Rumors (A Lingering Echoes Prequel)

  ***

  On the last weekend of Christmas break, Leah, Taylor, and I stepped off the airplane, each slinging a duffle bag over our shoulder.

  Leah inhaled. “Ahh, I love the smell of California!”

  Taylor scoffed. “Leah, we’re in the airport, which smells just as musky as any other!”

  Leah didn’t bother looking at our sister and maintained the smile on her face. “It’s all about your attitude, Tay.”

  I wished I could feel as carefree as Leah right now. We didn’t visit Danville more than a handful of times during the year. Our longest visit to our childhood hometown usually occurred over the summer, and even then, we spent a good portion of that time in our family cabin.

  The thought of Hidden Pines put a damper on my already apprehensive mood. I muffled a sigh as we stepped out of the airport and felt the cool Oakland breeze touch our face. With Danville a small town of about fifty thousand, Oakland was the closest big city with an airport.

  “Yes, we’re here!” Leah said into the phone. “Yep, we’re about to cross the street, so we’ll look for you.”

  The familiar suburban pulled up alongside the curb designated for passenger pick-ups. Dad stepped out of the car, opening his arms to Leah and Taylor, who dropped their bags to run to him. I shifted my stance, my duffle bag still slung over my shoulder. A wave of guilt accompanied my reluctance to race for a hug.

  I wished I felt as natural around him as my sisters did. They held no grudges against his past mistakes, even though his actions had cost us our family. Maybe it was because I was the oldest (even though I wasn’t yet thirteen at the time) that caused me to hold onto my resentment and the memories of my broken-hearted mother. My sisters didn’t seem to recall those details, or chose to move past them. Why couldn’t I? Perhaps my inability to forgive my father had something to do with my inability to forgive myself.

  I faced Dad, one hand on the strap of my duffle bag. The smile he gave me didn’t match the questions in his eyes.

  “Allison,” he said, stepping towards me.

  “Hi, Dad.” Since I was still carrying my bag, we opted for a cordial side-hug. I gave a small smile, my lips pressed together. I could see Dad wanted to ask his questions—the same ones he’d been asking my sisters when I often became unavailable for his phone calls throughout this school year. These inquiries had little to do with our relationship and more to do with what happened at Hidden Pines last summer, and how I was handling it.

  “Thank you for coming,” Dad said. I nodded, adding a few polite phrases in response, and then followed my sisters into the suburban.

  Leah and Taylor dominated the conversation in the car, filling Dad in on the latest highlights. They didn’t mention Shane, or how I quit basketball, and Dad didn’t ask—so I knew he’d already heard about both.

  We stepped into Dad’s new house, and I tried to bury my disappointment. This was the first time we weren’t visiting our old home—the one I’d spent thirteen years of my life living in. I hated the thought of renters taking over our Danville home, pushing out our memories and making their own. But I couldn’t blame Clara, Dad’s new wife, for not wanting to live there.

  A slender, petite woman stood behind the kitchen counter with her natural blond hair pinned back from her face with a clip.

  “Hi, girls!” she greeted, removing the frilly apron from her waist. She hurried over, draping it on the couch as she passed by. Before I could decide the best way to greet her, she wrapped her arms around me for a quick, but tight hug.

  “Allie,” she said, her smile adding to her soft features. “It’s good to see you again.” Surprised at the confidence behind her gesture, I could only smile politely.

  “As for you girls,” she continued, directing her attention to Leah and Taylor. “Thank you for simplifying the guessing game by cutting your hair differently!” They both laughed, completely used to the attention they received as twins. “Leah,” Clara said, “this bob is so cute on you. I can’t believe how much length you chopped off since I last saw you.” She hugged both of my sisters and then accepted a kiss on the cheek from Dad.

  Happiness touched his eyes, making them brighter than I’d seen them in a few years. While I wasn’t thrilled last summer about accepting the complications of a stepfamily, I couldn’t begrudge his newfound joy in marrying Clara. Now, as far as I was concerned, I had no interest in developing a motherly relationship with her—I had my own mother for that and simply considered Clara my father’s new wife, rather than my stepmom. But Clara was nice enough, so I would at least be polite.

  “Now that you’re here, I wanted to tell you about your surprise.” Dad pulled out his wallet and removed what appeared to be a handful of tickets. 

  “Movie tickets?” Leah asked.

  “Concert tickets,” Dad corrected. He handed one to each of us.

  At a glance, Leah and Taylor started jumping up and down. “Forever Delinquent? Are you kidding me?” Leah squealed and then did an interesting dance of excitement with Taylor.

  “What do you think, kiddo?” Dad asked me.

  While I didn’t love being called kiddo at seventeen, and I wasn’t a fangirl like Leah and Taylor, I had to admit that tickets to this alternative rock band were pretty cool. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “Well, I’ll give you time to get settled,” Dad said. “Nick and Aaron should be here just after dinner.”

  “Who’s Aaron?” Taylor asked.

  I didn’t care about some kid named Aaron. I was more concerned with seeing my stepbrother, Nick Cross, again.

  “Oh, that’s Nick’s best friend. Nick agreed to take you to the concert if Aaron could come, so I bought him a ticket, as well.”

  “Nick’s taking us?” I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that.

  “Well, it was either Nick takes you or your old dad here was going to chaperone. Which do you prefer?”

  “Nick can take us,” Leah and Taylor said in unison.

  Leah laughed. “No offense, Dad, but it’s not really your scene anyway!”

  Dad nodded. “That’s what I thought. Besides, it’ll be fun for all of you to go out together. They’ll be here for dinner, so I’ll let you rest before your big night.” Despite my differences with Dad, I couldn’t fault him for always trying to please each of us.

  When the front door opened around early evening, a blond-headed older teen entered first. The tips of his hair were bleached and gelled together, sticking up with an air of confidence. I squinted at him, assuming this was the Aaron Dad had mentioned. Wearing trendy jeans and a long-sleeved red and navy athletic polo, he led the way with a boyish grin on his face. Nick followed close behind, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

  Catching sight of Leah, Taylor, and me, Aaron’s smile brightened. “Hey, how’s it goin’?” Sticking out his hand, he shook mine with a strong grip. He moved along with his greetings, shaking each of our hands in turn. As he moved down the line, I watched him curiously. There wasn’t an ounce of shyness in his demeanor. Within moments of meeting my sisters, conversation flowed naturally, especially at the mention of basketball. Apparently, he could play or at least shared Leah and Taylor’s enthusiasm. I shifted a few steps away, avoiding their discussion.

  My observations moved to Nick who, in contrast, was slouching in his black T-shirt. After Aaron’s bold, friendly entrance, Nick’s presence seemed to blend into the background. His energy level seemed only half of Aaron’s at best. Nick caught my eye and, after an awkward moment of silence, lifted his chin at me with a quick nod. “What’s up?” he asked, leaning his back against the wall.

  I forced a tight smile. We had only met Nick once, but he was not the friendliest kid I’d ever met… Still, given the timing of Dad and Clara’s wedding (less than a month after Maddie’s drowning), I hadn’t been an enthusiastic new stepsister either. I decided to try better this time.

  “Hey. Guess it’s been a while…”

&nbs
p; Nick broke eye contact with me, his vision roaming elsewhere. I stopped talking.

  Maybe not long enough, I thought. He didn’t seem mad or annoyed. Just indifferent. Maybe that was one way we were both alike—not eager for superficial chitchat. I could deal with that.

  With a shrug, my attention diverted back to Aaron. He’d made his way to the kitchen by now and was giving a high five to Clara, making a big deal about smelling her roast in the oven. I glanced back and forth between Aaron and Nick, who had wandered over to the fridge.

  Did Dad say they were best friends? I couldn’t have matched a more opposite duo.

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