Arctic Thunder by Robert Feagan Page B

likely considered a bit of a nerd by everyone else in Inuvik, but he liked the guy already.
    â€œThat’s pretty crappy about Joseph,” Mike said. “If my parents broke up, I don’t know what I’d do. It’s hard to even think about.”
    Donnie was about to say something when the bell rang harshly, making both boys jump.
    Grabbing the rest of his books, Mike said, “Hey, Donnie, it was great to meet you.”
    Donnie nodded, his eyes reaching a new record for big and wide. “Maybe we could do something after school?”
    Mike was already hurrying down the hall. “Yeah, that sounds good,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll find you later.” Reaching the end of the hall, he quickly darted around the corner.

CHAPTER 7
    T he rest of the school day was pretty ordinary. No more Joseph Kiktorak or Gwen Thrasher. No more embarrassing moments. Mike managed to sit through classes quietly after brief introductions, then slipped out before anyone had a chance to confront him. He also succeeded in keeping his head up and didn’t run into any new problems along the way.
    When the final buzzer rang, Mike considered searching for Donnie but quickly changed his mind. He was standing by the front doors, trying to decide what to do when someone slammed into his shoulder. His first reaction was to say he was sorry to whoever it was, even though the collision hadn’t been his fault. Then he saw Gwen angrily glancing over her shoulder as she bulled through the doors. How could someone so pretty be so bitter about everything? Mike wondered.
    He took that as a sign and decided not to push his luck by waiting to see if Donnie wandered by. Mike had survived his first day … barely. As he walked home, the big moon boots on his feet crunched loudly on the snow, and his breath floated in front of him before trailing around the sides of his head.
    One day. Two enemies. One kind of friend. Nice teacher. No homework. Pretty sizable accomplishments for a first day. A lifetime in St. Albert hadn’t resulted in a single enemy, so two in one day had to be some kind of world record. And Donnie, well, he seemed pretty nice, but Mike remembered someone saying that the first person you met in a new place was usually a misfit or a nerd supreme. He was fairly certain Donnie met both of those descriptions. But he still liked the guy. Every time those huge eyes almost burst out of their sockets behind those thick glasses, Mike couldn’t help but smile with real fondness for the kid.
    When Mike reached his new home, he spied his father getting into an RCMP pickup. Then he caught sight of the two snowmobiles sitting on the driveway.
    â€œHey!” Mike greeted his father.
    â€œHey, yourself.” When Ben noticed Mike grinning at the snowmobiles, he added, “Maybe we can take them out for a spin in a couple of weeks.”
    â€œA couple of weeks! That long?”
    â€œLook, Mike, they have to be insured and licensed before we can run them in town. That takes time, and being new here means I have heaps of work to do. Speaking of which, I have to get going.” He started to pull out of the driveway. “I’ll see you at supper.”
    Mike sat down heavily on the snowmobile closest to him. It was a Yamaha, while the other one was a bright blue Polaris. The Yamaha had a long body and looked like a working machine. The sleeker Polaris had white racing stripes on its sides.
    â€œThe Polaris will be fast for sure.”
    Mike glanced up and spotted Victor Allen standing in the nearby police yard. “Hi, Mr. Allen. It does look pretty fast.”
    â€œThey’re both nice machines. The Yamaha has a long track and will be excellent for pulling a sled. The Polaris, though, will be fast and fun to drive.”
    Mike tried to smile, but he was still unhappy about having to wait so long to try out the snowmobiles.
    â€œYou know, I have a Polaris pretty much the same as