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

I had a slight headache and my back felt tight, so the last thing I felt like doing was sitting in school all day. The first four periods passed slowly, but I barely noticed through my fog of pain.

My mood brightened by lunchtime since it was my favorite part of the day. I hurried into the cafeteria, my eyes seeking Adam’s—he was already at our table with our usual gang. He winked at me, and I glowed in return.

I grabbed a tray and slid it down the railing. I skipped the mystery meat and went for my favorite standby, pizza and fries. After grabbing a milk carton and paying with my school account, I crossed the room to our spot.

“It’s about time.” Adam grinned and grabbed a fry from my tray. I loved the way his eyes lit up when he saw me, as if I were the only girl in the world.

“Mrs. Johnson stopped me in the hall,” I explained as I opened my milk, and then glanced around at my friends. “What’d I miss?”

Sierra’s face brightened and she opened her mouth to gush, until she looked over at Emma. She sat back in her seat and held her hands up in surrender. “I’ll let Emma tell you.”

Emma was known for being a gossip. She knew everything about everyone before it even happened. At least that’s how it seemed. She pushed a strand of her curly black hair behind her ear and leaned forward. “Well, apparently Amanda and Colin got caught doing the deed in his car. A cop came up and flashed his flashlight at them, and then he followed them home and told their parents.”

“What!? I didn’t even know they liked each other.” I appealed to Adam. Colin was on the baseball team and a pretty good friend of his, but he just shrugged.

“That’s not all,” Emma went on, her round face animated. “Jason broke up with Liz—”

I tried to pay attention, but Adam had his hand on my thigh and everyone else seemed to fade out. His touch gave me tunnel vision, so much so that I had a hard time finishing my lunch.

When the bell rang, I dumped my trash into the garbage can and tossed the tray on the pile to be cleaned. Adam put his hand on my waist and spun me around, pulling me close so he could press his lips against mine. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed every second of our kiss.

With one last peck, he pulled away and said, “See you later.”

I watched as he walked away, my lips still tingling.

Sierra walked up and came to a stop next to me. “You two really are sickening. You do realize that, don’t you?”

I nodded, heat rising to my cheeks. We couldn’t help it; being together just came so naturally.

On the way to our next class, I spotted Ian hanging out by his locker. I nudged Sierra with my elbow. “Go say hi,” I murmured.

She blushed and looked down at her sandals, her hands knitting together in front of her.

“Oh, don’t play shy with me. We both know you are anything but.” I gave her a little shove towards him.

She stumbled and dropped one of the books she was holding. It was a heavy textbook that hit the ground with a thud. “Ry!” she hissed between her teeth.

Ian looked up at us from where he was crouched over his backpack. His hair was such a dark black, it made his face look extremely white and his lips red. He had one earring in his left ear and another in his bottom lip. He hadn’t always looked that way. I remembered him from elementary school when he was blond and all-American.

Sierra held up a hand and waved timidly. “Hi, Ian.”

The corners of his mouth turned up just a little. “Hey.”

Sierra went to lean against the lockers beside him, and he stood. Leaving them alone to talk, I continued on towards history class. I really wasn’t a fan of history because I thought it was so annoyingly boring. Who cared about what happened in the past?

I plopped down in my assigned seat and waited for Sierra.

She showed up a couple of minutes later, right before the bell rang, wearing a huge grin on her face.

“I take it things went well?” I prompted.

She took the seat in front of me and whipped around with a nod. “He asked if I wanted to grab a bite to eat and go to the movies this weekend.”

The bell sounded, and our teacher stood up behind his desk. “Please take out your books and turn to page two hundred thirty.”

“And you said yes, right?” I whispered as I flipped open my book and searched for the correct page.

“Of course,” she whispered over her shoulder.

I grinned. “When?”

“Rylie? Sierra? Stop talking or be sent to the principal.” Mr. Jackson looked down at us over glasses that always slid down his nose.

Sierra rolled her eyes and turned to face the teacher. “Sorry.”

I knew it was selfish, but all I could think about was how her date better not be on my birthday. After class was over, I pulled Sierra aside in the hallway. “When are you going?”

She rolled her eyes. “Calm down. I know exactly what you’re thinking. I told him Friday night.” Gripping my shoulders, she gave them a little shake. “Did you really think I’d leave you on your birthday?”

I shrugged, feeling a little guilty.

She shoved me to the side. “Really? You know me better than that. You’re my best friend. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Besides, you know I can’t pass up cake and ice cream.”

That was true. Sierra was petite, but she could eat like a linebacker.

Two more classes, and the day would be over. I had choir practice after school, but I really didn’t feel up to going. I was tired and achy again. Turning to Sierra, I rubbed my temples and told her, “I’m going to go take a Tylenol in the bathroom.”

A concerned look crossed her face. “Still got that headache?”

“Yeah. It goes away for a bit, and then comes right back. My mom said it could be allergies or something.”

She walked with me to the bathroom. The moment we pushed through the swinging door, the stench of body spray plugged up my nose and made me cough. The bathroom’s bright fluorescent lights made the sunshine-yellow walls glow. There were four stalls, all empty at the moment. I put my backpack down and yanked out a bottle of water and the Tylenol. I threw a couple in my mouth and washed them down.

Sierra handed me her lipstick. “Need a touch-up?”

“Yeah.” I took the lipstick from her and applied it to my lips. It made my mouth a deep burgundy. “Thanks.”

“What are friends for? That color looks great on you, by the way.”

I smiled. Sierra always made me feel better.

Two hours later, the medicine still hadn’t kicked in. My head continued to throb, but I had to go to choir.

Choir was in the small auditorium, in a domed building adjacent to the main body of the school. It had been replaced by the large auditorium sometime in the nineties, and the old was given to the arts program. It was dark and dreary, and the seats were hard wood instead of the plush cushions of the new auditorium, but the choir students liked it for its character.

I walked down the aisle, and Mrs. Lopez looked up from behind the podium. Her black hair was pulled up in a severe bun. It looked a little strange since her long locks were usually down in loose waves. “You feeling okay, Rylie? You don’t look well.”

“I’ve had an awful headache today,” I said truthfully.

“Do you want to just go home? You should rest your voice if you’re not feeling well.”

“No. Adam is my ride, and he’s at baseball practice anyway.”

“Well, if you want to just sit in the chairs and watch, that’s fine with me.”

“Thanks, but I think I want to try and sing.” I didn’t like letting Mrs. Lopez down. She was my favorite teacher.

“I like that attitude, Rylie.” Mrs. Lopez smiled broadly. As the final trickle of students came in, she asked, “Do you want to do your solo first? Get it out of the way?”

I nodded. “Sure. Thanks, Mrs. Lopez.”

I walked up the stairs to the stage and gripped the microphone stand, adjusting it to the perfect height. Mrs. Lopez took a seat at the baby grand, her fingers splayed across the keys, and nodded at me as she began playing “Someone Like You” by Adele.

I sang through the song twice, hitting every note with ease. Singing is my passion. When I sing, I feel free, and everything else seems to fade away. Even my headache and the nightmare were forgotten.

“Excellent,” she praised. Concern marred her brow. “Now, go sit down and watch. You look so pale.”

I knew she was probably worried about me coming down with something. Our end-of-year concert was quickly approaching, and my solo was one of the main acts.

“Thanks,” I said, relieved. I walked to the back of the auditorium. Every step felt like someone was banging something hard against my head. I sank down into one of the chairs and let my head fall to rest on the back of the seat. It was dark and cool. Closing my eyes, I listened to the choir sing.

“Hey, beautiful,” Adam’s voice whispered in my ear a while later.

Opening my eyes, I saw his handsome face in front of me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You okay? You don’t look so good.”

“Headache.” I groaned, annoyed that it was still there.

“I wish I could take it away for you. Are you ready to go home? You look like you could use a nap.”

“A nap sounds wonderful.”

He held out his hands. I took them, and he pulled me to my feet. My head swam, and I leaned into him, waiting for the sensation to pass.

“Rylie?” His voice was low, worried.

I waved him away. “I’m fine. Stood up too fast.”

As we walked to his truck, he rubbed the back of my neck with the fingers of one strong hand.

“That feels good,” I murmured, stretching my neck side to side as he worked the muscles.

“Probably a tension headache. Anything bothering you?” He opened the passenger door and helped me climb in.

“Not really. I mean nothing major is going on.”

He shut my door and circled the truck to get in on the driver’s seat. As soon as he was settled, I slid over to sit in the middle so I could rest my head on his shoulder. My eyes fluttered shut.

“Ry?”