braced for impact. He missed the runway and entered the thick woods. The plastic vehicle became a bumper car as it bounced off a tree and then another, yet continued to accelerate. His head hit one side, then the other, like a ball in a pinball machine.

The hushed crowd could no longer see Sam. Only the tree-tops marked his progress. With each strike of a pine trunk, the tops shook the snow-caps off. He shot out of the tree cover, further off course.

Sam sped toward the pond's open water while the behind-schedule plow trudged down the snow-covered street.

I must be close to the end, Sam thought.

Thump.

The sled hit a divet and sent Sam fifteen feet into the air. The blue rocket flew over the plow, leaving a snowy vapor trail behind it. He landed on the water and skipped across until he came to a rest on the other side. Sam popped the helmet off and turned around to see Casey and all the kids on the opposite side of the pond, shouting Sam, Sam, Sam.

The next day at school, Sam plopped his tray of food on the table and took his usual spot.

John took a seat and said, “Man, that was awesome yesterday.”

“I know,” Sam said with a high chin.

Jeremy sat and pointed over Sam's shoulder, “Here comes Casey. And you still haven't thanked me.”

“Hi, daredevil,” Casey said to Sam. “Can I sit here?”

“Sure can.”

Casey glanced around the table, “So there's a rumor that we could be having another snow day tomorrow. What do you guys want to do?”

Sam looked at his friends and winked, “Let everyone know that Jeremy and John are taking on Deadman's Hill at noon.”