The Darkest Minds

Chapter 1

"Kenny, how do I look?" Amber asked, biting her lip self- consciously and smoothing out her red dress in the shop's changing room mirror. We were shopping for a new year school party that I didn't really want to go to.
"Fine." I replied, barely glancing up from my phone.
"Fine!" She repeated, making it sound like a swear, "maybe I should change again, I have to look perfect."
"You do look perfect." I said, regretting my first answer instantly. "I was just distracted."
Amber did look perfect, her dress was a cherry red, tight to her knees then flared to the bottom with a long slit up the leg.
"I guess I do look okay." She giggled like she was five years younger and twirled the skirt. "What about you Kenny? Picked a dress?"
"Nah." I said, "I've got no idea.
"Not even the colour?" Amber's big green eyes widened.
"Maybe orange?" I suggested. Amber winced "purple?"
"Purple's cute," She accepted "or turquoise to match your eyes.
I nodded
"Where's Zed? She should've been here ages ago."
I left the changing room cubicle and pulled out my phone, realising I shouldn't of put it on silent as I noticed four missed texts from Zoe.
Sorry gonna be late, snot drama x
Getting ready x
On my way x
Where r u? X

I wrinkled my nose at 'snot drama' and told Zoe we were on the third floor, in the most expensive dress shop EVER, as Amber chose it.
I could see Zoe coming up the escalator seconds later, in a cute white top and orange skirt that looked purposely wonky.
I had no idea about fashion, AT ALL, I was just in leggings and a crop tee- shirt Amber told me to wear.
"Snot drama?" I asked Zoe
"Snot?" She looked just as grossed out as I'd been " Oh, autocorrect, it was meant to say shop drama, I just had to help finish a big wedding cake order."
Zoe's parents own a cake shop in town, so she's always helping out.
"Where's Ambs?"
Speaking of Amber, she came out of the changing room that moment, looking effortlessly perfect as usual in just a tiny white top and red skirt, showing off her long tanned legs.
"Zed!" She said, twirling Zoe round and admiring her outfit.
"So?" I said, interrupting their wardrobe consult." I'm hungry. Can we get lunch yet?"
"Sure." Amber said brightly, linking arms with Zoe and I and directing us towards the food court
The restaurant had electronic menus, Amber insisted on paying, so Zoe and I insisted on buying her something each later. Unsurprisingly, she didn't reject the offer.
I watched as Amber went to order a salad and diet lemonade.
"Babe." Zoe said," Treat yourself," beating me to it.
"I guess one big meal won't stop me fitting into my dress." She agreed and changed her order to a gravlax croissant and a strawberry shake, still healthy and the most expensive items of the menu, but still. Progress.
Zoe and I just got chicken nuggets and two cokes, although Zoe likes the disgusting diet version.
We ate up plastic tables that were not up to Amber's standards, so she wiped them down first with an antibacterial wipe.
Who brings antibacterial wipes shopping?
"Zed, we need to get Kenny's dress next."
I protested, saying I could just throw on something from home, but Amber and Zoe looked like they were going to cry so reluctantly, I agreed.
We went to a reasonably priced dress shop, cheap to Amber but comfortably in my budget of not- very much.
Amber and Zoe found three potential dresses for me, one purple and some sort of wraparound and two turquoise, one a mock neck or something with lace, and the other strapless, i dismissed the pale strapless, knowing it would end in disaster and looked at Amber to choose, she was looking at the lace collar one intently, I chose that dress, hoping to please Amber and I secretly hated the purple one anyway.
Zoe had already ordered her pale- yellow dress from some online store with a weird name, something to do with topaz, I thought.

"What do you think, Ken?" Zoe asked, completely throwing me off my trail of thought. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure." I agreed and paid for my dress.

I just got a small mocha with chocolate syrup, the only kind of coffee I'll drink in our favourite place ever, 'Deja Brew,' that's not a joke, the coffee shop's actually called that.

It's our favourite place because of the quirky name, wide layout, and comfy furniture. They've got study corners and, most importantly, amazing coffee, though I can't stand any other than my mocha. Zoe usually gets a cortado, and Amber gets frappuccino's or a red eye if she's overslept.

"They've got summer muffins!" Zoe practically shouted at the counter.

"Half price today." The barista offered, raising her eyebrows. Zoe's grey eyes couldn't have widened anymore. I giggled and ordered three muffins and our usual coffee in to- go cups.

"Do you have enough bus money?" Amber asked as we left Deja Brew.

"Maybe." Zoe said, rooting through her purse.

"I'll just get Jake to pick us up."

I groaned and glanced at Zoe, pulling a face. Jake is my annoyingly perfect older brother by one year and two months. He's got perfect dirty blond hair, perfect honey eyes, a good tan, and nice teeth.

And he's Amber's boyfriend!

EWWW

Jake and I don't really get on, so when Amber said she was going to get him to puck us up I wanted to come up with any excuse to go home another way, even if we walked, MILES!

"I'll pay for the bus." I said, knowing I'd nearly run out of money.

"It's okay." Amber smiled, "I've already asked Jake. He's on his way."

Jake met us outside the mall in his fancy new car with leather heated seats and a convertible roof. as much as I hated to admit it, I loved going in his car. It was super fast, and the seats were really comfy. He opened the doors with a button that made them spring open quite dangerously and I hopped in the back with Zoe, putting on my seatbelt and trying to glare at Jake in the mirror but he was too busy kissing Amber. I gagged loudly, but it was only in my head, so no one heard me.

Jake put his awful music on the whole way to amber and Zoe's house, a playlist of 'rap and chill pop' which wasn't the sort of music I liked, amber liked it and sung softly the whole way to her house.

We pulled up outside the gates of Willow Creek Manor, Amber probably kissed Jake and got out, but I didn't see because I turned my head in the opposite direction to avoid watching. I knew ig was childish, but it was my best friend and my brother. Talk about eww. "See you tomorrow, yeah?" She called, walking backwards and waving.

We dropped off Zoe, and it was only Jake and I left in his really warm car. It was only about five minutes to our house, but it felt like the longest of my life! We sat in complete silence the whole way back, without even the radio to ease the awkwardness. Jake eventually started to pull into the driveway outside our house, our house wasn't exactly small, and mum would call it 'modest.'' We were in quite a nice and quiet area, and the garden had a few trees. Mum had planted a few thriving strawberry punnets and got Dad to mow the lawn regularly.
My seatbelt was already undone and my shopping bags and the rest if my coffee in my lap so that when Jake was still parking I could quickly get out and run inside, narrowly missing his loud "Hey!" And shutting the front door behind me.