Beat by Jared Garrett Read Free Book Online Page B

at her Papa.
    I tried to keep my jittering body motionless. Every muscle in my body quivered as I waited for them to announce my victory.
    The seconds stretched. My heart rate slowed a little but skipped back up when Bren spoke.
    “Bug me,” Bren whispered, his eyes wide open in shock as he stared at me. “Bug. Me.”
    Melisa’s head shot up and she looked at me hard, then turned to the others. “165.”
    I grinned in triumph. “The Bug’s gone.”

CHAPTER 6
     
    The other Pushers stared at me, obviously shocked that I wasn’t already beginning to twitch on the ground as the Bug infected me. I wanted to shout at them, at the entire city—all of the fragged up New Chapter—that I’d won. I was right. I scrubbed sweat from my face, my heart still thundering in my chest, and waited for someone to say something.
    Jak and Greg spun, scampered to their cycles, and disappeared, pedaling like crazy. Dona took off after them.
    Everyone watched them go. “Where are they going?” I asked, my breath catching a little. We didn’t have to leave yet. “What the bug?” But I understood before I’d finished speaking. They were terrified at what I’d just done. They obviously didn’t want anything to do with this anymore.
    Then David grabbed Pol, trying to drag the younger boy away. “No!” Pol tore his arm out of his brother’s grasp. “No! I’m staying!”
    “No, you’re not! We’re out of here,” David said, reaching for Pol again.
    Pol dodged David.
    I stepped forward but was grabbed by Bren. He shook his head; this was between David and Pol.
    “Let him be!” Melisa said, trying to get between them. “If he wants to st—”
    “You shut up!” David’s voice cracked. “He’s my little brother!”
    “I’m not scared!” Pol backed away again.
    “He gets to choose,” Melisa said, planting herself in front of David and folding her arms.
    David swung at Melisa, slamming his fist into her cheek. She crumpled, her face slack in shock and pain. “Pol, we are leaving,” David said, lunging.
    “ You can leave if you’re scared!” Pol yelled, dashing toward the ravine about a hundred yards to the right. “I’m not scared!”
    David jerked to a halt, glaring at the rest of us. He was breathing heavily and his Papa beeped under its cup. The cool night air felt crisp against my skin as I waited for him to make a move. Melisa jumped at him, obviously ready to get him back for his sucker punch, but Koner grabbed her. A moment later, through the darkness, I saw David’s shoulders slump. He turned and trudged toward the cycles.
    I glanced around. Pol was running back toward us now; he must have seen David give up. Pol’s Papa could be heard beeping under the muffling interference cup. Aside from Pol, we still had Bren, Melisa, and Koner. We all stood staring at each other, obviously shocked that so many had decided to abandon us.
    “Do you think they’ll tell someone?” Koner’s gaze moved from Melisa’s face to mine, to Bren’s, and then back to mine.
    “And get the Enforsers’ attention on them? No way.” Melisa snorted an ugly laugh. “They’re cowards. If they came out and admitted they were involved, the punishment’d be even bigger than a shift in the Dumps.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “No way do they tattle.”
    Bren snorted, but it sounded forced. He still clutched my left arm. I shook that arm; he got the picture and let go. I tested the glue wad. Still there. I put my pulse at 125. I thought about taking the wad out.
    I realized in that moment that everything had changed. There was never a reason to let the knockout get me again—not for the mandated bedtime, not for a too-high heart rate. The wad stayed in. Forever. Or at least until I figured out how to get the stupid Papa off. And I had to tell someone, like an Admin or something.
    Silence stretched between my friends and me. My mind filled with thoughts of exposing the Bug for the lie that it was. But New