Darkest Dawn Read Free Page A

sweetie.”
    Max stuck her tongue out and Bri’s mom flicked Max’s ponytail playfully. “Let’s get a move on, ladies!”
    Bri flew down the stairs and bumped Max with her arm. Max wrinkled her nose and followed Abbey out of the house. Bri closed the door behind them, checking that the lock was in place. She and Abbey had been a duo since Bri was born, months after Abbey’s boyfriend had split. They shared the household tasks and made up for each other’s downfalls—Bri mostly making up for Abbey’s—but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
    Abbey slid into the passenger seat. “Chop chop!”
    Bri jogged to the driver’s side of the car, avoiding the rain so it didn’t make her hair go from straight and smooth to frizzy and unruly. She slid into the driver’s seat and checked her phone one last time. Even though the day had started off rough, she had a feeling today would end up okay. All she had to do was make it until lunch.
    ***
    Bri navigated the road, the windshield wipers thumping. The rain had picked up after they got into the car. At that point she knew they were going to be late but she’d rather that than end up in a ditch and never hear what Jake had to tell her.
    One of the perks of Abbey being the school librarian was prime parking in the faculty-assigned parking spots. Bri pulled into the busy lot at a snail’s pace so she wouldn’t run down any of her classmates. The car crawled behind a group of popular seniors, who didn’t care that a vehicle was behind them. As sophomores, Bri and Max weren’t at the bottom of the social ladder but certainly far from the top. They kept to themselves. Though Jake breezed up and down the ranks as he wished. Being the golden boy of both baseball and basketball teams had its advantages.
    Bri pulled into one of the teacher’s spots and put the car in park. “Max, there are two umbrellas under the seat.”
    Max shuffled under the seat and came up empty-handed. “Don’t see them.”
    “Hmm,” Abbey murmured, her bottom lip trapped under her teeth.
    Bri groaned. “Seriously?”
    “Well I did use them,” Abbey said lightly. “I may have left them inside.”
    The warning bell for first period shrilled outside.
    Abbey reached into her bag and pulled out two plastic grocery bags. “A little rain never hurt anyone.”
    Bri unbuckled her seatbelt and braced herself, peering back to Max who shot daggers at Bri’s mom. Loving daggers, of course.
    Max reached over the seat and kissed Abbey on the cheek. “I’m finding a new ride.”
    Abbey grinned. “Without me your life would be so uninteresting each morning.”
    “At least we’d be on time!” Max pulled the bag over her head. As a straight-A student she was determined to end her high school career without so much as a blemish on her record. That included perfect attendance.
    Bri tossed the keys to Abbey and kissed her cheek. “See you Sunday night?”
    “I’ll text you when we get there!” she called as Bri hopped out of the car.
    “Love you!”
    Bri was already soaked before she could get the bag on her head. She and Max raced to the front of the school just as the final bell rang. They climbed the front steps and shoved through the front doors, pulling the dripping bags from their heads.
    Max’s shirt clung to her body. “Awesome,” she deadpanned.
    Bri took Max’s bag and threw them both into the nearby recycling bin. Her socks squished with each step.
    They quickly scaled the two flights of stairs, their shoes squeaking over the linoleum floors. Max’s breathing was heavy and Bri was on the verge of breaking a sweat. They picked up their pace at the top of the steps and rounded the corner to the classroom.
    First period was English. Bri peeked into the room. Mrs. Brewster had her back to them. Max grunted something under her breath and opened the door. Mrs. Brewster turned. Her long fingers were wrapped around the phone attached to the wall. “Okay,” she said into it though her tone