Page 4 of Echoes of Us

“Awe, c’mon. She was only twelve minutes late this time, my love.” Dad smirks at me from the rearview mirror.

“Mhm. Let’s just go before we miss our meeting with Pastor James.” Mom adds.

Our church has a modern design with a concrete exterior and floor-to-ceiling windows. It forms a large circle with four sections: a main chapel for Sunday services, a smaller chapel for early services and youth groups, an assembly room for events, and a building with rooms for Sunday school and the nursery. The courtyard features an iron fountain, marble benches, and beautiful flowers and trees. On Wednesdays, adults meet in the main chapel, middle and high schoolers in the small chapel, and young kids in the assembly hall.

Mom and Dad wave goodbye, heading toward Pastor James’s office. As I walk EJ to the assembly hall, he chats about his day at school. There’s something about this kid that quiets all the noise in my head; he has a calming effect on everyone around him. As we near the big wooden double doors, the air fills with excited screams. EJ spots his friend Trevor at the door and runs inside without a goodbye, making me smile. I turn to walk down the opposite hallway toward the small chapel when I run into something hard.

Devan smiles down at me. “Watch where you’re going, Em. Might run into trouble if you aren’t paying attention.”

“And what if I am looking for trouble?” I smirk. “Where have you been all day? I saw you before school and then never saw you again. You didn’t come see me before football practice.”

Devan takes my hand as we walk toward the small chapel. “I had to go to the locker room early today. Coach wanted me to see the trainer about my hamstring since it is still hurting pretty bad after last week’s game. Ended up sitting out on practice to rest it, which sucked. Totally worth it to get that awesome rushing touchdown!”

Devan is the quarterback of the football team at our school. Even though we are a private school with less students than the public schools, we are really good at sports. Most of our sports teams either make it to the playoffs or win the whole thing. Hell, even our cheer squad always makes it to the championship competitions. My team is the only team not to have a state title in the last five years. We have made it to the championship game more than any other team at the school, we just can’t clench the state title again. That is going to change this year.

“What are you doing at church so early?” I ask. He rarely comes to Wednesday night service, much less thirty minutes before it starts.

“My parents were asked to come talk to Pastor James about something. They said a few other families were part of the conversation and I’m glad to see the Briggs clan was one of them.” He slides his arm around my waist and pulls me closer. “Want to go make-out in the car before it starts?” He grins down at me.

“You’re a pig.” I roll my eyes. Why does he always bring up physical stuff? It would be nice to have a normal conversation for more than five minutes without being pressured.

“I can’t help it when you look so hot,” he whispers in my ear and kissing my cheek.

I am just about to say something witty back when I hear, “Can y’all get a room? Not everyone wants to see your PDA everywhere. This is supposed to be a safe place. Are you being disgusting again, Devan?”

My best friend Millie strides up to us, her face showing clear annoyance. She has had an issue with Devan over the last few months because he pressures me into doing things I am not ready for. I shake my head slowly at her. Please, Mills. Don’t start with him here. She rolls her eyes and loops her arm through her boyfriend’s. Gabe is Pastor James’s son and Devan’s best friend. Mills and Gabe have been dating since they were in preschool. If anyone needs to get a room, it is those two.

Mills looks as beautiful as always. You will never find her without a full face of makeup, perfect hair, and a new outfit. Gabe is way more down to earth. He always wears khakis, a collared polo, and loafers.

“Why are you both here so early?” Gabe asks as we walk into the sitting area and get in line for coffee.

“Our parents were both asked to come early to talk to your dad about something,” Devan says.

“Oh shit…” Mills and Gabe say in unison and smile at each other.

“Some girl from a shitty part of Trenton is like…homeless or something and Gabe’s dad gathered those parents together to pick a family for her to live with,” Mills discloses.

“You have got to be kidding me…” murmurs Devan.

Chuckling, Gabe says, “One of you better get ready for a new roommate!”

Like hell I will.

Chapter 5

Teagan

Why do churches always smell like old people and rotten eggs? This one looks really new on the outside, but the second I walk in the smell smacks me in the face.

When I arrive, my aunt and the pastor are already in his office. The pastor's office screams wealth and privilege, which irritates the hell out of me. On the massive oak desk sits an Apple laptop and perfectly arranged books, which looks more like a display piece than an actual workspace. Modern windows let in way too much light, making the sitting nook look like something out of a magazine. The floor-to-ceiling custom built ins on the back wall are stuffed with books, probably more for show than actual reading. Two leather chairs and matching couch surround a pristine coffee table. Biblical art covers the other walls, each piece probably worth more than my aunt’s shitty car. The whole place reeks of luxury, a stark contrast to the struggles most of us face outside these polished walls.

“Teagan! It is so lovely to meet you, I have heard so much about you! I am Pastor James. Would you like something to drink?” Pastor James utters all in one breath.

I shake my head and keep my eyes down. My aunt nudges me, pointing her eyes toward the pastor. “Uh. No, thanks.”

“Please, take a seat and we can chat a bit before the families arrive.”

I sit down in one of the leather chairs and pretend to listen to everything he is telling us about my pending ‘arrangement’. I focus on a small scratch in the leather, keeping my gaze fixed on it the entire conversation, not looking up from that spot.

---