Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising by S.G. Lee Page B

guess you managed to keep your mouth shut after all.”
    “Too bad you can’t do the same. I’m going to get popcorn. Want some, Matt?”
    Not even Evan’s sarcasm was going to dampen her spirits. As she waited in line, Matt’s teammate, Tyler, struck up a conversation. Totally out of character, Emma didn’t give him the usual brush-off. Her newfound freedom had greatly improved her mood. Feeling optimistic, Tyler reached over and paid for Emma’s popcorn, despite her protests.
    “This movie is kinda scary but don’t worry, Emma. I’ll protect you,” Tyler offered.
    Matt and Evan rolled their eyes while stifling their laughter. Emma decided not to let a silly jock ruin her evening and brushed off the annoyance she felt. As they filed into the theater, Emma sat next to Matt. To her chagrin, Tyler sat on her other side which forced Evan to take a seat at the opposite end.
    All during the previews, Evan could see Tyler whispering to Emma and tried to pretend it didn’t bother him. Whenever he heard laughing throughout the movie, he wondered if it was Emma.
    Nah, can’t be. Tyler isn’t that witty, he told himself. Still, the thought nagged at him and Evan wasted most of the movie convincing himself that he didn’t care anyway. When the credits rolled, he realized that he’d missed one of his favorite horror films.
    Clusters of zombie imitators shuffled and moaned their way out to the lobby bringing a wan smile to Evan’s face. Sulking, Tyler escorted Emma to the door.
    “Geez Emma, you must be the bravest girl I know. I thought you’d need me to hold your hand or cover your eyes. I sure didn’t expect you to laugh through the whole movie.”
    “Oh please! Zombies are not scary.” Emma tilted her head listlessly to the side, held out her arms and groaned. “You can’t really think that is scary. I mean, seriously, that’s what the whole school looks like on Monday morning.” With a laugh she added, “Besides, I’m pretty sure I could outrun them.”
    “Yeah, you could run away but they’d follow you. Eventually, you’d have to sleep. They don’t,” Evan insisted, “Plus, with their sheer numbers, if you ran away from one, you’d probably run right into twenty.”
    “That’s no big deal. You just shuffle and moan right along with them. Just like in Shaun of the Dead, which incidentally was a much better movie.”
    “Forget it,” Matt sighed, shaking his head, “She’s hopeless.”
    Eager to gain Emma’s approval, Tyler and his buddies started their own zombie impersonations. Not a far stretch , thought Emma.
    ***
    On Monday morning, she found it impossible to suppress her laughter as she watched drones of semiconscious classmates shuffle to homeroom. Word spread like wildfire through the cheerleaders that Emma had sabotaged them by joining the guys at the movies. With the homecoming dance only two weeks away, they were positive she was trying to secure a date. The girls complained to Whitney about Emma’s conniving tactics.
    “Tyler never noticed her before and now he’s following her around like a lost puppy.”
    “He walked her to class!”
    “At least you don’t have to worry. Matt’s safe.”
    Because of Matt’s devotion to his sister, Whitney refrained from saying anything negative about Emma. She was still trying to win Matt’s affections and secure an invitation to the dance.
    As she made her way to class, Emma was oblivious to the backstabbing drama unfolding around her. She would have gladly told the uniforms that she had no interest in going to the dance. She had already registered to take a seminar on the university campus to spruce up her transcripts. Emma’s sole focus was acceptance into the college of her choice.
    Her twin had a different attitude; Matt not only planned to attend the dance, he wanted to take Whitney. Unfortunately, Emma had thrown a monkey wrench in his plan by claiming their car for her class. Matt didn’t want to double date because depending on