Read The Last Hero (Book 1): Ultra for Free Online Page B

“I dunno.”
    “Well, why don’t you have a look at the tickets and figure it out from there?”
    Damon flipped his ticket over. Squinted at it, still chewing down on cotton candy, some of it trailing down the side of his mouth. “Row 35. Seat 122. So that should be…”
    Both of us looked over to where we were supposed to be sitting.
    For a moment, I was relieved to see those two empty seats. I just wanted to sit down and turn the attention from myself. I could feel people looking at me, probably judging me already.
    But then I saw who was in the seat next to the empty ones.
    Ellicia.
    “We’re leaving.”
    “What? Kyle? Hey, Kyle!”
    I started to turn around and walk away when I felt Damon’s hand grab my arm, pull me back. It drew a few dodgy glances from some of the spectators around us. A steward narrowed his eyes, paid close attention. Just what I needed. Another way to humiliate myself right in front of Ellicia.
    “What you think you’re doing?” Damon asked.
    “Ellicia’s there.”
    “And?”
    “And? I can’t be next to Ellicia. Not after the last few days. I just want… however the hell many minutes away from the school types. Not this.”
    “But man, I thought you’d like—”
    “I’m catching the subway home,” I said, as much as the thought of doing that alone terrified me. “I’ll see you at… Wait. You thought I’d like what?”
    Damon lowered his head. He cleared his throat. “I found out Ellicia was going. Heard a few of her friends talking about it.”
    I felt anger tingling inside. “You—”
    “Hear me out, man. I’m just… I just thought it’d be good for you. Spend some time with the girl of your dreams.”
    I laughed. “The girl of my dreams? Dreams is the key word there, Damon. I don’t stand a chance with her. Not one chance.”
    “She thinks you’re cool, man,” Damon said. “Just give her a chance.”
    “Me give her a chance? You’re not getting what I’m saying. She thinks I’m hilarious.”
    “That’s not a bad thing.”
    “No, I mean the bad kind of hilarious.”
    “And how the hell did you come to that conclusion?”
    “She laughed at me in geography.”
    “Oh,” Damon said. He scratched his head. “Yeah, that is kind of decisive. Sorry. Feel free to leave.”
    I couldn’t believe right then that my own best friend had done this to me. He knew how much of a wuss I was when it came to girls—and when it came to anything, for that matter. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to trust him again.
    But then again, I knew he only had my best intentions at heart. As much of a daft move as it was, he gave a damn about my best interests, and this only went to show it.
    “Damon, I’m sorry. I appreciate this. Really. But I can’t be here.”
    Damon shook his head. “You’re gonna be like this your whole life if you aren’t careful.”
    I let out a sigh. “And that’s my problem to deal with—”
    “Kyle?”
    The voice wasn’t Damon’s. It wasn’t anybody’s nearby.
    In fact, it wasn’t even a male voice.
    It was a female.
    Ellicia.
    Damon stepped aside. Ellicia was leaning across the empty seats. Her dark hair glistened in the spark of the floodlights. Her smile lit me up inside.
    “Wow. It actually is you!”
    I felt my face redden. I scratched the back of my neck, which tickled. I could feel myself getting warm. “Yeah. Hi.” It was about as much as I could manage.
    We stood there for a few seconds. Ellicia frowned. I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know where to go.
    The most remarkable thing about all this?
    Ellicia was acting… nice.
    “Well, are you sitting or are you standing?”
    “Oh,” I said. I looked at Damon, who raised his eyebrows, then back towards Ellicia. “Well, didn’t want to take my chances. Thought I’d better stay close to the restrooms.”
    I knew the joke—or attempt at a joke—was awful and awkward and all kinds of self-deprecating horrible right away.
    But something else strange happened.
    Ellicia