Page 1 of Echoes of Us

CHAPTER

ONE

BEFORE

Ihated coming to these things. High school parties had always been terrible, but college parties? They were a whole new level of misery. The air was thick with mingling scents of sweat, cheap cologne, and spilled alcohol. It was impossible to get to the bathroom, and if you did manage it, the experience was beyond gross—sticky floors, overflowing trash cans, and questionable substances on every surface. Avoiding these events was my MO, but we’d won a game today, and Colin and Ezra just refused to let me stay back. It wasn’t like I was any fun at these anyway. I didn’t drink, smoke, or have any intention of hooking up with anyone. Still, here I stood, holding a red cup filled with what was probably stale beer. I sniffed it; yeah, that was beer.

“Could you at least try to look like you’re not in hell right now, Att? Can you do that? For me?” Colin asked.

I scowled in response. “You said I could leave after one drink.”

“You haven’t touched it! It’s been an hour, and I haven’t seen you take one sip. Just take one sip,” he said.

I gave him an affected sigh before bringing the cup to my lips. God, that was foul. I grimaced, and he laughed.

“Did he finally try it?” Ezra asked.

Colin shrugged.

“I did try it. You said one sip. I can leave now,” I told Colin.

“We’resupposedto be celebrating. This issupposedto be a celebration. We won the tournament; you won your first college tournament! Don’t you think we earned this?” Colin said, clearly exasperated with me.

I rolled my eyes. Why would he even want me here? “I’m happy, but this is just not my idea of a celebration,” I pointed out. I surveyed the room again—bad music and people gyrating against each other, covered in sweat…ugh. The dim lighting and flashing neon created an almost surreal, disorienting atmosphere, amplifying my discomfort.

“Come on, a big gulp,” Ezra said, pushing the cup up towards my lips and making me tilt my head back and take another drink.

I scowled, tasting the bitterness on my tongue. “I liked you better when you were scared of me.”

“I was never scared of you. I just didn’t know you were a softie under all the glaring,” Ezra said, his cheeks red. He had probably gone through several cups of warm beer by then.

“We’re supposed to go to the gym tomorrow,” I reminded him, and he shook his head, looking away from me.

Colin and Ezra were both sophomores, a year older than me. Ezra had graduated from my high school, which made him feel responsible for me. They had adopted me since we started school three months ago. We had no classes together, but we had the volleyball team, which was my life. I was on an athletic scholarship, after all. They really tried to be friendswith me, and I knew I wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with.

I sighed and took another drink without being prompted. Surprised, they both turned to me, the glee evident on their faces. I drank and tried to smother my smile.

“I’m so proud of you,” Colin said while Ezra clutched his hand to his chest in a mock impression of a proud parent.

“Don’t get too excited about it,” I told him.

Someone bumped into me—a drunk girl on the way to the bathroom. She turned to say sorry and smiled at me. When I didn’t smile back, she kept walking, giving me a weird look.

“He’s not mean; that’s just his face,” Ezra called out.

I stared at him, horrified. “Could you not do that, maybe?”

“Could you not look like you’re going to murder everyone here?” he asked me, taking a big gulp of his beer and finishing it.

I gave him a halfhearted fake smile.

“Oh, so cute,” he said, reaching out to pinch my cheek.

I swatted his hand away.

Colin called out someone’s name and walked away from us. I turned, watching him talk to a guy who had strode past us. I couldn’t see his face.

“Finish your cup. I’m getting you another one,” Ezra said.

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