Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖
- Author: Talia Jager
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Book online «Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖». Author Talia Jager
“How have you been, Adam?” Mom asked as she opened up the fried rice.
He cleared his throat. “Good, Mrs. McCallister, staying busy with school and baseball. You?”
“Just fine, thanks. The kids are driving me crazy, but I love them to pieces.” She paused and scooped a little more rice on her plate. “How’s the project coming along?”
“Slow, but good,” he answered.
“Kinda dumb, if you ask me,” I said, setting the two-liter of soda in the middle of the table.
“Rylie, I’m sure your project isn’t dumb. The teachers just want you to be creative.”
I rolled my eyes. “Making a French menu is boring.”
Dad grabbed a plate and scooped a heaping portion of chicken and rice onto his plate and started eating. He spoke between mouthfuls. “How’s the team doing, Adam?”
Adam’s face lit up. It always did when he talked about baseball. “We demolished the Jaguars last week. This week we have to play Creeksdale. They’re going to be tough to beat. Maybe you can make it to the game?”
“I can try. Been a little hectic at work. But if I can swing it, I’ll be there.” He shoveled another huge bite.
“That’d be great,” Adam said with a big grin.
“Baseball relaxes me.” There was a brief silence as Dad finished devouring everything on his plate in record time, and then he pushed his seat back, rising to his feet. “I’ll be in the study if anyone needs me. Good to see you, Adam.”
Dad’s abrupt departure from the table surprised me. I glanced over at my mother. “Is he okay?”
“I hope so.” She ate the last bite of her food, the worry lines prominent on her forehead. “I’ll talk to him later.”
One of the best things about takeout was not having too much to clean afterwards. Adam helped us throw away the trash and put the leftovers in the refrigerator, and as Mom wiped down the table, I walked him to the door.
“I should get home,” Adam said. He lived with his dad. His mom had walked out on them years ago, and his older brother had started college last year. So, it was just the two of them.
“Do you have to?” I wrapped my arms around his waist.
He gazed into my eyes, brushing my hair away from my face. “I wish I could stay here with you.”
“Me, too. I don’t want you to leave. I’ll miss you.”
Our lips met, and we kissed. Adam pulled away first. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“‘Kay.” I watched him walk slowly to his truck. I loved his long, lazy gait. As I walked back inside, I heard the roar of the truck as it came to life and then listened to it fade as he drove away.
Out of habit, I straightened the pillows on the couch and went to check on the kitchen. It was pretty clean, but I went over the counters again with Lysol wipes. After rearranging the spices, I headed to my room, tired and ready to lie down. I grabbed the TV remote off my desk and flopped down on my bed.
After flipping through the hundreds of channels our satellite received, I found nothing to watch. I settled on an old episode of a crime-solving show.
My phone vibrated on my nightstand. My heart leapt. I knew it was Adam.
I miss u already, Adam texted.
With a smile, I shook my head and texted back, Miss u 2. Wish u were here.
Love u beautiful. Sleep well.
Love u 2.
I set the phone down and glanced over at the picture of Adam and me on my dresser. It had been taken a few months ago at Homecoming. He looked so handsome, all dressed up in his suit. His blue tie matched the dress I wore. Memories of the dance came flooding back to me. It was our first dance together as a couple. He picked me up in a limo and danced with me all night long, never letting go. That was the night I knew without a doubt that I was in love with him and probably had been for years.
I must have fallen asleep watching TV, because the next thing I knew I was sitting up in bed, gasping for air. Nightmare. Just a nightmare.
Deep breaths, I told myself, trying to get my heart rate back down. The dream had felt so real. I was running for my life being chased by some kind of ugly creature. The creature was purple and had huge pointed ears, emerald-green eyes, and long, bony legs. I woke up right as it had grabbed me by the leg and pulled me down.
I stood up, and my knees wobbled just a little bit. I reached out and balanced myself on my dresser, waiting for the vertigo to pass.
My curtain fluttered, and a cool breeze entered my room. Did I leave that open? I usually didn’t leave the window ajar because my father insisted we lock them at night. I hesitated momentarily, then walked over to it, slamming it shut and latching the lock. I peered out into the woods. Oh, don’t be ridiculous. There is nothing out there. I closed the curtains and went back to bed.
Chapter Three
My obnoxious alarm went off way too early for my liking. If I ignored it, the beeps would get louder and louder, so I slapped the snooze button and lay in bed a little longer, trying to forget the nightmare that had awoken me in the night.
It wasn’t uncommon for me to have nightmares, so I didn’t know why this one had scared me so much. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. The branches of an old oak in the front yard cast waving patterns on the ceiling beneath the bright sunlight.
I swung my feet around and sat on the edge of the bed. “It was just a nightmare, nothing more,” I told myself.
I stood up and made my bed, tucking the teal plaid sheets in snugly. I ran my hands across to make sure it was smooth, and then brought the comforter all the way up. Fluffing the smaller pillow, I placed it carefully on top, and made sure it was exactly in the middle of the two larger pillows. Satisfied that my bed was in order, I spun around and made my way to the closet.
Rubbing my eyes, I pushed aside the purple beads that covered my closet opening. They were cold on my arm. Jeans hung all the way to the right, followed by khaki pants and cotton pants. Then came the shirts, all arranged by color. My skirts and dresses hung all the way to the left.
I grabbed my favorite pair of faded jeans and a pale blue off-the-shoulder blouse and headed to the bathroom to shower. Since I had taken my time getting out of bed, I had to hurry or I would be late for school. I was out and dressed in record time.
I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and snatched my makeup bag from the counter—I didn’t have time to do it now, so I’d have to put it on in the car.
As I made my way down the stairs, my stomach growled, reminding me I needed to eat. I found a note on the kitchen counter: Have a good day! XOXO, Mom. She had already left for work.
I only had a few minutes before my ride would arrive, so I grabbed a granola bar and downed a glass of OJ standing at the counter.
My mind drifted back to the nightmare as I took a bite of my bar. Those creatures were so creepy. They weren’t like anything I had ever seen before, and I definitely hoped to never see them again. Thank goodness it was just a dream.
When I was finished, I rinsed my cup and placed it in the dishwasher. I tossed the granola wrapper in the trash just as Sierra’s horn brought me out of the memory of my nightmare.
“What’s wrong?” Sierra asked when I got in the car. “I can always tell when something is bothering you. Your face is like an open book. You should do something about that, you know.”
I shrugged and glanced over at the woods, relieved that I couldn’t feel eyes on me today. “Nothing really. I had a nightmare last night, that’s all.”
“And you’re still upset about it?” She looked at me strangely as she put the car in reverse and backed out of my driveway.
“It was unnerving.”
Her face softened. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not a big deal.”
“Okay…if you do…”
“Thanks.” What I wanted to do was talk about something else—anything else. I always had trouble talking about my feelings. “How’s your sister?”
Sierra raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Um…okay, I guess. Her baby is due any day. She’s as big as a house.”
“How are your parents doing with that?” Flipping down the visor, I started to apply my mascara. Sierra’s sister was a senior, and she was having a baby. She had been the talk of the school for a couple of months, but the talk had eventually dwindled down. She was being tutored at home until she was ready to return to school.
“Ya know, the usual.” Sierra shrugged. “Dad won’t talk about it. Mom buys every cute outfit she sees.”
When Sierra didn’t say anything more, I decided to change the subject again. I glanced over at her, smiling as I applied my lip gloss. “We really need to find you a new boyfriend.”
“Have anyone in mind?” Sierra raised an eyebrow.
“Max is pretty hot.”
“Seriously? Max? I don’t want to date a jock. That’s your thing, not mine.” Sierra reached out and changed the radio station. “I think Ian is pretty cute.”
Ian? We really did have different tastes. He was a goth kid, totally not my type. I hesitated before responding. “Yeah, he does have a certain look to him. Have you talked to him? He seems like a bit of a loner.”
“We’re in art class together, and Ry, he is an incredible artist. I wish you could see his drawings.”
Ah. Now it made sense. “Well, that’s something you have in common. I think you should go for it.”
She was silent for a moment, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel and her eyes on more than just the road. “I think I will.” Decision made, she turned up the music and sang along the rest of the way to school.
I wished everything was as simple as my best friend made it seem.
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