The Trail Rules

By Melanie Hooyenga

Junior year’s looking up for sixteen-year old Mike. Her new BFF isn’t a sadistic control freak, her boyfriend adores her, and she’s learning to bike in the mountains without decapitating herself on a tree.

Well, almost.

When she meets a group of riders who welcome her into their pack, she feels like she’s finally found where she belongs. One particular rider—a boy with an amazing smile and an even more amazing ability to see what she’s truly capable of—gives her the confidence to go after what she wants: her own life with her own rules.

There’s only one problem—he’s not her boyfriend.

Just as things seem to be falling into place, her parents put on the pressure to figure out her future—one that doesn’t include riding. Mike soon realizes that having everything isn’t that great when she’s not the one choosing it. She needs to decide if she’s going to continue to be a follower or step out of the shadows and find her own trail.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melanie Hooyenga
• Release date: Mar 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370744206

Melanie Hooyenga

Multi-award winning young adult author Melanie Hooyenga writes books about strong girls who learn to navigate life despite its challenges. She first started writing as a teenager and finds she still relates best to that age group.Her award-winning YA sports romance series, The Rules Series, is about girls from Colorado falling in love and learning to stand up on their own. Her YA time travel trilogy, The Flicker Effect, is about a teen who uses sunlight to travel back to yesterday. The first book, Flicker, won first place for Middle Grade/Young Adult in the Writer’s Digest 2015 Self-Published eBook awards, and The Rules Series has won ten awards, including Finalist for MG/YA in the 2019 BookLife Prize. The first book in her new series, Chasing the Sun, won gold for young adult general fiction in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was named one of the Best Indie eBooks of 2020 by Barnes & Noble Press.When not writing books, you can find her wrangling her Miniature Schnauzer Gus and playing every sport imaginable with her husband Jeremy.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Mike, you’ve got this! Evan’s waiting at the bottom of the trail. I can’t actually see him, but I know he’s there because I watched him ease his mountain bike down the path barely wide enough to fit his body like he was strolling down the sidewalk in front of his house. I adjust my grip on the handlebars. My arms are too stiff—he’s told me that a hundred times—but you try to relax when you’re facing a twenty degree incline with nothing but a plastic helmet and a few scraps of spandex to break your fall. With one final squeeze to test my brakes, I take a deep breath and let gravity carry me down the trail.

A girlish shriek pierces the air. I’d be embarrassed except I am a girl—Mike is short for Mikayla—and I’m more worried about staying on my bike and not decapitating myself on a tree branch than anything as silly as my pride.

My front tire winds its way down the path and I focus on staying upright. On staying on the path, where the trees are sort of cleared away. A rock catches my back tire and my center of gravity shifts, but I’m moving fast enough that it doesn’t topple me over.

Deep breath. You’ve got this.

The dirt on the next turn is churned up—Evan keeps telling me it’s called loam or something, but whatever—and I tighten my grip. The ground hardens as the path straightens, but the danger isn’t over yet. A root snakes into the clearing up ahead and if my wheel isn’t perfectly straight I’ll be up close and personal with that cypress in two seconds. I squeeze the brakes as the root nears and yank up on the handlebars like Evan taught me. The front wheel clears the ground and a smile breaks over my face.

Yes! Evan shouts from the bottom of the trail. You show that root who’s boss!

A giggle escapes me but I don’t look up. Wiping out at the bottom is not an option. I guide the bike through the final turn and come to a shuddering stop next to Evan. My arms and legs are rubbery and I collapse against the handlebars.

That was your best run yet. Evan’s voice is close to my ear. I turn my head and startle for the millionth time at how bright his green eyes are and how beautifully they contrast with his dark skin. A smear of dirt on his cheek only makes him look better. He’s half a head taller than me and I fit perfectly into the space beneath his arm—when I’m not wearing a helmet.

I push a loose piece of hair out of my eyes and look up at Evan. I don’t know how I let you talk me into this.

Because you can’t resist me. His lips curl into a smile that lights up his eyes, but rather than kissing me like I deserve after tackling that hill, he tucks my hair under the strap of my helmet. Ready to go again? We can fit in a couple more sessions before it gets too dark.

I glance up the trail and scowl at the cypress that almost jacked my run. Part of me wants to be done and relax on the tailgate of Evan’s SUV while the sun sets before we head to Austin’s party, but another part—a newer part that I’m still learning to appreciate—wants to get this right. One more.

Two. It’s neither question nor command. More like a challenge. Like he can sense the old Mike battling with this new girl who stands up for herself and doesn’t take crap from anyone.

Well, I’m still working on that part.

One and a half? I flutter my eyelashes at him and he closes his eyes in an attempt to resist my charms, a smile playing on his lips.

It doesn’t work.

His eyes open and lock onto mine. One it is.

I stand on tip-toes to press a quick kiss against his full lips, then fling my leg over my bike and give him a nod.

He leads me along an easier route that winds uphill to the top of the trail I just barreled through. It’s marked as a green—they’re labeled the same way as ski slopes—and I can’t imagine what blues or blacks look like. I’d love to try going back up the way we just came but Evan doesn’t think I’m ready.

My thighs burn as I force the pedals down, down, down. We’re in granny gear and going so slow I could walk faster, but as Evan likes to point out, that’s cheating. Everything about mountain biking is challenging. Going up is brutal because it takes all your leg power to keep moving. Going down is a lesson in willpower overcoming the sheer terror that you’ll lose your grip and smack into a tree, or you won’t turn fast enough and smack into a tree, or you’ll hit an obstacle like a tree root or rock and—you guessed it—smack into a tree. I’m also afraid of breaking my arm falling on a rock, but right now the trees are my biggest concern.

We stop in a small clearing that’s semi-level and Evan faces an opening in the trees to take in the view. The parking lot looks tiny down below, and miles beyond that sits Boulder and the smaller town of Louisville, where we live. It’s crazy to think my whole world is right in front of us. The drama and everyday problems that seem so big and threaten to overwhelm me can disappear in a blink. I close my eyes and they’re gone. Open them, and they’re still far enough away that I can push them aside—for now. But in two more days my biggest problem will be back: it’s the first day of junior year and I’ll have to face Brianna for the first time in months.

Evan faces me. Ready?

Last one, right?

He touches my arm. Yeah. We should probably head back if we’re gonna make the party.

No sunset lounging for us. It’s Austin’s end-of-the-summer bash and I’ve never missed one. A twinge of sadness catches in my throat. Our group has changed so much since last year—the Snow Bunnies and Moguls are disbanded and Reece, Evan’s best friend, is dead. I’m not sure what to expect tonight.

Evan peers at me from beneath his helmet. You okay? We can take this one slow if you’re tired.

I run my hands over my thighs. They’re aching, but it’s a pain I’ve learned to appreciate. I smile. I don’t think it’s possible to go slower than I already do.

He fiddles with his gears and laughs. Mike-speed coming up. He mounts his bike and pushes off, moving as slowly as we were during the climb.

I take a deep breath to steady myself, then plunge into the trees behind him.

Chapter 2

Evan parks behind a beat-up orange Jeep and I exhale. Cally and Blake are already here. I shouldn’t be nervous. A year ago I was at the top of the social hierarchy. People cleared a path for us wherever we went—well, they cleared a path for Brianna and as her BFF, I benefitted from her status—and while I wasn’t always comfortable with how she treated people, I never doubted where I stood. But all that changed when Cally convinced me to stand up to Brianna and Kenzie—even though Cally took the brunt of their abuse for me, including getting elbowed and tripped in the hall, ending with a bloody lip and suspension for Brianna. I broke free from Bri’s clutches and the ridiculousness that was the Snow Bunnies, but now it’s like I’m walking on mushy dirt and can’t find my footing.

Evan’s waiting for me next to the Jeep. I move to his side and he slips his hand into mine. The best part of the Brivolution, as Cally calls it, is Evan and I are back together. He hates Bri and her BS and broke up with me because I wouldn’t stand up to her. When I finally found my backbone, he was waiting.

Music drifts down the long driveway as we approach the stone house. Light spills from every window, but we skip the front door and follow a brick path that winds to the backyard. Strings of paper lights frame a massive deck filled with kids from school, who are laughing and sipping from red plastic cups, living in the moment, not worrying about the first day of school that’s less than thirty-six hours away.

I let Evan lead me through the bodies to a long table covered with soda and fancy sparkling waters and grab a berry-flavored water. Do you see Cally or Blake? I ask Evan.

He shakes his head. I didn’t know there were this many kids at our school.

And you know not everyone’s here, I say. He tilts his head, trying to decipher my meaning, but I could mean so many people. Brianna—who Austin swore he’s officially done with so there’s no risk of her being here—and there are a lot of kids who Austin would never consider inviting to his house. Things have gotten a little better since the blow-out, but change doesn’t happen overnight.

The crowd parts and a blond girl in a pink tank top catches my attention. For a second everything freezes. My breath stops and I grip my water so tightly a little spills out of the top. Then she turns and I relax. It’s not Brianna. Of course it’s not.

I wish I wasn’t so scared to see her.

Evan doesn’t notice my momentary freak-out. He peers over the people on the deck to a smaller group in the yard and smiles. Over there.

We push our way off the deck and cross the cool grass to a ring of chairs near a fire pit. Cally’s sitting in Blake’s lap, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other holding the same water as mine. I move to her side and bump my hip against her arm. She looks up from Blake and a smile brightens her face. When Cally moved here last winter she joked that everyone here’s so good-looking that it’s like a school for models, but she fits right in. And unlike Brianna, she doesn’t act like she knows it. Cally’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met—and I’m not just saying that because she changed my life. She’s been through her own crap but doesn’t let it slow her down.

Evan slips an arm around my waist. So where’s our host?

Blake nods his head at the back of the house. Somewhere in there. News about him and Bri breaking up spread fast.

Cally laughs. Poor guy. Good thing he has so many girls ready to mend his broken heart.

Blake’s smile fades and he gives her a serious look, like they’re the only ones here. Their relationship didn’t start off the best and it almost didn’t happen—but they got through it and now they’re that couple you both love and hate because everything seems so perfect.

I’m not saying I hate her. Or that I’m jealous. But I can see why others might.

Cally breaks Blake’s gaze and shifts so she’s facing me. You ready for Monday?

She’s the only one who knows how nervous I am. It’s stupid to miss a tradition when you hate the ringleader, but that’s where I am. I take a sip of water. Almost.

She pokes my arm. It’ll be okay.

It sucks we don’t have lunch together.

Her smile fades. You couldn’t get it switched?

I shake my head. I believe Miss Mott’s words were ‘if I made changes for every student who came in here crying because they don’t get to eat with their best friend, I’d never get anything done.’

Cally’s eyes light up when I say ‘best friend.’ She’s got a best friend, Sophia, back in Vermont where she used to live, who visited over the summer. I loved her instantly, but she’s very different from Cally—more like Bri, minus the bitch factor—and I’ve wondered how long they’ll stay close since they live so far apart.

Blake, you ready for practice? Evan asks. His smile doesn’t look as natural as it did a moment ago, and I wonder if snowboarding will ever be the same for him.

Blake doesn’t notice. Official practice starts in a couple weeks, but I started conditioning last week. Mostly speed and strength drills for now. He smiles. And tryouts are this week.

I know, Evan says, his gaze drifting away.

You have to try out, I say.

You’ll make it, no problem. Blake straightens as he talks and Cally pushes off his lap.

She catches my eye. Want to wander?

Part of me wants to stay with Evan to make sure he’s okay, but I can’t be with him twenty-four seven. And maybe talking to Blake will remind him how much he’s always wanted to be on the team. I press a kiss to Evan’s cheek. We’ll be back.

He runs his hand down my arm and I follow Cally across the lush grass to the other side of the house. It’s quieter than on the deck, but not as cozy as it’d been near the fire. Couples are scattered around the yard in various degrees of making out and I glance back at Evan. He’s sitting on the ground near Blake, talking with his hands. That’s a good sign.

Cally plops onto the ground and waits until I do the same before speaking. Spill.

I take a sip of water and slowly twist the cap back on. It’s amazing that in six months Cally’s learned more about me than Brianna did in four years. She knows something’s bothering me, and she knows I’m stalling.

Did something happen with Evan?

My gaze flicks back to him. No…

She folds her legs in front of her and leans back on her hands. You tease me about being joined at the hip with Blake, but you two— she pauses. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but you’re very in tune with each other. It’s like if something’s bothering one of you, the other is upset.

I already knew that about us, but it’s nice to hear that she’s noticed it, too.

As soon as boarding came up, it’s like a light went off in Evan. And you kind of crumpled in on yourself, too.

He’s still having a hard time with Reece’s death. He didn’t go out again after the Dash, even though he was talking about trying out for the team, and as tryouts get closer he seems almost afraid to go up there.

You don’t think you can coax him? You were hurt that day, too. I’m surprised you’re not afraid to ski.

A laugh escapes me. I’m surprised too. The doctor said I’m fine to ski again, plus it’s not like I’m flipping through the air like you. We fall silent, lost in the memories of that day last March. Cally had convinced me to try a black diamond—a much more challenging run than my typical blues—and halfway down, an avalanche struck. We didn’t know at the time that we weren’t in danger and we raced out of there like our lives depended on it. Until I fell and broke my leg and Cally had to practically carry me off the mountain. My leg healed, but Evan’s best friend Reece was one of twelve people who were trapped in the avalanche and one of three who died. Evan stayed at the base of the mountain, waiting for Reece, until long after the sun set and it’s like there’s been a piece of him missing ever since.

A lump forms in my throat and I wipe at the tears that burn my eyes. That was also the day Evan and I got back together. He’s been more protective of me this time around, but how can I fault him for that?

Is that all that’s bothering you?

I shake my head, letting my hair fall in my face.

Cally’s voice softens. She doesn’t matter anymore.

A twinge of guilt pricks my heart. Bri may be a raging bitch, but she was my best friend and as much as I hate to admit it, I miss the little things from our friendship. Cally never got to see that side of her because Brianna was threatened by her from the day she arrived at Monarch High, but I know there’s a soft side to her, even if it’s buried beneath layers of dirty looks and expensive clothes.

Cally leans her shoulder against mine. Hey.

I look up, embarrassed by the tears that shine in my eyes for the second time in a few minutes. I didn’t expect to miss her. We had all these silly traditions for the first day of school and this is the first time I won’t be doing them.

Would it help if we wore matching outfits? A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, like she’s unsure if she should make a joke.

I roll my eyes and a laugh escapes me. No! God, no. I do not miss her obsession with the coordinated outfits. I grab Cally’s arm. Do you know how excited I am to wear something other than that stupid blue ski suit this year? Brianna insisted we wear the same outfits, just in different colors. Pink for her, orange for Kenzie, and neon blue for me. Cally joked we looked like an 80s travel ad.

But how will I find you? Cally teases, and I smack her arm. Seriously, though. As much as I don’t like her, I know you have a history. I’m sorry if I sometimes forget that.

Sometimes I wish I could forget, I whisper.

We fall silent, but that silence doesn’t last long because a loud whoop erupts on the deck and Austin hurdles the steps to the grass. In moments he’s at Evan’s side and they’re doing the one-armed guy hug thing. He nods at Blake and the three of them start laughing at something Austin said.

What would Bri think of that? Cally asks. Two Moguls and a Ski Bum talking at a party. It sounds like the start to a bad joke.

I smile, but my heart’s not in it. Instead, I’m reminded that me leaving the Snow Bunnies started the crack in Brianna’s world, ending with Austin dumping her for good.

Cally grabs my hand. Let’s go see what they’re so excited about. She drags me across the yard and we join the guys as they raise their plastic cups.

Austin’s normally booming voice is soft and his eyes lift to the sky. It’s not the same without you.

Blake and Evan shake their heads, and I move closer to Evan. He slides an arm around my waist and pulls me close, his other arm still holding his cup in the air. We miss you, Reece.

No one speaks for a moment and I’m beginning to think this is turning into the world’s most depressing party, when Austin cracks a smile.

Reece would tell us we’re being a bunch of pussies.

Evan snorts. He’d be right.

Cally tucks herself against Blake. She barely got to know Reece but she’s no stranger to loss. Her mom died when she was little and sometimes I forget it’s been eight years from the way it still affects her. Blake runs his hand down her arm. His little brother died when we were in middle school, a couple years after I moved here. Brianna was there the day it happened and I’ve always felt like she left something out when she told me the story.

Blake reaches forward and toasts Austin’s cup. So what would Reece want us to do?

A mischievous smile lights up Austin’s face. Talk to girls? He eyes each one of us with a raised eyebrow. And since I’m the only single one here, I’m going back in. He lifts his cup once more then jogs to the deck and pushes his way into the center of the crowd of dancers, taking his enthusiasm with him.

Evan sinks into one of the chairs and pulls me into his lap. I open my mouth to share a memory about Reece but his lips are on mine before I can speak. My eyes close and my arms drift around his neck. His arms circle my waist, one hand slipping beneath the hem of my shirt. My breath catches as it always does. We’ve been a lot more naked than this—well, not completely naked, but close—but I still thrill at his touch. His lips part and the kiss deepens and everything else falls away. The sounds from the party, Cally and Blake in the next chair, and my worries about Monday are pushed away as Evan pulls me closer. I wish I could stay in this moment forever, beneath the stars with the fire crackling nearby.

Evan breaks the kiss and his mouth moves to my ear. I love you, he whispers, tickling my skin.

I love you, too, I whisper back.

If only that were enough.

Chapter 3

By ten the next morning, I’m back in Evan’s SUV, our bikes strapped to the rack, and I’m doing my best to leave my nerves about tomorrow at home. My mood doesn’t get past Evan.

You okay? He reaches across the center console and slips his fingers between mine. You’ve been quiet since last night.

To say Evan hates Brianna would be an understatement. My friendship with her is what broke us up last winter and if he knew I was wasting energy thinking about her, he… I don’t know. I know I should be honest with him but part of me is afraid of what he’ll think—that he’ll somehow think less of me if he knew I missed her.

We slow for a red light and he faces me. Hey, talk to me.

I pull my hand from his and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. It’s stupid.

If it’s bothering you this much, it’s not stupid.

I meet his gaze and my insides relax. This is Evan. He isn’t going to judge me. Tomorrow is my first first day without Brianna and I know I’m better off without her—I do, really—but part of me misses our silly traditions. I know I can get my own latte and wear something special, but it’s not the same.

The light turns green and his focus returns to the road. He’s quiet for a moment, then it stretches into a minute. His fingers flex on the steering wheel, and when he finally speaks, his voice is hoarse. You’re right. It’s not the same.

It takes me a second, then his meaning hits me in the gut. Reece. I’m whining about not being friends with someone who treated me like crap and his best friend is dead. His first day will be infinitely worse than mine. I grab his hand. Evan, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking—

It’s okay. It’s just— he shakes his head. Just when I think I’m moving on, that I’m getting over it, something like this comes up and it’s like I’m losing him all over again.

I rub the back of his hand with my thumb. Aside from Reece, I don’t know anyone who’s died. I don’t have advice to get through this. All I can do is be here for him.

He squeezes my hand. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.

My heart races, but my smile falters. You won’t. Even as I say the words, I wonder if I can live up to that promise.

When we arrive at the parking lot near the trail head, the mood is still somber. Evan twists in his seat to face me. I know what we’re dealing with isn’t the same, but I get that this is hard for you. Just because I think she’s a total B doesn’t mean you can’t miss her. He drops his gaze for a moment, and when he looks up a smile touches his lips. As long as you don’t go back to being a Bunny.

Go back? I didn’t think that was an option. I lean toward him and brush my lips over his. Why would I ever go back?

He moves his hand to my cheek and cradles my face. He kisses me once more, just enough to make me want to forget riding and stay in the car, but then he pulls away.