Status: Completed
Decided to Break It
Echo
I pulled my black jeans on and grabbed my black boots. I was going to make sure I was wearing all black because I needed to not be seen. I figured black would be the best solution. Grabbing my backpack, I stood in front of my mirror and gave myself a once over. Thinner, I thought to myself as I stuck my tongue out at my reflection. I walked out of my room. 6:45. I had 45 minutes to get to school but walking burns calories, yeah? I grabbed my keys and Aviators off of the kitchen counter and avoided the fridge. There wasn’t anything good in there anyway. “Bye!” I yelled through the apartment with no response. Of course. I hurried out and put my headphones in while making sure I had money. I wanted to stop by a store that I noticed was close to school and grab some juice. That’s the only thing I’ve really ingested in a week, really. I could blame it on moving and having to pack up everything extremely quickly to come here but that would just be a lie.
Once to the store, I walked back and forth between the zero calorie drinks and the snacks they had. It wasn’t too crowded inside, just some obviously popular girls standing by the coffee maker and laughing. If I wasn’t shy I probably would’ve said something. No, no I wouldn’t. I don’t like people like that. I opened the case of the juice while fake laughing and mocking the popular girls. “Oh, your shoes are just so fetch!” I said in my best preppy accent. “Um… thanks?” I looked to my right and saw a tall guy, about 6’2 with black hair. He had side bangs that was dyed blue which matched his eyes and was wearing a Genesis T-shirt. I was automatically intrigued. “Oh… I didn’t… I mean…” He smiled and my words trailed off. “It’s cool. I hate them too.” He reached over me and grabbed a zero calorie Vitamin Water; I grabbed a V8 juice. “You go to Marymount? I don’t remember seeing you around here before.” I closed the case and started walking a little bit, this guy by my side. “I’m new here. Moved from Virginia.” “Virginia? America?” I shook my head and turned down an aisle, this kid still beside me. “Well, welcome! I’m Josh.” He stopped and put his hand out. I smiled and shook it. “Echo.” “Echo?” I shook my head again and turned to walk away. “Isn’t that the girl that was cursed?” I turned back towards him. “You know Greek mythology?” “I love it! Wasn’t she in love with…” “Narcissus.” I finished for him. He smiled sweetly and looked down a little. I twisted the rubber band on my wrist out of sheer awkwardness. “Why were you named that?” Would you believe that no one has ever asked me that?
“Mom. They say I look just like her. But I don’t really know.” We walked slower down the aisle. “Well, why don’t you? Just look at her and see.” He laughed slightly but I didn’t. “I said something… that wasn’t right, right?” I cleared my throat and started pulling at my rubber band faster. I didn’t know if I should answer or not but luckily, the popular girls saved me. “Hey Josh.” One said. She wore a tube top and small skirt with a jean jacket. It was February. In Vancouver. “Hi, Charee.” He started looking at random items on the shelf uncomfortably. “Sucks about you and Amanda. If you want though, you can call me. I know you’ve got my number.” She walked away doing a little more swishing than what was normal. “Do me a favor- don’t hang out with her. I’ll introduce you to a better crowd.” He picked up a pack of straight razors and then looked at me. He put them back and got women’s shaving razors instead. I didn’t ask questions.
He asked to walk to school with me with the excuse of Vancouver being a big city and I might get lost. I let him keep that. We talked about Greek mythology the whole time, him wishing he was Poseidon and me explaining why he was my favorite god. I told him I wanted to be Athena, which started a bit of a debate. “I’m pretty sure you should be Aphrodite…” I stopped and looked at him as he took a swig of his Vitamin Water. “You’re wrong. I’m exactly like Athena. I’m wise and I love owls.” I kept walking and he just laughed. “Oh my gosh. You’re Athena because of owls? Then you should be Poseidon because you take baths. And Zeus because you’ve flown in a plane.” “And Khione because I love snow?” He laughed again. “Okay, okay… You can be Athena, Miss Echo.” I fake curtsied and walked around a corner. He caught up with me. “Why not Zeus?” I asked. “Huh?” “Why don’t you wanna be Zeus? All guys wanna be the head-honcho. Or they wanna be Hades even ‘cause you know, death and crap. But you said Poseidon.” He finished his drink and threw it in one of the garbage cans at the curb of a house.
“Poseidon controls water and everything about water. The pressure, currents, temperature, he controls it all. The life source of people, he controls. But he gets no glory. And doesn’t seem like he wants it either. He’s okay with being in the shadows but he seems to want someone to care about him that isn’t forced to like the others are, ya know? That’s why he made horses, for a companion. But I don’t know… he wasn’t well liked. By anyone, really.” He kept his eyes on the asphalt in front of him so he couldn’t see my reaction. “I get it.” “It’s like… damnit, this is stupid.” He bit his lip. “Is not! It makes perfect sense. You do a lot but it’s not recognized. You’re okay with that but you want to not have to do anything and still be cared for, yeah?” He shook his head and looked up at me. He quit walking and so did I. He looked at my wrist and saw my rubber band. When he reached out to touch it, the school bell rang in the distance. “We better hurry.”
Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to school. I just wanted to go to sleep. But talking to Josh made it a little better. We didn’t have any classes together but he made sure he showed me to my first one. The people, for the most part, seemed nice. In history, we watched a movie on colonizing Vancouver which seemed to put everyone, including the teacher, to sleep. After that, drama. On my way in, Josh walked out, winked at me, and kept walking. I smiled a little. It was nice having someone know my name that wasn’t paid to. I had to introduce myself to the class in charades and the class quickly understood that I was Echo Morietti from America. “America! That’s so cool,” said the blonde next to me in an extremely preppy voice. I smiled at her thinking she was talking to me about my performance. She looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Amanda, your turn to present your homework.” The blonde stood and walked to the front of the room.
Once to the store, I walked back and forth between the zero calorie drinks and the snacks they had. It wasn’t too crowded inside, just some obviously popular girls standing by the coffee maker and laughing. If I wasn’t shy I probably would’ve said something. No, no I wouldn’t. I don’t like people like that. I opened the case of the juice while fake laughing and mocking the popular girls. “Oh, your shoes are just so fetch!” I said in my best preppy accent. “Um… thanks?” I looked to my right and saw a tall guy, about 6’2 with black hair. He had side bangs that was dyed blue which matched his eyes and was wearing a Genesis T-shirt. I was automatically intrigued. “Oh… I didn’t… I mean…” He smiled and my words trailed off. “It’s cool. I hate them too.” He reached over me and grabbed a zero calorie Vitamin Water; I grabbed a V8 juice. “You go to Marymount? I don’t remember seeing you around here before.” I closed the case and started walking a little bit, this guy by my side. “I’m new here. Moved from Virginia.” “Virginia? America?” I shook my head and turned down an aisle, this kid still beside me. “Well, welcome! I’m Josh.” He stopped and put his hand out. I smiled and shook it. “Echo.” “Echo?” I shook my head again and turned to walk away. “Isn’t that the girl that was cursed?” I turned back towards him. “You know Greek mythology?” “I love it! Wasn’t she in love with…” “Narcissus.” I finished for him. He smiled sweetly and looked down a little. I twisted the rubber band on my wrist out of sheer awkwardness. “Why were you named that?” Would you believe that no one has ever asked me that?
“Mom. They say I look just like her. But I don’t really know.” We walked slower down the aisle. “Well, why don’t you? Just look at her and see.” He laughed slightly but I didn’t. “I said something… that wasn’t right, right?” I cleared my throat and started pulling at my rubber band faster. I didn’t know if I should answer or not but luckily, the popular girls saved me. “Hey Josh.” One said. She wore a tube top and small skirt with a jean jacket. It was February. In Vancouver. “Hi, Charee.” He started looking at random items on the shelf uncomfortably. “Sucks about you and Amanda. If you want though, you can call me. I know you’ve got my number.” She walked away doing a little more swishing than what was normal. “Do me a favor- don’t hang out with her. I’ll introduce you to a better crowd.” He picked up a pack of straight razors and then looked at me. He put them back and got women’s shaving razors instead. I didn’t ask questions.
He asked to walk to school with me with the excuse of Vancouver being a big city and I might get lost. I let him keep that. We talked about Greek mythology the whole time, him wishing he was Poseidon and me explaining why he was my favorite god. I told him I wanted to be Athena, which started a bit of a debate. “I’m pretty sure you should be Aphrodite…” I stopped and looked at him as he took a swig of his Vitamin Water. “You’re wrong. I’m exactly like Athena. I’m wise and I love owls.” I kept walking and he just laughed. “Oh my gosh. You’re Athena because of owls? Then you should be Poseidon because you take baths. And Zeus because you’ve flown in a plane.” “And Khione because I love snow?” He laughed again. “Okay, okay… You can be Athena, Miss Echo.” I fake curtsied and walked around a corner. He caught up with me. “Why not Zeus?” I asked. “Huh?” “Why don’t you wanna be Zeus? All guys wanna be the head-honcho. Or they wanna be Hades even ‘cause you know, death and crap. But you said Poseidon.” He finished his drink and threw it in one of the garbage cans at the curb of a house.
“Poseidon controls water and everything about water. The pressure, currents, temperature, he controls it all. The life source of people, he controls. But he gets no glory. And doesn’t seem like he wants it either. He’s okay with being in the shadows but he seems to want someone to care about him that isn’t forced to like the others are, ya know? That’s why he made horses, for a companion. But I don’t know… he wasn’t well liked. By anyone, really.” He kept his eyes on the asphalt in front of him so he couldn’t see my reaction. “I get it.” “It’s like… damnit, this is stupid.” He bit his lip. “Is not! It makes perfect sense. You do a lot but it’s not recognized. You’re okay with that but you want to not have to do anything and still be cared for, yeah?” He shook his head and looked up at me. He quit walking and so did I. He looked at my wrist and saw my rubber band. When he reached out to touch it, the school bell rang in the distance. “We better hurry.”
Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to school. I just wanted to go to sleep. But talking to Josh made it a little better. We didn’t have any classes together but he made sure he showed me to my first one. The people, for the most part, seemed nice. In history, we watched a movie on colonizing Vancouver which seemed to put everyone, including the teacher, to sleep. After that, drama. On my way in, Josh walked out, winked at me, and kept walking. I smiled a little. It was nice having someone know my name that wasn’t paid to. I had to introduce myself to the class in charades and the class quickly understood that I was Echo Morietti from America. “America! That’s so cool,” said the blonde next to me in an extremely preppy voice. I smiled at her thinking she was talking to me about my performance. She looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Amanda, your turn to present your homework.” The blonde stood and walked to the front of the room.