Powerslide by Jeff Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

where movie stars live, in a pretend world. He needed this new skater image to help him move beyond his kid-actor status. And he was doing everything he could to get there.
    Jack dropped his phone in a pocket, grabbed his skateboard out of the trunk and ran up the ramp. “How’s it going, Casey?” he said.
    â€œAll right,” I said. I had a flashback of Jack trying to get in Goat’s car, McNaughton driving away and Jack’s humiliation.
    â€œWhere’s Goat?” asked Jack.
    â€œI haven’t seen him since last night, when he tried to knock me off my board, ran away and left us stuck on the side of the road.”
    Jack shrugged. “It’s all part of it, isn’t it?” he asked.
    I frowned. “Getting ditched and left for the police? What is that part of?”
    â€œThe culture, man,” Jack said. “I mean, that really got my heart pumping.” He put his board down and spun it in little circles with his foot. He wasn’t going to try and drop in or anything. Being here was all show.
    The same gray Toyota from the night before pulled into the parking lot, and the same photographer guy stepped out.
    â€œHow does that guy know where you are all the time?” I asked. “Do you tell him or something?”
    Jack looked over at the photographer. “Why would I do that?”
    â€œPublicity?”
    Jack shook his head. “Man, I’m trying to lay low these days, get ready for my next role, that’s all.”
    â€œBut how does he know where you are all the time?” I asked.
    Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. He must be lucky.”
    It didn’t sound like a believable explanation to me, but what did I care? It wasn’t my face being splashed all over the tabloids.
    Goat’s crappy Honda pulled into the lot, and as he approached, I noticed something in his hand. He came up to the ramp and waved it at us. “Yo, what’s up?” he yelled.
    Jack let go of his board. It rolled down the ramp, and he dropped to his knees and slid down after it.
    I dropped in, pulled a single excruciating backside air and skated over to see what Goat had planned.

chapter eleven
    â€œWhat was that all about last night, Goat?” I asked.
    â€œWhat?” he said.
    â€œTaking off on us.”
    â€œThat was McNaughton. He was being a jerk. No hard feelings, right?” Goat said.
    â€œYeah,” I said. “Yeah, hard feelings. We could have been busted.”
    â€œDid Henderson see you?” Goat asked.
    â€œNot dead on. But my clothes, yeah. He could likely identify me,” I said.
    Goat waved the thought away. “What are you getting so angry about? Nothing happened. We had a cool time, right, Jack?”
    â€œYeah,” Jack said. “It was intense.”
    â€œWhere is McNaughton?” I asked. Sara had popped off the ramp and stood beside me.
    â€œHe went with his brother down to LA,” Goat said.
    Of course he did, I thought. He wouldn’t want to face us after what he’d done.
    â€œYou won’t have to worry about him for a week or so,” said Goat. He waved the bundle of papers in his hand at us. “Who cares about McNaughton? Do you want to hear my next idea?”
    â€œWhat next idea?” I asked.
    â€œFor the competition. I mean, you won the first one. I nailed the street course, and we have to call last night in the pool a tie,” Goat said.
    â€œWhy would we call it a tie?” I asked.
    â€œWell, it got interrupted,” Goat said.
    â€œThat’s not the way I see it,” I said.
    â€œOkay, how do you see it, Head Case?”
    â€œI saw you jump off your board well before I laid a foot on the ground. I won,” I said.
    Goat shook his head. “Really? What did you want us to do, keep skating until the police showed? Say, ‘Sorry, officer, we’ll be right with you, right after we finish this little competition’?”
    â€œIf you