Dark Promise (Between Worlds #1)

  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.

  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.