Read Online Infected: Die Like Supernovas (The Outlaw Book 2) by Alan Janney - Free Book Online Page B

mask.”
    “No. That’s not true. The Outlaw is bigger than that. I know you’re probably a real person under there but to the world, to the rest of us, to me…you’re very real. We need you.”
    “I just cause more problems than I solve,” I grunted. “By a long shot. That’s why I’ve been gone.”
    “Are you married in real life?” she asked.
    “No,” I laughed, careful to alter my voice. I forget how mysterious the Outlaw persona is. My best friend just asked if I was married. Surreal. “Remember? We’re about the same age.”
    “Good,” she smiled.
    “What about you? You must have a boyfriend.”
    “No,” she said, pursing her lips. “My situation is… complicated.”
    “How so?”
    “Just typical high school boyfriend girlfriend stuff,” she shrugged and the strap to her tank top slid off her shoulder. Focus! “Want to hear something interesting?”
    “Sure,” I said, but it was nearly time for me to go. I’d been here too long, taking too many chances.
    “Do you know the guy that gave you the taser? Last year?”
    “Yes,” I said slowly, sorting through my web of lies and connections. “How did you know about the taser?”
    “He told me. His name is Lee and he’s my friend!”
    “The guy from Craigslist is your friend?” I asked, faking surprise.
    “Isn’t that a wild coincidence?”
    “That’s bizarre. His device really helped. It completely incapacitated Ta…that guy on the roof.”
    “Were you injured in that fight?” she asked me.
    “Yes,” I nodded emphatically. “Badly. That guy is awful. He’s huge. And mean. That’s why I want you to stay safe. Here. In Glendale. Away from the city.”
    “So you
can
get hurt,” she mused. “Does that mean you don’t have real super powers? Like, really really no super powers?”
    I chuckled and said, “Really really, there’s no such thing as super powers. But…I am abnormal. I’m weird in ways I’m still learning about.”
    “Like what?”
    “That’s a secret too.”
    “Are you friends with PuckDaddy?” Katie asked.
    “Why do you ask that?”
    “Because he was erasing all the video of you. Right? Wasn’t he helping you out?”
    “Not exactly,” I shook my head. “It’s all hard to explain.”
    “Were you scared that night? When you were kidnapped and PuckDaddy erased the evidence?”
    “Yes,” I said. “Very. A lot of the Outlaw stuff is scary.”
    “So PuckDaddy is a bad guy?”
    “My life is…complex. I don’t know if he’s a bad guy. But he’s not a friend. I don’t have any real friends. At least the Outlaw doesn’t.”
    “I’m your friend,” she smiled.
    “Thank you,” I smiled back. But she couldn’t see that. “I need to go. Remember why I came here,” I said and I stood up. “Stay away from people you don’t know well.”
    “Before you go,” she said and she help up her phone. “Can I take a picture of you? Or just look at you in the light? I can barely see you.”
    “No,” I snapped. I snatched her phone and tossed it into the grass near her bedroom door.
    “Hey!” she laughed.
    “No pictures.”
    “Why are you so bashful with the media?” she teased me. “The world loves this stuff.”
    “It’s best not to take ourselves too seriously,” I said. “Especially me. I won’t be around for long.”
    “Why not?”
    “I need a favor. It’s important. Don’t tell anyone I was here. No one. Okay? Not even the guy from Craigslist,” I said, doing my best to impart severity.
    “Okay. But then I want a favor too.”
    “What?” I asked warily.
    “Promise me you’ll come back to visit soon. When you can stay longer. This has been the best ten minutes of my life! I know I’m still a teenager and you’re a grownup…but…this is nice, right? We can be friends. I feel like we’re a great fit.” She smiled so big my heart almost burst.
    “I promise that…I will come back if I can,” I said and then I vanished, leaving her in the dark. I was long gone in a