Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1)(42)

Hell. Isaiah had never won awards for being observant. My stunt with Luke must have pissed her off. I wandered up to the driver’s side to translate for my dumb-ass best friend. “He wants you to pop the hood.”

Echo held a photo album in her lap, with her fingers touching an image. She had that lost look again. The same one she’d worn last semester when she walked into class seconds before the bell rang, pretending no one else existed. Only now I realized that she wasn’t pretending. In this moment, Echo lived in her own little world.

She’d said she had an appointment, but mentioned nothing else. Did something go wrong? I crouched next to her, lowering my voice so only she could hear my concern. “Echo.”

Awakening from her dreamworld, she took a deep breath. “Yeah. The hood.”

She slid her hand under the console and pulled the lever. Isaiah’s eyes sparkled when the latch released with a pop and the door to his magical world opened. “Beth, you’ve got to see this.”

“Your car obsession is unnatural.” She acted like she didn’t care, but Beth pushed off the bench toward Isaiah. “How on earth do you get girls to screw you?”

“Come on, you know the words big block V-8 make your panties wet.”

“Oh, baby,” Beth said dryly. “Take me now.”

Echo checked out my eyes. “Are you sure you guys aren’t high?”

Several sarcastic comments entered my mind, but I reminded myself—one shot. “This is your house and I wouldn’t disrespect you like that.”

The right side of her mouth turned up. “Thanks.” She closed the album. “You ready to delve into the world of physics?”

I glanced around the garage. “Where?”

“I typically study in here.”

“You’re kidding.” The serious look in her green eyes told me she wasn’t, as did her backpack sitting on the passenger side. “You know, most people use tables and chairs.”

Echo shrugged, taking her physics book out of her pack and then placing the pack on the floor next to me. She lowered her voice. “Most people don’t have scars running up their arms or go to ‘strongly encouraged by Child Protective Services’ therapy once a week either. Are we studying or not?”

I opened the door to the passenger side and took a seat. Taped to the dashboard was a picture of Echo with her arms wrapped around a taller guy with brown hair. Appeared Beth had left out a boyfriend in her history of Echo lesson. Imagine that—a stoner who forgot something. “Who’s that?”

A soft smile touched her lips, but not her eyes. Those eyes held so much pain that I felt a knife slash through my gut. “That’s my brother, Aires. It’s our last picture together.” Her hand absently stroked the album in her lap.

Isaiah and Beth were bantering back and forth, giving our conversation some privacy. “You’re lucky. Everything that meant a thing to me burnt up in the fire. Everything but my brothers. I don’t have a single picture of my parents. Sometimes I’m terrified I’m going to forget what they looked like.” And the sound of their voices. My father’s deep laughter and my mom’s hearty giggles. The fragrance of my mom’s perfume when she got ready for work. The smell of my dad’s aftershave. The sound of them cheering from the stands when I made a shot. God, I missed them.

I had no idea I’d traveled into my own universe until Echo’s cold fingers squeezed mine. “Want to do normal?”

And my heart clenched in pain and joy at the same time. I missed my parents beyond words and this beautiful nymph understood. “I’m all over normal.” I opened my physics book.

THE SLAMMING OF THE HOOD startled me and Echo. We’d spent two hours reviewing for our physics test. If I didn’t pass the son of a bitch tomorrow, I’d never pass a test.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say Isaiah was on the best trip of his life with that crazy smile on his face. “I know how to get her going.”

Echo brightened to the level of supernova. “Really?” She dropped her physics book and hopped out of the car.

I fought the urge to stand behind Echo and wrap my arms around her as she bounced in front of Isaiah in delight. For a second, it appeared Isaiah would join in the happy dance. “Just a few parts, minor really. I’ll find them at the junkyard. It’ll take me some time and probably cost up to two hundred.”

Echo’s eyes widened and my heart sank. She didn’t have the money. How much could she make tutoring a loser like me? I had the money. I saved every dime to move into my own place after graduation and rescue my brothers. I could loan it to her and we could increase our tutoring sessions until she made enough to pay me back. “Echo …”

She threw herself at Isaiah, tackling him in a hug. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Do you need the money now or later? I’ve got cash, if that’s okay.”

Isaiah paled and stared at me with his arms held out to his sides. “I swear to God, I’m not touching her, man.”

“Yeah, but she’s touching you.” The dark shadows in Beth’s eyes prompted me to take action.

Oblivious to the black-haired threat behind her, Echo released Isaiah, glowing as if Jesus had appeared and turned water into wine. A pang of jealousy nagged at my gut. To keep Beth from tearing Echo to pieces, I stepped between the two. “Told you I could help.” Shitty of me to attempt to take the credit, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to be her champion.