Wheels

By Mary Winkelmann

Wheels Summary

Affectionately called Wheels because hes in a wheelchair, the main character is in his final year of high school and should be graduating, but his marks leave that in doubt. He avoids unpleasant things but that makes problems worse. Wheels attracts equally apathetic friends. His outgoing personality (and the fact that he soon turns the legal age to buy smokes and liquor for them) make him popular.
He realizes that he will probably be back next year, but he doesnt care. A teacher lectures him about his unfinished assignments, wasted year, and ability to do better. Wheels becomes so angry that he decides to get even by making the class hell for her. That results in frequent visits to the principals office and Wheels becoming even more angry. The sudden death of a friend shakes him up. He realizes life is too short to waste it in school another year.
He and a friend decide on a final effort to do a project that could get them a pass to graduate. They want to pimp out Wheelss electric wheelchair and finally do convince their teacher to let them try it. They enthusiastically fit the chair with custom lights, wheels, etc. The wheelchair is stolen, and though recovered, it is stripped. They are upset but turn that anger into fixing the chair and hoping to graduate. The final scene is graduation as the graduates are introduced. Have Wheels and his friend made it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466955592

Mary Winkelmann

Mary Winkelmann grew up on Canada’s East Coast where storytelling was a regular part of life. She attended one of the last one-room schools for elementary school and there discovered the power of descriptive words. Winkelmann began writing for fun and, through the years, added photography to journalism for local papers. Winkelmann draws on her experience with special needs students to bring Wheels to life.

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© Copyright 2012 Mary Winkelmann.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-5560-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-5559-2 (e)

Trafford rev. 08/29/2012

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 1

A GRAY SNOW CLOUD hung over Wild Rose High School. Wheels pulled his jacket collar up. The wind ran its cold tentacles through the hair of the teens huddled in the circle. But the two boys in the middle didn’t seem to feel the cold. As Wheels came closer, the crowd’s chanting grew louder: Fight! Fight! Fight! At the edge of the group someone was taking bets.

Through the crowd Wheels could see fists flying in the middle of the ring. The one boy’s baggy blue jeans sagged dangerously low. As long as his boxers stay up, he’s all right, thought Wheels. The other boy swung hard but his fist was blocked. Knuckles bled. Wheels drove his power wheelchair nearer for a better view.

Hey, Erik, who’s fightin’? he yelled over the crowd.

Oh, Wheels. It’s just Shawn and Walters. Shawn’s gonna get the snot beat outta him.

Shawn gets ticked too easy, said Wheels, shifting uncomfortably in his wheelchair.

On school records his name was James William Ryder, but his friends called him Wheels. He was born too early, but fought for his life. Nothing came easily to him. His legs wouldn’t let him walk, but he crawled fast. Opening a door or taking a shower was hard to do. Yet Wheels didn’t take help from anybody—unless it was to his advantage. Sometimes he used the line, Help the cripple. Got any spare change? when he wanted to mooch coins for the pop machine.

This fight sure isn’t like the UFC, thought Wheels. It’s more like Keep Away. Getting hit hurts, but so do your bare fists when you whack a guy.

What was it this time?" asked Wheels

The fight? said Erik. Who knows? Probably some girl.

Wheels always pictured Erik as a perfect Viking. He could just see his stocky body in armour with a horned helmet on his head. When he stood up, he was like a concrete wall—solid and unmovable. No one messed with him. Luckily, he was good-natured.

The crowd huddled closer. The fighters’ warm breath chugged into the cold air. Shawn’s lip swelled. He grabbed at Walters as they rolled on the ground. It was ugly, and reminded Wheels of when his cat got into fights.

C’mon! Give it to him, Shawn! yelled some of the kids.

Jeff! Go Jeff! screamed others.

Shawn, on top, yanked Jeff’s hoodie over his eyes, trying to pin him to the ground. One of Jeff’s buddies joined in pulling Shawn off. This could become a bench-clearing hockey brawl. The crowd yelled and jostled.

Wheels shot from out of the crowd. With grass and snow spinning from his tires, he aimed like a battering ram straight for Jeff’s helper. He held the joystick of his power chair at full forward.

Thwack! The chair got Jeff’s buddy in the back of the knees. He fell like a tree, backwards into Wheels’ lap.

Principal! Scatter!

Kids ran in all directions. In seconds everyone vanished as if beamed up by a UFO. Except Wheels, who was still making his getaway when he heard his name.

Mr. Ryder, what class are you supposed to be in? I doubt it’s Outdoor Ed.

Wheels turned. Oh, Mr. Jones… I, ah, just lost track of time.

And I don’t suppose you know anything about a fight that was going on out here?

Fight?

"Don’t play dumb with me. You’re already in trouble for skipping class yesterday. I’ll see you in my office