Moment of Truth - Kasie West Page 0,59

high. Several feet off the ground. And it didn’t have a ramp or anything. If I got the truck started, would I be able to drive it off without damaging it? And how would I get it back up before my parents got home?

It wasn’t going to start, so none of this mattered. I took a deep breath, opened the driver’s-side door, and climbed inside. That wasn’t too hard. I unzipped the backpack and pulled out the mask of Heath Hall. “There’s no way I’m wearing you, dude, but you can have a front row seat for the action.” I propped the mask up on the dash. It was about the spirit of the challenge, not actually having to wear the mask, right?

“Okay, Moore,” I said to myself, “just put the key in and turn.” My hands were shaking more than those of the museum Heath Hall that night. I couldn’t even still mine enough to insert the key in the ignition. I took several deep breaths. Finally, the key slid in. I pressed on the brake and turned the key. The engine sputtered but then caught. My heart doubled in speed. No. It wasn’t supposed to start. I hit the wheel. I really hated this truck.

There was no way I could drive it. “Why?” I asked, playing the other side of an argument against myself that I didn’t want to have. “Because they’ll know,” I answered.

Wasn’t that the point? The point of facing my fear, of coming out of the past? But no, it wasn’t about my parents. It was about me facing my brother. I could drive the truck and put it back. My dad had to have some ramps in the garage. How else would he have gotten it up here in the first place? Yes, that’s what I’d do.

I turned off the ignition and my heart immediately calmed. A check of the garage found exactly what I was looking for. Two rusty ramps. I dragged them out of their corner and across the lawn, wiping spiderwebs and dust off my jeans as I did. When I made it back to the truck, I plopped them down with a deep breath. Now I wouldn’t damage the truck by driving it off.

I lined up one ramp in front of each of the front wheels and then returned to the cab of the truck. Maybe it wouldn’t start now. No such luck. The hum of the engine vibrated through my legs and back. I almost turned it off again. I couldn’t do this. Heath Hall stared at me from the dash, daring me to, reminding me of how many fears he’d successfully faced in the past. “I don’t need you judging me, Heath.” I was stalling. I was chickening out. “Okay, stupid feather, give me some power.” I grabbed the mask and pulled it on.

Twenty-Eight

It was hot in the mask, my breath making it stuffy. Plus, the eyeholes weren’t very big. It was hard to see out. I tugged at the neck to readjust it on my face, which helped a little with my vision. My parents were going to kill me if they found out. They were going to see that I was irresponsible and selfish. They were going to wish him back all over again.

“No. I will not compete with you anymore, Eric.”

Besides, I wasn’t doing this. Heath Hall was. I laughed at my own thoughts, knowing my fear had officially taken over.

Don’t analyze, just drive, I told myself. I pushed on the gas and the truck lurched forward. The ramps were a little lower than the platform and the truck dropped a few inches before easing down. My stomach dropped even further. But then I was off the platform and on the street and my nerves seemed to settle. I was still hot and couldn’t breathe, so I ripped the mask off and propped it back on the dash. “You did your job, Heath Hall. Thank you.”

I was two blocks away from my house before I began to wonder how long this drive had to last. The shock of the entire night had started to wear off, and I was left with the memory of how I had been so mean to Jackson. I’d told him I owed him nothing. He had just been trying to protect someone’s privacy. An apology was in order.

I found myself driving to Norman’s because a good apology is always accompanied by a bribe. It wasn’t until I was waiting for