Tandem

Two mismatched kids must build and race a tandem bicycle together for their town's charity relay. They clash constantly, but to win they have to learn to trust each other and pedal as one.

The town of Maple Hollow was getting ready for the biggest day of the summer: the Charity Relay Race. Every year, teams of two raced their bikes all the way around Loon Lake to raise money for the children's hospital. This year, there was a brand-new rule. Each team had to ride a TANDEM bicycle. One long bike. Two seats. Two riders. One team.

That was how Priya Sharma ended up standing in a dusty garage next to a boy she barely knew. Priya was the kind of kid who triple-checked her homework, color-coded her sock drawer, and never, ever crossed the street without looking both ways twice. Her notebook was full of neat little checklists.

'You must be my partner,' said the boy, grinning. He had grass stains on his knees and a helmet covered in stickers. 'I'm Dax. I once jumped my bike over three trash cans. Well, two and a half. The third one's a long story.'

Priya swallowed hard. 'I'm Priya,' she said. 'I, um, made a building schedule. With color-coded tabs.' Dax just stared at the tabs like they were from another planet. This, Priya thought, is going to be a disaster.