Read Online Generation Dead by Daniel Waters - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Daniel Waters
Tags: Fiction, Humorous stories, Death, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), Zombies, Love & Romance, Monsters, Horror & Ghost Stories, Social Issues - Friendship, Prejudices, Social Issues - Dating & Sex
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gripping it tightly with one hand, snapped it around with his wrist a couple times. His smile was cold and wide.
"Smacked fourteen homers with this baby my last year in the PAL league. I hit .313 that year."
Stavis nodded with appreciation, but Pete could tell that Adam was a hairsbreadth away from making some wiseass comment, and his grip on the bat tightened until his knuckles were white.
"We're going to teach zombie boy another sport after practice," he said, sneering. He dropped the bat back into the trunk, where it landed with a hollow thud, a sound not unlike the one that particular bat would make against a human skull, Adam thought.
Then the trunk slammed down with such force that the thought disappeared.
"Pete," Adam said. He didn't look so smug any longer, which strengthened Pete's resolve to carry the plan through.
"Yes, Lame Man?" he replied. "You have something you would like to contribute?"
"You aren't really suggesting that we go after this kid, are you?"
Pete laughed. "Why not? There's no law against it."
"C'mon, Pete. That's just stupid."
"Stupid? I'll tell you something that's stupid. Your little girl
75
Morticia Scarypants having the hots for a corpsicle, that's stupid."
"Leave her out of this. I'm talking--"
"You're flapping your jaw, but you aren't talking. Your chick, the one you've had a thing for, for what, your whole life? She's writing poetry to dead guys. She's coming to practice to watch a dead guy. A dead guy , Adam. How sick is that?"
"Shut up, Pete." Adam turned a bright crimson shade, and Pete smiled.
"And you're just going to let it happen. You aren't even going to try and get her playing on the right team, are you?"
Stavis, who was still smart enough to catch the signs, moved to Adam's left.
"What happened, Adam?" Pete said, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "What about you is so repulsive that the girl you've been pining after for years turns to a zombie for her lovin'?"
Adam took a step forward, his own hands balled into fists, but that was as far as it went. Pete wished he had taken a swing, because then they could throw a few punches, bloody each other up, and at the end of it they'd be friends again. They'd be the Pain Crew.
"You can walk away, Adam," he said to Adam's back, "but I'm not done. I'm not going to let that charming pale young flower lie down with a corpse. Not while I live and breathe."
Adam continued his walk back toward the school.
Pete said he wasn't done, and he meant it. The rumor making a loop around the school like a brush fire was so absurd that Pete
76
couldn't even get his mind around it. A living, breathing, blossoming sixteen-year-old girl having a thing for a dead kid? It was just plain unnatural. Why not go just go and lie down with a farm animal? At least an animal is alive. He decided that he'd better take matters into his own hands.
Pete saw her in the library. He was already late for practice, but what the hell. What was coach going to do, fire him? And lose two interceptions a game? No way.
Besides, getting into this girl's skirt would be well worth the extra wind sprints.
"Hey," he said, sitting across from her.
She looked up and removed a shell-like headphone from one ear. Someone was screaming in pain through the speaker, the volume audible halfway across the library. He liked the way her dark eyeliner made her eyes look even more like a cat's. Slinky. And the best part was that this girl had no idea how slinky she was. She didn't have any friends in Pete's normal datepool, the cheerleaders and other gum-snapping types, the Toris and the Hollys and the Cammys who would have hooked up with him even if he were the ugliest guy on the football team.
He gave her a smile calculated for her to feel it in her toes. Hanging out with the college girls this summer had opened up some new worlds to him, femalewise. This girl was dark, she was serious, and she was bookish. He figured that less experienced guys wouldn't look at her twice,
"Smacked fourteen homers with this baby my last year in the PAL league. I hit .313 that year."
Stavis nodded with appreciation, but Pete could tell that Adam was a hairsbreadth away from making some wiseass comment, and his grip on the bat tightened until his knuckles were white.
"We're going to teach zombie boy another sport after practice," he said, sneering. He dropped the bat back into the trunk, where it landed with a hollow thud, a sound not unlike the one that particular bat would make against a human skull, Adam thought.
Then the trunk slammed down with such force that the thought disappeared.
"Pete," Adam said. He didn't look so smug any longer, which strengthened Pete's resolve to carry the plan through.
"Yes, Lame Man?" he replied. "You have something you would like to contribute?"
"You aren't really suggesting that we go after this kid, are you?"
Pete laughed. "Why not? There's no law against it."
"C'mon, Pete. That's just stupid."
"Stupid? I'll tell you something that's stupid. Your little girl
75
Morticia Scarypants having the hots for a corpsicle, that's stupid."
"Leave her out of this. I'm talking--"
"You're flapping your jaw, but you aren't talking. Your chick, the one you've had a thing for, for what, your whole life? She's writing poetry to dead guys. She's coming to practice to watch a dead guy. A dead guy , Adam. How sick is that?"
"Shut up, Pete." Adam turned a bright crimson shade, and Pete smiled.
"And you're just going to let it happen. You aren't even going to try and get her playing on the right team, are you?"
Stavis, who was still smart enough to catch the signs, moved to Adam's left.
"What happened, Adam?" Pete said, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "What about you is so repulsive that the girl you've been pining after for years turns to a zombie for her lovin'?"
Adam took a step forward, his own hands balled into fists, but that was as far as it went. Pete wished he had taken a swing, because then they could throw a few punches, bloody each other up, and at the end of it they'd be friends again. They'd be the Pain Crew.
"You can walk away, Adam," he said to Adam's back, "but I'm not done. I'm not going to let that charming pale young flower lie down with a corpse. Not while I live and breathe."
Adam continued his walk back toward the school.
Pete said he wasn't done, and he meant it. The rumor making a loop around the school like a brush fire was so absurd that Pete
76
couldn't even get his mind around it. A living, breathing, blossoming sixteen-year-old girl having a thing for a dead kid? It was just plain unnatural. Why not go just go and lie down with a farm animal? At least an animal is alive. He decided that he'd better take matters into his own hands.
Pete saw her in the library. He was already late for practice, but what the hell. What was coach going to do, fire him? And lose two interceptions a game? No way.
Besides, getting into this girl's skirt would be well worth the extra wind sprints.
"Hey," he said, sitting across from her.
She looked up and removed a shell-like headphone from one ear. Someone was screaming in pain through the speaker, the volume audible halfway across the library. He liked the way her dark eyeliner made her eyes look even more like a cat's. Slinky. And the best part was that this girl had no idea how slinky she was. She didn't have any friends in Pete's normal datepool, the cheerleaders and other gum-snapping types, the Toris and the Hollys and the Cammys who would have hooked up with him even if he were the ugliest guy on the football team.
He gave her a smile calculated for her to feel it in her toes. Hanging out with the college girls this summer had opened up some new worlds to him, femalewise. This girl was dark, she was serious, and she was bookish. He figured that less experienced guys wouldn't look at her twice,
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