Star Runners Read Online Free Page A

Pennington earlier, but that was around lunch time."
    "Oh," Austin said, turning to survey the parking lot. "You ready to go?"
    "Austin!"
    Josh jogged through the cars.
    "Hey man!" Austin yelled. "We were just talking about you."
    Josh caught his breath. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he nodded to Kadyn. As usual, Josh wasn't carrying a book bag home for the weekend.
    "So, where you been, man?" Austin asked.
    Josh's blue eyes went wide and darted toward Kadyn. "Uh, well, I had a busy day coming back from my suspension."
    Austin followed his gaze. "It's okay, man. She's cool."
    Josh nodded. "Cool. You guys want to go get a snack or something? I have a lot to tell you."
    "It's okay with me, I guess." He turned to Kadyn. "I'm not driving, though."
    Kadyn rolled her eyes. "It's Friday. Let's go."
    *****
    The coffee shop looked like every other in town. Dark browns mixed with aqua blues and light greens on the walls. Retro photos hung in crisp black and white. Austin’s gaze lingered on a photograph of Marilyn Monroe standing over a street vent as she tried to prevent her skirt from flying up. The smell of coffee permeated the air and seeped into his clothes. He ordered a fruit drink and bought Kadyn a sweet roll. She cleared her throat as he gazed at Marilyn, so he turned his attention back to Josh who walked back with his coffee.
    "Got to fuel up for tonight," he said with a grin.
    "Oh, you got big plans since you can't play in the game?" Kadyn asked, chewing on her sweet roll.
    Josh slumped his shoulders and frowned. "Uh, not really."
    Austin chuckled. "I told you; she's cool."
    Kadyn looked between the two of them. "Oh, God, you guys are playing that game on a Friday night?"
    "Why not?" Josh asked.
    "She's kidding," Austin said, sipping on his drink. He winced, unsure what flavor he had ordered.
    She cocked her head, clicking her tongue to her teeth. "Only a little, but I can't judge if I've never played."
    Austin looked at her. "You should try it sometime."
    She eyed him. "Maybe I will."
    The life returned to Josh's face and he leaned in close. "It's actually the game I want to talk to you about."
    "What about it?" Austin asked.
    Josh looked over his shoulder as if disclosing a state secret. "I've been playing a little the past three days and something happened."
    "You broke your computer." Austin glanced at Kadyn. "Seriously, this guy took his suspension and played the game for forty-eight hours straight."
    "Jeez, don't you ever pee?" she asked.
    They laughed and Josh leaned back, his eyebrows raised. "Oh yeah? Well, maybe I won't tell you my news."
    Austin repressed his laughter. "Go ahead, man. I really want to know how in the world you passed Scorpion. I didn't think that guy would ever fall to second."
    "I didn't think so, either. I played seven straight sessions and fought off a mix of Tridents and modified Tyral Pirate Craft. They just kept coming."
    "Seven sessions?” Austin asked. “Back-to-back? How'd you balance your power levels?"
    Josh set his drink down and grinned. "I'd take out two from a distance with the missiles and try to scrap close with the guns until my power was down fifty percent. I'd then jet back to the largest rock I could find and let the cells recharge."
    Kadyn held up her hand from the sweet roll. "What are you guys talking about?"
    Austin shook his head. "Sorry."
    "Uh, yeah," Josh said as his leg bounced under the table. "It's a great game."
    "He's doing really well," Austin said. "He got enough kills to be number one on the server."
    Kadyn shrugged and focused on her sweet roll. Austin nodded for Josh to proceed.
    "So I was on a roll, right? Racking up kill after kill and hardly taking a scratch."
    "That's cause you were playing in the middle of the day on a Wednesday."
    "That doesn't matter and you know it," Josh snapped.
    "So, you guys fly these ships in the game?" Kadyn asked without interest.
    "Yeah," Austin said with a nod. "There are different servers, but we play mostly on the