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his hand through his hair.
    â€œMan, he could be anywhere down here,” said Jack. “He could be dead.”
    I slowly stood up but had to stay crouched over. My whole body felt bruised. “We need to search along the side of the cliff. He has to be near the edge somewhere.” We were standing on more than just a ledge. It looked as if we were actually at the top of a long, steep hill.
    â€œAll right, let’s see if we can find him,” Jack said.
    Neither of us moved. There was a chance Goat was dead. It was a long fall, and he’d shot straight down. “Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, let’s get started.” I tucked my long board under my arm.
    â€œOh, man,” Jack said. “I hope he’s alive.”
    â€œSame here.” We hadn’t walked more than ten feet when I spotted something on the ground.
    A foot.
    It was bare, and its whiteness cut through the dark foliage.
    â€œCrap,” I said, coming to a stop.
    Jack bumped into me. “What?”
    â€œThere he is.” We stared down at Goat. His right leg was bent under him. The left one stuck out in front of his body, and his shoe was missing. His head tilted awkwardly to one side, and his eyes were closed.
    He looked dead.
    Really dead.
    â€œIs he alive?” Jack asked.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œWell, check.”
    I took a deep breath and knelt beside Goat. Blood was seeping out of his pant leg, and his right wrist was bent back at a strange angle. It looked as if he had crashed through the branches right to the ground. There was a skid mark in the leaves behind him.
    â€œIs he alive?” Jack said again.
    I didn’t reply. What if he was dead? What if this stupid competition had killed him?
    â€œCasey,” Jack said. “Is he alive?”
    I finally put two fingers on Goat’s neck, which was exactly when he sat up and sucked in a giant gulp of air.

chapter fifteen
    â€œGoat!” I yelled.
    He stared at me as if he had no idea who I was. Then he reached for his right leg and fell back, screaming. “What the hell!” he yelled and closed his eyes.
    â€œIt’s all right, Goat. You’re all right,” I said.
    His hands came away from his leg with blood on them, and he screamed again. “What the hell happened!”
    Jack knelt on the other side of him. “It’s all right. We’re here,” Jack said in a strange, almost motherly voice. “You took a fall.”
    Goat stared at him, blank-faced. “Oh, man, I went right off that cliff.”
    â€œYou did,” I said.
    He closed his eyes. “I must have hit a dozen branches on the way down.” He looked up at me. “How am I still alive?”
    â€œI don’t know,” I said. “You think you can stand?” He didn’t move. I wasn’t sure if he hadn’t heard me, or if he was too freaked-out to answer. “Goat, do you think you can stand?”
    â€œI don’t know. It feels like there’s something wrong with my ankle.”
    â€œTry moving,” Jack said.
    Goat gently pulled his right leg out from under himself. He winced. “That really…arggg…hurts. My wrist as well. I can’t feel my fingers. And it’s hard to breathe.” His face was completely white. He shook his head and said, “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
    â€œDo you have your phone?” I asked.
    â€œWhere’s yours?” he said.
    â€œThe battery’s dead. And Jack left his in his car. Man, where’s that paparazzi guy when you need him?”
    Goat looked at Jack. “Where’s your skateboard?”
    â€œIn my car, why?” Jack said.
    Goat sighed. “Because that’s how the paparazzi guy was finding you.”
    â€œWhat?” Jack said.
    â€œMy phone’s in my pocket,” Goat said to me. “Front one. You’ll have to get it. I can’t move my hand.”
    I reached into his pocket and felt the