Echoes by Marissa Lete (best books for students to read txt) 📕

bathroom was clearly marked and that you could see the kitchen through the window. So I need to know what you were really doing back there.”

I struggle for a reasonable explanation that doesn’t make me sound crazy. “I—uhh—thought maybe I could…” I trail off.

“Steal something?”

“No! Of course not!” I burst, though I can’t deny that I do look pretty guilty.

“Then why?” he presses.

“I just—” I stutter, then take a deep breath. Maybe I just need to tell him what I was really looking for. “I needed to ask you something.”

Tony raises an eyebrow.

“Do you know someone named Maverick?” I blurt out.

A flash of emotion—surprise?—crosses Tony’s face. “Why do you ask?”

“I just… someone told me that he worked here.” I can’t think of a better explanation.

Then, without saying anything, Tony goes to the cash register. He opens a drawer, digs around for a second, then opens another. He shuffles through some papers and miscellaneous items, then pulls something out of the drawer and walks back over to me, holding out the item. I take it, turning it over in my fingers. It’s a nametag, one identical to the one Penny wears. Glancing at Tony, I notice he has one, too. But this one says “Maverick.”

I suck in a breath.

“Now listen. I don’t know anyone named Maverick. I’ve never known a Maverick, and I can promise you that one has never worked here. But last week I was cleaning out underneath the oven, and I found this nametag. I’m not sure where it came from,” Tony tells me, searching my face. I don’t know how to respond, so I just stare at the nametag in my hand. “Do you know anything about it?”

I shake my head. I’d heard Maverick’s echo back in the kitchen, talking to Tony, and yet, Tony has no idea who he is. “I don’t know,” I tell him because it’s the truth. “I’m just trying to figure it out.”

“Well,” he says, his face brightening up, “it’s a mystery to me. But obviously, it means something to you. I won’t pry anymore, but you can keep it.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, curling my fingers into a fist around the nametag. It has to mean something. “I’m sorry for snooping,” I add, giving him an apologetic look.

“It’s in the past,” he replies. He turns to the door, takes a few steps, then stops, facing me. “Sometimes,” he adds, “the past is in the past for a reason. Sometimes it’s best to leave it there.” He gives me a sad smile, then saunters back into the kitchen.

If only it were that easy for me.

 

Chapter 12

The next few days pass in a blur as I try to make sense of the name tag. Just like the vase, it seems to be actual evidence that Maverick exists, but the fact that Tony has no idea who Maverick is seems to negate that. It could have been possible that Tony did know Maverick, and Maverick had used a different name, but then why would there be a name tag with Maverick printed on it? It doesn’t make any sense, and there’s nothing I can do except wait and listen, hoping that the echoes will reveal more information eventually.

I don’t hear any more encounters with Maverick, but I do continue to notice echoes of my phone buzzing and ringing more often. I don’t remember texting anybody that much back then, because even Grace and I weren’t quite close friends yet. So the only explanation is that somehow Maverick was involved. Did I like him? Was I seeing him, and simply missing the echoes? I don’t know what to think.

Grace avoids me at school, so I spend my lunches with Leo. Since he’s grounded, I have no one to hang out with after school, so I end up just heading home. I don’t venture too far from the house anymore, especially since the days are getting shorter and I don’t want to have any more close calls with the Suburban. I remain on edge, checking my mirrors and scanning the traffic around me for any sign of it.

And then one morning, I finally witness another appearance of the mysterious Maverick.

I’m walking to my car, following the sounds of my own echo leaving for school as usual, when I hear his echo.

“Laura Jones,” his voice appears right next to my car, calm with a hint of mischief. I stop in my tracks.

“Oh!” My echo replies, surprised. “Hi.”

“How are you?” he asks, and I can hear echoes of my past self opening the passenger door, dropping something inside, then closing it.

“I’m well, how about you?” I hear myself reply.

“I’m good. But I’ve got the strangest feeling that you’ve been avoiding me.”

My echo lets out a short laugh, then replies, “What do you mean?”

“Come on, really?” he starts, his tone light. Playful. “We go on this wonderful, magical date together. I had fun, I thought you had fun. Then for the next week, every time I ask you if you want to hang out or go do something together, you’re not home, or you have ‘stuff’ to do. And now I don’t know if you’re just playing hard to get, or if you actually don’t like me.”

There’s a pause, and finally, my echo replies, “Well, I haven’t been avoiding you, actually.”

Maverick makes a noise of shock, then laughs. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“Why would I ever do that?” comes my innocent reply.

Maverick sighs in disdain. “Gosh, now you just think I’m clingy.”

“Maybe just a little,” my echo replies, laughing.

“Fine, I can play this game too. Pretend like I don’t care. That’s okay with me if you really want to do it that way,” Maverick challenges. I hear myself laugh, then what sounds like a