1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 33
The bracelet was heavy and solid in her hand. Crash
bracelets had to have metal inside, because they worked on
magnets, the way the boards did. Whenever Tally’s feet
slipped, the bracelets got all hovery and caught her fall, like
some friendly giant plucking her from danger and swinging
her to a halt.
By her wrists. Again.
Tally pulled the other bracelet off and rubbed.
“Don’t give up. You almost made it!”
Tally’s board cruised back on its own, nuzzling at her
ankles like an apologetic dog. She crossed her arms and
rubbed her shoulders. “I almost got snapped in two, you
mean.”
“Never happens. I’ve spilled more times than a glass of
milk on a roller coaster.”
“On a what?”
“Never mind. Come on, one more try.”
Tally sighed. It wasn’t just her wrists. Her knees ached
from banking hard, whipping through turns so quickly that
her body seemed to weigh a ton. Shay called that “high
gravity,” which happened every time a fast-moving object
changed direction.
“Hoverboarding looks so fun, like being a bird. But
actually doing it is hard work.”
Shay shrugged. “Being a bird’s probably hard work too.
Flapping your wings all day, you know?”
“Maybe. Does it get any better?”