Sidekicks by Linda Palmer Read Free Book Online Page A

down the stairs."
    She huffed her exasperation. "That's because he had my iPod in his pocket."
    I burst out laughing. Couldn't help it.
    "What's so funny?" asked Cooper, now sitting next to me. His tray held a loaded hamburger, potato chips, apple pie, and a canned soda.
    "Nothing." I exchanged a look with Brynn. If we ate like that, we'd both be shaped like Miss Piggy. Guys had it so good. When Tyler joined us moments later, I saw his lunch was just as big, though he'd gone the pizza route.
    We all began eating, talking between mouthfuls about nothing in particular until Marty walked up. He had someone with him. A girlfriend? Petite, with blond hair and brown eyes, she said "Hello" to anyone listening and sat next to him. He introduced her as Anna Kelso. Cooper, who clearly knew her, introduced me and my crew. I suddenly wondered if they'd joined us by design, as in he'd invited them so the table would be full.
    Anna looked at me with interest. "It was you who]found Marty's baseball?"
    "I just gave him a clue."
    "That you got from his dead grandmother."
    "Well, yeah." I waited for her next words, unsure where she was headed.
    "That is so cool. I'm just the biggest paranormal TV junkie in the world. ' Ghost Adventures', 'Ghost Hunters', 'Dead Files', 'Paranormal Witness' ..."
    "Me, too," said Brynn, adding, "Because of Mia, of course. Once you know it's real, anything supernatural is addicting."
    Now that I knew Anna didn't have any paranormal prejudices, it was easy to be myself. I fielded all her questions while I ate.
    "Do people think you're weird?"
    "A freak, you mean?" I briefly zoned in to Cooper, who sighed heavily. "Sometimes."
    "It must take so much courage to do what you do. I'm in awe."
    "Why, thanks." I couldn't remember when I'd gotten a nicer compliment.
    "My great-grandpa isn't coming through is he? Or do I have to have known him for him to contact me?"
    Even as I shook my head to tell her no to both questions, I sensed him coming forward in response to her unintentional invitation. "Is he really quiet?"
    Her face lit up as she quickly nodded. "I've always heard he couldn't get a word in because he wife talked too much."
    I waited for the presence I felt to tell me more. "I'm getting a B name. Bobby?"
    "Yes!" Anna practically bounced in her chair.
    "He's showing me a photo of a baby in a green Tinkerbell blanket."
    "Oh my God. That's me! That's me!"
    "Then you have met him, only it was before you were born."
    "Aww." Her eyes shimmered with tears. "Thanks for that." Sniff. Sniff.
    To my left, Marty and Brynn, who sat across from each other, talked about younger siblings, probably because they each had two. I noticed that Tyler noticed how they'd hit it off. His gaze shifted to me. I winked, glad that each knew where they stood.
    Did Cooper wish he knew where he stood, too? Probably. That made me feel bad that I hadn't been able to promise I'd be his secret girlfriend. When the warning bell told us fourth period would begin in five minutes, we all split up. Cooper left me with a nod. I didn't see him for the rest of the day.
    Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, with Cooper being the invisible man until he turned up at lunchtime. Brynn and Marty seemed to take up where they'd left off, and I was pretty sure I heard him asking her out. Jealousy compromised my joy at her progress in the boyfriend area. Why couldn't I have fallen for a guy with the freedom to simply be himself?
    I abruptly realized he had been himself when I fell for him. Events had compromised his situation--tragic events. And if I really loved him, I'd be supportive, something his mom and stepdad certainly weren't.
    When we went our separate ways at the end of lunch, I sneaked in a hug, but only after I was sure there were no teachers in the cafeteria that would run to old man Marsh. Cooper's pleased smile was my reward.
    As Tyler, Brynn, and I walked to my car at three-thirty, I got a text message from Mom: Det Curt Simms, MPD, wants to talk to you