He raised his eyebrow at me and then winked at Amy, then he turned away from us and into my kitchen. I heard the fridge open and he appeared seconds later and sat on my couch. He held a bag of popcorn in his hands.
"Why is he at your house?" Amy whispered as we both stood by the door watching the weird invasive creature eat my food.
"Didn't you know, Amy? Tyler and I go way back. To elementary school even.” Aaron lied smoothly as I glared in his direction. I raised my hand as a sign of surrender. I didn’t even want to acknowledge him anymore. I had barely acknowledged him when we used to play on the basketball team together anyway.
"He's lying." But Amy's face contorted into the saddest expression I had ever seen. She looked like a lost puppy that was about to cry.
"Is this a joke to the two of you?! Are you both just taking turns messing with me and then breaking my heart!" Her voice was shaky as she wiped her eyes.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, Amy! I swear I don't know how this cretin showed up at my house. He knocked in the middle of the night then fell asleep. I don’t know how he even got here, but he didn’t have a ride. I was just being a good Samaritan." I held my hands up defensively as Aaron turned on the TV. He ate another handful of popcorn as he continued changing the channel. I regretted not looking through the peephole before opening the door last night.
"Can you quiet down! My head hurts!" He yelled, turning to glare at us as if he owned the place. He had settled on a random news channel.
Maybe that’s why your head is hurting.
"Get out of my house man!" I walked over to him and grabbed his arm, dragging him toward the door. He had a goofy smile on his face as he stood beside Amy and me, popcorn in his other hand. He acted like a child.
"Amy, I know this is the last thing you would ever want to do, and I hope you still want to be my girlfriend, or at least go on a date, but do you mind driving this deranged lunatic home? I don't have my car— and I don't know where he lives."
"Who are you calling deranged Tyler, you are de-arranged, your nose is too pointy." I glared at him as he laughed. I was annoyed and hoping that he’d leave soon.
"That's not what that word means, but okay, you need to leave." How he was valedictorian was beyond me. I stared with my mouth hanging open.
He laughed. "Come on Amy, you can have sexy time with Tyler later." He slung his arm around her shoulder, "if you can get me some Tylenol, that'd be great." He said as I watched them head to her car and shut the door.
Chapter 9:\ Camping
Joseph
When my family decided they wanted to have an electronic free weekend, my first thoughts went along the lines of oh crap. It didn't seem like I had a say in the matter, so we packed our bags and were immediately in the car and on the highway to hell; more like the bumpy, moss-covered, worm-infested road. Being an only child did have its perks sometimes, but it also meant that I was the only one that my parents could do things with, hence, they wanted to re-live their childhood through me. And to them, that meant camping.
"Hey Joe, can you hand me the mosquito spray?" Mom asked me as she murderously scratched at her arm. I reached into our emergency bag, the one containing our cell phones, band aids, and other things that I wouldn’t be allowed to use and pulled out a small bottle of suntan lotion. I stared at the bottle, confused why they had decided to bring it on this mosquito-infested place.
I put my hand back into the bag and pulled out a larger bottle of insect repellent, tossing it over to the gray-haired lady sitting in front of me just as the car came to a halt.
"Joseph, set up the tents, your mother and I will go get some wood." Dad commanded and all I could do was glare in response. The whole area was surrounded by trees, and trees obviously meant wood. Unless there was another reason he wanted to go with just mom.
I shuddered, tossed away any unnecessary thoughts, and pitched the tents. I climbed up to the top of the tree where I slapped angrily at the aggressive mosquitos. I groaned as I climbed back down and missed a branch, landing on top of the tent that I had just pitched. It flattened below me as I groaned, knowing I’d have to reinstall it, or I’d be in trouble.
I hated camping.
It was a while before my parents came back and they’d brought back close to nothing.
"Joe, get some more wood, the fire is dying out." Dad commanded, he no longer asked me to do anything. He scared the life out of me so there really was no purpose in arguing back. I quietly rolled my eyes, clenching my fists in annoyance as I stomped away from the tent that took me three tries to keep up.
"Go do that Joe. And get us wood Joe. Joe leaves so we can canoodle. Disgusting, you people should be ashamed of yourselves." I mimicked them, talking to myself as I waved my arms around in the empty woodlands and continued to swat at the inch-long mosquitos.
I didn't necessarily know where the wood was supposed to be. Do I cut down a tree somehow and give them a log or do I collect a bunch of twigs? It was getting extremely dark as I continued my voyage through the valley of death, slightly less terrified of mosquito bites because I had finished all the insect repellent cans on myself.
Ha! That's what you all get for forcing me to come here!
As soon as these thoughts passed through my mind, I was immediately tripped by none other than a random metal box. I glared at the box that had made me scrape my knee and probably will make me end up dying of an infection. Who leaves stuff like this in the middle of nowhere anyway?! I grabbed the box and threw it down, attempting to break it; I was angry.
Whoever the jerk was that left a box in the middle of some soggy woods is never going to see their ugly box again.
I kept kicking the thing until I noticed the blotches of blood staining my sweatpants. Fun.
I groaned as I continued my search for wood. Cleverly, I grabbed the box and continued back to the campsite. Maybe my parents would let me burn it. Burning metal usually lasted longer than wood, that is to say that the temperature could rise high enough to burn the metal in the first place; and maybe I’d have to figure out a way to keep it burning.
The mosquitoes had attached themselves to the bleeding knee of mine and were happily eating away. I wondered if I could get malaria from this and die. I walked back to the camp with my box to see none other than my parents arguing.
“You're the reason that mosquito bit me!” My dad shouted as mom stood silently in front of him. She remained silent throughout his entire loud argumentative speech on why she was the reason that everything bad in his life happened. “You’re trying to kill me!”
Yeah, because my mom was definitely the reason, he couldn’t maintain a job or that she is the reason his dad died of a heart attack. Yeah, she's definitely the reason why it rains and why it gets cold because she is just such an awful person. My dad could be such an ignoramus sometimes. I rolled my eyes, making eye contact with my mom as she gave me a look that said to stay silent.
She’d been through this countless times with him, he was an emotionally abusive man who believed the world revolved around him and that his whole family was there to serve him. She deserved better, but she didn’t want a divorce because it was “wrong in God's eyes.” She needed to understand that people like my father deserved to be alone.
Mom still stood there silently, looking at him as he continued to throw insults her way. Be strong mom, be strong. I felt bad, very guilty and grumpy.
"Stop!" I commanded loudly as the devil turned his attention to me. I gulped audibly as the sides of his mouth curved up into a horrid smile. If I didn't know any better, I would’ve said his face was turning purple. I saw the horror flash in my mother’s eyes as she fearfully turned her attention to me.
"What do you want?" He shouted, "It's your fault too you know, if you hadn't finished all the bug spray, then we wouldn't be in this mess." He began to shout at me, his anger in full swing as he continued to approach me, probably to slap me. Then, his eyes landed on the shiny metal box in my hands and he swiftly grabbed it
from me.
"I tell you to go get wood and this is what you bring? You’re good for nothing! Worthless!" He roared and slapped a mosquito dead as it sagged down onto his neck. I took slow steps toward mom as she hugged me. I felt like Tarzan and my father was Clayton.
"What do we have here. . ." He continued as he grabbed the box and attempted to open it. His arms strained as he pulled the box apart and it went flying out of his hands, hitting my cheek as I felt the hot blood on my face and the mosquitos surrounding me.
"Stupid boy! Don't you know how to catch?" He yelled as his hand met my face. I was sure it was red by now. Most definitely red and blotchy by tomorrow.
"Gary!" Mom finally spoke up but shriveled quickly as he gave her a menacing scowl. I didn't want to say anything, didn't want to ruin the things we already had. The silence filled the air as my parents turned on their heels and walked the other way.
I was left with a fallen tent and the box that my father had thrown at me and, of course, no wood. I walked toward the box, picked it up out of anger and threw it as hard as I could at the tree. I stomped forward to grab it again but tripped over the wood that I was attempting to pick up. I groaned now in anger as it began to rain. I picked myself off the ground and angrily tripped again over twigs. I was wet with blood seeping from my knees and face, I was a feast for these mosquitos.
I became frustrated, searching for the box that I’d found. It sat beside a giant oak tree. Adrenaline fueled my anger as my fists clenched and a scream erupted from my soul. Angrily, I ran up to kick the stupid box. I wanted to tear down the entire forest. Without thinking, I grabbed the box and ran after my parents, throwing the box with full force at my father's head. I watched it fly quickly and the giant man slammed into a tree with the force of the box; he fell with blood leaking from his skull. My heart raced as I glanced at mom. I stood there in disbelief, staring at her.
"Joseph!" I heard mom's cry for help, her worn face appearing through the sudden whiteness of the woods, and then she was gone.
Chapter 10:\ Jealousy
Stacy
Violet had always been a pathetic person. A pathetic little leach who was not smart enough to realize that I didn't want to be her friend, especially not her best friend as she’s called me multiple times. I'd tried making it obvious, but it appeared that I needed to consider new tactics. Even when I was straightforward with how much I despised her friendship, she still hung around.
I walked into the cafeteria and my supposed "best friend" was out flirting with my crush. I mean, she had to know that I had feelings for Aaron; I’d made it pretty damn obvious.
But here she was, I saw the way she looked at Aaron and grew disgusted. I couldn't give it much thought. She turned her head and caught my eye. I groaned, pretending to wave and smile at her. She stood up and traced her hand on Aaron's shoulder, it could've passed as an accident, but I saw it, nonetheless.
Violet walked over to me with the most annoyed look on her face, but I glanced away, staring at the ever so gorgeous Aaron Paul. He was absolutely stunning, with everything about him glimmering under the cafeteria lighting. I couldn't understand why he was still looking at her as she approached me, but I took the opportunity to stare at his handsome face.
"Hey Vy." I muttered, unbothered by her existence. My gaze remained locked on Aaron as he looked away from Violet and turned his attention to his friends.
"He's so obnoxious!" She declared, noticing my line of sight. She flailed her arms like a drama queen and attempted to block my view. I took a deep breath, the only way to deal with annoying people like Violet was to be calm and ignore them. I abstained from rolling my eyes as I continued to watch Aaron.
"Maybe, but I'd like a slice of that cake, if you catch my drift." I smirked, turning to glance at Violet, before my eyes scanned Aaron's body. If I wasn't more composed, I'd definitely feel the drool coming on. He was an Adonis in the flesh: handsome, tall, muscular, and very popular; he checked everything off on my list.
"Take it!" She muttered, arms still flailing in frustration. “Take the whole cake.”
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I joked, but that only seemed to further anger the beast that called itself Violet. I turned to look at her, her looks were insignificant— so it didn’t make sense why Aaron would waste a breath on her. She wasn't even that pretty in all honesty. All she had going for her were the curves and if she gained another ten pounds, she'd be considered fat. Her hair was too thick and frizzy, and she didn't know how to dress. Maybe that was why she needed me around, someone to show her how to dress. Perhaps I could work on her personality while I was at it.
"I didn’t though, Stacy!" She complained, but it fell on deaf ears as she crossed her arms and stared at me. I grew impatient as I watched Aaron get up and begin walking toward his teammates' table. I'd easily missed my window of opportunity to talk to him. All because of this ‘friend’ that was standing in front of me and thinking that I actually cared about her problems. She’d continued to talk, but her conversation fell on deaf ears. I simply did not care.
"Get over yourself Vy. Aaron isn't the kind of guy to go after girls like us and you know that." I rolled my eyes, turning away from her as the bell rang. A perfect way to escape the grasp of my so-called “best friend.”
Bah-humbug to friends, I only had acquaintances and I preferred it that way. I quickly rushed to my English class before realizing I was in the wrong room. My eyes quickly scanned the room, making sure nobody that I knew was in this class. All freshmen, good.
I confidently strode out of the room as the tardy bell rang. Maybe I should ditch. As soon as the thought formed, I saw Aaron in the corner of my eye. He was holding onto Violet's hand as he dragged her to his car. And she looked suspiciously happy to follow him, so clearly, I had to investigate.
I narrowed my eyes. Obviously, something had happened between them— something she wasn't telling me. I was intrigued, I must admit. My eyes scanned their forms as Violet threw her hand up to slap his face, but he caught her hand midair. The adrenaline rushed through my veins. I wanted to slap her in return; how dare she try to harm the most handsome angel alive.
I heard footsteps heading down the hallway. Panicking, that it could be Ernest, the school security guard, I quickly shut the door to the school behind me as I found myself mere feet away from Violet and Aaron. I wondered what they were doing, what the security cameras were recording, and more importantly, how I would get back into the school unseen.
I slithered toward them, curious and admittedly nosey. I had to know why they were together. My heart was racing as the fear of getting caught actually occurred to me. I felt my heart sink when I heard Aaron's next words.
How! When? Where!? Why?! I grew angrier by the minute as confusion replaced my anger. How did my so-called ‘best friend’ even become friends with Aaron Paul?! That's impossible. I wondered why she hadn’t told me about their friendship- I thought she trusted me. And instead, she kept it a secret from me?!
"Did you hear that?" I heard his silky voice say as footsteps approached my clumsy panicking self. I was afraid and in shock as my eyes met Aaron's and he nodded in recognition. It was as though he'd known I was there all along. He towered over me as I instantly felt my heart accelerate. Violet was standing beside him as they both stood looking down at me. I’m not a peasant.
"Hey Stacy, what're you doing out here?" Violet's brown eyes bored into mine as I felt fury take over. I couldn't control or understand my emotions. Was it jealousy? Was it anger that she didn't tell me about her new friendship with my future boyfriend?
At that moment, I couldn’t even remember what I did or said. All I remembered was walking over to Aaron and attempting to kiss him, but he’d backed away instantly and I felt embarrassed as Violet watched us. I looked around, hoping there weren’t any cameras nearby. I knew Ernest, the schools well-known security, would get me in trouble if he saw us outside of class; I knew he always watched the footage; he was
such a nosey old man with nothing better to do than involve himself in the teenage drama at Rosemond. I immediately turned away and rushed back into the school.
How dare she let me be embarrassed. What kind of friend is she to lie to me and keep something as important as this away from me?! I knew my cheeks were bright red when I looked at the empty hallway, I looked around for cameras, hopeful that nobody else had seen me make a fool of myself.
Chapter 11:\ Insightful
Violet
As soon as I set foot in the cafeteria, I was approached by an insightful Jared who wanted to speak to me about his basketball skills. I told him I knew nothing about basketball. So instead, he decided to invite me to his family’s cookout this weekend since my mom would be going anyway. I politely declined and after a few moments of speaking with Jared, Aaron took a seat beside me. A few other people joined the table, speaking to Jared.
"Hey." He said, "you know that place you dropped me off at last night… "
"No, I don't recall." I answered, unbothered and ready to get up and leave the table that I thought I’d claimed. I didn't want people glancing our way, I didn’t like the attention; it made me anxious. But there was no way to force people to turn away. I couldn't understand why all of the sudden, Aaron had decided to target me.
Why was I suddenly bombarded by this annoying boy? Was it because Amy was gone? I glared at him as his eyes instantly softened. His knee casually bumped mine under the table and I pretended not to notice as a playful look filled his features, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Well, did you hear about what happened to Joseph this summer?" He asked in an attempt to continue the conversation. My eyes fluttered up at him, slightly shocked at the random topic of conversation.
"N…no." I stuttered, my heart racing as I kept trying to keep my mind focused on our conversation. "I hardly know him anyway."
The Boy Who Read Minds Page 5
