Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1)(73)

My father stood stoically still. He’d killed my soul and I wanted his in return. “Mom fell apart after you left her for the nanny. And then you stole custody of us. You left her with nothing. You were her whole world. She had nothing left to live for, no reason to take the meds. You left her right when she was getting her act together!”

His eyes narrowed. “Are those words yours, Echo, or your mother’s? You’re right on one count. I did everything I could to make sure I got custody of you and your brother. I hired the best lawyers weeks before I served your mother to guarantee she’d never share custody with me. My only regret is that I allowed visitation, to give her time to spew those lies and to hurt you.”

Mom had said Aires and I were a game to him. That he used us to hurt her. “You mean you regret having me. You regret that I found out that you will pick Ashley over everything and everyone else.” I screamed so loudly my throat became raw. Every part of me shook and heat flushed my cheeks and the back of my neck. Had he ever loved me? Had he? “How could you abandon me?”

The anger drained out of my father’s face, leaving him pale and old. “I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

I sniffed and fought to keep the tears from falling. I would not cry in front of him. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d ripped me into a thousand pieces. But I needed rest. I needed all the voices and nightmares to go away. I had no one now. No one. And damn them for making me beg for the one thing that could grant me a few hours’ peace. “I want my sleeping pills. I’m tired and I need to sleep. For one night, I just need to sleep.”

Ashley slid by my father’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder. She never once looked at me. “I’ll get them. The doctor said you can move up to ten mg.”

“I’ll be in my room.” I left, not caring if I ever spoke to my father again.

NOAH

Last night, Echo called while I was at work. She left a message telling me that she was taking sleeping pills and wouldn’t answer her phone until morning. She’d sounded … destroyed.

On edge, I waited by her locker before school, but she never showed, leaving me sitting there in business technology losing my damn mind. Three messages. I left the girl three messages. Hell, I didn’t leave messages, yet I’d left this girl three. Where was she?

I stared at her empty seat in the front, willing her to magically appear. Mr. Foster droned on and on. Each second on the clock took three times longer than normal to tick away. My right pocket vibrated and I dropped my pencil in order to retrieve it. Both Isaiah and Rico shot me a glance the moment they heard the vibration.

When I checked the caller ID, my heart leapt. Echo.

“Mr. Hutchins?” asked Mr. Foster.

Damn. “Yes, sir.” My phone stopped vibrating as Echo went to voice mail.

“Is that a cell phone I hear?”

“Yes,” Isaiah piped up. “Sorry, sir. I forgot to turn mine off this morning.”

Mr. Foster looked back and forth between me and Isaiah, obviously not buying it, but he held his hand out to Isaiah. “You know the rules. You can collect it at the end of the day.”

Isaiah handed over his phone without another word, giving me a sly smile when he returned to his seat. I nodded my thanks. What did I do to deserve a brother like him?

He leaned over to me once Mr. Foster resumed his boring lecture. “Tell her I said hi.”

I TORE OUT OF CLASS, HITTING the speed dial in record time. My heart stuttered with every ring. Dammit. Pick up. Her beautiful voice filled the line. “It’s me. You know what to do.”

“You’re killing me, baby.” I hung up.

I reached my locker, threw my books in and checked voice mail. Isaiah sauntered to the other side of the hallway and leaned against the wall. Beth joined him seconds later, unlit cigarette in hand. “What’s going on?”

“Echo called last period and he missed it. Now he’s pissed,” Isaiah answered.

“No, I’m not,” I snapped. Yes, I was.

Isaiah shrugged while suppressing a smile.

Echo had left a short, lifeless message, “Hey, I guess I’ll try you later. Love you.”

Dammit, Echo. You gotta give me more than that. Lunch and three more periods. I wasn’t going to survive. “I’m going to grab some food. I’ll see you guys in the cafeteria.”

“Wait. We’ll come,” Beth called out. “I’ll smoke later.”

I took nothing with me to the cafeteria, so instead of heading to my table, I went straight for the line. Echo’s little gal pals gathered at their table, oblivious to the fact that somewhere on the other side of the school walls, she was suffering. I did a double take when blue eyes met mine.

Lila typed furiously into her phone before calling out to me, “Noah!” Her entire table froze and stared at her.

“Lila?” Grace asked meekly.

Lila sent Grace a death glare and walked over to me. My opinion of her grew. “Have you talked to Echo?”

“Messages only. What’s going on?”

Lila glanced over my shoulder. I followed her gaze to see Luke staring at us intently. She continued, “I don’t know. She called me last night, but I was out with Stephen.”

At that exact moment both of our phones chirped to notify us of a text message. We simultaneously pulled them out and I sucked in a breath as I read the message from Echo: I’m across the street.