Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) Read online

  Not realizing she held her breath, Dahlia let it out slowly, trying to compose herself. He was right, it was only school. What were a bunch of teenagers going to do to her, in any case?

  “Alright,” she whispered reassuringly to herself. “You can do this, Dahlia.”

  She slowly unclasped her seatbelt and grasped the door handle. Giving it a quick pull, she pushed open the door and stepped out of the car as the cool air greeted her. Closing the passenger door, she looked over at Sam who stood on the other side of the Mustang, peering over at her expectantly.

  He smiled widely then swept his arm in the air as he proclaimed, “Welcome to Cedar Oaks High. These are the people you will be spending your time with over the next year.”

  Dahlia gave the school another swift glance. From the parking lot, more students arrived in their cars. The distinct difference between the upperclassmen and the lowly first and second years was apparent, who all seemed to be riding bikes or getting dropped off by their mommies and daddies.

  The real distinction between them was physical. The upper year boys were tall and muscular, while the girls were no better, dressed in tight clothes that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

  Turning around to face Sam, Dahlia blurted out, “These are high school students?” She looked down at her own jeans and long-sleeved purple t-shirt. She noted then that even Sam was dressed more formal than his usual t-shirt and shorts. He sported a pair of crisp blue jeans and a button-down gray shirt that matched his eyes.

  His shaggy hair was still a mess.

  Chuckling at her comment, Sam walked in the direction of the school doors, giving no choice but for her to follow. “There’s nothing else to do in Cedar Oaks except dress up for school and party. Some of these kids are kind of mature-looking for their age and they definitely use it to their advantage. So beware.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, a suspicious look plastered on her face.

  Sam gave a weird look in return, shrugging. “I don’t really know. They just seem to get everything they want.” He then smiled as he continued, wiggling eyebrows up and down.

  “It’s a good thing I’m friends with them.”

  ***

  Morning classes were a blur. After Sam dropped her off at her first course, Chemistry, it went downhill from there. Dahlia struggled to pay attention, as the material was something she had already learned, and was relieved when the bell sounded, signaling lunch.

  She was famished, her body still adjusting to the hours at school and the longer time she had to go between meals. She usually ate every few hours to keep her energy levels up, many small meals throughout the day. It was something she always did, realizing at a young age that her body shut down whenever she didn’t eat enough. She wasn’t diabetic, but slightly anemic, so she always carried food with her. Considering the no food policy in class, she didn’t want to draw any attention to herself by munching away at her desk.

  Relieved that she could finally eat, the feeling promptly changed as she stood before the cafeteria, or more correctly coined cafetorium, as it was a combination of both a cafeteria and auditorium. The school, solely into sports, placed all its money in athletics and nothing else.

  That included the school’s blueprint.

  Anyway, the cafetorium was a hideous sight. There was a huge, empty stage on display with the chaos of students getting food while searching for seats beneath it. Some kids ate before they even paid while others just sat, hungrily inhaling their beef burger or some other grotesque food that was on their tray.

  Dahlia stood rooted in spot, her hunger nearly forgotten.

  “There you are!” Sam’s voice bellowed from behind as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair as he gave it a slight tug.

  She refused to admit it, but she was pleased to see him standing next to her and even welcomed his playful touch. She glanced up with a long face, observing him from the corner of her eyes. “Do we really have to eat here?”

  “No.” He then grasped her by the elbow and proceeded to lead her further into the cafetorium. Finding an empty table, he sat down and looked up at her expectantly as he gestured to the seat across from him.

  Sighing, Dahlia reluctantly sat down, dropping her book bag on the floor. She placed her elbows on the table as she cradled her face in her hands and replied, “Why are we here then? I thought you didn’t like the cafe.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Sam yawned broadly while speaking at the same time. “I don’t. I just don’t feel like driving or walking anywhere to get food. Come on, it’s the first day of school. We should be eating here—it’s like, almost law.”

  Dahlia rolled her eyes as Sam stood up. Motioning for her to follow him, he rubbed his stomach hungrily. “Let’s go get some grub.”

  They both managed to survive the food line up then returned to their seats. Dahlia found it odd that no one claimed the seats surrounding them, considering the room was so full, but quickly tossed the idea aside. She picked up a few fries on her tray and dipped it into the ketchup, taking a bite as she relished in its salty taste. She didn’t want to seem like a pig so she always tried to eat slowly, despite her hunger.

  Taking a few more bites of her fries, her chewing immediately halted by the loud voice coming from behind her.

  “Hey, Sam! What’s up, man?”

  Dahlia looked over her shoulder to see three guys and a girl crowding the table. A few of them looked familiar, having seen them in front of the school earlier. She internally rolled her eyes, now knowing why the seats were still vacant.

  These must be the popular people.

  Sam nodded at them all and replied, “Hey, guys. Take a seat.”

  Wanting to give him a swift kick under the table, Dahlia braced herself as they all sat down and, wonders upon wonders, looked at her with interest.

  She remained quiet, reaching for another fry. Not knowing what to say, chewing seemed like an easy way out.

  A guy with skin the shade of milk chocolate, and cute in the looks department, spoke first. He sat next to Dahlia and towered over everyone, casually dressed in colorful shorts and a white t-shirt, looking as if he belonged at the beach. “Hey, I’m Deacon. Excuse Sam—he’s dense at times and has no concept of manners.” His brown eyes were smiling and Dahlia couldn’t help but like him immediately.

  She looked over at Sam who had a look of shock on his face and managed to sputter, “Me? No manners?” Looking at Dahlia, he went on as he pointed a thumb over in Deacon’s direction, speaking in hushed tones. “You were just conversing with a guy who injured an old, wheelchair-bound lady by not opening the door for her.”

  Deacon frowned, his forehead slightly wrinkled. His voice became serious as he looked on at Sam. “I’m telling you like I told you before. I didn’t see her, man. It’s not my fault she was so short.” He emphasized this by displaying how short she had been by using his hand, as it reached just above his hip.

  The boy sitting on Deacon’s other side interrupted, an ice blond with sharp features, dressed all in black with thick-framed glasses. He took them off to reveal bright blue eyes and wiped them with a napkin as he replied dryly, “Deacon, she was in a wheelchair—of course she was short. She was sitting at the time.”

  “Well, it ain’t my fault I’m so damn tall. Curse this six feet, five inches stature.” Deacon shrugged in indifference as he reached over for his burger and took a large bite, chewing meticulously.

  Dahlia struggled to hold back a laugh as she clenched her jaw together, watching as Deacon polished off his food in seconds then lick his fingers in delight. When he was done, he looked back at Sam and spoke with a sly smile on his face. “So introduce us to your girl, and don’t try to deny it. We saw you two coming in together this morning.”

  Looking o
ver at Dahlia with raised brows, Sam asked, “Should you explain or shall I?”

  She had just taken a bite out of her chicken burger so she motioned toward him with her hand. She covered her mouth as she swallowed the piece of food, clearing her throat. “You go right ahead. You always do a wonderful job explaining yourself.”

  Sam stuck his tongue out at her then looked away as he eyed everyone else at the table. “Guys, this is Dahlia. Dahlia, you already know Deacon, the grandma hater. Sitting across from him is Taylor—he doesn’t talk much.”

  Taylor verified this by just nodding. He was dressed in baggy clothes that seemed to overtake his tall, lanky frame. His head bent over, Dahlia couldn’t clearly make out his face. The only thing she noticed when she turned toward him was his full head of disheveled, black hair. The hair was a huge contrast to his pale, blotchy skin that seemed badly burnt from the sun.

  Apparently, he hadn’t heard about SPF.

  Continuing, Sam went on. “Down yonder is Bentley—we call him Lee. Across from him is Meg. She’s the one having the party this weekend.”

  Dahlia looked from Bentley—Lee—the blond who had spoken up earlier with the glasses. He was dressed in a black dress shirt, whose sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a white skinny tie that accented his entire ensemble. He looked as if he had an evening engagement at some chic downtown nightclub later on.

  It was definitely too formal for high school in the middle of nowhereville.

  Dahlia’s gaze then shifted to Meg, who wasn’t any better than Lee. She wore a beautiful red kimono dress that highlighted her Asian features. It was short, drawing attention to her long legs. She had blue-black hair accentuated by its blunt cut, ending right below her shoulder blades. Long bangs flew into her eyes as she casually brushed them aside.

  Lee and Meg remained silent as they observed Dahlia curiously, then both smiled, raising their hands in hello.

  Dahlia lifted the corners of her mouth up timidly as she nodded her head in return. “Hello.”

  She continued smirking inwardly as she ate her meal. Her eyes danced back and forth between all of Sam’s friends as she fully checked them out. They were all distinctively different from one another and she marveled how the four were even friends. None of them seemed like they had much in common: from Deacon’s jock exterior to Lee, dressed almost too elegantly for school. Then Meg, who looked regal in her foreign wear, to Taylor, whose sloppy demeanor and indifference was obvious. To Dahlia, they looked thrown together in a mismatch of sorts.

  She secretly wondered how they all ended up being friends with Sam, of all people.

  As she mulled over this, chuckling softly to herself, Sam eyed everyone at the table and gave them all a huge grin. “Dahlia would be so lucky to be dating me but I’m afraid to disappoint you all, friends.” She threw a fry at him but he managed to catch it due to quick reflexes and tossed it in his mouth. He turned to her and gave a wink. “Thanks for the food, hun.”

  He then looked back at his friends. “It’s not that kind of relationship, though. Dahlia, here, is my sister.”

  They were all silent for a moment at his words, trying to comprehend what he just said. Then, Meg finally spoke as she cleared her throat, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in disbelief.

  “Sister?” The puzzlement was obvious on her face. Her nose crinkled up in confusion as her brown eyes darted from Dahlia then back to Sam suspiciously, as if she knew he was lying. “You don’t have a sister.”

  “Do now. My parents decided to foster Dahlia.” Sam said it so casually, as if it were an everyday occurrence. He looked down at his fingers as he started to pick at something from underneath a nail, mumbling, “If she’s a good little girl maybe they’ll even adopt her.”

  Dahlia rolled her eyes at Sam’s actions and blunt words about her current family status. As a feeling of awkwardness took over her body, she ducked her head in discomfort and moved her hair so it covered the majority of her face. She waited for the spew of questions she was sure would hit her like an assault. Every time she went somewhere new, people always asked questions. Every time she answered them, they were inclined to stay away after the fact.

  The others eyed each other for a moment before Deacon spoke up. “Wow, so you’re a foster kid.” Dahlia thought he was going to continue by asking questions that she wasn’t prepared to answer. Instead, all he did was shrug and said one word.

  “Cool.”

  Dahlia inwardly sighed in relief but glanced around at everyone skeptically. They continued chatting about arbitrary things as if nothing out of ordinary had occurred, and they didn’t just meet a foster kid. Except for Taylor. His head bent as he ate his sandwich in silence, he lived up to his reputation of not “talking much.” He seemed more withdrawn than Dahlia ever was, leaving her wondering if he was even listening to any of the conversations. She eyed each of these new people quietly in amazement.

  They were all so nice.

  Every one of Sam’s friends seemed different, from the way they acted to the way they dressed. But for some reason they were all friends. She smiled to herself as she took another bite of her burger, thinking that perhaps she had found a group of people that would finally accept her. As she did, her gaze caught Sam’s eye. He looked back at her, delighted over the fact that he had gotten her into a social situation.

  Dahlia wiped the smile off her face and rolled her eyes in return as she chewed her food. Then the smile slowly crept back on her lips as a thought crossed her mind. Maybe things in Cedar Oaks would be different after all, and she’d finally be able to breathe.

  Now, wouldn’t that be something?

  Chapter 3

  Later on that day in class, Dahlia sat at a corner desk, once again wishing she were anywhere but there. The only thing she truly enjoyed was typing in her journal, something she was itching to do. The orphanage had it right with the home-schooling bit. She barely listened to the words coming out of the teacher’s mouth and instead let her mind wander as she thought back to lunch. She had been pleasantly surprised that Sam’s friends had acted normal around her after they found out she was a foster kid. She finally found some potential friends.

  Yay me!

  Drumming her fingers against the table, she turned her head to look out the window. She saw the fallen leaves and scraps of discarded paper blowing away on the field and she imagined the sound the wind would be making.

  A roaring gust that shook the earth as it made its presence known to everyone.

  It was such a powerful element, the wind. Peaceful at times, free to move in any which way, but today it seemed to be raging a war using the soccer field as its battlefield.

  Dahlia wondered what it would be like to be that free. To have the ability to just let go and soar in the sky, fearing absolutely nothing.

  “Ms. Winters?”

  If there was one super power I wished to possess, it would be to fly.

  “Ms. Winters?”

  Maybe even mind reading. Yes...reading minds would definitely be epic.

  “Miz. Winters! Are you awake in there?”

  Startled out of her daydream, it took a moment for Dahlia to register a figure standing right next to her desk. She glanced up to find Mr. Lawson staring down at her, a glower forming on his already wrinkly, pale face. She looked on in silence at his growing frown, giving a look of apology in return.

  She also realized that the entire sixth period Health class was staring at her as well, a few attempting to hide a few grins. The rest were blatantly laughing.

  “Sorry, Mr. Lawson.”

  Slumping further into her seat, Dahlia wished she could disappear. Me and my stupid daydreams. She peered back into his face, trying to ignore the rest of the class. “Was there something you were asking me?” She inconspicuously wiped the corner of her mouth with her fingertips,
praying there was no drool.

  She was in the clear, thank God.

  Raising his eyebrows, Mr. Lawson began. “Before I so abruptly interrupted your daydreaming, I wanted you to give a demonstration to the class.” Holding a banana in one hand and a condom in another, he offered both items to her.

  “Begin.”

  Today’s topic, a review, was none other than sex education. What a way to ring in the new semester.

  Slowly grabbing the items with both hands, Dahlia looked around at all the nameless faces in her classroom. She turned as red as a beet as she clutched the two items tightly.

  “I don’t think she knows where to begin,” a voice muttered from the back of the room. She didn’t think Mr. Lawson heard, but from the sudden burst of giggles, Dahlia deduced that not only was she the new girl, but a laughingstock too.

  Just when things were going so well.

  She grimaced slightly and ignored the class, shuffling uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t enjoy being the center of attention so, items in hand, quickly did what Mr. Lawson asked. After successfully donning the banana with the condom, she covered her face in embarrassment, using her hair as a shield. She prayed for class to end as Mr. Lawson walked back to the front and was lucky as the bell rang only minutes later.

  Dahlia quickly jumped out of her seat, grabbed her things, and darted into the halls. She rushed straight into the bathroom and, finding the stall furthest away, ran inside, slamming the door shut as she locked it.

  Her heart rate galloped in her chest from the rush and mortification of the entire incident. She rummaged through her things for a granola bar, then hung her bag on the metal hanger as she slumped down on the toilet seat, sighing. Opening the wrapper, she took a bite of the bar, secretly wishing the oats were chocolate.