Page 36 of Echoes of Us

“Thanks,” she says softly, again acting weird. Maybe Sean being gay made her uncomfortable? Who knows. It wouldn’t surprise me with how she was raised.

The week goes by much like last week, with Emmaline and I sticking to our routine of studying and watching movies with EJ. I find myself looking forward to getting home and studying with her more and more each day. The more we talk while we study, the more open she becomes. I don’t think she realizes how much she smiles when she talks about lacrosse or EJ. It is really cute.

Friday night is finally here, and we are downstairs saying goodbye to Eve and Ethan.

“Home by midnight girls. No exceptions,” Ethan says.

“Okay, Dad. We got it. See you guys later!” Emmaline replies.

We start walking down the street to meet Devan, Gabe, Mills, and Sean where we told them to park. Her three friends are sitting in a black Volvo SUV that is parked next to a stop sign. “Here is the address. Just in case you change your mind.” Emmaline says, handing me a folded piece of paper.

“Uh. Thanks, but I won’t,” I reply. I see headlights growing closer. Sean pulls up next to us standing in the street and rolls down his window. I go around and get into his truck.

“Hey there, princess. Going to a bible study tonight, are we?” Sean asks, leaning out of the car window.

“Something like that,” Emmaline replies flatly.

“Oh, by the way. I heard you think I am too attractive to be gay. I am truly flattered,” Sean teases.

Even in the dim lights of the streetlamps, I can see her face turn a deep crimson. “I…um…okay y’all have fun.” She turns and hurries to the SUV. They drive off.

“You just embarrassed the shit out of her, douche bag.” I say flatly.

“Oh, do we care what princess thinks now?” he asks and nudges me. Heat rises in my cheeks and my chest tightens. Great. Now I am embarrassed.

“Just drive,” I say.

We start the night at his house, spending a few hours there as the band practiced. The boys all decide they want to go get milkshakes and smoke after a while, so we head to our favorite diner. Before we pull in, my phone vibrates and I see a text from an unknown number.

(609) 222-5555 10:52 PM

Are yu comig tothe part?

This has to be Emmaline. Holy shit, she is so wasted. I roll my eyes, “Sean, I need you to drop me off at that party back in Princeton.” I grab his phone and put the address in.

“You want to go hangout with those robots?” Zeke asks.

“No, but Emmaline is drunk and if she comes home like that her parents will blame me,” I say. They all nod and the rest of the drive is silent. How did she even get my number?

We pull up to the house, if you can even call this a house. It is triple the size of the Briggs’s house and I thought theirs was huge. The guys are all looking out the window wide-eyed. “Ya’ll wait here. Brody and Dane, get in the front with Sean. I’ll sit in back with Emmaline and Zeke.”

My plan is to get inside, get Emmaline and get her home before she is too drunk to hide it from Ethan and Eve. Inside the party, I find exactly what I would have expected. A ton of preppy douche bags with red solo cups, loud music, and tons of expensive liquor on every surface. I move through the crowd until I spot one of the bitchy girls who shoved me down that day. She is in the kitchen taking shots with a large group of football players. Why are they still wearing their jerseys?

I walk up and grab her shoulder, turning her to face me. “Where is Emmaline?” I ask flatly.

Kasey, I think, looks at me in absolute shock. “Um… probably upstairs crying,” she replies a little slurred.

My questioning look causes her to point over her shoulder into the living room toward the couch where I see Devan kissing a girl… who isn’t Emmaline. “What are you doing here, trash panda?” she sniggers, causing the boys to laugh with her.

“How is your brother doing in rehab?” I retort.

The football boys jump up and down, shouting “ohhhhh snap!” in unison. Kasey shoves past me, knocking her shoulder into me as she does. That felt good. I go over to where Devan is making out with the girl. I smack him on the back of the head, and he turns around. His eyes narrow, face contorting in rage.

“What are you doing here, trash panda?” he says slurring.

I look between him and the girl, “Where is Emmaline, you know, your girlfriend,” I demand.

He stands, towering over me. “Probably somewhere being a tease to someone. I’m over that good girl shit. What do you care anyway? She hates you.” He leans down, putting his mouth next to my ear. “What about you, Teagan? How about you show me what it’s like to be with a girl from projects. I bet you would be fun to tame.”

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