"I'll be leading the ride," Ms. Hernandez said.
"Remember, this isn't a race. Everyone who finishes gets a prize."
"Even if it takes me until tomorrow?" Cole called out.
Lots of people laughed, including Ms. Hernandez.
"Even then," she said. "Let's get on the trail!"
"Go, Belltown!" a blond girl cried.
Henry recognized the girl.
Her name was Melanie, and she was a cheerleader at Belltown High.
Today Melanie wasn't the only person cheering.
Almost everyone let out a whoop as the bikers started down the trail.
Henry was trying to keep up with Cole and Maggie through some pine trees when a shiny mountain bike rushed in front of him.
"Whoa!" Henry cried.
He braked just in time to keep from crashing into the other bike.
The rider was about his age.
"Sorry," the boy muttered, glancing back at Henry. Then he rode ahead quickly.
Henry's friends had heard Henry cry out.
They stopped and turned around to see if he was okay.
"Who was that kid?" Maggie asked.
A girl named Daisy overheard her.
"Are you talking about that boy on the fancy mountain bike?" she asked.
"Yeah," Cole said. "We didn't recognize him."
"He just moved here," Daisy said. "His name is William.
My mom told me his family bought a huge house right outside of town."
"How does she know?" asked Maggie.
"She sells houses for a living," Daisy explained.
A few more riders rode past, including Jill and Ashley.
"Giving up already?" Jill called out to Henry and the others with a grin.
"No way!" Cole called back. "Come on, guys. Let's go!"
He raced off. Henry and Maggie chased after him, laughing.
All three of them kept riding fast for a while.
Then they slowed down to rest their legs.
Lots of other people were riding slowly too, enjoying the pretty scenery.
"This is fun," Maggie said. "I'm glad we came."
"Even though it cost you ten dollars?" Cole teased.
"Maybe more than that," Maggie reminded him.
"With all the lemonade business we lost today!"
Henry laughed, and then looked around.
"Where's Nathan? I haven't seen him since we started riding."
"I think he was behind us," Cole said. "Let's wait for him to catch up."
They stopped their bikes. Lots of other riders passed them.
Most were smiling or chatting with their friends.
Everyone seemed to be having fun.
Then William rode past again. He wasn't smiling or talking to anyone.
"He doesn't look like he's having a good time," Cole whispered.
Henry didn't answer. He'd just spotted Nathan coming.
He wasn't smiling either.
The teenage boy in the Valley High shirt was riding alongside him.
"What's the matter?" the older boy teased Nathan.
"Can't you keep up?
Is everyone at Belltown High School as slow and lazy as you?"
Henry could tell that Nathan was trying to ignore the bully.
But just then Nathan bumped into a rock on the trail.
His front tire wobbled, and he had to brake suddenly.
"Looks like you're quitting," the bully said with a smirk.
"I guess that makes you a Belltown quitter!"
"Hey!" Cole said. "Leave him alone!"
Just then three other riders caught up to them.
They all went to Belltown High School.
One was Henry's neighbor, Tiny, the tallest kid in tenth grade.
"What's going on?" Tiny asked.
"That Valley High kid is bothering Nathan," Maggie said.
The bully heard her and scowled. "I was just joking around," he muttered.
One of Tiny's friends laughed.
"That makes sense, since Valley High's sports teams are all a big joke."
"They are not!" the bully retorted angrily. "Yours are!"
He sped away, still scowling. The others shrugged and continued the ride.
The trail wound through the woods, up and down hills, and past wildflower meadows.
Finally it widened into a big field.
Many people had already stopped their bikes there.
"This must be the first rest stop," Henry said.
There were two stops planned during the ride.
A local restaurant was providing drinks and snacks for all the riders at each stop.
Henry and the others left their bikes in the field and walked up a narrow hiking trail.
It took about five minutes to reach a picnic area near the river.
For the next half hour, everyone rested and enjoyed the snacks and the view.
Henry sat with Cole, Maggie, Nathan, and some other friends.
He noticed William sitting by himself and wondered if he should invite William to sit with them.
Before Henry could decide, William got up and wandered away.
Finally Ms. Hernandez announced that it was time to continue the ride.
But when they got back to the bikes, someone let out a cry of surprise.
"I can't believe this!" Daisy shouted. "Someone slashed our tires!"