Zombie High Chronicles (Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

fact, if we hadn’t been stuck together I might have liked him a bit more.
    Three people stand beside him. Coleman Rhodes, a guy with thick black rimmed glasses, skin pale enough to betray the avid gamer in him and a nervous twitch that I am pretty sure means he is still going through sugar withdrawals. Rationed supplies suck for a guy like him.
    The girl beside him is Ember Rothschild. She is a year younger than me and looks like she might have been a dancer judging by those sexy long legs and fiery red hair. The final person to round out the foursome is Vaughn Eister, an all-around ladies’ man extraordinaire and the only one yet to realize that he has no game. I am pretty sure that he has a bit of Asian in him somewhere but when he opens his mouth to speak he is American through and through.
    Tugging the straps of my bag hard over my shoulder, I force myself to walk over and join my classmates. You would think that after moving as often as I do that I’d be used to starting over, but I’ve never really been one to play well with others. I like my personal space.
    The only upside about the Zone is that all of us have  come from somewhere else. Some of the small towners are having trouble adjusting. As for me...I don't even try.
    Flynn sticks out his fist and bumps mine when I stop beside him. “That was brutal,” he says, but he says it with a contradictory smile.
    I absently rub at my arm. That guy definitely left a mark today.
    “You seem to be all grins and giggles now. You see Meran on the way out?”
    “Yeah,” Flynn grins and a small blush rises along his cheeks. “She's a little shook up but she's good. They kept her overnight for testing.”
    Of course, they did. The doctors around here are nothing if not annoyingly overly cautious.
    “Hot girls almost make me look forward to school.” Vaughn leans back to stare at a girl’s short skirt as she bends over to pick up her bag off the ground when the squeal of a school bus brakes announces its arrival. “At least the view is much better there.”
    Ember punches him on the arm. “Do you think girls like when you mentally undress them in public?  Paislee is actually really nice and doesn't deserve to be treated like some pinup model on your wall.”
    “Yeah.” Vaughn takes another look at the perky blonde as she bounces lightly on her toes to stay warm in the chilly morning air and nods. “I bet she is real nice, both in public and private.”
    Flynn swings his bag around to smack into his friend. I watch the two and feel a temporary a pang of regret. Some of the Zoners were lucky enough to come in together. Flynn and Vaughn have been friends since Jr. High and when things went south their two families joined up to hit the road.  There was safety in numbers, at least until you had the misfortune to run into a group of raiders looking to increase their supplies.
    Their bro love is a bit much at times but it seems like a good enough distraction as I follow them onto the bus, but not before sending my own glance toward Paislee. Vaughn is right. That girl is nice on the eyes and no true blood nice girl wears a skirt that short.
    “I saw that,” Flynn says as he steps aside to allow Vaughn a chance to chat up Ember as they climb on board.
    “So?”
    “So I’d be careful. Vaughn might seem like an ok guy but he’s got his moments. He'll fight you for her. ”
    “Trust me if I wanted her, he wouldn't stand a chance.”
    I find myself grinning as I grab hold of the metal bar and swing myself up after him but the smile wipes clean the instant I come face to face with Sargent Bo Tompkins. He is your classic meathead with a trigger finger that makes me twitch more than Coleman. A guy like that should never be given a gun.
    “Sterling.” He makes sure to bump his shoulder hard into mine as I pass. Ember turns to look back at me over her shoulder and gives a slight warning shake of the head. I glare back at her for butting into my business but release my