The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore Read Free Book Online

we’ll even make it to my house?”
    “ Have a little faith,” he grins at me. “There’s a six-cylinder engine under that hood.”
    “ You lost me.”
    “ Back in the 70s, when it came out, the big selling point was the Gremlin’s got a six-cylinder engine. The Pinto’s only got four.” I watch as he turns the key and then leans forward, listening.
    “ Are you going to pick me up in a Pinto next?”
    “ No way.” He taps the dash. “You’re not listening. This has six cylinders compared to the Pinto’s four!”
    “ Jason, I hate to tell you. Nobody cares.” I lean forward trying to find a place for my bag. This car is ridiculous.
    “ I care. It’s got more power, it’s faster, heavier-”
    “ You’re planning to ram somebody new?”
    “ That was purely accidental. Totaled my old Charger, though. I hated letting that one go. But it was time, I guess.”
    I look out the window and wonder who all’s going to see me in this hooptie. Then I remember what I’ve been waiting to ask him all day.
    “ So how is it you twisted hitting me with your car into saving my life?”
    “ Huh?” he looks confused.
    “ All day long you’ve been going on about saving my life.” I’m holding my hair back against the wind. “How’d you manage that rewrite of history?”
    “ Oh, well, I really did save it.”
    “ Uh huh. Explain.”
    “ I was probably going like 45 miles per hour when I looked up and realized you weren’t moving. If I hadn’t hit the brakes as hard as I could, I’dve probably knocked you into oncoming traffic.”
    “ That’s comforting.” Now I wish my seatbelt had a shoulder strap.
    “ Yeah, it could’ve been bad.”
    I can tell he’s embarrassed, and I look out the open window trying to think of a way to ease the sudden awkwardness in the car.
    “ It would’ve been Bender in the traffic, not me.”
    “ Yeah, who is that guy? Ex-Marine?”
    “ How’d you guess?”
    “ I could tell by the hair and the super-starched clothes,” he says. “We have a lot of those where I’m from.”
    We’re almost at my house when I realize Mom might see me getting out of this strange car and with some strange guy.
    “ Maybe we should stop here,” I say, reaching for my bag.
    “ Why?”
    “ Well, talking to Shelly today, I realized I hadn’t thought through why we were dating all of a sudden.”
    “ After all your efforts with Trent?” He grins at me, and I glance up at his smile, the wind pushing his golden brown hair in his face. Maybe I should go with Shelly’s assumption and let everyone think I decided Jason was cuter. Everyone who doesn’t know me, that is. No, my mind never changes that fast.
    “ And my parents don’t know you, so I’m sure they’ll ask a bunch of questions.” I pull my bag onto my lap. “I don’t like lying to them.”
    “ What about Friday?”
    “ Friday?”
    “ The luau? I’m your date.”
    “ Oh, right. I guess you’re right. Nevermind, then.”
    He keeps driving and stops in front of my house.
    “ Thanks for the ride,” I say, hesitating before I climb out. “Hey, I was just wondering. Why did you move here anyway?”
    He pauses for a moment. “Well, Dad’s from Glennville…” Then he glances down and his voice grows quieter. “After Mom died, he wanted to get closer to home.”
    For a moment I don’t know what to say. That is not that answer I expected. “I’m… sorry.”
    He smiles back at me, but this time there’s less sunshine. “S’okay,” he shrugs. “She had cancer, so we had a lot of time to prepare for it. Say our good-byes and all.”
    “ Still… I guess…” As I struggle for the right words, I imagine losing Pocahontas and my chest gets tight. “That must’ve been hard.”
    “ Yeah. It’s been fifteen months, but Dad and I are bouncing back.” Jason tries another smile, but I’m still not convinced.
    I pull the handle to get out. The door creaks and makes that popping sound again. There’s no way I’m hiding