E.C.H.O.

Stage 5 "Getting by"

Lucas came out of the bathroom, his mind made up. Let's see what I can pick up from Nathan.

He found Nathan lying on his bed and holding the football as he looked bored.

"How long till dinner?" Lucas asked as he walked over.

"Dinner's at seven. So about two hours."

Lucas nodded. "How about we kick the ball around a bit?"

Nathan's face lit up as he sat up. "Okay." Grabbing a pair of sneakers, he slipped them on and got to his feet. He snatched up the ball and placed it under one arm.

Lucas eyed his uniform, yet, other than throwing his tie on his bed, Nathan seemed to have no interest in changing out of it.

"We're headed out," Nathan told Brian as he walked towards the door.

Brian simply lifted a hand to show he had heard, however, he never once moved his eyes from his school books. Lucas followed Nathan, casting one last look at his other, more silent, roommate.

He turned and followed Nathan from the room. They walked back through the chaotic hallway.

"Heads up!" someone yelled. A bang followed.

"Epic!" some exclaimed. Laughter followed.

Nathan seemed completely unaffected. He high fived a guy on the way and said hi to another before they were out of the dorm.

"So," Nathan fell into step beside Lucas. "I heard some rumors about why you came late..."

Lucas wasn't surprised that the topic had come up.

"I heard there was an accident," Nathan continued. "What happened?"

"It was a car accident. We were going on a family vacation when we crashed. I was the only one to survive," Lucas said it in a bored tone. Realizing it, he shot a glance over at Nathan. The other boy didn't seem to have noticed. Instead, he looked embarrassed at having asked.

"Jeeze...I'm sorry," he said.

Lucas simply nodded. He felt like kicking himself though. When the topic of the accident comes up either avoid it like any teenager would or act devastated. It killed your entire family after all, Conner's instructions echoed in Lucas' mind. He felt a tug. When was the last time I actually felt such an emotion? Memories threatened to surface but Lucas squashed them. You're working a job, he reminded himself.

"You thinking of playing football after high school?" Nathan changed the topic.

"No," Lucas answered.

"Really?" Nathan shot him a look. "I hear you're pretty good."

"Will you continue?" Lucas asked to take the discussion off himself.

They walked towards the sports fields.

"Yeah." Nathan nodded. "I'm hoping to get scouted for university." He tossed the ball up and caught it again. "Truth be told, my parents could pay, but there's no way they'll support a career in football. My father's more interested with me taking over the family business, you know?"

Lucas didn't, but he said nothing.

They reached the field to find it was abandoned.

"Ha, looks like no one's out to practice on their own," Nathan commented. He put the football down and placed a foot on top of it before pulling out a cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked.

"Texting some of the others. It'll be more fun if there are more of us." Nathan looked up. "Besides, this way you'll get to meet some of our teammates before tomorrow."