Authors: Erica Kiefer
Lingering Echoes
Erica Kiefer
Clean Teen Publishing
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Lingering Echoes
Copyright © 2013 by: Erica Kiefer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address:
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For my husband, Dan, for always believing in me and rescuing me from self-doubt.
Standing on the weathered dock, I stared into the shadowy lake. The water seemed darker today, sloshing against the pontoons beneath the platform. With each rise and fall, anxiety tore at the lining of my stomach like acid. I pulled my eyes away from the water, wondering if it would ever cease to be my enemy.
“
There you are, Allie!”
I turned around to see Brooke
Cannon adjusting the straps of her bikini as she approached. Though I’d only met her two days ago, I was not surprised to see her sky-blue eyes decked out in makeup, each careful stroke of mascara sweeping through her long, doll-like lashes.
“Today is going to be so chill
,” she said, joining me on the dock. “I haven’t been on a boat in years. That was nice of your family to invite me.”
“It’s no big deal,” I said with a shrug.
I wished Dad had given
me
the luxury of an “invite” because I would have said no. But when you’re seventeen and visiting your dad, some choices just aren’t up to you.
“
I can’t figure out why you gave Mr. Collins such a hard time about coming,” Brooke continued. “Who wouldn’t want to begin the summer cruising on a boat?” Her cheeks flushed with enthusiasm, a natural blush to accompany her fair skin.
I didn’t
elaborate on why the situation was more complicated than not wanting to wakeboard. Glowering, I watched Dad maneuver the rental boat into position with help from his wife, Clara. I let out a deep sigh. “It’s overrated in my opinion.”
Aaron’s voice interrupted my gloom.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Brooke’s attention gravitated to Aaron’s approaching form.
Whispering, she said, “You are so lucky. I can’t believe you sleep under the same roof as he does! I guess I’ll have to settle for staying three cabins down from you.”
Luck had nothing to do with it. He was the best friend of my
stepbrother, Nick, who invited Aaron to tag along for the summer. I tried not to roll my eyes at Brooke’s infatuation with Aaron. She’d been ogling him since we ran into him playing basketball the other day, gushing about how she and six-foot-one blonds were meant to be together. Personally, from the way she scoped out every boy that crossed her path, I was pretty sure Brooke had an obsession with all boys. But maybe college freshmen were at the top of her list.
“And just what are you ladies gossipi
ng about?” Aaron asked, throwing an arm around Brooke’s shoulders. She gave him a look of playful disgust, craning her neck to match her eyes with his.
“Just because we’re g
irls, we have to be ‘gossiping?” That’s a stereotype if I ever heard one.”
“Hey,
stereotypes have to come from somewhere. I grew up with four younger sisters. Trust me. I know what juicy gossip looks like when I see it.” He flashed a charming smile, while Brooke failed to hide her giddiness.
“
Ok, the boat’s ready! Let’s go!” Dad called from the dock.
I sighed. Let the battle begin.
We walked over to the open-bowed ski boat, Brooke and Aaron chatting at my side. I stared at the swaying boat, resistance anchoring me in place.
“Come on, Allie,” Dad said.
I gritted my teeth. My voice was low. “You know exactly why I don’t want to go.”
D
ad was relentless, proof that stubbornness is, in part, genetic. “You don’t have to get in the water. Just come spend the afternoon with us on the boat.”
“
What’s the hold up?” Nick hollered from the backseat. Stretched out with his arms folded across his chest, he didn’t hide his annoyance.
Shuffling my feet, I
glanced behind me, desperate for an excuse.
Without warning, two str
ong arms wrapped around my waist and hauled me over his shoulder.
“
What are you—Aaron Jackson! Put me down!” I kicked my legs in fury as he pulled me with him into the boat.
He chuckled as he
seated me between Nick and Brooke on the back bench. Surrounded by laughter, I glared up at Aaron’s lean form. The top of his unzipped wet suit hung from his waist, his bare, golden torso gleaming at me.
“If you ever pick me up like that again—”
“Whoa! Calm down fireball! I was just trying to help speed up the inevitable.” Aaron zipped up his suit over his defined abs and then threw a life jacket my way. Catching it before it hit my face, I frowned at him. He winked back and then broke into a wide smile.
“You better listen to her,
Aaron,” Nick chimed in. “I wouldn’t try that stunt again if I were you. She might throw your back out next time.” He laughed at his own joke.
“Nick, be nice,” Clara said to her son.
She smiled at me apologetically.
Indignant,
I removed my own shirt and fastened the life vest over my swimsuit. I thrust the shirt into the bag at Brooke’s feet.
“
Ah, quit your sulking. You’re ruining the day.”
I didn’t have to turn my head to know the rude comment belonged to Nick, but I faced him anyway.
“Sulking? That’s what you think this is about? You don’t know anything about me, Nick!” The high volume of my voice attracted every head in the boat.
Dad intervened, pushing his sunglasses on top of his head so I could catch his brown eyes reprimanding me.
“It’s going to be a long two months if you keep this up,” he warned. He put a hand around Clara’s shoulders. “All we’re asking is that you at least try to get along. Allie, I know it will be difficult for you to be up here after...after what happened. But it’s for the best.”
What do you know?
I wanted to say, but instead,
I held my tongue.
Breaking up the a
wkward silence, Aaron snickered, “Nick, why haven’t you invited me on more trips with your family?”
“
She’s
not part of my—”
“Nicholas!” Clara cut in, cautioning her son with a stern expression.
But we all knew what he was going to say, and I couldn’t agree more. I was not part of his family, and he wasn’t part of mine. It was going to take a lot more than our parents’ legal union to bond the two of us.
“Well, guess w
e’re all ready now, right?” Dad called from behind the wheel. He made brief eye contact with me, looking away when he saw the resentment in my hazel eyes.
***
Strapped into the wakeboard, Aaron ripped across the water as he jumped from wake to wake. Flying through the air and pulling tricks, he even landed his 360 without fail. We watched him in awe as he maneuvered a tantrum, catching the wake and flipping in the air.
“He’s amazing,” Brooke adm
ired, not taking her eyes off him. Nick murmured something about Aaron being a showoff and turned his back. Nick was, no doubt, still upset about the face-plant that occurred during his earlier attempt.
“
You and Aaron just completed a year in college, right?” Brooke asked him.
Nick
sighed, not hiding his blatant disinterest. “Yep. UC Davis.”
Brooke
rested her cheek on one hand and looked up at the sky. “College sounds so cool. I can’t wait until I can go next year.”
Whipping his head around, Nick
raised an eyebrow. “Oh you’re planning on going? Huh. Wouldn’t have thought you were the college type.”
I caught sight of his mocking grin just before he turned away aga
in. Brooke’s mouth fell open, though no words formed.
“Just what is that supposed to mean?”
I ignored Brooke’s hand on my shoulder.
“Alli
e, forget it,” she murmured.
A wave of superiority washed over Nick’s face.
“All I’m saying is that college isn’t for everyone. It takes more than just a pretty face to get in. And, well, some people got it—” He flicked his eyes back at Brooke. “—and some people don’t.”
Glancing
with caution at Dad’s back, I lowered my seething voice. “You’re a real jerk, you know that? What’s your problem anyway?”
“
I don’t have a problem. Truth of the matter is, I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, to pay my own way.” Leaning towards me, he pointed his index finger. He lowered his voice in return, though both Dad and Clara seemed oblivious to the building feud behind their backs. “Unlike some people, I didn’t sit around and let
Daddy
pay for everything. I know what hard work is like. And let’s face it—neither of you spoiled princesses knows anything about the real work it takes to get to college, or to do anything worthwhile for that matter.”
“Oh,
really? Well, it sure hasn’t stopped you from milking my dad’s money this past year, and I don’t care how hard you’ve had to work. Just because your dad left you and your mom when you were little, it doesn’t give you the excuse to grow up into a despicable, self-absorbed pig!”
Looking at the floor, Nick gave
a cool shake of his head. His eyes flashed back into mine. His words were quick and hateful. “Are you anything like your mother? If so, I completely understand why your dad walked out on her. Kudos to him.”
My hand lashed out and slapped him across his face.
Brooke gasped. Her fingers flew to her gaping mouth.
My
eyes cast downward, while heat seeped from my cheeks. From my peripheral, I could see Nick watching me, not moving to touch the sting on his left cheek.
I expelled warm air from my lungs w
ith an agitated sigh. Unbuckling my life vest, I wrestled out of it. Standing up, I reached across Brooke for the bag beside her. “I think my shoulders are burning. Can you hand me my T-shirt?”
Bending over without hesitation,
she rifled through the bag as though relieved for the disruption.
“Let’s see how Aaron handl
es a double-up,” Dad called over his shoulder, unaware of my movement behind him. He turned the boat without warning, looping back across our previous path. I stumbled against the back of the boat, falling against Nick as the boat maneuvered across the bumpy wake.
“Hey, g
et off!” He shoved me backwards with unnecessary force.
My
momentum threw me off the rear of the boat. I yelped, somersaulting into the bubbly lake. The shock of the cold water jolted my body, swallowing me whole. As I surfaced the choppy waves, I cried out, inhaling water.
I thrashed my limbs, splutteri
ng and disoriented. Hacking against the fluid in my airway, panic tightened my chest with an invisible weight, sheathing me in fear.
“Allie! Allie, you ok?” Aaron threw a long arm across my ribs. “Hey! Relax. You need to calm down!”
I struggled against him. The water was still the enemy and Aaron was trying to drag me down with him.
“Stop, Allie. I’ve got you!” Aaron lean
ed back, hugging my back against his chest, while he towed me with his free arm. Catching some air, I finally quit thrashing and allowed Aaron’s solid strokes to haul me towards the boat.
“
Are you all right?” Dad reached down and offered his hand to help me up the ladder.
I ignored it. Refusing to look at him, I stepped inside and pushed past him to the front of the boat. Drenched and dripping, I
sat down, hugging myself with the towel Brooke offered me. Smoothing back the dark brown waves of my hair, I cleared my burning throat.
“What happened?” Clara asked, throwing a second towel around my shoulders. “I didn’t even see you fall.”
“I think it was my fault,” Dad admitted. “I was trying to give Aaron a challenging run and I turned too fast.” He spoke to Aaron. “You’ve sure got some talent out there.”
A
aron brushed off the compliment, looking back and forth between Nick and me with an uncertain expression. His eyes stopping on Nick, he said, “It looked like she had some help falling overboard. What’s going on, man?”
All eyes followed Aaron’s, resting on
Nick’s unconcerned expression. Leaning back into his seat, he put his hands up.
“Hey—
I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault if the girl’s a little clumsy.” He covered a sly smile behind one hand.
