Page 19 of Hidden Echoes

The son of a bitch is scary, not the other way around.

“Call Harvin anything again, and I’ll reconfigure your entire face—not before I destroy your life, bitch. Don’t provoke me,” Taylor growls.

“I didn’t mean to insult your boyfriend! I’m not even the one who has a thing for him. That’s Judy Fall—”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” my sister snaps coldly.

No, but they sleep together, wake up together, share food like some kind of symbiotic pair, and only separate to use the bathroom. And I’m still speculating about that because they might not even separate then. Harvin is her favorite person, the first name she says when she wakes up, the one she runs to when she’s sick or when Mom fucks with her head.

They’re inseparable—except for moments like this, where Harvin’s a junior and Taylor’s still a freshman.

“That’s good, Tay-Tay,” Seth cuts in, throwing an arm around her shoulder like the cocky bastard he is. “Because I was starting to worry our plans for three kids and a house in the country were doomed.”

Taylor flashes him a knowing smile, but I can see the glint in her eye. God help us all. My sister has a crush—and it’s not on Harvin.

The world might as well end now.

“Should we intervene?” Abigail whispers.

“They’re not killing anyone.”

“Then maybe we should leave,” Abby suggests, her voice uneasy.

“We’re not interfering; we’re just standing here, enjoying our free time. It’s their fault for reporting their lives out loud,” I say, lying back on her lap, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep.

“Smart guy,” she mutters, rolling her eyes.

Seth leans down and whispers something in Taylor’s ear that makes her smile. The girl in the cheer uniform uses the distraction to bolt.

Taylor rests her head on his shoulder. It’s almost funny how comfortable they are. He’s probably the closest thing she has to a real friend—if you ignore the fact that he’s a complete sociopath.

I used to think Seth was just a weird kid. I still do, honestly, but lately, he’s been weirdly social. Like a switch flipped, and one day, he just decided to start talking to people. It’s unsettling.

“Do you think your sister likes Harvs?” Taylor asks Alana, who’s sitting nearby, nose buried in a book and blissfully oblivious to the chaos.

“Give it a week. My sister will get bored,” Alana says, snapping her book shut. “I need to get to class early, or AJ will steal my spot—and my extra credits.”

Seth smirks, like he’s filing that information away for later.

Taylor shoots him a look. “Don’t even think about using that against her.”

“I wouldnever,” he says, all fake innocence.

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure. And I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Your loss,” he fires back, grinning.

She tilts her head, amused. “Not even gonna ask why?”

Seth shrugs. “Why waste my breath? It’s obvious. You want Harvin.”

Taylor snorts. “Please. I donotwant Harvin.” Then, with a smirk of her own, she leans in. “And look who’s talking,Mr. ‘I’m not obsessed with my foster sister, I just beat the shit out of any guy who so much as breathes near her.’”

Seth’s grin doesn’t falter. “What can I say? I’m a family man.”

“Gross, that girl isbasicallyyour sister,” Taylor says, wrinkling her nose.

“She’s not my sister,” Seth says, his tone calm but firm. “And I didn’t hit anyone. The baseball bat justhappenedto meet his nose.”

---