ECHO: Episode 3 // Chapter II

Gavin found himself lying in bed awake. He didn’t realize how long he was staring at the ceiling until a fly buzzed in his ear. He sat upright and shook his head. ‘What time is it?’ he thought. He looked at the alarm clock on the dresser next to his bed. “10:06.” Gavin had been lying awake motionless in his bed for almost three hours. He had been like this since the last time he saw Lindsey, and it was getting worse with each passing day. It had been weeks since the last time he talked to her, since the day of the encounter with Juno. Gavin got up from bed and looked at himself through a mirror. His arm was no longer bandaged, but it still hurt every time he moved it and it brought back flashbacks from the fight.

Gavin looked back at the clock. “10:31.” He had been dozing off again. Something just didn’t feel right with him. He didn’t feel at ease anymore. Flashes of Juno haunted his thoughts and dreams. Gavin quickly gathered his thoughts and got ready for school. When he was about to step out the door, he threw his backpack down. He wasn’t going to school.

Gavin didn’t feel like being just a part of the crowd at school again, walking around campus unnoticed. He didn’t even want to be at school with the expectation of talking to, or even seeing Lindsey. He needed a break just to gather his thoughts because he was hurt and broken.

For a while, Gavin walked aimlessly around town. He let his feet guide him to places while his mind wandered around elsewhere. He came to his senses after a car honked at him and found himself downtown in the middle of an intersection facing a red light. He scurried over to the sidewalk wide awake now, and saw a crowd huddled around a post. They looked like other high school kids that were cutting. Gavin was curious what they were looking at. He walked up to the crowd and saw that they were looking at a flyer. “Carnival this weekend! Hosted by the local high school’s Activities Team.” Gavin suddenly felt a rush of warmth flow through him. Lindsey runs the Activities Team.

ECHO: Episode 3 // Chapter I

Gavin opened his eyes. He was lying on his bed - awake from the patches of sunlight that scattered his room. A herd of clouds drifted in front of the sun..only allowing it to shine through at certain moments. He didn't remember coming back home from the park last night. Gavin sat up and scratched his head. It didn't itch...but he scratched anyways. Just a habit...one of those things...like wet socks.

He needed to shower. Gavin preferred showering at night - to wash and be cleansed before sleeping. But today, the thought of a morning shower was pretty appealing. He needed to be refreshed. His arm was still wrapped. It didn't hurt anymore. He would need to change the bandage soon.

ECHO: Episode 2 // Chapter IV

The person in black took a step toward Gavin. “Stay away from Lindsey. Losers like you should know better.” Afraid, nervous, confused- Gavin was all these things at that moment, but he was also not one to easily reveal his emotions. He simply took a deep breath and looked into this person’s eyes.

His name was Juno. Like most students, Gavin knew of him. He was a popular guy at school – known for his bad attitude. Juno hung around a shady crowd that was involved in some less-than-academic activities. Maybe that was what led him to be expelled from their school, or maybe he was just an asshole. Juno now attended their rival school but he still had strong ties with his old friends. “You understand me, you little shit?” He wasn’t much bigger than Gavin but intimidating nonetheless. Black jacket, black shirt, black pants; he was like a menacing shadow, the kind that threatened you by swallowing all the light on a fair day. Gavin honestly answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” and continued to pack up his belongings. With that, Juno smirked and pushed Gavin hard against the lockers. “You know what…I hate fuckheads like you.” In the next instant, Juno’s fist was flying at Gavin. Functioning completely on adrenaline, Gavin dodged Juno’s punch and replied, “I could say the same.” But still pinned against the lockers, he couldnt avoid Juno's knee. It slammed him full force in the chest. Gavin collapsed in pain. One hand clutching his chest the other supporting his weight on the ground. He gasped for breath. On one knee, Gavin looked up and tried to recover from the blow. He wouldn't be able to face this guy...not in this shape. Footsteps approached. It was Mr. Marron one of the swimming coaches. Juno quickly kneeled down to Gavin and roughly patted him on the shoulder, "This isn't over." With that, he left the locker room. Gavin slowly got up from the ground, realizing how fortunate he had been. Ever since the dance, Gavin had seen a lot more excitement...including this last incident. "What does Juno want from me? Why's he talking about Lindsey," Gavin thought to himself. So many questions. He needed to talk to Lindsey. Gavin tried to take a deep breath but he felt pain when he inhaled.

The race had ended and Lindsey won. She would have preferred to stay in the water. In the water she could move freely; nothing got in her way. But, she eventually did climb out of the pool. She wanted to greet her friends and all the people that had been cheering for her. Normally, she would have been ecstatic to have won another race, but this time she held back. Lindsey couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed that Gavin didnt show up. "Maybe he didn't see the message on the picture," she thought. "Or maybe he didn't get the picture at all." What was it about that boy that made her feel so good? She had known him since elementary school, but they never talked. Ever since the dance, she felt a stronger connection to him. In actuality she did know why. There was a reason why she had been so thankful to Gavin that night and it wasn't merely for a dance ticket. Lindsey would have to tell him. She dried herself and walked to the locker room.

Moving slowly, Gavin headed towards the pool. He looked down and saw a few red drops fall to the ground. His right arm had a long cut along its length. "Damn." He must have scraped it against a sharp edge along a locker when Juno pushed him. Gavin didn't feel it now...but he knew that would change quickly. Two injuries. It could have been a lot worse. He walked to Mr. Marron's office and got some bandages to wrap his arm. "Cut it on a long branch." Yea..that was the story...lame..but the coach didn't ask any more of it. "Hey Gavin be more careful next time, alright?" Gavin nodded, "Yea...thanks." Just as he was leaving the door..the coach asked, "You still interested in being our photographer for the team? We need to get that arranged soon." It had been several weeks since he was offered the job. And it was the last thing on his mind right now. He just wanted to get to Lindsey. He simply nodded again and left. Speaking was still too much of an effort after his brawl with Juno.

Gavin walked out on to the pool deck. He found himself only to be greeted by a fresh breeze. He breathed it in with some effort. The air was reviving in his beat-up body. A banner on the ground blew past him. It danced across the pool deck and drifted onto the water. He walked to the pool's edge. LINDSEY IS NUMBER ONE it read. He picked it up, and put it in his pocket. He rubbed his wrapped arm and looked around. She was nowhere to be seen. She was veiled from vision like the breeze itself. Gavin began to think that they weren't meant to see each other that day at all; everything had been against them.

After a warm shower, Lindsey walked out of the girl's locker room while Gavin left the pool deck and walked through the door towards the exit. He saw a girl with wet hair and towel wrapped around her waist. They looked at each other, both surprised and pleased by the coincidence.

"Oh my god. Gavin, what happened to your arm!"
"Courtesy of Juno. I'll be alright."
"What...Juno was here?!"

ECHO: Episode 2 // Chapter III

Gavin ran back to his stuff and got everything together quickly and hurried into the locker room to change. While he was on his way, he could faintly hear the pep band play and the students cheer. “A race must have started,” Gavin muttered to himself, “Great …” He looked at his watch. “3:45, okay, that’s cool, I shouldn’t be too late …”

He felt unusually anxious, and he began to rush. Gavin needed to know why she had looked so down ah hour ago. In his haste he dropped his water bottle and it sprayed all over the floor. He took his clothes out of his gym bag quickly, but he fumbled his pants. He bent over to pick it up and something fell out of the pocket and landed in the puddle of water. It was the picture Lindsey gave him earlier that afternoon. This time he wasn't quick enough to catch it before it fell.

He squatted down and picked it up, and looked at the picture again. The water didn’t seem to have ruined the picture, so he sighed with relief. He looked a little closer, and was shocked to see that the water managed only to warp Lindsey’s face. Now, she looks as if she were crying in the picture. Gavin swore under his breath and wiped the water off the picture on his shirt. He turned the picture around, and noticed a message on the back from Lindsey. It read: “Hey Gavin, thanks for helping me out, hehe. I owe you a picture, so here it is! Sorry I couldn’t give it to you though, I’ve been busy. There’s a swim meet today, hope you’ll be there. xoxo, Lindsey.” He felt happy that she actually remembered him. He looked at the message for a while and smiled. Then he heard over the microphone coming from the direction of the pool, “Varsity girls, your race will begin in five minutes.”

“Shit, I’m late,” Gavin thought. He stood up and was still looking down at the picture in his hands. He finally looked up and was startled to see someone wearing all black standing right in front of him. Gavin jumped back, and his blood suddenly turned cold.

“Hey, you little fuckhead.” An imposing figure greeted him. Gavin swallowed hard.

Meanwhile, Lindsey was standing in the sidelines. She had been looking for Gavin in the stands for a while, but he was nowhere in sight. All she could see was a bleacher full of people and banners reading, “Go Lindsey!” or the like. She gave up looking for Gavin because she figured he wouldn’t come. “Oh well,” she thought. She dove deep into the pool, away from the noise, the people, and the rest of the world. She glided across the bottom of the pool and touched her hands against it. She was in a whole new world, a world apart from the rest of the people, the only place she wants to be …