Moment of Truth - Kasie West Page 0,57
to the drawing board, I guess.”
I sidestepped out of the row, Amelia stage-whispering to me the whole time to stay.
That guy on stage thought I knew him? That’s what he’d said in our chats. Was he about to profess his love to me up there? I couldn’t let that happen. Once I was clear of the seats, I ran out the back door and to Amelia’s car, where I leaned against the bumper and waited for things to make sense or for me to be magically transported out of the parking lot to save me from the humiliation that I was sure was about to occur.
Twenty-Seven
I thought Amelia would come out first to find me, or the masked man, but it was Jackson.
“Hey, Moore. Everything okay?” He slid his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him.
I had never asked him. I’d asked a lot of people if they knew who Heath Hall was, but it occurred to me that I’d never asked him. Why hadn’t I just asked him to save myself from this humiliation? He would’ve told me. He liked me. “You know. Who was that in there on the stage? Who is Heath Hall?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
I pushed away from him, hurt. “You too?” I stood and paced. “Is this all just some big joke to you? Let’s make Hadley look like a fool for fun because my life is only about discovering the ultimate prank? I just want to go home. Why don’t I have a car so I can go home?”
“Because your brother owns your car, and you’re too afraid to confront your parents about it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t throw my secrets at me when you won’t tell me yours.”
He pressed his palms to his temples, then pointed back at the theater. “I can’t tell you his secret. That’s not mine to tell. Why do you care who he is anyway?”
“Because . . .” I wanted to know who I’d been talking to for the last month, who I’d told things to, who apparently liked me.
“Great reason,” he mumbled.
“I owe you nothing.”
His expression flattened in obvious hurt.
“I’m going home.” I marched back to the theater and found Amelia. The stage was now empty, but people were visiting around the room. Amelia and DJ were still linked by their hands. When had that happened anyway? She’d actually done it, was dating her unattainable crush.
“You should’ve seen that,” Amelia said when I was at her side. “He just told everyone he was gay. He said that saying it out loud with the mask on would give him the courage to do it without the mask soon.”
I stared at the empty stage, confused. Heath Hall didn’t like me? So what did he mean the day before in our chat when he said everyone noticed me? Amelia was staring at me now, concerned. “That’s cool,” I managed to say. And it was cool. I was proud of him.
“It was so inspiring.” Her brain was making some jumps too. “I guess that’s another clue for us.”
“Can you take me home?”
“What? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I just want to go home.”
Amelia tugged on DJ’s arm. “Sorry. We’ll have to meet up another night.”
“You can go out with DJ. I don’t need you with me. Can you just drop me off?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m going to sleep.”
The whole way home Amelia kept asking me over and over if I wanted her to stay with me. Over and over I assured her that I didn’t.
As we turned onto my street, I asked, “When? You and DJ?” Apparently, I couldn’t speak in complete sentences anymore.
“In the course of me trying to find out if he was Heath Hall yesterday and today.”
“DJ wasn’t on your list!” I said, shocked.
“He wasn’t at first, but then I remembered he was at the pool the first time you saw Heath Hall and he was at the museum that night but we had left him. Then at the bungee jump he had completely disappeared.”
“So you thought it might be him?”
“I did at first, but not after we talked a couple times.”
“Oh. Good.”
“Are you good? Because I can stay.” She stopped in front of my house.
“You will drive me nuts if you stay. You know where the spare key is. Let yourself in later. I’ll be asleep.”
“You’re the best friend ever.”
“I know.”
My plan when I went inside was not to look online. To do just what I said I was