"The boy was mauled by a bear." Aaron said, he had a weird sparkle in his eye. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to believe him.
"What? Really?" I hadn't heard news of this, but it must've bypassed the school gossip somehow. I was shocked, especially because there had never been a bear reported in our state.
"No, but I…" Aaron chuckled as I suddenly felt my heart sink; I was genuinely afraid for Joseph; afraid to the point where it felt uncomfortable and I wanted to cry. He’d just joked about someone dying; that's awful.
"Look Aaron, I think you should brush your tongue because your voice is making my ears numb. I don't know what you want from me, but Stacy's here. I've got to go." I quickly excused myself and walked away. I was annoyed by the fact that he was talking to me, and that the attention of the cafeteria had shifted to us. People were so invested in Aaron’s life. If he had some sort of interest in me or liked me in any way, he definitely went about it the wrong way.
"Hey Vy." Stacy said, but her eyes were focused on the table I was just at, Aaron included.
"He's so obnoxious!" I couldn't seem to contain my frustration. He was such a jerk, making jokes about a classmate potentially dying. That was sick.
"Maybe, but I'd like a slice of that cake, if you catch my drift." She had a look of mischief written all over her face, all I could return it with was an eye roll and a laugh. Of course, she'd say that. I could never tell if she was joking or if she was secretly obsessed with him. Perhaps she had a shrine to Aaron at her home, I wouldn't know, I'd never been.
"Take it! Take the whole cake." I muttered, arms flailing in frustration. He had not only annoyed the life out of me, but he had no reason to. I didn't like being on his radar.
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Stacy joked as I put my backpack on the ground beside the lunch table. She didn't get it. All she saw was a handsome guy talking to her friend for unknown reasons with unknown intentions.
"I didn’t though, Stacy!" I complained, but it fell on deaf ears as she crossed her arms and stared at me. Her mind was elsewhere, if the blank expression on her face was any indication.
"Get over yourself Vy. Aaron isn't the kind of guy to go after girls like us and you know that Violet." She turned away from me as the bell rang and headed to her first class of the day.
***
"Pop quiz!" Mr. Smith announced rather loudly as we entered his class. It was only the second day of school— what could he possibly quiz us on?! After the panic spread throughout the classroom, he held his hands against his large stomach and began crouching over in laughter. He was a jolly, older fellow, one who certainly believed tricking us like this was funny.
"Got you all!" He laughed, "you should've seen your faces!” He continued to laugh as I glanced over at the wall, hoping this day would end already. I felt weird today, definitely not in the mood to talk. I felt hostile and ready to attack. I raised my hand, my heart racing as several students turned to look at me. I was struggling to think of what I wanted to say, but I knew I didn’t want to be here.
"Yes?" Mr. Smith asked, attempting to connect his computer to the projector screen. The second bell hadn't even rung yet and I was already tired of being in this class. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt this way.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" My voice cracked.
"Couldn't you have gone before class?"
"Technically sir, class hasn't even started yet…” before I could complete my sentence, he cut me off and waved me away.
Yes! I mentally high-fived myself and walked out. I felt like I was drowning and in desperate need of air, sinking and in need of a breath. I couldn't understand this strange feeling until I was steps away from the bathroom and Aaron spotted me.
Dang it.
"Violet, are you okay?" He asked, "you look kind of…” he paused; it was like he was trying to figure out the right words to say before I nodded at him, “pale."
"I'm fine." I muttered, pushing the bathroom door open as the need to puke overwhelmed me. There was an odd tingle at the top of my nose, the feeling I usually got right before I started crying. I felt like I was drowning as I tied my hair back, keeping it away from my neck and attempting to cool myself down. I didn’t want to be here. Especially not today.
"Are you sure?" He asked, holding the door open and standing in front of the girls’ restroom. I grimaced; I didn’t need to deal with this on top of my already aching chest. I stared at my reflection, dark eyes looking back at me as sweat trickled down the sides of my face. He was right, I definitely looked pale.
"Get out Aaron!” I shrieked as he held his hands up and let the door shut. “Go to class." I muttered, assuming he was still standing outside the restroom out of concern. After a few moments of silence, the urge to puke overtook me. I barfed in the toilet and wiped my face. I looked sickly and I definitely didn't like it. I needed to get out of here.
I stumbled out to an empty hallway, but I couldn't help feeling guilty. I should've been relieved, but now I wanted someone here. I decided I had three options; I could head back to class, go to the nurses office, or I could ditch school today. The hallways were empty as I realized that the bell had rung minutes ago.
Was I really in the mood to sit for an hour while feeling like this? The answer was an absolute no, and I wasn't about to push my limits or embarrass myself. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me today.
I decided to ditch. I stumbled out the front entrance of the school, my vision growing blurry as I headed around the parking lot before realizing that my mom had dropped me off this morning. I wasn’t feeling too good this morning either, so I had no way of getting back home now.
"Violet?" Aaron approached me as I hobbled across the parking lot. My vision grew blurry as I tripped over my own foot. Aaron’s hand was suddenly on my wrist, keeping me from hitting the ground, and the motion sickness had suddenly disappeared. I stood up straight, staring at him with the utmost confusion.
"Why are you here?" I asked, staring at the empty parking lot.
"I have no idea, it felt weird… like I needed to just wait here." He muttered and I couldn't hide my shock either.
"I'd better get back to class, I'm feeling much better now." I said, honestly. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist as he looked at me with his sparkling silver eyes.
"Wait V, come with me." Aaron said.
"It's Violet; and I’m feeling better. So, I'm going back." I forced a laugh, before turning away from his grasp and heading toward the door. The drowsiness was back again; I didn’t understand how it felt like someone had flipped a switch and made me nauseous again. I looked at my feet, unable to steady myself and the urge to barf was back in full blast.
Aaron had said something, but I’d missed it. I wasn’t able to comprehend or process anything that he was saying. I felt uneasy as I searched for the double doors that I’d just walked out of. I couldn’t remember why I was in the parking lot, but I saw a figure standing beside me laughing. He chuckled at something that he’d probably said. I felt queasy as Aaron reached for my wrist, and on instinct I lifted my hand up to slap his face, I didn’t know how slowly I had tried to slap him because he’d caught my hand.
"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry!" I gasped, not knowing what had taken over me. He didn't seem to care too much that I'd almost slapped him, instead he leaned in when we heard the front entrance door shut.
"Did you hear that?" He whispered as I nodded. In that moment I felt something, something strange and unfamiliar as his eyes flickered over to me. We walked toward the doors, when I spotted a pink puffball hiding behind a car. It kind of looked like the design Stacy had worn on her dress this morning, but Stacy was in class.
Surely, my gut feeling was wrong.
Aaron, I noticed, was a very touchy-feely kind of guy, he placed his hands on my shoulders as we reached the car where the puffball hid. He hovered over me, placing his face in the crook of my neck as we both stared at Stacy. I shoved his face a
way from me, lifting my shoulder up so he would move, but he didn’t get the hint.
"Hey Stacy, what're you doing out here?" I asked, moving out of Aaron's grasp. Her shock immediately disappeared as she stood up and fixed her dress.
"I can ask you the same thing." She glared at me, her tone was sharp and full of accusation. "So now what, you're Aaron's new plaything?" I could tell she was mad, but seriously, this wasn't the time or place for this conversation. I didn’t understand why she was so upset, “how dare you do this without telling me?! I thought we were friends…”
Before I could respond, Aaron stepped out from behind me and crossed his arms, observing the situation. I wondered why he looked so deep in thought, but I quickly turned my attention back to the hot glare of Stacy. She glared at me to the point where I felt uncomfortable. If looks could kill, hers would’ve had me dead within seconds.
"Stacy." He said, she stood frozen, in absolute shock that the guy she had built up so much in her head was actually speaking to her. “What’re you doing out here? Did you follow us?" His eyes bored into hers and I was confused by what was happening.
“I, uh…” Stacy’s eyes widened as she stared at Aaron. She stepped past me and approached him. And without another word, she leaned forward and tried to kiss him as he quickly pulled back, bumping into the car behind him. Her cheeks burned a furious red as she turned her focus on me. My eyes widened in shock as I watched her stomp away. I raised an eyebrow; I’d never seen Stacy act like that before— it didn’t make sense. Her actions seemed rushed, I wished I could comprehend what went through her mind when she’d planned to follow Aaron and attempt to kiss him.
"Let's get out of here." Aaron said as I followed behind him this time, I couldn't comprehend what was going on, my headache and nausea had somehow disappeared; there was something pulling me toward him, and I wanted to figure out what it was so I could eliminate it. But it wasn’t about to win this time. It took me a couple seconds to process what happened; I headed back toward the school, hoping the nurse could call my mom and have me sent home.
Chapter 12:\ Tossing and Turning
Ernest
I'd seen the security footage countless times and each time; it was hard to tell what exactly had happened in the parking lot yesterday. The thoughts swiveled in my mind. I had re-watched the video countless times to determine why Stacy, Aaron, and Violet seemed to be in a bit of a struggle. I had nothing better to do, considering it was my job. I wished I could’ve seen another angle, but our northside parking lot security camera was taken down earlier this week for repairs. And by repairs, I mean a bird had built a nest over it and we couldn’t see anything but white poop stains.
Stacy kissing him wasn't even the most disturbing part. It was the fact that there was a struggle between him and Violet beforehand and she just gave in all of the sudden when Stacy left. I was completely confused.
Strange things were happening and with the return of Joseph Cooper, after his parents were killed in a wild animal attack on their camping trip, everything seemed out of order. Entropy had taken its place in the world and had absolutely obstructed the calm of Rosemond High School.
Something was definitely going on and it was up to me to find out.
I stared at the blurry surveillance recording for what was probably hours on end. I was studying their movements, facial expressions, reading their lips, and trying to figure out their words. I was no detective, but I liked pretending to be. I noticed a shadow of someone standing near them, it was a girl, but I didn’t recognize her.
My eyes zoomed in on something I hadn't noticed there before. A small pink light that could've passed as the reflection of the sun from a car radiated off of the areas where Aaron and Violet's skin met. It was strange and I'd never seen anything like it in my thirty years as Rosemond’s head of security.
Chapter 13:\ Liar
Amy
Never argue with a liar. You can't win because they believe their own lies. I glared at my sister as she hugged her boyfriend on our couch. Our parents weren't home and even if they were, they wouldn't have cared.
"Why are you here?" She asked as I stumbled into our home at almost four a.m. after having been kicked out of Tyler’s house. I didn’t blame him; being with someone twenty-four hours a day took a toll when he was just getting to know me. I felt it too, but he was still a jerk about it. He’d kicked me out suddenly and dropped me off at home. I was still dizzy and confused from the experience only to walk in on my sister, Bailey, sitting beside her boyfriend on the couch. It always bothered me why she would never go to her room at night.
"Going to sleep." I muttered as she stood up and pushed her sleepy boyfriend aside. He didn't look familiar. "Who's this?"
"Nobody." She quickly rushed to place the sleeping man onto the couch. Heavy sleeper: he didn’t even stir.
"Okay, cool." I said, heading toward the staircase. I just wanted to sleep; I was exhausted and there was school tomorrow.
"Where's Aaron?" She shouted. The man beside her was somehow still asleep and I wondered if he was even alive.
"Why?" I asked.
"I had to ask him something."
"Like what?"
"I'm asking him. Not you."
"Right…”
"Let me know when he comes around here."
"He's not going to be around anymore, Bailey." I silently said as I yawned. I checked my watch, realizing that it was almost five in the morning and the sun would rise soon. I yawned, holding the blanket tighter around my shoulders as I stared at the soft light that came from the garage and hardly illuminated the living room.
"What? He wasn't a fan of your cookies?" She scoffed mockingly as I glared at her. I knew what she meant, but I had no fight left in me at the moment.
"First of all, leave my cookies out of this and no, we decided it's best if we just be friends."
"Right…" She dragged the word. Bailey had a smug grin on her face as she watched me in the dark room. It smelled kind of strange, but I didn’t care enough to question it. I was too tired to comprehend the reality of the situation, too tired to think about how unfair it was that Tyler kicked me out of his house in the middle of the night, too tired to think at all.
"I'm going to sleep now." I announced and rushed up to my room. I was exhausted.
***
Don't share too much about your life. It'll only make others envy you. It'll make the feeling fester to the point where either they copy everything you do, or they blame you for everything they don't have. The words ran around my brain as soon as I opened my eyes. I couldn't figure out where they had come from, but I didn't necessarily care either. I felt sick and I didn't know what to do. My body felt heavy and I couldn't move. Pain shot everywhere through me and I wondered what I had done to deserve this.
I looked around my dark room. The blinds were closed, and it was obvious that nobody was home. I shut my eyes, contemplating going back to sleep. But I knew that if I slept too much, I’d wake up with a headache.
I had absolutely nothing to do and I had no intention of attending school today. I contemplated calling Tyler, but after the way he had treated me last night, I'd make him beg me for forgiveness. I wasn't about to take the blame for something that I didn't do; especially when he had kicked me out for no reason.
But now I had nobody. Even my sister wasn't in the home that seemed to just stand without a foundation. No foundation of love, family, trust; just four walls of nothingness.
I could call Aaron. He wouldn't mind, would he? I forgot what day it was, but it wasn’t like he would be busy. I reached for my phone and clicked on his contact icon.
"Hey, it's Aaron, leave a message." It said and I groaned as I put my phone away. I stared at my ceiling, deciding I had to get up and do something productive. It was already two in the afternoon and school would be out in an hour, half my Friday had already been wasted.
I pranced around the living room, staring at the blank beige walls that should've been cov
ered in family photos. I entered the kitchen where the only food in the fridge was an uncooked turkey. Maybe I could cook it. Maybe it'd burn down the house.
Regardless of the risk, I took it out and put it in a giant foil casing and placed herbs and other stuff on it like I had seen my mother do when I was younger. I turned on the oven and placed the turkey inside.
Now we wait... I thought to myself.
I hadn't taken a day to myself in the longest time. I reached for the TV remote and turned on a random channel. I snuggled on the couch and felt it's warmth encompassing me. There was a random movie playing and the blinds were semi-closed, giving the room a really cozy atmosphere. I felt safe. I felt warm. I felt content.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the fire alarm in my house going off and a room full of smoke.
The turkey!
I jumped from my seat and ran into the kitchen. I grabbed the fire extinguisher by the fridge and sprayed it all over my over-cooked turkey. I then proceeded to open all the windows to let the smoke out. There was no fire in the house, so this was okay to do. I immediately stepped outside so I wouldn't die from the carbon monoxide in the air. It was freezing out; so very ice cold that I was shivering. It was also dark out now and I had kept that Turkey in the oven for almost six hours; I felt like I’d wasted a day.
I got too cozy, and it almost killed me.
Chapter 14:\ Escapades and Knowledge
Aaron
I stood awake, staring at the sky. The stars were bright, outside my bedroom balcony, and my mind wandered to thoughts of Violet Veowsalot. The moon was bright, the stars were shiny, and the trees in my backyard blended in with the night sky. I stared right into the moon, thinking of how the shiny orb reminded me of Violet’s eyes and the peace I felt when looking at both.
I thought too much about her recently even though I hadn’t spoken to her in almost two weeks. I thought about the way she looked at the party, how lost and confused she had been. I thought about the way I felt when everyone else’s thoughts had disappeared and I was alone in my thoughts, staring into her eyes. It had been almost two weeks since the party, yet I couldn’t get myself to stop thinking about her.
The Boy Who Read Minds Page 6
