My leg throbbed as Lila took another whack. Ashley blinked, obviously startled. “Excuse me?”
Lila cleared her throat. “What I think Echo meant to say was that we’re thrilled to be spending time with you because there’s an issue she needs to discuss. A girlie thing. You know, like a men-don’t-understand type of thing. See, over the past year her periods have become very heavy and the cramping has gotten worse. Right, Echo?”
“Ow,” I said plainly while trying hard not to blink my eyeballs out. I really stunk at this. She kicked me again. “I mean, yes. Lots of blood and cramps. Wow. Really bad cramps. Like cramps from Hades. Yeah, I really hate cramps. Cramps, cramps, cramps.”
This time, Lila stomped on my foot. “As Echo’s best friend, I told her that she should talk to you. My mom put me on the pill when my periods became heavy.”
Ashley’s face fell for a moment while she glanced back and forth between me and Lila. Which one would win out? The wife who knew my father would crush his BlackBerry in his hand if he found out his only daughter was on birth control, or the woman desperate to make herself feel better for ruining my life?
“Yes. Yes, Lila. You were right to tell Echo to talk to me.” A small smile touched her lips, but her eyes still darted in worry. “How long has this been going on?”
Never. “Over a year.”
“Why didn’t you come to me sooner, sweetheart?”
I shrugged.
Ashley took a long drink from her latte. “How are things going between you and Luke?”
Crap. “Ashley, can we focus on my period issues?”
Ashley’s eyes brightened. Guilt had won. “I have an appointment with my OB Monday. Why don’t you tag along and we’ll have her take a look at you and give you a prescription. I have an ultrasound scheduled. Your dad can’t make it and I was so bummed when we didn’t find out the sex last time. How exciting will it be for you to see your younger brother or sister?”
For a moment, I thought Ashley was going to break out into song. This time, instead of a kick, Lila reached under the table and took my hand. I squeezed her hand as I answered, “Yeah. That’ll be great.”
NOAH
“Stop sulking already. If you would have screwed her when you first met her, like I told you to, you wouldn’t be twisted like a damn pretzel.” Beth slammed her tray on the lunch table.
I pushed my pizza away and leaned back in the chair. So far, Echo had done little more than make fleeting eye contact with me today. Just like she’d said, she’d gone back to her life and, in theory, I’d gone back to mine. Problem? I didn’t like mine, not without her.
Isaiah placed his tray on the other side of me. “Let him be, Beth. Sometimes you can’t help who you fall for.” Words of wisdom from the guy who ignored his feelings for Beth.
Beth scowled as she stabbed a fork into her chicken patty. She kept her hair in her face to hide the bruises the makeup couldn’t cover. “What’s eating you, Isaiah? You’ve been brooding almost as bad as Noah. Please don’t tell me you’ve fallen for some unreachable, stupid girl, too.”
Isaiah changed the subject. “So, Beth, I heard Mrs. Collins called you into her office.”
“What for?” I asked. Mrs. Collins messing with one of us was enough.
“I’m assuming one of my teachers turned me in when they noticed the bruises. I told her I fell down the steps at my dad’s house.” She winked at Isaiah and the two laughed at their shared joke. Neither of them had any clue who their fathers were.
My heart quickened when I caught a flash of red entering the lunchroom. At the corner door farthest from me, Echo paused and performed a quick scan. She held her books tight to her chest, sleeves clutched in her hands. Our eyes met. Her green eyes melted and she gave me that beautiful siren smile. My lips quirked and I motioned for her to come over to the table. What the hell was I doing?
Beth had evidently become a mind reader. “What the hell are you doing?”
While watching Echo’s eyes widen, I quickly turned to Isaiah. “Would you like to work on a 1965 Corvette?”
“Do I want a million bucks? Hell, yeah.”
“Got plans after school?” I asked. Echo glanced over to her lunch table and then back to me. Come on, my little siren. Come to me.
“We haven’t skipped in a while,” said Isaiah.
“I’m game,” said Beth. “And I don’t need the excuse of a car to skip.”
“No skipping.” I kept my eyes locked on Echo’s. She shifted from one foot to another. She needed a reason to come. I picked up my calculus book and showed her the cover. She exhaled enough that a couple of curls moved with her breath. Finally, my nymph approached.
“Hey.” She spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her. Her eyes flickered from me to Beth to Isaiah, then back to me.
“Want to sit?” I asked, knowing the answer. By standing next to my table, she was breaking a hundred of her stuck-up little friends’ social rules.
“No, my friends are expecting me.” She emphasized the word before purposely glancing over to the table of girls who stared at our interaction. Score one, Echo. I’d messed Saturday night up so badly she didn’t even consider us friends. Beth smiled and tauntingly waved at Echo’s table of gal pals. Echo cringed externally while I inwardly flinched.
“What do you need, Noah?” She stared at Beth while she asked and then let her eyes narrow on me.
“This is Isaiah.”
She raised both eyebrows. “Okay.”
“He’s going to look at Aires’ car after school. We can study at your house while he assesses what needs to be done.”
Her face brightened. “For real?”
“What’s for real?” asked a familiar voice. Dammit—the overgrown ape. Just when I’d started to manipulate Echo back into my corner, her loser boyfriend swooped in and draped an arm around her shoulder.
Echo continued to beam. “Isaiah’s going to look at Aires’ car for me.”
The corners of my mouth turned up as Luke’s turned down.
“When?” he asked.
“Today. After school,” answered Isaiah. He shifted in his chair to let Luke have a good look at him, earrings, tattoos and all his punked-out glory.
“Echo!” called one of her friends.
She glanced behind her, then rifled through her backpack. “I’ll be leaving after lunch for an appointment and won’t be back, but after school will totally work.”
Echo bent over and scribbled her phone number on a napkin. Her shirt dipped, exposing a hint of her cleavage. The glare I gave Isaiah warned him off from looking and the smile I sent Echo’s ape boyfriend when she slid the napkin to me made the ape’s fist curl.
“My phone will be off,” said Echo. “But text me your number so I can give you directions. See you guys after school.” She took a step, but Luke didn’t follow. “You coming?”
“I’m going to grab something to eat first.”
Echo bit her bottom lip and stole a look at me before walking away. So I hadn’t screwed everything completely up. I had at least one more shot at Echo.
A chair scraped against the floor and Luke took a seat at our table.
“What is the deal with you popular people? Can’t you leave the losers alone?” mumbled Beth.
Luke ignored her. “We played basketball against each other freshman year.”
Both Beth’s and Isaiah’s heads snapped toward me. I never discussed my pre–foster care life. I folded my arms across my chest. “Yeah. We did.”
“I defended you and you kicked my ass. Your team won.”
He brought up that game like it was yesterday. For me, it was eons ago. Those memories belonged to a boy who died alongside his parents in a house fire.
When I didn’t respond he continued, “You won that day, but you ain’t winning now. She’s mine. Not yours. Are we clear, amigo?”
I chuckled. “Way I hear it, Echo’s fair game. If you’re not man enough to keep her satisfied, well …” I held my hands out to let my reputation speak for itself.
Luke sprang from his seat, face flushed red. “You go near her and I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
Homecoming king probably never fought a day in his life. His body shook. I stayed seated, knowing my calmness would scare him more. “Bring it. I’ll kick your ass like I did in basketball. Only this time, no referee is going to save you.”
Luke slammed his chair into our table and stalked away. Beth and Isaiah broke out into laughter. I joined them until I noticed the horror on Echo’s face. Before I could move, she sprinted from the lunchroom. Dammit.
ECHO LIVED IN ONE OF THOSE nice neighborhoods. Not the rich fancy kind, but the ones with large trees in the front yard, amateur but nice landscaping, two-story brick fronts and porches with swings. I used to live in a place like this—before. I bet it looked real pretty in the spring. Probably smelled like daffodils and roses—like my house used to. Now, all I could smell was dirt and cold. February sucked.
The two-car garage door opened when we shut our car doors. Echo had parked her Dodge Neon on a narrow strip of concrete next to the house, leaving the red Corvette as the only car in the garage. From the driver’s side, one of Echo’s jean-clad legs dangled.
“I’ve got a hard-on just looking at her, man,” said Isaiah as we strolled up the drive.
“You’re ate up,” I replied, hoping he meant the car, not Echo. I’d hate to throw down with someone I considered family.
Beth squeezed between me and Isaiah. “Sick in the head, more like it.”
“Both. Jesus, are those the original fenders?” Isaiah slid his hand over the body of the car.
I walked into the garage and into a bubble of warmth. A heater hung from the rafters, along with several shop lights. The moment the three of us entered, the garage door closed behind us. Wooden tool benches lined the left and back walls. Tools hung on pegboards. Pictures of cars and people littered the cabinents.
“Maybe you’d keep a girl if you touched her like that.” Beth leaned against a bench.
Isaiah smirked while inspecting the pinstriping. “I meet a girl that could purr like this kitten, I’d caress her all night.”
“Are you guys high?” Echo’s voice drifted from the car. The hoarse catch in her tone swiped a claw at my heart.
Beth scowled in my direction. “Unfortunately, no. Your goody-two-shoes attitude is rubbing off on my boy.” I’d hear Beth complain for days over this. But she, Isaiah and I were more than loser stoners and I wanted to prove that to Echo.
She stayed in the driver’s seat and had yet to show her face. I kept my focus on the car, pretending I had the slightest clue what the hell Isaiah mumbled about. One shot. That’s what I’d bought myself. If I screwed today up, I’d be watching ape boy living life with Echo. Everything inside me wound tight. Shit. I was nervous over a girl.
Isaiah continued to slide his hand up the car toward the hood, mumbling incoherent nonsense. He threw out words like fenders, chrome, body and slants. “Can I take her to second base?” Isaiah’s eyes flickered into the car and then immediately to me. He tilted his head toward Echo before running his hand under the hood, waiting for her to pop it open.