Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter Six: You Have to Jump First

He patted my shoulder. "You did good," he praised me in-between breaths.

I side-glared at him. "You could've warned me about the second drop, you know." The drop had to be over six feet because it covered his head.

"I thought you'd enjoy a surprise."

"The first drop was surprise enough," I mumbled, leaning back to survey my leg. My knee was scraped, and my jeans were ruined, but I was okay.

Broden glanced at his watch. "We have to go."

He followed the drain as the concrete curled under the fields. I followed him without questioning his directional capabilities, and his speed increased with every turn. He kept looking at his faulty watch, and I was beginning to suspect the silver jewelry wasn't as broken as he wanted it to seem.

"Do you think the patrolman saw us?" I asked, quickening my pace to stand next to him.

He climbed up from the drain to a dirt trail. When I joined him, he answered, "He's caught us once."

Apparently, Broden had done this before, numerous times, and not alone. My only question was a stereotypical one—Why?—but I didn't have enough information to ask yet. If I had learned anything from my father, it was that most people didn't offer information, and if you're going to ask for it, you better know they will answer. At this point, Broden was keeping his mouth shut, even if I pried it open. If I wanted an honest answer, I would have to wait for a better opportunity to begin an interrogation.

Broden slowed down, his free hand tightening on the backpack. "Listen, Sophia," he whispered as the dirt trail turned into a hooked, gravel path. We were closing in on the lumberyard. "This whole situation— Miles is right when he says you shouldn't be involved."

"It can't be that bad."

"It is." He angled his face away, but I had already seen his expression: the mixture of contempt and dread. My concern peaked. Before I could speak, though, we neared the last curve. Sounds of rushing water surrounded us. "Don't speak. Don't do anything rash. Just let me talk to Noah, and then I'll get you out of here, and we never have to think about this again."

I nodded, but doubted he saw me. His stride turned into a march as we made our way around the corner. The trail ended at a river. A bridge arched over it, enveloping us in shadows. Full of rainwater from the previous storm, the creek rushed over rocks and logs, and I gaped at the site. Considering I was never near the lumberyard, I was oblivious to the beautiful bridge. In fact, I was shocked by it. This area wasn't a park. It was an abandoned forest. To see a manmade creation in isolation made every alarm in my body go off.

Unfazed, Broden walked in front of me, and I managed to tiptoe behind him. Gravel beneath my feet disappeared and reappeared as clouds soared across the sky, covering the moon only to conceal it again. One second, I could see the glittering water in front of me, the next it disappeared. I kept pushing forward, allowing my ears to be my eyes. The running water was soothing, but Broden's voice was defensive when he spoke.

"Noah."

My neck snapped up as I stared at my best friend talking to the shadows beneath the bridge. It wasn't until I stepped closer that I saw who he had addressed.

Noah leaned against the stone wall, tall and lean, but his eyes focused on Broden with a stillness that pulled me in. He seemed familiar somehow. I squinted, but his black t-shirt blended in with the darkness. If I weren't closer, I wouldn't have been able to see him. The only light part about him was his hair, blond and frayed, yet it hung over his forehead like a masquerade mask. The last time I'd seen anyone that disheveled in the State—