Read Sidekicks Online

Authors: Jack D. Ferraiolo

Sidekicks (28 page)

BOOK: Sidekicks
12.72Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“You weren't even supposed to be here still,” I think.

“All right … I'm out, too,” Louis says. “Hey, Allison, just be home on time, OK?”

Allison puts one of her thumbs up, but keeps kissing me.

“Atta girl. Hey, kid, don't tire her out too much, got it?”

“It's not him you should worry about,” Allison says. Then she throws me off the roof.

“Untraditional way to show affection,” I say as I plummet toward the ground.

“That's what you love about me, though, right?” she says, suddenly beside me.

“Who said anything about love?”

“I did.” She grabs me, then puts her arm up just in time to grab the fire escape. We swing around, then flip up toward the roof of the next building.

“Which one was that?” she asks as we land.

“We never labeled fire escapes,” I say.

“Really?”

“No. Of course, we did. That was FE-212. I just didn't want you to start thinking I was a dork.”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that,” she says, laughing. “I've always thought you were a dork.”

“Yeah, I figured. Which brings me to my next topic,” I say. “If we're going to make a go of this, I think we need some new names. I don't think I want to be Bright Boy anymore.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Woof. Plus the words
Monkey-wrench and Bright Boy
wouldn't fit on the merchandise.”

“Merchandise?” I ask. “And why does your name get to go first?”

“Ooh! I've got it!” she says, pretending like she didn't hear me. “How about The Viper?”

“I like it. Who are you going to be?”

“The Viper.”

“Well, then who am I going to be?”

“The Viper's assistant?”

Suddenly, the sound of a man screaming for help echoes in the distance.

“You ready?” I ask.

“Not yet,” she says. She takes my hands in hers, then leans in and kisses me. “Now I'm ready.”

“Then let's go get 'em.”

She leaps off the roof. I follow her.

To Stephen Barbara, who has listened with patience and good humor to my ridiculous ideas and has talked me off many a ledge. DYJ, Stephen, DYJ.

To Susan Van Metre, who responded to my psychic message about wanting to write this book and then provided me with unerring guidance and support. You make the impossible possible, Van Metre! Hee-yah!!!

To Chad W. Beckerman and Joshua Middleton for their patience and for an amazing cover.

To Jason Wells and Laura Mihalick for their endless enthusiasm and tireless efforts.

To Jason Dravis for helping me put some stuff in perspective.

To Trexler, Jody, Davio, Danielle, Emily, Chris, Jef, Jess, John, Aya, Grant, Steve, Justin, Pops, Amanda, and Patrick for their patience and feedback.

To Melissa and Peter, Steve and Sarah, Will and Sara, Joe, Bill, John and Melannie, Lisa (Chica!), Joe and Anita, Chris K., Ryan R., Patti and John, Mike and Dannah, Brad, Paul, and Dorria for their support … and for checking in every once in a while to make sure that I was still alive.

To Nonnie, Auntie, Aunt Santella, Uncle Vinny and Linda, Maria and Rob, Will, Jeffrey, Frances, Bachan, Garret and Kerry, Uncle Denny and Donna, Katie, David, Lauren, Ryan, Bobby and Renee, Kristine and Todd, Vincent, Dave and Karina, Jackie, Kim, and the rest of my family for their love and support.

To Laura for always making comics cool. Grab some paper and a stapler and let's make some Wonder Woman boots! To Mom and Dad for their love and faith … also for that
sweeeet
Batcave when I was seven, and for never throwing out any of my old comics.

To Emily and Matthew for being amazing … and for unintentionally giving me some great ideas for fight scenes.

And finally, to my wife, Teryse, for everything you do to make this possible. Love ya, T.

grew up in southern Connecticut and currently lives in northern Massachusetts with his wife, Teryse; daughter, Emily; and son, Matthew. He has been writing and editing for television animation for more than a decade. He developed, and writes for,
WordGirl
on PBS, for which he received an Emmy. The
New York Times
called his first novel,
The Big Splash
, “entertaining and thrilling” and
Publishers Weekly
called it “ingenious junior high noir.” Find out more about Jack D. Ferraiolo at
www.jackferraiolo.com
.

and designed by Chad W. Beckerman. The text is set in 12-point Adobe Garamond, a typeface based on those created in the sixteenth century by Claude Garamond. Garamond modeled his typefaces on ones created by Venetian printers at the end of the fifteenth century. The modern version used in this book was designed by Robert Slimbach, who studied Garamond's historic typefaces at the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium.

BOOK: Sidekicks
12.72Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Finding Focus by Jiffy Kate
A Place of Hiding by Elizabeth George
Velvet & steel by Sylvie F. Sommerfield
Children of Light by Robert Stone
Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) by Diane Greenwood Muir
Notwithstanding by Louis de Bernières
X Marks the Scot by Victoria Roberts
The Righteous by Michael Wallace
Nemonymous Night by Lewis, D. F.
Master of Hawks by Linda E. Bushyager