Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter Six: You Have to Jump First

"This way," Broden whispered as he pulled the tree branches to the side.

Despite Miles' heavy jacket, I shivered and leaned against Broden, our arms pressing one another. When we first met, we only got this close when we had to—on a bus, in a crowd, at school. Then, before I knew it, I found myself always next to him, fishing in the fall or checking the acres one extra time for fun. But that had been during the day, when his eyes looked like honeyed almonds. In the dark, his copper eyes gleamed like the gate, a law waiting to be broken, and I couldn't look away from the unfamiliarity of my best friend. Not until he focused beyond the leaves. When his jaw locked, he army-crawled through the congested space near the tree trunks. I followed his swift movements, careful not to fall off of the rocky ledge and into the parking lot below.

The manmade cliff was a decoration for the offices we had trespassed in, but now I understood why Broden had chosen the spot. The cliff hung directly over the main road across from the lumberyard, and separated streetlamps left wide patches of darkness on the asphalt. We could dart across without exposure. How he had known was beyond me.

"Stay as close to me as possible," Broden said in a perfected low tone, and he pointed at three tiny trees in front of us. "I'm going to yank the branch back. You have to jump first, so I can hold it back for you." The conversation made my head spin. "It's not a long fall," he promised with a meek smile.

My fingernails dug into the cool dirt. Leaves crunched beneath my feet. I could barely breathe.

Broden's index finger moved from the ledge to the road. "I'll jump after you, and then I'm taking off. Keep up," he ordered, even though he knew I was a fast runner. Probably faster than him. "Do exactly what I do, and don't hesitate. Got it?"

I nodded, and the branches tugged at my curly hair as if to hold me back. I ignored them.

"And Sophia?"

I turned to my best friend, close enough to touch foreheads, and his eyes briefly searched mine. "Yeah?" I breathed. His fingers skimmed the cuts on his brow. It was then that I realized his black eye was slowly fading.

"We—" Broden paused to look over the street. "We can't make mistakes." He reached up for the last branch. "Understand?"

I nodded, and he yanked the branch back. "Then, go."

I sprung forward and jumped before I had a chance to glance at the ground. Miles' sweater rippled against the wind as air exploded into my lungs. The drop was higher than I was expecting, and I yelped as I hit the ground. My feet slid beneath me. I tumbled. I came to a stop on my back, looking up at the star-dotted sky above me, breath knocked from my lungs. Before I could stand, Broden dropped out of the sky. He recollected gracefully and darted into the streets without hesitation.

I staggered, pulling up grass and dirt as I raced after him. The grass beneath my feet turned to asphalt in seconds. We were darting across the street—only one yard apart—when Broden leapt toward the sidewalk. He disappeared into the blackness, and my heart slammed into my ribs.

I had seconds to make a decision.

My eyes shot back and forth, desperately searching for my friend, but I only saw the dark field in front of me. Suddenly, without catching sight of him, I fell into a storm ditch. My feet slammed against the drain, and my hands sprung up in front of me before I slammed into a concrete wall.

The sound of my panicked breath echoed around the tunnel with a hiss, but Broden's soft chuckle is what I focused on. He had known we would fall from the beginning.