Page 41 of Summer’s Echo

Family. The word hung between us, like an elephant in the room, an obvious but ignored reality.

His eyes, heavy and laden, swirled with emotions too big, too agonizing to be spoken outright.

Memories, division, and unbalanced regrets still blurred the lines between us, full of things we never dared to say out loud.

A shudder ran through me, a gasp catching in my throat because I knew exactly what he meant.

I felt it, too. I always had. My chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, the swell of tears burned.

There were plenty of things from our past we could ignore.

Several mistakes we could pretend never happened.

But this? This was a truth we couldn’t outrun.

A truth that still lived and breathed in the recesses of our hearts, refusing to perish.

And if we weren’t careful, if we let it consume us without knowing where it would lead, it would either bring us back together… or break us completely.

Summer

Summer 2005, A Few Weeks Before SpelHouse

Since coming home from camp, life had been a whirlwind of preparation and anticipation.

College was only weeks away, and my excitement bubbled over.

I’d already connected with my roommate and a couple of girls from school who’d also be attending Spelman.

What made it all even sweeter was knowing that Echo had been accepted to Morehouse.

The SpelHouse dream we’d talked about was finally coming true, and it felt like the stars were aligning.

Echo and I had fallen back into our rhythm— our inseparable shit , as we liked to call it.

The kind of bond we had was unnatural and sometimes scary.

We could finish each other’s thoughts and spend hours together without realizing how much time had passed.

Only now, things were different. After my birthday, after the night I had given him the most intimate parts of me, everything changed.

Something between ushad shifted, deepened, twisted into something neither of us could untangle, even if we wanted to.

When I got home from camp, it took himless than an hourto show up at my door.

And when I opened it, there he was. The tingly blissful feeling between my thighs quickly returned at the sight of him.

I wanted to experience him again, but his expression was a storm ofconcern and curiosity, like he wasn’t sure where we stood.

Like he feared I might regret what we’d shared.

Seeing him had been like opening the floodgates—memories of his touch, his kiss, the way he made me feel rushed in all at once.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it—about him.

But alongside the exhilaration, there was fear of what this new territory meant for us, for our friendship.

We hadn’t crossed that line again, but we danced around it, teetering on the edge.

Our hugs lasted a little longer, our kisses were a bit hungrier.

It was undeniable we weren’t just friends anymore.

Echo was mine, and I was his. Today, though, he’d been tied up with his parents, running errands for school, which gave me the perfect excuse to catch up with Trinity and Brooke.

They’d been on my case for weeks about hanging out, and I knew I owed them some time before we all went our separate ways.

Our friendship had withstood so much over the years, and even though life was pulling us in different directions, I knew we’d find a way to stay connected.

Tonight was a chance to celebrate us before everything changed.

“Summer, you want some of this?” Trinity asked, extending a red plastic cup filled with something mysterious.

We were camped out at her sister’s apartment, the perfect setting for a long-overdue girls night.

Her sister, just a few years older, had given us free reign with only one rule: no drinking and driving.

It was the ultimate slumber party—comfort food, drinks, and an endless playlist of Black love movies to feed our souls.

“Trin, why do youthinkyou’re a bartender?” I teased. “The last time you made me a drink, I got pissy drunk.”

“Yeah,” Brooke interjected, “and tongued down your other best friend!”

Trinity gasped theatrically. “Exactly! She needs this drink after fucking her best friend. Here you go,” she said, her grin wide as she thrust the cup at me.

I groaned but grabbed the cup, taking a hesitant gulp. The sweetness hit my tongue, cutting the potency just enough to make it tolerable.

“Shut up. I hate I even told y’all,” I said, though the warmth of my smile contradicted my words. I took another sip and raised my eyebrows, nodding as I gave Trinity a thumbs-up. “Alright, alright. You might be on to something, Trin. You’re getting good at this.”

“Hey,” she screeched, adding a body roll. “That’s what I like to hear.” She winked before grabbing her own cup.

“I’m just glad y’all finally figured it out,” Trinity said, her tone playful but full of relief. “All that friendly flirting was getting old.”

“Whatever. We were—are—friends,” I replied, feeling the heat creep up my neck as I stumbled over my words. “We’re just…attracted to each other, too.” My bashful smile only made Trinity and Brooke exchange skeptical looks.

Before they could say anything, a wave of nausea hit me like a Mack truck. Gagging, I spit out the chicken I’d been enjoying just seconds before. “Brooke, are yousurethis chicken is done?” I asked, holding up the half-eaten wing like it was the culprit of my sudden discomfort.

“ Um, yes. Don’t insult me. You know damn well I can fry some chicken.”

“Well, it’s making me sick. I feel like I gotta throw up,” I said, my face twisted in disgust.

I reached for the Sprite Trinity had used to mix the drinks, hoping to settle my stomach, but the second the fizzy sweetness hit my tongue, I knew that was a bad idea.

Without another word, I bolted for the bathroom, barely making it before I vomited up everything I’d eaten that night.

Collapsing to the floor, I leaned against the cabinet, my head spinning like a carousel.

Every slight movement made my stomach churn.

“Come in,” I said, groaning when I heard a knock at the door.

Trinity peeked in, her face a mix of worry and amusement, with Brooke hovering just behind her. “Are you okay, boo?” she asked.

I nodded weakly. “I said I was never drinking again, and now, one sip, and I’m hugging the toilet.”

Brooke narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms. “Are yousurethat’s all?” she asked, her tone laced with suspicion.

“Brooke!” Trinity yelped, smacking her on the arm.

Brooke shrugged, but her doubtful expression lingered. I glared at her, wishing I had the energy to come up with a comeback. Instead, I just stared at her, the sting of her words making my blood boil.

“Why would you even think that?” I demanded, my voice unsteady as I stumbled to my feet.

Trinity quickly extended a hand to help me, and I leaned over the sink to rinse my mouth out. My gaze flickered to Brooke’s reflection in the mirror, pointed yet full of compassion.

“I’m just saying…” She shrugged. “You’ve been eating everything in sight since you got here, and didn’t you say your stomach was hurting the other day?” Her tone carried a hint of sympathy, but her words got on my nerves.

“Yes, that’s because my period is going to start in a few days,” I snapped, glaring at her like I could set her on fire with my stare.

Brooke raised her hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Look, I hope that’s all it is.”

I straightened, turning away from the sink but still feeling the weight of her words hanging in the air.

“We used a condom, and it was only once,” I said defensively, the doubt in my voice negating my confidence. Was I trying to convince her—or myself?

“She’s right, Brooke. Don’t act like you’ve practiced safe sex every time,” Trinity chimed in, her voice firm as she came to my defense.

Brooke’s brows shot up, and her lips pressed together in a knowing expression that said, Fair point .

I knew both Trinity and Brooke had far more experience in this area than I did.

They’d had their own moments of recklessness—things I could barely imagine with my one-time-ever self.

Trinity handed me a bottle of water she’d brought into the bathroom, and I accepted it gratefully.

The cool liquid eased my throat and, thankfully, stayed down without any issue.

The tension began to lift as the night carried on.

I found myself back on the couch with my friends, grazing on snacks and laughing at scenes from our favorite love stories.

For the rest of the night, I pushed Brooke’s words to the back of my mind, deciding to enjoy the comfort of my girls and the fact that, at least for now, my nausea was gone.

Echo

Summer 2005, A Few Weeks Before SpelHouse

I glanced around my room, trying to organize the chaos of boxes and shopping bags from the endless trips my mum and I had taken to prepare for school.

In two weeks, I’d be packing everything up for Morehouse.

Summer was leaving even earlier, heading to Atlanta for a special program tied to one of her scholarships.

The thought of her being there without me for even a few days was troubling, but I shook it off.

I shoved some things out of the way, clearing space because Summer was on her way over.

Normally, we didn’t hang out in my room when my dad was home—he had strict rules about that.

But with him on campus with my brothers, my mum had loosened the reins.

She’d given the green light, as long as the door stayed wide open.