Sidekicks Read Online Free PDF Page A

who I really am. It would jeopardize everything Trent and I work for, not to mention endanger norms like Louis who are close to us. Sure, Louis can take care of himself, but that doesn’t mean I want to make him hostage bait to all of our enemies.
    I don’t have anything in common with my classmates, anyway. They talk about movies and TV shows I haven’t seen, or music that I haven’t listened to … I don’t even know what I’m interested in, besides running around the city at night and smacking bad guys around. So really, there’s no sense in trying to have friends. I’ll just wait until I’m older. Maybe when you’re an adult, these things don’t matter as much.
    â€œWell, lookee who we have here … If it isn’t Snot Hutchinson!”
    Oh man … I was so lost in thought that I wasn’t scoping the hallway, and now I have to deal with Jake Berkshire and his three goons.
    â€œHello, Snot!” Jake says with mock enthusiasm. His friends laugh, as if changing my name from Scott to Snot is the funniest thing any of them has ever heard. Jake and his friends are a few years older than me, but we’re in the same grade. I wouldn’t say they’re as dumb as a bag of hammers, but only because that would be an insult to the hammers.
    â€œI said, hello, Snot.” They all cackle again. Jake and his friends are the only kids in school who actually notice me, and they don’t seem happy about it.
    â€œI have to get to class,” I say as meekly as I can, but I’m having a hard time mustering the energy to pretend I’m scared of them today.
    â€œAwww … poor, wittle Snot has to get to class,” Jake says. The idiots chime in with their own “Awwws.” Jake’s face gets hard and mean all of a sudden. “You’ll go where I tell you to go, when I tell you to go there, got it?” He gives me a shove. Part of me doesn’t want to budge, but then I’m afraid Jake’ll dislocate his elbow … so I let my shoulder go limp and roll with it. His friends then follow suit and push me around. So far, I’m controlling the urge to knock them all out, but it’s getting harder with each shove.
    Things are about to escalate when Shane, one of the idiot friends, notices Dr. White, the foreign languagesteacher, coming around the corner. “Jake! Teach!” he whispers loudly.
    Jake, like the weasel he is, gets a panicked look on his face. I can’t believe that my “bully” is scared to death of a teacher. It makes it so hard to fake taking him seriously. “See you around, Snot,” he says, then knocks the books out of my hands as a parting shot. I let him, but only because if I didn’t, he’d probably break his hand.
    I manage to grab my books and slip into my first period social studies class right before the chime sounds. Three girls walk in after me: Olivia Duchamp, Allison Mendes, and Charlene O’Malley. They’re giggling about whatever it is that girls my age giggle about, and Mr. Privet tells them to quiet down, but he’s got a smile on his face, as if he doesn’t really care that they’re giggling. And why should he? Olivia, Allison, and Charlene are model students: pretty, smart, popular without being stuck-up, walking the tightrope between good student and teacher’s pet.
    I’ve tried to build up the courage to walk over and talk to them, but it just hasn’t happened yet … which is ridiculous considering what I build up the courage to do every night. I mean, really, it’s not like one of them is going to throw me off a building or blast me with a laser. The messed-up thing is, it might be easier for meto talk to them if I thought they might. But they’re just regular girls … and what the heck can I say to regular girls? “Hi, I’m Scott! Any of you girls looking to hang out with a guy who can’t tell you much