Half Dead World: Book One from the Apocalypse Tales by Adrienne Hargrove (little readers txt) 📗

bible study will meet at Tyler and Emma Abbot’s home and then the Sunday after that it will be here at the Armstrong home. I’m excited to see Ava’s progress in the back gardens! Every time we come it seems as if she has added something new. Even having to deal with all this rain, the property is still more amazing every time I see it.”

I blink at my mom stunned by her revelation. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that Jackson went to your bible study?”

“Well, I know it’s silly of me, dear, but I thought you should come to bible study to get know Jesus, not because of your undying love for Jackson Armstrong.”

I hear my dad choke back a laugh as I give my mom my most frustrated “UGH” and stomp from the car towards Jackson’s door.

My dad rolls down the car window. “See you in a few hours princess.”

My mom leans over my dad. “Have a good time dear.”

I arch my eyebrows and shoot them a caustic look before I turn around and ring the doorbell. The door is immediately opened by a blond haired and blue-eyed little kid version of Jackson. I smile but before I can speak, he hollers over his shoulder “Jackson, your girl is here.” Then steps back to let me in. As he shuts the door behind me, I look up to see Jackson coming down the stairs. I try to focus on wiping what I’m sure is a dopey love struck look off my face. But oh my, gosh he is so freaking beautiful. Seeing him away from the school’s fluorescent lighting is making him even hotter than usual. All I can do is hope I also look better in the warm light of the marble tiled foyer. He smiles his beautiful smile and I swallow hard so I can be sure I don’t drool on myself.

“Did you decide against doing homework or did you just forget your books?”

“I have enrichment last period, I finished it then. But I can help you if you want?”

He laughs; he actually laughs. I cross my arms and glare at him with mock severity. “Are you trying say, that Mr. Top of the class can’t learn anything from a girl who is merely a “B” student?”

“No… I’m saying that you must be a genius to get B’s since I’ve never seen you paying attention in class. You’re the world’s most committed day dreamer.”

“Wait, you’ve seen me daydreaming?”

He leans in, and my heart starts racing. “It’s kind of legendary.”

I blush and mumble “Great.”

He shrugs his right shoulder. “It’s part of your charm.” He grabs my wrist and holds my arm out. “By the way, you look very nice.”

I take in his in his dark jeans and fitted white button-down shirt that looks amazing with his dark hair and eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

I look up to his face and he is staring at me. Whoa! Jackson Armstrong is staring into my eyes. We are having a moment; this is totally a moment.

A tumbling mass of blond hair crashes into Jackson’s side and almost knocks him over.

“Dang it Wilder, you’re going to break my leg one day!”

Wilder gives me the most innocent, angelic look a child can muster then turns to his brother.

“Mom says dinners ready.” Wilder turns and runs off as fast as he showed up.

“Having a sibling seems like a lot of fun.”

Jackson laughs as he rubs the side of his hip. “Sometimes it’s nice, I mean, we are not that close in age, so we don’t hang out all the time. There are times when he is really fun to be around, though. And it’s kind of nice to know that there is this one person out there who will know you in a different way than anyone else and is always going to have your back. Now, let’s go before he comes back for another attempted tackle and I have to teach him a lesson in violence.”

We make our way to a cozy dining room. There is an antique buffet table on the side of the room covered with four casserole dishes, two meat platters and a large basket of bread. Jackson grabs us each a plate and we make our way to the buffet.

“That’s a lot of food. Are there more people coming for dinner?”

“Nah, it’s just left overs from the café. It must have been a slow day, so eat up.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot your mom is part owner of the cafe. I usually just see Mrs. Caroline when I eat there.”

“Mom prefers to work in the kitchen developing recipes and of course in the café garden, Mrs. Caroline prefers front of the house stuff. It’s really a perfect partnership.”

“So, your mom cooked all this food?”

“Hmm… Mom came up with all the recipes and may have helped out today. But my guess is Mr. Ben, the head cook, made most of this.”

“Well, it looks great.”

I take a small portion of lasagna and Italian roasted vegetables, a thin slice of beef tenderloin and one of the cafes famous dark wheat rolls. Jackson leads me to the seat next to his and we wait for everyone else to make it to the table.

Jackson’s mom Ava sits across from me. “I hope you don’t mind left over’s, Haven?”

I let out a slightly nervous laugh. “No ma’am, everything looks delicious. They don’t look like any left over’s we have at my house. Not that I would mind either way, I’m not a picky eater.”

She smiles at me across the table. As Mr. Armstrong sits, he grabs her hand and Jackson and Wilder each grab one of my hands. Mr. Armstrong prays over the food. It’s a ritual I am very familiar with, but all I can think about is