Dusk (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) Read Online Free Page 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.”
    *     *     *
    The signs for student government elections greeted me as I left homeroom. Mr. Austin must’ve hung them up while we were in class.
    “Hey,” Viv said, pointing at the sign. She, like probably everyone else in the building, just assumed I’d run for class president again.
    I shook my head. “I’m not running.”
    “Why not?” She grabbed my arm and pulled us both to a stop.
    I shrugged. “Too much has happened. I just can’t deal with the spotlight.”
    Viv sighed, then nodded. “I understand. But Mr. Austin’s going to be disappointed.”
    “I’m trying to figure out how to tell him,” I replied, as we started walking again.
    As we neared the hall with the math classrooms, I remembered my absent Pre-Cal book. Something in me whispered that I should check my locker one more time. A breeze swirled around me, like someone stood behind me fanning with a piece of paper. I slowed, glancing behind me and seeing nothing but kids headed to second period.
    Viv slowed as well, and I told her to head on to her second class. We’d catch up with each other at lunch. Before she disappeared into the crowd of people lining the hallway, I saw Brett Martin fall in step beside her. Brett was some kind of baseball virtuoso and one of those rare creatures who was both super popular and genuinely nice. To my knowledge, Brett and Vivian had never interacted, but judging by the smiles and flirty looks going on, they’d managed to get to know one another. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
    The notion of checking my locker again urged me on, as if by some miracle my Pre-Cal book had now materialized, but I could not shake the feeling that I should look once more.
    I upped my pace, weaving through the traffic in the hall, so that I could do the locker-check and still get to Mrs. Faulkner’s room on time. Naturally, I met Nikki and Courtney on their way to the restroom, and endured Nikki’s nasty glance. In addition to being pissed at me for the fact that I mysteriously escaped getting arrested, unlike the two of them, now she was clearly miffed about the fact that Adrian spoke to me. Correction… he blew her off in order to speak to me.
    Take that, ho bag.
    Remembering his ice blue eyes and