Echoes Between Us - McGarry, Katie Page 0,68

stop everything I’m doing to drive Lucy the two hours to see him. If I have to rearrange my schedule to take her, that means I can’t make it to the important events, so do us both a favor and arrange a time and go see him.”

“Why can’t the bastard come see us?” I pick up the lasagna pan from the table.

“Because your dad doesn’t want to see me.”

I throw the pan onto the counter and it clanks loudly against the wall.

Dad

Mom

Lucy

Visitation

Money

A click I’m unfamiliar with. I turn to see Mom has shut her laptop and her cell is on the table. Her full attention is on me. “What’s going on, Sawyer? This isn’t like you.”

Only it is me. I’m typically better at hiding it. Jumping would feel damn good right now. The adrenaline rush like last night. The tingles I had from that jump with Veronica stayed with me through the night, but I woke up this morning weighed down after feeling high and I now crave more. “I’m fine.”

“I know you and your dad aren’t close, and I know how he treats you and Lucy like you’re houseplants that need to be watered on occasion is upsetting, but he’s still your father and that money he sends is helpful. I can’t make a case against him on the money if he can make a case against me that I’m withholding visitation.”

I try to focus on cleaning the dishes, but my thoughts are so scattered I can’t concentrate.

“Tell me you’ll take Lucy and you’ll visit him,” Mom insists.

There’s a huge abandoned quarry a half hour from town. It’s got a drop the size of Manhattan. It’s the kind where I lose my breath before the impact with the water.

“Tell me.”

“I’ll take her.”

“Good. Now that’s resolved, I want to finish our conversation about your choice of partners for the English project. I understand you probably said yes to this girl because she did us a favor with our rent check, but Sylvia is so hurt over this, and with your photography grade in the gutter, I think we should rethink the situation. It’s a yearlong project and I’m betting most groups haven’t gotten that far. Plus, I’m hearing rumors. I’ve heard that the only reason anyone hangs out with this group of people is to do drugs. Should I be concerned about this? Should I take you to have a drug test done?”

“I’m not doing drugs.”

“But you’re acting so erratically. Maybe that’s the problem.”

“I guess you trust Sylvia more than you do me. If that’s the case, tell me where to get tested and I’ll go and prove you wrong.”

“Maybe I should,” she pushes. “All of your problems are because of this girl. Can’t you see this? She’s hurting you, changing you, and it’s destroying all that’s good in you. I had a long talk with Hannah about this, and I think she’s right. I’m going to contact the school and demand that you be switched into Sylvia and Miguel’s group.”

I spin, not caring as suds fly across the room. “Can you leave one damn thing in my life alone? Or do you enjoy treating me like a puppet?”

Mom’s mouth gapes, and someone knocks on the front door. A curse flies out of my mouth as I leave the kitchen, stalk across the living room and yank open the door. I’m dumbfounded as a tall man, a real-life moving force of boulders, stares me down like he’s the reaper and I’m the one who just took my last breath. He’s in dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and black work boots meant to kick ass.

“Yes?” My shoulders roll back, prepared to take a swing if he tries to walk in.

“I’m Ulysses.” Our landlord. Veronica’s dad. Crap. Did our check bounce again? But then he extends his hand. “Are you Sawyer?”

“Yeah.” I shake his hand and don’t miss how he squeezes to let me know that if he wanted, he could crush every bone in my body. I’m a strong guy, though, and have enough balls to squeeze back. “I’ll get my mom.”

“Actually, it’s you I’d like to speak with.”

Stunned, it takes me a beat longer than it should to step back and let him in. Ulysses walks in and glances around the living room, taking in the stack of boxes I’ve better organized lining the wall.

“Hello,” Mom says, and Ulysses introduces himself. I forget that they’ve never met face-to-face—only dealing with each other via calls, texts and emails. Mom brings on