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

“Stop it. You don’t have to do that.”

“And why shouldn’t I?” I can almost imagine his expression, eyebrows raised, half-smiling, but I can only put the image on a blank face since I have no idea what he looks like.

“Because…” my echo trails off. There’s a long pause.

“It’s okay if you’re not—” Maverick starts, but my voice cuts him off.

“Because I like you?” It sounds like I tried really hard to make it a statement, but it came out as mostly a question.

“You like me?” Maverick replies, mimicking my unsure tone.

“I like you! Okay? I said it,” my echo finally replies, laughing. It’s less of a question and more of a statement of desperation this time. Maverick just chuckles. “Oh, so that’s it? You have no reply?”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it,” he replies. Then footsteps move further away from the location of the conversation, towards the abandoned house.

“You’re the worst!” my past voice calls out to him.

“But you like me! You said it yourself!” he calls back.

I hear myself laughing, then sighing. My own footsteps move around the front of my car. The door opens.

“But Laura?” Maverick calls from across the street. I look in the direction of it, my gaze landing on the empty driveway and bushes with little yellow flowers growing on them. “I guess I like you too.”

My echo laughs softly, then I call back, “Go to work!” The car door closes, and then the engine starts.

As the echoes leave me behind, I stand next to my car, staring at the abandoned house across the street. I feel like I’ve just witnessed a conversation between strangers, not one that I partook in a year ago. I feel like I don’t even recognize the girl that was talking to Maverick. She’s flirty and funny and seems normal enough to have someone like Maverick as a boyfriend.

And I’m just a confused, boring version of her that can’t even keep her own best friend around.

✽✽✽✽✽

School feels much longer than normal, and after what seems like three full days, the bell rings for lunch. Grace is still avoiding me at all costs, and I’m starting to wonder if she’ll ever come around.

“It’s like I don’t even exist to her anymore,” I say bitterly as Leo sits down at the table.

“She’ll get over it, eventually,” he replies.

“I’m starting to think eventually means years from now.”

Leo glances over at Grace’s new lunch table. She’s sitting next to Andy, her head thrown back in laughter. “It could be a while. But she’s not usually one to hold grudges forever.”

“She isn’t even justified in holding a grudge. I did nothing wrong,” I reply.

“I know,” Leo sighs. We’ve probably had this same conversation at least three times now. But I can’t stop thinking about it. Grace was the first person who’d ever called me her best friend, and it hurt to have that ripped from me. She took me under her wing when I first moved here and became someone I truly cared about. She helped me feel like I was starting a new life. A normal life. And now, because she’s gone, I feel like my ability to be normal is gone with her.

“Maybe I should just try talking to her,” I finally say.

Leo shrugs. “If you think that would help.”

I put my elbows on the table, pressing my palms to my temples. “I just don’t know.”

“I’ll probably be un-grounded by next week. We could try stopping by her house to chat after school one day? It’s probably best if we get her when Andy’s not around, anyways,” Leo suggests.

I nod, glad to have something even slightly normal to look forward to. “I think that’s a good idea.”

The weekend passes by uneventful, and on Monday after school, Leo hangs out at my house for a couple of hours before we go to Grace’s. We spend most of the time deep in the trenches of homework, but finally, a little before dinnertime, I take a deep breath and close my book.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

As we make the familiar drive over to Grace’s house, I try to think about what I will say to her. “I’m sorry and I just want to be friends with you again,” makes it sound like the whole ordeal is my fault but I imagine saying, “You were a jerk and you need to get over it,” isn’t going to fix any problems, either. I’m still at a loss as we walk up to her front door, but I ring the bell anyway.

Grace’s mom, Clara, opens it, and immediately I can tell we’ve made a mistake.

“Is Grace here?” Leo asks before I can stop him.

Clara’s eyebrows crinkle in confusion. “I thought that Grace was at your house, Laura?” Her eyes dart between us.

I think, quick. “Crap! I totally forgot we were supposed to meet her there!” I grab Leo’s arm a little too forcefully, starting to back up as I do.

“Hold it right there,” Clara puts a hand up. “I texted Grace an hour ago and she told me she was already there.”

I’m a deer caught in the headlights. “I… she must have just gone inside. I forgot about our… meeting. We better go—” I try to escape again, but Clara shakes her head.

“I guess you're not the one that gave her a ride to school, then? Right?”

“I…” I start, but I know it’s futile. I glance at Leo.

Clara sighs. “Alright. I think I see what’s going on. Why don’t you two head home, now, okay?”

“Mrs. Williams—” Leo starts, but Clara puts a hand up.

“It’s obvious that Grace has been lying to me, and I can’t let her get away with this. I won’t mention your names, okay?”

I take a deep breath, knowing that