Dusk (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (3 page)

Fantastic. Nikki and Courtney’s revenge radar was so not where I wanted to be.

*     *     *

Viv and I both had Political Science with Mr. Austin last period. I loved Mr. Austin. He was the sponsor of the Student Government Organization, so as president of my class freshman, sophomore, and junior year, I’d gotten to know him pretty well.

Which made his class the toughest one all day. First of all, he patted me on the back and told me he was so sorry to hear about my dad. I managed not to tear up, but it was a close call. Second, he pointed out the poster about Student Government Elections, and told me he was looking forward to working with me again.

I hadn’t thought about Student Government all summer. And the idea of putting myself out there, making speeches, being the advocate for the senior class? After the past few months I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I’d feel comfortable with all that. But Mr. Austin’s enthusiasm kept me from saying so.

I’d figure out a way to tell him I wasn’t running for office. Just not today.

Viv saved me when she came in like a whirlwind, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward a row of desks.

“Did you hear about the new guy?” she asked, her eyes wide with animation. Viv always got excited when she was the first to share something.

“No,” I said, glad I could answer truthfully. I hadn’t
heard about
the new guy, though I was pretty sure I’d
seen
him.

“Moved here from Florida,” she said. “At least that’s what I heard from Jennifer, and she helps out in the office during fifth period, so I figure she knows. And get this. He rode to school on a motorcycle!”

A motorcycle? Wow. That was a first for Rison High.

“Why didn’t we notice that this morning?” I asked.

“He didn’t come in to enroll until just before lunch. I heard he’s living with his aunt while his parents are off on some top secret job somewhere in Europe.”

To be so sensible and down-to-earth, Viv loved gossip more than anyone I knew.

“Did you catch his name?” I was dying to know if tall, dark, and built had a name to match his looks.

“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” she said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and giggled at her, thinking how glad I was to be back in a routine with my best friend. Nikki and Courtney had been poor substitutes for Vivian.

*     *     *

I waited on the front sidewalk with the other kids whose parents picked them up. By and large they were all either too young to drive or unfortunate enough to have overprotective parents who wouldn’t let them ride the bus. Then there was me – a licensed driver who’d lost her keys thanks to reckless behavior.

I saw
him
– ebony hair guy from the cafeteria – just as I noticed Mom driving down the street and pulling into line with the other parents. The motorcycle was hard to miss, large and gleaming black, standing between two pick-up trucks looking completely out of place and totally cool at the same time.

He picked up the helmet and turned to look straight at me, like he meant to. Like among all the other people in the parking lot and waiting on the sidewalk, he’d picked me out on purpose.

I couldn’t help but look back. There was something so familiar about him. Even from a distance I could tell he was tall, at least a head taller than the boy getting into the truck next to him. His hair, dark and just long enough to turn up on the ends, was just the right amount of messy. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but the deep dimples in his cheeks flashed when he smiled at me.

He. Smiled. At. Me.

A gentle breeze swirled around me and seemed to warm me from the inside. A sense of
rightness
simmered and hummed around in my soul, as if somehow he’d flipped the switch that had shut off when my dad died.

I smiled back, but only halfway. This moment was so surreal. My mind didn’t exactly believe the images my eyes were sending, and my heart was having real trouble with the emotional side of things.

He nodded, acknowledging my smile, and just as I was about to take a huge risk and wave at him, a car horn beeped.

Mom.

When I looked back toward motorcycle dude, his back was to me as he strapped on his helmet. Just as well. I was seconds away from making a total fool of myself.

But his smile and the dimples stayed with me the entire drive home.

We lived on Stableview Road, a little country lane a couple of miles off the main highway that ran through Rison. Though it wasn’t the center of the action, it wasn’t exactly the boondocks, especially since there were four other houses down our road, along with the lovely, rolling pastures of Bryton Farms, one of many horse farms in our neck of the woods.

“I hope today wasn’t too awkward,” Mom said, as we neared our driveway.

“Nikki and Courtney had their say at lunch,” I replied, conveniently leaving out the part about my being in the car when Nikki crashed. “They don’t get why I dropped them.”

“Well, you’ve made the right decision. I hope you still believe that.”

I nodded. “Viv and I are fine. For the most part. She was very forgiving.”

Mom smiled, pulling up beside the house. “Let’s see how the first few weeks of school go, and maybe you can have your car keys back.”

That thought perked me up a bit.

Mom went on. “I know you haven’t wanted to talk about your dad, but at some point we’re going to have to. I’m here when you’re ready.”

And that thought slammed me back down.

“There’s not much to talk about,” I said. “We said it all the day he walked out on us.”

“He didn’t walk out on us, Zoe.” She stopped and turned to me, sighing heavily. “There’s plenty left to say, and I think you know that. But I won’t push you. Yet. I know that what happened is more than you can easily wrap your mind around. But you can’t hold it all inside forever.”

I said nothing. Just opened my car door and started to get out.

Mom’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“I’ve got to get back to the office. I’ll be home at my regular time.”

“Okay.”

“Think about what I said, Zoe.”

I stepped out of the car and shut the door.

She backed out of the drive, and I watched her car disappear as she headed back to town. I dug my keys from my purse, but just as I turned to go inside, the sound of an approaching vehicle caught my attention.

It was louder than most cars that regularly drove this road.

That’s because it wasn’t a car at all.

It was a motorcycle. A big, black one.

Even with the helmet obscuring his hair, I knew it was the ebony-haired guy from school. The light blue shirt was my first clue. But really, how many black motorcycles ran the roads in Rison? He slowed as he passed my house, looking over with a wave. This close to the road, I could even see his grin and the dimples.

He and his bike were out of sight, further down the road toward Ms. Turner’s house, when I realized I hadn’t waved back.

T
he advantage of starting the school year on Thursday was that Friday came quickly, and on the second day of school all buzz centered on the new guy.

The motorcycle seemed to be the biggest topic of conversation. I had to admit it was pretty cool. No one had ever driven a motorcycle to Rison High. I remembered seeing him yesterday, in the school parking lot and then again riding down my road after school. Despite the biker-persona, his eyes had been kind, and I found myself curious to know more about him. Like maybe his name.

Halfway to my locker, I caught sight of him. With Nikki Hughes. And Courtney Powell. Nikki was clearly on the prowl, judging by the way she slid her hand down his arm. Gag me.

Looking the other way, I pushed my way through the crowded hall and reached my locker. Naturally, Nikki’s voice rose louder as I got closer.

“There’s a party at Chad Blevins’s place tonight,” she said. “All the important people will be there.”

Like Nikki, Chad’s parents had money, and didn’t mind spending it on their son, to the point that Chad was as spoiled as Nikki, with just as big a sense of entitlement. I was quite sure there would be plenty of alcohol at Chad’s get-together, and probably other stuff I didn’t want to think about.

How had I ever thought I wanted any part of that craziness? Then I remembered the numbness I’d been looking for. The empty nothingness that had seemed to help me escape the awful mix of emotions I’d had after my father left. Then died.

Thank goodness I’d realized how insane an idea that had been before I screwed up any worse.

“I can swing by and pick you up.” Nikki’s voice screeched above the noise of slamming lockers and teenage chatter. “Or we could take your bike.”

For a split second I considered asking her what was going on with the drunk driving charges, but I really didn’t want to stoop to her level.

“No thanks,” came an unfamiliar voice. And what a nice voice it was. Deep and rich, and different from any voice I’d ever heard. “But it was nice to meet you.”

I hung my backpack in my locker and looked around for Viv, while Nikki continued to call after biker-guy. I rolled my eyes. He’d been polite, but pretty clear. He wasn’t interested. Yet she persisted.

Desperation was not an attractive quality in a female.

Looking to my left, I saw Viv making her way down the hall. And then
he
stepped into my vision, blocking out Viv and the rest of the chaos in the hallway.

Umm, wow. He was even better up close. The ability to speak left me.

“Hey,” he said, and considering he was standing so close, I knew he was talking to me.

I looked up. Way up. He had to be over six feet tall. And looked straight into the most gorgeous set of baby blues I’d ever seen. The deep green shirt he wore today accentuated the color of his irises.

Black hair and blue eyes were totally hot together.

“I saw you yesterday,” he continued, unaffected by my stunned silence. “I’m Adrian.”

Adrian. It suited him. His name was just as beautiful he was.

I should talk. Say something. Introduce myself. Wipe the drool from my chin.

“Zoe,” I squeaked, cringing at how stupid I sounded. “Zoe Gray.”

“Adrian Shaw.” He stuck his hand out, waiting for me to shake it.

I stared at his hand. He wanted me to put my hand in his, and even as I told myself it was just a simple greeting, the thought of feeling his skin against mine left me frozen.

Snap out of it! Act like you have a brain, not just raging hormones!

I gripped his hand. His fingers closed around mine, and everything inside me went still, calm…
right
. The noise around me stopped. The bustle of the kids in the hall faded away. And I found myself lost in the feeling of my hand in his, drowning in the way his eyes searched mine.

“I’m living with my aunt, Maggie Turner.” His voice snapped me out of my trance, and at the same time anchored me to him even more. “She lives down the road from you, I guess.”

“Yes.” I nodded, pulling my hand from his with a healthy amount of regret. “I know her. She bakes cakes, right?”

“Right.” He leaned a shoulder against the locker next to mine, as if settling in for a long conversation. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other, since we live so close.”

“I guess,” I said, turning to look at my locker, in an attempt to
not
stare at him. Besides, I needed to grab my Pre-Calculus book for second period. I didn’t want to have to make a trip back to the locker.

“You going to that party she was just talking about?” he asked.

“Um, no.” I almost laughed out loud. Where was my Pre-Cal book? I’d taken it home to look through it, as if glancing ahead would somehow magically make me understand it all. I could’ve sworn I had it in my backpack when I left home this morning.

“Not your speed?”

“Not anymore.” I unzipped my backpack further, peering inside. No Pre-Cal book. This was not going to make a good impression on Ms. Faulkner. “I wasn’t invited anyway.”

“That may have been a compliment,” he said. I felt him lean closer, looking over my shoulder. “What are you looking for?”

“My Pre-Cal book. I had it in my backpack when I left home. At least I thought I did.”

Just then the warning bell rang, signaling that I had two minutes to get to homeroom. Great. Second day of school and already I was going to show up to Pre-Cal unprepared. As if there wouldn’t be enough of that once we got started with homework and I showed up half-finished because I was clueless.

“Maybe it’ll turn up.” He pushed away from the lockers and looked at me one last time. “Nice meeting you.”

Okay, forget Pre-Cal. I needed to be nice to him. I’d kind of like it if he talked to me again. Even though he was one hundred percent out of my league.

“Yeah, if it’s not here it’s in my room at home,” I said. “Nice meeting you too.”

He winked and smiled, then turned into the flow of kids heading down the hall. Warm from my toes all the way to my head, I reached in my locker and grabbed what I needed, minus the Pre-Cal book, and headed toward homeroom.

Viv was waiting at the door for me. “We are so talking later.”