Free Powerslide by Jeff Ross

lips were quivering, and his eyes were glassy. I grabbed his arm and threw it over my shoulder.
    â€œJack,” I said. “Get the other side.” Jack got under Goat’s other arm and we slowly raised Goat up again. He immediately sagged forward, causing us to stumble a couple of steps and fall. Goat screamed as his injured wrist and leg hit the ground.
    â€œIt’s not going to work, Casey,” Jack said. “He’s too tall, and he can’t hold himself up.” I looked around for something to help us and grabbed my long board.
    â€œHere,” I said, crouching down beside Jack. “Hold the other end of this. Goat can sit on it.”
    Jack grabbed the board, and we helped Goat slide onto it.
    â€œPut your arms around our necks, Goat. All right. Now, Jack, get up slowly,” I said once Goat was settled in the middle of the deck. Goat was heavy, and holding the board was awkward. “Good,” I said. “All right. One step at a time.”
    It was going to be a very, very long walk.

chapter sixteen
    We had no idea how long a walk it was to the base of the mountain. It felt as though we were walking endlessly over the same ground. Luckily we had the slope of the hill to guide us. Otherwise we would have ended up walking in circles.
    Goat groaned occasionally but was mostly silent. His weight became more and more difficult to manage. Every ten minutes we had to set the board on the ground and rest. I rubbed my knee, which was feeling worse from bearing Goat’s weight.
    â€œThis is going to take forever,” Jack said. “Maybe one of us should go get help and come back.”
    â€œHow would we do that, Jack? Leave a trail of bread crumbs? It’s dark, and there’s no way to know where we are.”
    â€œI don’t know. It’s not like I’ve ever been in a situation like this before.” Goat was laid out on the ground between us, breathing in quick bursts.
    â€œWhy would your agent do all this?” I asked.
    â€œWhat? The paparazzi stuff?”
    â€œSure. And getting someone to make it look like you’re in trouble with the police.” Jack wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the ground. We were both shivering from the cold.
    â€œHe’s my new agent,” Jack said. “My parents thought I needed someone fresh to help break into the regular film market. He’s one of the best.”
    â€œHe sounds like an ass.”
    â€œIt’s just the way he does business. The press, actors, directors—everyone knows this is how some agents work.”
    I rubbed my knee, which felt as though it was seizing up. I wanted to lie down, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back up again if I did. “It all seems so fake,” I said.
    â€œSure it does,” Jack said.
    â€œSo it doesn’t bother you?” I asked.
    â€œWhat, getting all that publicity? You know what they say, ‘no publicity is bad publicity.’”
    â€œBut it’s not just publicity, right? I mean, you get accused of assaulting a girl, and people are going to think you would actually do something like that.”
    â€œNo, they won’t. They might think that for a few days, until the real story comes out. And if people still thought I had done it, I would go on a talk show and say how disappointed I am about the situation and I had nothing to do with it. Then everyone sees I’m really a nice guy that got shafted, which makes me look even better.”
    I couldn’t understand any of it. And I wasn’t certain I even wanted to be a part of this make-believe world. “We have to keep going,” I said, standing and stretching my leg out. I felt unbelievably tired, as though I could sleep for days.
    â€œOkay,” Jack said, nodding his head. “All right. Let’s keep going.”
    We hoisted Goat up again and started moving. All three of us were shivering. The light rain had soaked our clothes