Alphas Read Free Page B

he panted, holding out his hand.
    Allie immediately put down her bags and stuffed her hands in the kangaroo pouch of her suede tunic. She pocket-pumped some
     Purell onto her palms and rubbed them together. Not because she thought he looked germy—in fact, he looked more sanitary than
     any boy she’d ever seen—but because he had been gripping the rubber rail for at least twenty seconds, and that was more than
     enough time for a virus to adhere to his fingertips.
    “You want?” Allie extended the clear bottle.
    “No, thanks.” He smiled with his entire face. “I’ve got the wipes.” He pulled a square package out of his back pocket, tore
     it open with his tartar-free teeth, and rubbed. With a swift toss, the used cloth soared straight into the trash can and Cupid’s
     arrow straight into Allie’s heart.
    From then on they were inseparable, and quickly became known for their combined physical perfection and strong immune systems.
     Everyone joked that when they got married and had kids, they would be studied for advancing the human genome. Allie said it
     too, only she was serious.
    And the best part was that her BFF, Trina, who was single, and much less attractive than them, never got jealous or made Allie
     choose. In fact, she seemed just as inspired by their beauty as everyone else. Always wanting to be around them and nibble
     on the by-product of their love. But what Trina lacked in beauty she made up for in artistic talent. She’d even offered to
     tag along with the couple to Disneyland for their eleven-month anniversary, and sketch picturesque moments of their enchanted
     day in charcoal.
    “Ha!” A bitter laugh escaped Allie’s waxy Burt’s Bees–coated lips—the natural balm was an unfortunate favorite of Allie J’s.
    “Everything okay back there?” the voice asked from the cockpit.
    Um, if by okay you mean wanting to shove my bare unpedicured foot up my ex-friend’s butt like a shish kebab skewer, then yes,
     everything is fine,
Allie wanted to shout. But that would blow her cover faster than a DNA sample. So she simply nodded yes and forced a smile
     in case the omniscient voice could see her from behind the aluminum wall.
    “Good,” it replied, satisfied.
    But it wasn’t. Nothing was good. Not since the happy threesome had boarded the yellow-and-blue submarine on the
Finding Nemo
ride. Not since everything went dark when they had been “swallowed by a whale.” Not since the lights flashed back on and
     Fletcher’s neck was covered in charcoal fingerprints. And Trina’s lips smelled like jojoba and eucalyptus. And they both looked
     more caught than Nemo.
    Allie slammed her compact shut without the satisfying click. She just didn’t get it. With puffy O-shaped lips, narrow navy
     blue eyes, skin that looked lit from within, and a nose so perfectly sloped that a girl two towns over had requested it for
     her fifteenth birthday, beauty was her backstage pass. It got her everything she ever wanted. So why hadn’t it been enough
     to keep Fletcher? Or rather, how had she lost him to a girl who was a mere 6.5 out of 10 after Photoshop?
    She’d asked him that one day after school.
    “Alliecat, you’re a hottie, no question.” Fletch leaned back like there was a wall behind him, even though they were in the
     middle of the basketball court during practice. “But Trina’s talent is more attractive than being a perfect ten.” He caught
     the ball and began dribbling it down the court. Allie followed despite the angry coach and his threats to call the police.
     Fletcher shot and scored. His teammates smacked him high fives. In the empty stands, Trina speed-sketched the moment. Allie
     began to cry.
    “I’m sorry.” Fletcher wiped his sweaty forehead with the bottom of his jersey. “But it’s not about looks for me.”
    “Since when?” Allie mumbled, eyeing Trina’s witchy black bangs, asymmetrical brown eyes, and pressed-down nose with borderline
     envy. Maybe if she had been