Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware Read Online Free

completely stupid.”
    â€œIt’s not you who’s stupid,” said Lily. “You just tried—”
    Katie shook her head and marched forward.
    The two girls climbed the bleachers. Adults were shaking hands and slapping each other on the back. A former Pelt Stare-Eyes champion back from college for the weekend was entertaining a bunch of guys with stories of the good old days: brave hearts, dry corneas, and battles to the death.
    Choate and his friends were still watching the two girls. They were sniggering at Katie’s tears and thinking they were very top dogs.
    It was at this point that Jasper came out of the locker room, wearing a space-age uniform involving tubing and silver sparkles. He had a pinny on over it. His eyelids still sagged from the lead weights attached to them.
    It was not one of his best moments.
    â€œHello, chums,” he said to his teammates. “How do you fancy this new suit?”
    Choate and his friends regarded Jasper balefully. “Jasper, dude,” one choked.
    â€œObserve,” said Jasper. He pressed a button on the suit. “Ever tire, during a match, of the hours spent sitting on hard folding chairs?This hydraulic, cushionized Stare-Eyes suit with inflatable rump is just the thing.” As he was speaking, the rear of his suit grew like a muffin in the oven. “Compete in comfort. And with a built-in catheter in case you’re caught short and can’t scramble in time to a water closet, this—”
    â€œWhat’s a water closet?” asked a team member.
    â€œWhy, a W.C. A toilet,” explained Jasper cheerily, his suit’s rump swelling. It was huge.
    â€œOkay, Jas,” said Choate. “Okay. That’s great. That’s really great, but the other team might see you. Why don’t you…” He looked carefully over his shoulder. “The other team is… They’re real jerks, and I don’t want…”
    â€œIt’s simple as daisies to slip a pinny on over my pressurized Stare-Eyes suit! Look, chums, team pinnies! I made them for everyone.”
    â€œGet him out of here, dude,” Choate muttered. “Before they see the stupid clothes.”
    â€œJasper,” said Choate’s bud Giles, “come on. You need to get into some shorts.”
    â€œBut this suit—”
    Giles shoved Jasper back through the swinging door into the locker room.
    Jasper’s clanging voice came through the door. “But I want to see the other team.”
    The door thudded against Giles’s foot. Giles held it shut fast.
    â€œLet me out!” Jasper protested. “This is not mannerly!”
    In a whisper, Giles complained to Choate, “Jasper is
so hopelessly weird.
Why does he have to be so weird? And hopeless?”
    Choate Brinsley wearily rubbed his face, grimacing and stretching out his eyeholes. He scratched his head. “We are screwed,” he said. “Completely. Jasper’s the only one who might have a chance. And he’s wearing dumb pants that…” Choate couldn’t bear to say it. So he just repeated, “We are screwed.”
    A hundred feet away, Katie and Lily sat on the top bleacher. Lily inspected her friend to see how she was doing. Katie was crouched over her knees, picking with one hand at the other, tryingnot to look over at Choate. “Are you okay?” asked Lily.
    â€œThere’s no way to make my skin hidden enough,” said Katie.
    Lily really didn’t know what to say to this. She didn’t know how to deal with Katie’s romantic crises. She sat, wishing she had the instinct of the right thing to say.
    â€œYou can’t worry about him,” said Lily. “If he doesn’t like you, then he’s not good enough for you.”
    â€œI hate him and I hate myself for liking him.”
    â€œDon’t hate anyone,” said Lily.
    Katie put her head down on her arms. For a while, it stayed there. Then she