Read Online Echoes by Michelle Rowen - Free Book Online Page B

meant to be. And I want you to willingly be a part of this.”
    I moistened my dry lips with the tip of my tongue. “I know I haven’t exactly been the easiest person to get along with lately, but I can’t help it. I’m just having a really hard time pretending that nothing happened. She left us, Dad.
Both
of us.”
    “I know I did,” my mother finally spoke. “Olivia, honey, people make mistakes. Horrible, horrible mistakes. But I’m different now. I just want you to give me a chance here. You’re important to me. I don’t think you realize how much. I want you to stop fighting this, fighting
me
. It won’t be long before things change for the better. I can promise you that.”
    “That’s what we’re asking for, Liv. For you to give your mother a chance. Will you do that for me? Please?”
    It was strange to have this kind of power. One word from me could make them both happier. One word from me could make this uncomfortable living environment easier to deal with.
    Or just the opposite.
    My mother and I used to have a great relationship, that’s what made what she did difficult for me to understand. We’d been more like friends than what I’d seen other kids have with their parents. Since my father traveled a lot for his job, she and I did plenty of things together—shopping, movies, and dinners out.
    Maybe my father was right. Maybe I needed to give her a chance and hope for that change. She said everyone made mistakes and I knew it was true.
    One word from me might help make this knot in my chest finally loosen up so I could concentrate on my other problems.
    “Fine.” There was that one word.
    “Fine?” my father repeated.
    I nodded and glanced at my mother to see her glossy eyes had widened a little. She stroked her hand under them to wipe away the tears.
    “Really?” she asked.
    I shrugged. “I’m not saying I’m cool with everything that happened. I don’t understand why you did what you did. I’m not saying I forgive you. But maybe I’m willing to ease up a little and give you a chance to prove that you’re here because you want to be.”
    She nodded. “This is exactly where I need to be right now. Thank you, honey.”
    I studied my plate again. Unfortunately, there was no way I could eat any of this delicious-looking breakfast with the way my stomach was churning right now.
    “Can we go out for dinner tonight and talk?” she asked. “Just you and me?”
    My father was nodding with approval. “I think that’s a good idea.”
    “I’m busy tonight after school. Tomorrow, too,” I added.
    “For how long?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What about Saturday?” she asked.
    “Saturday’s prom.”
    “Oh, yes. Of course it is.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Okay. Well, we’ll figure something out.”
    There was finally a beep from the driveway. It was truly a wonderful sound.
    “Can I go now?” I asked.
    “Of course,” my father said. “Big day at school today?”
    “You could say that.”
    I left the house and got in Peter’s car.
    “Morning, beautiful,” he greeted me, then leaned over and kissed me.
    I tried to kiss him back, severely guilt-ridden about kissing another boy when I was already dating Peter.
    However, kissing Peter was
nothing
like kissing Ethan; with him, it was just a kiss. But Ethan made my brain stop working and my entire world turn on its end last night. I couldn’t just ignore that.
    The ten minute drive with the casual conversation I was used to from Peter—sports, friends, plans for Saturday night—helped relax me a bit. It helped me feel almost normal again. When we got to school, Helen greeted us in the hall with a big smile.
    “So she forgives you, huh?” Helen asked Peter.
    Peter laughed. “Yeah, I think so. No thanks to you. I know you hate my guts.”
    She punched him in the arm and grinned. “Jerk. Yeah, I hate you.”
    I eyed them. “You two are friends now?”
    Helen looked at me. “We’re bonding over the strangeness of Olivia