Текст книги "Pushing the Limits"

Автор книги: Katie McGarry

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

He squeezed my hand. “Yeah. Sorry. I was … being a dick.”

At least he admitted it. I let go of him and pushed open the side door. “It’s okay. Tell me on Monday what I missed in class.”

NOAH

“Make sure you talk about me. I want your brothers to know who I am when they come and live with you.” Beth became lost in a cloud as steam hissed and rose from the iron. She methodically slid the iron over the arms of my white button-down shirt.

“Will do.” I continued to scrub polish on the pair of black boots I’d found at the Goodwill. They fit, but were scratched to hell.

Isaiah flew down the stairs to the basement, swiped one of the boots and a rag, and joined me on the couch. “Why do you do this, man? They’re your brothers. They don’t give a shit if you show up in a pair of ripped jeans and an old T-shirt.”

“It’s not for them. It’s for my social worker and that stuck-up couple. Everything I do and say is judged. I need them to see me as an upstanding citizen.” To trust me to take care of the two most important people in my life.

“So …” Isaiah exchanged a glance with Beth. “What’s going on with you and Echo?”

The iron gurgled when Beth set it on the ironing board. She inspected the shirt for missed wrinkles before handing it to me. “What happened to business only? You know, hands and emotions off of Echo.”

I shrugged on the shirt. The warmth from the ironing eased some of the tension in my neck. “Still the plan.”

Beth plopped next to Isaiah, resting her head against him. “Then what the hell was yesterday?”

I had a hard time accepting a rubbing from the king and queen of denial. Isaiah and Beth lived in a strange world where emotions were left unsaid, yet the two gravitated together like a couple. My gut told me that one of these days I’d find them naked in bed. “Echo snuck a peek at my file and found my brothers’ foster parents’ last name. I may not be able to give her a relationship, but I can’t turn away friendship. Only a real friend would stick themselves out like that.”

“Or a girl who’s into you,” mumbled Beth.

I shoved the boots onto my feet and laced them up. Did I have more than one shot? My past told me no, but miracles had occurred since Echo had entered my life. “What would you guys do if I did bring Echo around?”

Beth grunted in disgust. “Buy some glue for when she shatters you. Look at everything you’ve done for the girl and where is she going to be tonight? At the dance with King Luke, not you.”

The image of that ape with his arm draped over her caused my blood to spew lava. I shoved the emotion down. My only concern was my brothers and if I didn’t get my ass moving, I’d be late. “See you tonight.”

Beth yelled after me, “Tell them that their aunt Beth loves them.”

I walked past Dale and Shirley eating lunch without either of them acknowledging my existence. When Tyler and Jacob moved in with me, life would never be like that. We’d talk all the damn time. I’d know everything going on in their lives. Outside, the February air nipped at my freshly shaved face.

“Hey,” Isaiah called from the house, following after me. He pulled at his earring before he spoke. “Look, man, I get it. We don’t do attachments. We depend on something or someone and the system rips it away from us. But Echo’s not the system, man. She’s a girl who looked like shit yesterday and chased you down when we all decided you should play the dick instead of being her friend.”

I ran my hand through my hair and then shook it back over my eyes. “Beth’s right.”

“Beth can’t see this one clearly. You ever tell Beth I told you this and I’ll kick your ass. Luke screwed her over the summer before her sophomore year. She honestly believed that asshole loved her. She was a virgin, man. He never called, texted, nothing. Me and you, we’re bad shit, too, but at least we’re up front. No girl expects a cuddle or a call from us.”

If I never had a reason to kick Luke’s ass before, which I did, I had one now. Beth was my sister, regardless of blood. “What’s this got to do with Echo?”

“Those popular pricks—they’re Beth’s equivalent of the system. We’ve got social workers and judges making our life hell. Luke and Grace—that’s her hell. Echo and Luke were legend when Beth and I were freshmen. Beth honestly believes Echo is just like Luke.”

“But she isn’t,” I said, climbing into my car. The need to defend Echo against any attack rocked my system.

The defeated set of Isaiah’s jaw told me he’d already walked that road with Beth. He headed toward the house. “You know, you look like you’re going to a dance, man.” I flipped him off and backed out of the drive.

TO MY SURPRISE, MRS. COLLINS was sitting at the table in the visiting room wearing a knee-length black sequined dress. I hated being on the same continent as this woman, but today? Didn’t care. In five minutes I’d see my brothers. “‘Sup, Mrs. Collins.”

She gave a hearty laugh. “I feel honored. I never thought you’d grant me the privilege of your patented ‘sup greeting.”

“Maybe you’ve never been to one of these things, but they aren’t that formal. Check this out.” I opened my bag and pulled out a box. “I loved this game as a kid. Me and my dad used to play it over and over again.” I’d always chosen black and he’d let me drop my round piece into the slot first. Whoever got four in a row won. I won more often than my dad.

“Thanks for the tip. I’m heading to the dance after this. Will you be escorting some lucky young lady?” Mrs. Collins did that thing where she appeared as harmless as a puppy while she asked a question that could bite me in the ass if I answered wrong.

“Sorry. No dance for me.”

“Hmm, pity.” She drummed her fingers against the table. “What happened to that girl you loaned your jacket to last month?”

Damn, I’d backed myself into that one. I stared at the door, praying my brothers would come barreling in to save me. “She’s got a date.”

“She’s missing out.”

I clasped my hands between my knees. The uncomfortable silence building between Mrs. Collins and me took hell to a whole new level. Echo’s foot would have dug a hole to China by now. Echo, the girl embedded in my brain.

The second hand on the clock over the door ticked loudly. Where were my brothers? “Why are you here?”

Her eyebrows lifted as she smiled. “We talked about this, Noah. As your clinical social worker, I’m involved in every aspect of your life. That includes your brothers.”

“Noah!” Jacob’s scream from the hallway pierced my heart. I jumped up to find him, but Mrs. Collins blocked my path.

“No.” She pressed her manicured hand against my chest. “Trust me, he’s fine.”

A good foot taller than her, I purposely towered over her. “In case you haven’t caught on, I don’t trust you. Now get out of my way, before I remove you.”

Shocking me, she kept her hand on my chest. “He had a basketball tournament this morning and fell asleep on the way here. Joe put him on a couch in another room to let him sleep. Jacob doesn’t sleep well and Carrie and Joe didn’t have the heart to wake him. I promise you will have your two hours.”

I glanced at the door and back to Mrs. Collins. “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain before I bust past you and the door.” She took a deep breath, wasting my time. “One …”

“How well do you think a child would sleep if he suffered something traumatic?”

Her words stopped me short and Echo’s issues pushed forward in my mind. “Are you saying he has night terrors?”

“I’m not saying that, but I know a child who does, and I’ll tell you that in three years that child has never slept through the night.”

I closed my eyes. So many things were wrong with this picture. “Why was I never told?”

“Because it’s private information. Besides, Jacob wants you to view him the way he sees you—as strong, as a hero.”

The last part of her statement blew my mind, but I couldn’t focus on that, not when Jacob needed me. “Private?” I opened my eyes and the only color in the room was red. “I’m his brother.”

Her gaze bored into mine. “That’s right. You’re Jacob’s older brother, not his guardian. You know you’re not allowed private information.” I wasn’t. I lost all rights to my brothers the moment my fist connected with my first foster father’s jaw.

“Noah!” His bloodcurdling scream echoed into the room. Fuck it.

“Please, let Carrie and Joe handle this,” pleaded Mrs. Collins, but I hustled around her and exited the room. Keesha stood in the hallway holding Tyler. What was their excuse for keeping Tyler away? I’d deal with that later.

“Get your butt back in that room, boy. Carrie and Joe have this covered,” Keesha said.

I ignored her completely as I walked past, placing a hand on Tyler’s head for a brief moment. Muffled cries carried out of the room next to mine. I shoved the door open to find Carrie and Joe sitting on the carpet beside Jacob, who thrashed uncontrollably.

Joe’s eyes widened when I entered the room. “What are you doing here?”

Tears soaked Jacob’s cheeks and basketball jersey. His face flushed red, hands clutched tight to his chest, mumbling incoherently. I knelt beside Carrie, inches from my brother. She grabbed hold of my wrist as I went to touch him. “Touching him makes it worse.”

I flicked my arm from her hold and placed my hand on Jacob’s head, mimicking the way Mom used to stroke mine. “J-bird, it’s me. Noah. Can you wake up for me, buddy?”

His body shook and he moaned, “Noah.”

“You don’t understand, he’s not awake. He doesn’t know you’re really here.” The woman wiped her eyes. “We know what to do. We’re the ones who take care of him. Not you.”

“Looks like you’re doing a fantastic job. Killed any goldfish lately?” I scooped my brother up and sat on the couch with him cradled in my arms. I sang Mom’s favorite song in his ear.

I continued to whisper the song until Jacob’s tears and convulsions faded. Finally, he opened his eyes, awareness more pronounced than confusion. “Noah?”

“Hey, bro.”

TYLER DREW ME PICTURES DURING our visit. Lots and lots of pictures. He smiled and hugged me before he left, but still never said a word. Jacob sat in my lap while we played the game at least a hundred times. When Keesha told us our time was up, it felt like someone had ripped out my heart, cut it into pieces and poured alcohol all over it. Jacob locked his arms around my neck so tightly, he constricted my air passage.

“I’m scared, Noah,” he whispered to me.

“Jacob, it’s time …” started Carrie.

Mrs. Collins shushed her while motioning with her hand for me to continue. My eyes widened and I held him tighter. Dammit. What type of questions did Mrs. Collins ask me? “What are you scared about?”

“What if there’s another fire? You’re not going to be there to save me.”

“I’ll always save you.” Because I would. I’d move heaven and earth. I’d willingly walk into hell and stay there. I’d give up anything and everything for him.

He sniffed and his body began to shake. I absently rubbed his back. “It’s okay, bro.”

“But if there is another fire …”

Mrs. Collins pointed to Jacob and then to Carrie and her pathetic husband, her meaning clear. I’d rather go back to some of my earlier foster homes than tell him to trust those idiots. “There won’t be another fire.”

Mrs. Collins raised her hands in exasperation, shaking her head. He whispered in my ear, “How do you know?”

I kissed his cheek and whispered back, “I know.”

His voice barely audible, Jacob said, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Never.”

“DON’T TELL ANYONE WHAT, NOAH?” Mrs. Collins stared into the two-way mirror, fixing her hair.

“What?” I put on my jacket and grabbed Tyler’s drawings.

“Jacob whispered to you not to tell anyone and you agreed.” She turned and smiled. “I read lips.”

Of course she did. What the fuck didn’t she do? Oh, drive. “You must have misunderstood.”

“No. I didn’t.” She straightened her dress. “What do you think of the dress, too much? I’ve never chaperoned a dance. Not that it matters, I won’t have time to change. Keeping secrets isn’t helping your brother.”

What the hell? Was the lady incapable of a coherent line of thought? Dresses, chaperoning dances, my brothers? Screw good impressions. She treaded on territory I wanted her far away from. “You don’t know anything about me and my brothers, so I suggest you butt out.”

“This is a hard way to live. Not trusting anyone,” she said in that annoying I’m-older-and-wiser-than-you voice. “It’s not you and your brothers against the world. Aren’t you tired of being miserable? Don’t you want to know what it feels like to be happy again?”

Yes, but the world didn’t work that way—not for me.

She picked up a drawing Tyler had done for her. “You’re not going to find happiness until you learn to trust. If you’re going to start somewhere, why not with me?”

I had a million reasons why not—with her.

Echo

I tugged at my gloves for possibly the millionth time this evening. When Luke brought up the idea of joining Lila, Grace, Natalie, a few other girls and all their dates for a limo ride, I’d jumped at the opportunity. I made the mistake of thinking that would keep Luke’s wandering hands from touching my body. Guess not.

The limo pulled in front of the school’s gym. Luke’s hand brushed the side of my breast and he whispered in my ear, “You’re so hot, Echo.”

I shifted away from him and his beer breath and peeked to see if anyone had noticed the inappropriate way he touched me. I whispered back, “Stop it. People are watching.”

He downed the rest of the beer, shoving his body against mine again. “Tell me it’ll be tonight. My parents will be gone until tomorrow afternoon and your dad told me you didn’t have a curfew. We’ll have all night.” His hand dropped to my butt.

Great—obviously Daddy wanted me to get laid. I smacked Luke’s hand away. “You told me you’d give me time to think.”

“You’ve had plenty of time to think. Come on, you look ssso beautiful.” How wonderful, he was slurring and we hadn’t even had our first dance yet.

The limo came to a stop and Stephen opened the door. “Ladies first.” He motioned for Lila to get out, but I bolted from the limo like my clothes were on fire.

Lila followed. Her breath also hinted of beer. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied. Luke had marked his territory over the past few weeks by performing the high school equivalent of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant (holding my hand, wrapping his arm around me, sitting with me at lunch) and made me, once again, acceptable. For Lila, Grace and Natalie life was finally back to normal.

For me, “normal” felt worse. Sure, people talked to me now, but dating Luke and having Grace back as a public friend didn’t stop the stares or the whispers. That big gaping wound inside of me hadn’t filled like I had expected. In fact, the hole grew wider and deeper.

“You’re not fine.” Lila stopped talking when Grace wrapped her arms around both of us.

“I love it!” Grace kissed my cheek, then Lila’s. “We are back.”

Luke offered me his hand. I took it and let him escort me into the dance. The decorating committee had attempted to transform the gym into an island paradise. Three glittering palm trees and an ocean backdrop for the photographer didn’t hide the basketball goals or bleachers, or mask the stench of smelly socks from the boys’ locker room.

Luke only slow danced, leaving me to dance to the faster songs with Lila, Grace and Natalie. As we did, Luke wandered in and out of the boys’ locker room with his friends. Unfortunately, he came back to the dance a little more sloshed each time.

“I hear everyone is heading back to Luke’s when the dance is over,” Grace said as the two of us took a breather at our table. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and a portion of my heart lightened. I loved having Grace back as a public friend.

“He mentioned it.” Along with the idea I should sneak into the boys’ locker room with him and take a drink to loosen up. I watched Lila and Stephen grind, excuse me, dance, on the hardwood floor. School dances were the loophole to PDA rules.

“Are you ready?” Grace asked.

“Let’s wait for one more song and then I’ll be ready to dance again. These heels are pinching my toes.” Circulation returned to my aching feet the moment I kicked them off. I scanned the dark room and caught sight of Luke laughing with some guys from the basketball team. “I should probably dance with Luke.”

Grace laughed. “No, silly. For tonight. I overheard Luke asking you to do it.”

My blood and energy levels dropped to my feet, out my body and onto the floor. The dark shadows under my eyes, which I’d painstakingly hidden with makeup, dragged heavier. I rubbed my eyes, hoping to reenergize myself. No. I wasn’t ready.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Luke gave me that loopy one-sided grin he only wore when he was drunk. Grace patted my knee and slunk away, leaving me alone with Luke. Not only was I not ready, but I had to inform him. Tonight stunk. I forced a smile on my face and stood. “Can we talk?”

His hand, sweaty from God knew what, touched my cheek. “Sure. In a sec. I’m going to get another drink.” His eyes brightened like he’d found the cure for cancer. “You want to come? We smuggled Lila and Natalie in earlier.”

“No.” The third slow song for the night began to play. Grace waved at me, her eyes full of desperation. A reminder not to screw this up. “Dance with me, Luke. Then we’ll take a walk together and talk, okay?” A good talk. One of those where you tell each other how you really feel. One of those mind-blowing talks where you learn something so raw and real about the other person that you can’t help but fall in love.

I could tell him I wasn’t ready for sex and Luke would tell me that he was okay with that. He’d tell me that he loved me so much that he’d wait forever and then tell me something he’d never told anyone else. I could tell him how scared I was that I’d never know what happened to me and even more frightened to know the truth. He’d tell me that he didn’t care about my scars and that I could show them to the whole world and he’d still stand by me. And me? I would fall in love with him and, all of a sudden, I would be okay with doing “it.”

Like with Noah. I slammed that door shut.

Touching his face, I let my gloved fingers trace his jaw, a move he loved. His lips twitched up. “See, beautiful, I told you we’d figure each other out again.”

And we could—maybe. “Yeah.”

He took my hand and began to pull me toward the dance floor. This was it. Normal. A boyfriend who loved and accepted me. Surely this would fill the gaping hole. I glanced over to my friends and flashed my real smile to Grace, Natalie and Lila. My heart sang when the three of them lit up like firecrackers, knowing, for the first time in ages, they were seeing me happy.

Happiness—it was so close I could taste it. Then I stopped. My feet, my heart, my happiness, all of me, stopped. We’d bypassed the dance floor and entered the hallway leading to the bathrooms. “Where are you going?”

“I told you, the locker room,” Luke answered.

I yanked my hand away. “What happened to dancing and then talking?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. Later. We’re getting to the bottom of the barrel with our supplies. If I don’t go in now, I’ll miss my chance.”

In more ways than he could ever imagine. “Yes, you will.”

His deranged male mind misunderstood and he kissed my cheek. “I knew you’d understand.” And Luke walked away.

I leaned against the door frame. Half of me in the shadowed gymnasium. The other half of me in the lighted hallway.

Idiot. I was an idiot. I blinked several times to keep any tears at bay and hugged myself. My heart should hurt, but it didn’t. Because I’d never invested my heart into this second chance with Luke. I’d poured in an ample amount of hope, but I’d never put my heart on the line. My soul ached from disappointment. I’d tried normal and I’d failed. Me … a failure.

Unlike the ACT, I couldn’t retake this part of my life and erase an unpleasant score. There was no blank canvas to start a new painting or sketch pad for a fresh drawing. My mother had failed me and my arms guaranteed I would always fail.

“I told you that you deserved better.”

My heart lifted at the sound of that deep, mischievous voice. “Noah?”

Like a thief, he drifted from the shadows in a white button-down shirt, black tie loosened to the third button, blue jeans and black army boots. His dark brown hair fell casually over his eyes. “Echo, you look …” He let his eyes wander down my body and then slowly back up. A wicked grin spread across his face. “Appetizing.”

I laughed out loud, causing several lowerclassmen passing by to gawk. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t care. “Like chicken wing appetizing or succulent hamburger appetizing?”

His chuckle tickled my insides. Noah stepped closer, definitely invading my personal space. “Appetizing as in your boyfriend’s a moron to leave you alone.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” And never would be.

“Good. Because I was going to ask you to dance.”

As if on cue, another slow song started. Noah didn’t offer me his hand to take me to the dance floor. Instead, right there between the entrance of the gym and the locker room, he wrapped both of his arms around my waist and pulled me close. God, he felt good—warm, solid. I slid my arms to his neck, letting my gloved fingers skim his skin.

“I thought you didn’t do dances.”

Noah held me close enough to see those chocolate-brown eyes. “I don’t. And, this afternoon, I had no intention of coming here.” He swallowed. “This dance seemed so damn important to you. And you … you’re important to me.” He stopped swaying from side to side and looked away from me. My heart beat so loudly he had to hear it, if not feel it through my chest.

“Echo, I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know. I don’t hold hands in the hallway or sit at anyone else’s lunch table. But I swear … on my brothers that you’ll never be a joke to me and you’ll be much more than a girl in the backseat of my car.”

The proximity of his body to mine made voicing the thousands of emotions raging inside of me impossible. My fingers drifted from his neck to his head. I clutched his hair and guided his head to mine. I couldn’t tell him, but I could show him.

“Get away from my girl, Hutchins.”

In lion-fast movements, Noah maneuvered us into the hallway and placed me behind him. He stood between me and Luke. “She’s not yours.”

Luke’s face reddened and he fisted his hands. Stephen, Chad and a few other guys stumbled out of the locker room. Their laughter faded the moment they noticed Luke, Noah and then me. Crap.

My now-ex stared straight at me. “Come here, Echo.”

“We should talk. In the gym. ” And get the heck out of here. Back where lots and lots of teachers hovered to prevent scenes like this. I inched toward the gym, but neither Noah nor Luke moved.

Stephen stepped beside Luke. “It’s not cool to be up on another man’s girl.”

Hello? Did anyone hear me? Recap—I needed to talk to Luke and we were all going to go into the gym so we could be monitored by adults. I wrapped my fingers around Noah’s hand and tugged gently. “Noah.”

He squeezed back before pulling away. “Why don’t you go on in? I’ll be there in a few.”

“Um, no. Not without everyone else.”

Luke took a drunken step toward Noah. “Yeah, go, Echo.”

This was not happening. Luke didn’t stop his advance. In fact, he picked up speed and slammed into Noah. The two of them crashed into the wall. “No!”

Luke punched Noah in the jaw. Blood trickled from Noah’s lip as he drove his fist into Luke’s stomach and pushed him away.

“Come on, man,” Noah said, wiping the blood from his lip. “You don’t want to do this.”

“I warned you to stay away from her,” Luke yelled as he rammed into Noah again.

Prepared this time, Noah punched Luke in the gut and pushed him to the ground.

“Stay down, Manning,” he hissed.

Luke staggered up, staring at Noah. I raced toward them. This had to stop. Only I was a little too late. Luke launched himself at Noah at the same exact moment I stepped between them. Cement hit my stomach. I lost the ability to breathe, followed by massive amounts of pain.

“Echo!” multiple voices yelled from various parts of the hallway.

My stomach hurt way too much to move, open my eyes or speak. Oh, God. Absolutely no air entered my body. I forced my mouth open and fought to suck in oxygen. Nope, nothing. One more time … yes. Not much, just a little, but it was air … regardless of how much it hurt. The cold floor touched one of my cheeks and my hair touched the other. Crap. It had taken me an hour to get all of my hair in that clip. Dear Lord, I think I broke something, like my liver.

“Jesus … Jesus, I hurt her,” Luke mumbled from close by.

“Get away from her, asshole,” Noah barked. Warm fingers touched my face, brushing back my hair. He lowered his voice. “Echo? Are you okay?”

Those warm fingers left my face and then covered my hand. I focused all of my energy on exerting pressure onto Noah’s. He applied pressure back. “I’ve got you. I promise.”

“What’s going on out here?”

I moaned, not from the pain, but due to the person who entered the hallway—Mrs. Collins. “Echo? Echo!” Heels clicked rapidly toward me. Another hand, colder and delicate, touched my face. I forced my eyes open and blinked the double vision away.

“Are you okay?”

No. “Yes.” Against the scream of every muscle in my body, I picked my head off the floor. Noah placed his hands on my back and helped me sit up, hovering centimeters behind me.

Mrs. Collins’s kind eyes softened. “What happened?” She checked out the hallway, taking stock of the situation. Funny thing, Luke’s friends had disappeared. “Noah, you’re bleeding.”

Noah wiped his mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re Luke, correct?”

Luke sat at my feet, eyes wide. “Yes.”

Mrs. Collins sighed heavily, shaking her head. “I’m not going to like this at all, am I?”

“Nope,” answered Noah.

“I tripped,” I said.

Mrs. Collins’s lips tightened into a thin line. “And Noah’s mouth?”

“Me, too.”

She stared at Luke. “And the nice bruise forming on your jaw is from?”

Luke absently rubbed his jaw, but he kept his eyes locked on me. “I got into a fight earlier tonight.”

“But not here, right?”

“No, not here.”

Mrs. Collins closed her eyes and sighed again. The three of us held our breath, waiting on her verdict. Finally, she reopened them. “Luke, why don’t you return to the dance? I’d like to speak with Echo and Noah.”

Luke continued to stare, as if he physically couldn’t take his eyes off of me. My dazed mind began to function. He wasn’t staring at my face, but my arms. The glove on my right arm no longer protected my scars from the outside world. It hung limply around my fingertips. Before my eyes, though, it suddenly slipped back up my arm. Noah mumbled several words directed at Luke as he placed an arm over the glove he straightened.

“Echo,” Luke said. I forced myself to look at him. “I’ll be waiting.” His eyes flicked back to my arms, the disgust clear. Somehow, he walked into the gym without stumbling.

Mrs. Collins sat on the floor beside me, kicking off her heels. “Guess I’ll need to dry clean this dress. I hoped to avoid it. I have a habit of forgetting my clothes there and they end up chucking them.” She produced a tissue from the small purse hanging on her wrist. “Here, Noah. No need to bleed all over the place.”

Noah settled against the wall, pulling me into his chest between his legs. He took the tissue from Mrs. Collins while keeping a protective arm on me. Too tired to care what Mrs. Collins thought, I rested my head against him.

“So, Noah, Echo’s the coat girl.” I had a nickname?

Noah chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Echo, is your father aware of this relationship?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t know about it?”

Her eyes laughed. “Yes.” She stared at us like we were rats in a maze. “I should have seen this coming, but I didn’t. So much for my intuitive powers. Anyhow, let’s get the two of you to the nurse’s office. She’s here tonight in case of sudden illness or accidents.”

Noah startled me by saying “No” at the exact same time as I did.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Me, too,” I added. “Fine, I mean.”

“If you’re sure.” Mrs. Collins collected her shoes and lifted herself off the floor. “I expect the two of you to remain professional in your tutoring sessions. I’ve been extremely pleased with your attendance and progress reports from your teachers, Noah. I see a negative change and I’ll be in the middle before the two of you can say group therapy. Am I making myself clear?”

We both mumbled something and watched her fade into the dark gym.

Noah nuzzled my hair. His warm breath sent shivers down my spine. “Truth, Echo. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I whispered, enjoying the sensation of his lips skimming the back of my neck. “Noah?”

“Yes?” The husky sound of his voice set me on fire.

I hated to end this moment, but … “I need to talk to Luke.”

He tensed then dragged me with him from the floor. “Onetime offer, Echo. You and me, but you’ve gotta dump the ape. I’ll wait outside. You’ve got twenty minutes.”

Noah left me. I stood with my hair half fallen from my mother’s clip, feeling suddenly alone. I unlatched the hook, letting the rest of my hair fall to my shoulders.

As I walked into the gym, I could barely see several feet in front of me. The glittering disco ball created the only light available. Fortunately, my friends found me.

“Oh, my God, Echo. Stephen told me what happened. Are you okay?” Lila grabbed hold of me. My heels dangled in her hand. Natalie and Grace flanked her on either side.

A lump grew in my throat. Would she stand by me? My best friend since kindergarten? She’d stood by me through so much already. If I chose the wrong guy in her eyes, would I destroy the one relationship I absolutely needed?

Grace pushed a few curls out of my face. I’d lose Grace. Definitely Grace, but had we really been friends to begin with?

“Echo?” prodded Natalie. She’d follow Lila. She always followed Lila.

“I need to talk to Lila,” I said. When I saw the hurt in Grace’s and Natalie’s eyes I quickly made something up. “Mom issues.”

Grace and Natalie both gave me encouraging smiles as they turned away. They left any conversation regarding my mother to Lila.