Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖

“It’s falling apart around us. Nothing new.” Mom glanced at the clock on the microwave and then shut the paper with a rustle. “I need to get going.” She slid the paper to me, put her mug in the sink, and grabbed her purse from the table.

“Have fun.” I smiled sardonically, thinking of the day my mom was about to have. She was a kindergarten teacher, and her class was a handful. Most days she came home with a headache.

“Always.” She winked and hustled out the side door into the garage. Peeking back into the kitchen one last time, she narrowed her eyes and said, “Behave.”

“Mm-hmm.” I rolled my eyes at her warning. I wasn’t exactly known for being a bad girl. In fact, I was mild compared to most of the kids I knew.

The door closed, and I was alone in the house. I finished my breakfast and rinsed the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. A loud honk signaled my ride had arrived. I grabbed my favorite brown Converse shoes from the shoe rack, slipped them on, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and rushed out the front door.

It was going to be a gorgeous April day. We would probably get a shower later on, but for now, the sun was glorious and high, the air cool but with an expectation of warm to come. I could smell the honeysuckle vines from the backyard on the breeze.

Sierra waited in her black convertible in the driveway with the top down and the music blaring. She had the visor down and was applying lipstick, so she didn’t notice me approaching.

Sierra was my best friend in the whole world. She had dark brown hair streaked with golden highlights that she usually left down to frame her oval face, and her personality matched her car—artsy and outgoing with a little bit of a wild in her. We had been friends for as long as I could remember.

I scanned the woods as I walked to the car, remembering the feeling of being watched from earlier. Nothing unusual stood out, but a chill went down my back as if there really were eyes on me. I brushed it aside. I often had the feeling that someone was watching me, and it seemed to be happening more often lately, but I was probably just imagining it. Having a father who was a cop made me a little paranoid. He spent most of my life drilling into me that I should be aware of my surroundings at all times. Between watching the news and hearing stories from him, I knew what kind of monsters were out there.

I opened the passenger door and slid into the low seat. It felt like sitting on the ground, especially compared to my boyfriend’s big truck. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Sierra shut the mirror on her visor and turned toward me. Her green eyes were dancing in excitement. “Your birthday is this weekend!”

“I know. It’s hard to believe,” I said absently as I turned down my own visor and checked my hair in the mirror. If I secured it back, maybe it wouldn’t be destroyed by the wind before we got to school.

“Aren’t you excited? You’ll finally be sixteen.” Sierra had turned sixteen a few months before and liked to rub it in my face.

“I’m not sure it’ll be much different than fifteen.” I wrapped my hair up in a quick bun.

“Maybe your parents will get you a car? Although that would suck. I like picking you up.” Sierra put the convertible into gear and pulled out onto the street.

“I doubt I’ll get a car. My parents aren’t loaded like yours.” I liked Sierra’s car, but it was really kinda pretentious for a teenager, I guess. The soft leather interior had heated seats and a built-in satellite radio, while most of our classmates were driving hand-me-down Hondas with dented rear bumpers. I would be lucky to get even that.

I watched out the window as the houses disappeared and the businesses became thicker and closer together. Sierra chattered nonstop the entire five-minute drive to school. I tried to keep up, but it wasn’t always easy with her.

We pulled into the school parking lot and Sierra took her usual spot near the front door. As she rechecked her makeup, I got out of the car and searched the area near the stairs leading to the heavy double doors, where Adam always waited for me. My heart did a little flip-flop when I saw him.

He was sitting against the brick building, drumming his fingers on his legs while listening to music. His light brown hair hung down in his eyes and covered the ear buds in his ears, but I could see the cords dangling down his white T-shirt.

I adjusted the straps on my backpack and Sierra joined me, then we climbed the hill to the front of the school. Adam’s eyes were closed, his head leaning against the red brick building. He didn’t notice our approach, so I kicked his foot.

His green eyes opened and he grinned. “Hey, beautiful.” His voice was deep and smooth. He took the ear buds out of his ears and stood up, unfolding his long, lanky body in a graceful move that should have been illegal in its beauty. He stood almost a foot taller than me. Cupping my face with his hands, he leaned in and kissed me, slow and gentle.

My heart raced, and I pressed my body to his as I slid my hands up his chest.

“Okay, enough, get a room,” Sierra interrupted, her voice one part disgust, two parts playful.

Adam ended the kiss, and I rested my head on his chest, breathing in his warm, musky scent.

“I have something for you,” he said, his voice rumbling through me.

I stepped back, and he reached down to pick up a handful of yellow daisies near his gym bag. They were my favorite flower, and had been since I was a little girl, even though I’d heard they were technically considered a weed.

I accepted the bouquet with a laugh. “They’re beautiful. But it’s not my birthday yet.”

“I know. I saw them near my mailbox, and I couldn’t resist picking them for you.” He traced a thumb over my cheek, his fingers at the edge of my jaw. “Remember how you would make me hold the flowers for you when we were younger? We spent hours collecting them. I was like your little flower slave.” He chuckled.

“I remember.” I tiptoed to kiss him. “Thank you. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

He put his arm around me, and we all walked through the glass doors into the school. Before the first bell, the school was always chaotic and loud. There were students rushing to their first class, or hanging out with their friends in the hall, and still others were causing trouble. Our school was one of the better ones in town, so I couldn’t complain.

We walked down the large, open corridor to our gray lockers and stopped in front of them. I opened mine, shoved my backpack inside, and pulled out what I needed for first period—my biology book, a black spiral-bound notebook with a pen shoved into the spiral, and the beat-up paper folder that held almost an entire year’s worth of homework.

I slammed the locker and spun around to wait for Adam, but he was ready for me. He grabbed my books out of my hands and stacked them on his own, giving me an adorable wink.

I took his warm hand and squeezed it. He was so sweet.

We had our first class together, which I thought was the perfect way to start the day. We said goodbye to Sierra and started working our way towards the classroom.

As we dodged the usual morning madness, I said, “My mom invited you over for dinner.”

Adam raised an eyebrow. “Is she cooking?”

I bumped my hip against his. “She’s not that bad of a cook. If it will make you feel better, we can order in Chinese and surprise her.”

“You know I don’t mind eating your mom’s burnt cooking if it means I can spend more time with you.” Adam stopped outside the science lab and tugged on my hand until I turned to face him. “I got you something special for your birthday. I hope you like it. Took me forever to pick it out.”

“That’s not fair!” I argued, pinching his arm for effect. “You know I hate surprises, and you just have to rub it in. Give me a hint.”

“No hints. You’ll have to wait and see.” He kissed the top of my head. “And you love surprises.”

“Just one small hint, and then I’ll leave you alone,” I begged.

“Forget it. We’re going to be late.” His grin was cocky as he turned to stroll into the classroom ahead of me.

Still sulking, I plopped down in the hard plastic seat. As the teacher started droning on about phylums and kingdoms, I tried to ignore his gaze on me, but it was too hard. I rolled my eyes in his direction.

His crooked grin melted my heart. The annoyance I felt at him for holding out on me faded away. I could never stay upset at him. I couldn’t wait for the day to be over. All I could think about was spending time with Adam.

After our first class was over, I had English with Sierra. Adam walked me to class and kissed me goodbye, then rushed off to the other end of school where he had gym. I took my usual desk behind Sierra and opened my notebook.

She turned to face me and crossed her eyes. “Wake me up if I start fading.”

Mrs. Garrett surprised the class with a pop quiz over a book we were reading. I knew I wouldn’t pass, because I hadn’t even read the first page. My mom was going to kill me when she saw the grade.

After I failed miserably at five simple questions, the teacher started writing notes on the board. Already bored, I leaned over Sierra’s shoulder to admire her artwork. She called it “doodling,” but there was a lot of artistic talent to it. I’d always been envious—I could barely make a stick figure.

After a few minutes of craning my neck, I sat back and picked at the strings hanging off my jeans, trying to make figures out of the clouds outside the window. School was boring, and time seemed to drag so slow. I couldn’t wait for summer break, which was still weeks away. The only good thing was having classes with my friends.

When the last bell of day went off, a collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout the school. I gathered my things and hurried to my locker, where I threw a couple of books into my backpack. I smiled when I felt Adam’s presence behind me. He moved my hair and lightly kissed my neck.

“You’re so mean.” I groaned.

“It’s not my fault I can’t keep my hands off you,” Adam whispered in my ear, sending goose bumps across my skin.