Page 21 of Summer’s Echo

“Yes, ma’am! I’m really sorry,” Echo replied, and I could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried—and failed—to suppress his grin at Mama’s choice of words.

I shot him a warning, but even I had to fight the twitch of my cheeks. Amusement flickered between us in a silent conversation.

“Yo , your mama don’t play,” Echo’s raised brows mutedly communicated.

I arched my brow, with pursed lips, my expression doing all the talking. “You think? Keep testing her , and you’ll find out exactly how much she don ’t play,” my face all but said.

Echo chuckled softly, shaking his head then nodded as if to say, “Message received, Sunshine.”

“Where are you all going this time?” Mama asked, and I wanted to roll my eyes because I’d already told her this.

Just hanging out at the mall,” Echo answered, his voice casual but his eyes darting to me for confirmation, like he was hoping he’d nailed the right answer.

I bit back a smirk. The mall was always the safe, parent-approved starting point, but we both knew it was just that—a starting point. From there, the night could lead us anywhere, and I never offered those details to my parents.

“And Sonic,” we said in unison, our voices overlapping as we broke into laughter.

Mama nodded, her sharp focus fixated on the two of us with her arms crossed. She wasn’t saying much, but the gears in her head were definitely turning as she inspected us, her silence louder than any question she could’ve asked.

“You ready to go, Sun…I mean, Summer?” Echo said as he reached out to pinch the tip of my nose like he always did.

I swatted his hand away, but the corner of my mouth lifted.

It was so natural with him, this easy rhythm we had.

Still, I could feel my mother’s eyes burning into the back of my head, making me hesitate before heading back inside to grab my things.

“ Um, yeah. Let me grab my purse. I’ll be right back. ”

When I returned with my purse slung over my shoulder, the scene hadn’t shifted much.

Daddy was leaning on the porch railing, chatting with Echo in that calm, easygoing way he always had.

Meanwhile, Mama remained in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression hovering somewhere between curiosity and disapproval.

Echo straightened as I approached, his trademark grin lighting up his face. As I slipped by Mama, I felt her hand gently fix a stray curl that had fallen out of place. “You have your phone and keys?” she asked, her tone softer now, but still laced with authority.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, turning to give her a quick hug. I kissed Daddy’s cheek before stepping off the porch. “See y’all later. Love you.”

“Have fun, baby girl,” Daddy called out, his voice warm, “and remember what your mama said.”

“Remember your curfew, Summer,” Mama called after me in a tone that carried equal parts concern and warning.

“I always do,” I replied, glancing back over my shoulder with a small, reassuring smile. It wasn’t a lie—I’d never missed curfew, but her stern warning still made me feel like she thought I would chance it for my new friend.

Without thinking, Echo grabbed my hand, guiding me toward his car.

I didn’t resist. This was just us—easy, familiar, the kind of comfort that didn’t require second-guessing.

As we walked, we bumped into each other playfully, our normal carefree banter.

But just as I reached for the passenger door, Mama’s voice carried through the air, quiet but sharp enough to land.

“You see what I’m saying?” Her words were meant for Daddy’s ears only.

I hesitated, my fingers brushing the door handle. Daddy sighed, his tone weary but firm. “Tee, let it go,” he said, already turning back toward the house.

I sighed, shaking my head as Echo waited for me to settle into the passenger seat before gently shutting the door behind me.

“What?” he asked, sliding into his seat and starting the car.

“Nothing,” I said, securing my seatbelt. “Just my mama being my mama.”

I brushed it off, but the truth sat somewhere deep in my heart, too heavy to ignore.

Mama wasn’t just fussing to fuss. She saw it.

She saw the way Echo and I moved around each other, how we never quite crossed a line, but never really stayed in the lines either.

She saw how I let him pull me along without hesitation, how he knew exactly what to do to make me smile.

How he made himself at home in my world like he belonged there.

Mama knew what that meant. She and Daddy were high school sweethearts, so she knew firsthand that friendships like this—the ones that felt effortless, the ones that made you forget where you ended and the other person began—those were the ones that could change everything. And not always in the ways you wanted.

Maybe she saw something forming the first time I introduced Echo to my parents.

My sudden giddy and slightly ditzy demeanor wasn’t lost on my parents.

And Mama? She noticed… Because she noticed everything.

She didn’t always say much, but the way her lips pressed together, shaking her head the way mamas do when they know their daughters are about to get caught up in something they can’t control.

Since Daddy made it clear that he didn’t want to hear it anymore, I was sure she was on the phone with my auntie right now.

“That boy got too much of your time, Summer. That kind of closeness? It don’t stay innocent forever. ”

And maybe she was right to be worried. Because I knew it, too—somewhere deep down, in a place I wasn’t ready to face. Echo was special. And feelings like we had? They had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected.