The Boy Who Read Minds

by Veronica Soliman

  "Hey mom, what're you doing here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. His gray eyes sparkled as the sun reflected into his eyes. The curtains from his balcony were wide open, allowing the sunlight to envelop the cold room, warming it.

  I liked Aaron's room; it was huge with beige walls covered in posters of famous athletes. His bed had a ladder attached to it that led to a bookshelf and desk above it. His surround sound TV system was placed beside his closet, and his balcony had the most beautiful view. There was no denying that Aaron was really wealthy. His bed was also a thousand times more comfortable than mine.

  "I was talking to Violet about possible boundaries in relationships." His mom responded as I saw Aaron look at me, then back at his mom. He had a sneaky smile on his face as he stuffed his face with cereal.

  "Like what?" He asked, genuinely curious as he leaned forward.

  "Like not being codependent." She responded, looking directly at me as Aaron ate another spoonful of cereal.

  "We're not, mom. We just like to spend time together, don't we, babe." Aaron winked at me as I looked away. I didn’t want to lie to his mother; I had too much respect for Mrs. Paul to lie to her like that.

  "Thank you for the advice Mrs. Paul." I said as she looked at Aaron and frowned.

  "I just love seeing you two together and I don't want what happened to me to happen to you." She said, her eyes growing teary. I felt uncomfortable. I looked directly at Aaron as he nodded.

  "Yeah mom, we won't break up. And if you don't mind, we have a lot of homework to finish before New Year’s." Aaron said, standing up to usher his mother out of the room. As soon as he shut the door, I turned to him with the best poker-face I had ever made.

  "Aaron," I said as he looked at me.

  "Yes, Vy."

  "I think we should break up." I said as we both burst out in laughter.

  Chapter 34:\ Intimate Relations

  Amelia

  Robert Dooley had stopped by today. I had to explain to him that his daughter was in the room with a boy and that he was not allowed to see her. He had shown up unannounced and I wanted him to leave. He’d left us alone for the past three months, so it was odd that he had chosen the first day of the New Year to appear at my doorstep and demand to speak with Violet.

  "I came here for Violet, let me in Amelia." Dr. Dooley said as he stood at the front door of our house.

  "Look Robert. You don't live here anymore. And you need to call in advance before visiting here."

  "Amelia, why? Darling?" He called me darling, like he used to do; the word that used to make my heart flutter only left a bland taste in my mouth now. His blue eyes crinkled at the edges, his handsome face was now shaped with gray and black stubble. His hair had a streak of gray on either side of his fade.

  He was still the Robert I had fallen in love with. I needed to stop thinking like this; I just missed him. That was all. He might look nice, but he was an awful human being.

  "I don't know what to tell you Robert. You've hurt us too much. Please leave."

  "I can't, my daughter called me seeking help. I have to help her." He looked like a lonely man who was desperate. I felt sorry for him, wondering if he was bluffing. He drowned himself in his work and therefore ended up neglecting his family.

  "Dr. Dooley, please just leave. Come back another day." I glared at him, crossing my arms. I hoped he would heed the warning that Ethan was upstairs in the same bed that Robert and I had shared for years. He ignored me, as usual and barged right in. But Violet was asleep on her bed while the boy she was always with, was looking at his laptop screen on her desk. Innocent enough.

  His name was Aaron, as I'd learned, but I didn't care to look further into their sort of relationship. Violet had taken up an oath of celibacy, so I wasn't worried about anything happening between her and Aaron. Besides, he seemed like a respectful, sweet guy and she still always wore the promise ring that I had given her when she was thirteen.

  I stood by the door, watching Robert carefully.

  "Who are you?" Robert asked Aaron, glaring at him. Aaron turned to face Dr. Dooley. A look of recognition flashed across Aaron’s features, then disappeared within seconds.

  "Hi, I'm Aaron. I'm Violet's friend. You must be her father. It's a pleasure to meet you." Aaron politely stood up to shake Robert's hand. I focused on Aaron as he stared at Dooley and backed away, sitting back at Violet’s desk and returning his attention to his screen. I wondered if he was just afraid. I would be too. Robert Dooley was an intimidating man. Violet stirred in her bed, mumbling incoherent words and groaning. I chuckled, typical of Violet to complain if anyone tried to wake her up.

  "Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Robert Dooley." Robert responded, he turned to look at Violet. "Violet, sweetie. Wake up." Violet groaned again, turning on her side and away from Robert. I saw Aaron chuckle in the corner of my eye as he shut his laptop and watched her endearingly. It only made me a little more curious about their relationship.

  "Go away Aaron." She mumbled as she moved closer to the wall and away from Robert.

  "It's not Aaron. Sweetie, it's me." Dr. Dooley said as Violet shot awake. She stared in disbelief at her father as I stood by the door, watching cautiously. If he laid a single hand on her, he would be out of here.

  "D… dad?" She said, her eyes slightly hazy as Aaron crossed his arms. He eyed my ex-husband, I wished I knew what he was thinking because the look that Aaron was giving Dooley was chilling. Aaron turned to face me, before turning back to focus on Violet. He looked concerned, as though he were a guard on high alert.

  "Dad!” Violet announced excitedly as she hopped out of bed and grabbed Aaron's arm. Dr. Dooley eyed the couple suspiciously before putting his suitcase on the ground. Aaron placed his hand over hers and looked down at her. She raised her eyebrows at him before blushing and looking away. So, they were together. I speculated.

  "I'm all ears sweetheart, I got your text message and decided to stop by!" Dooley grinned. I took that as my cue to leave; he certainly wasn’t here without a purpose. It bothered me slightly that he was here; I couldn’t put my finger on why I was stressed over his presence— he’d called Violet sweetheart. That was never a good sign, but I ignored my gut feeling. If Violet wanted to talk to her father, then who was I to stop her? I walked down the hallway, my hands shaking as I wondered what they were talking about.

  Chapter 35:\ Accidents that We Admired

  Violet

  Aaron drove his green Toyota as I sat in the passenger seat, my mind was aimlessly wandering. I didn't really want to go to school today, but it was a Friday and then it would be the weekend where, guess what, I'd spend even more time with Aaron. I still was able to hear everyone’s thoughts and sometimes, I would need to take a break because I felt overwhelmed. Occasionally, I would go to the corner of the soccer field with Aaron so I could be as alone as possible. It made me wonder how Aaron had been able to deal with consistently being bombarded with people’s thoughts during the past four years of his life. I pitied the situation he must’ve been in; feeling crazy all the time and being unable to control the things he heard.

  It irked me how often we were together, we were basically attached at the hip, but I hoped that I’d eventually stop complaining; someday these would be the good old days. We had no choice for now, but I was thankful that it was Aaron and not someone else. He was kind and sweet and understanding.

  He slept on my couch every other night; I slept in his room every other night. Occasionally, I would wake up and find him sleeping beside me; this usually happened if he was really cold. I was usually too tired to tell him to go away— especially when I wanted the warmth as well.

  I leaned back in my seat, making it as comfortable as I could. I had slept two hours last night. Exhausted, I pulled the seat back all the way and shut my eyes. A momentary nap on the way to school would help.

  "You okay?" Aaron asked, I saw him look at the side of my face from the reflection on the window. It was raining this morning: the perfect weath
er for a nap.

  "Eyes on the road, A." I said, leaning further into the seat as I felt the bumps of the road beneath me. Aaron wasn’t a reckless driver; he drove carefully and followed all the rules. I always felt safe around him.

  "Vy, is everything okay?" He asked again, looking at the road this time. I glanced in his direction, looking at his sharp jawline as he spoke. I sighed, watching him hold the steering wheel with one hand.

  "Can't you read minds?" I shot back, confused why I was being so aggressive toward him. I didn’t understand my frustration today; my head hurt, and I blamed it on being tired.

  "Not anymore, it's all you baby." He chuckled softly as the windshield wipers quickly moved back and forth. The sound of thunder filled the air as lightning struck from a distance.

  "Don't call me that." I mumbled. It was bad enough he had the whole school thinking we were together. I didn't want this delusion to get to his head too. The loud pounding of raindrops on the roof calmed me and stressed me out all at once.

  "Come on Vy, what's bothering you?" He turned toward me again as I shook my head. I brought my seat back up, realizing he wouldn't allow me to sleep even if I ignored him. I sighed, wondering why he had kept looking at me. Aaron suddenly reached for my hand.

  "Eyes on the road big guy, and hands on the steering wheel." I removed my hand from his, moving it to the steering wheel. I turned to face the window. The raindrops streaked down rapidly, then they slowed down, and I couldn't help but think of myself being in a sad music video; it was so peaceful.

  "Was it that guy?" Aaron asked. He always did this. I didn't want attention I just wanted to drive to school quietly and if I could do it in another car, I would. The issue would be the terrible headache I'd get if we got too far apart, which could lead to possible accidents.

  "What guy? Aaron can we just drive. Silently?"

  "That guy we bumped into yesterday. You froze when you saw him." I knew who he was talking about.

  "Aaron." I whined, glaring at him now. He grinned, his dimples showing as his bright gray eyes sparkled, he was utterly beautiful. An Adonis, I don’t think I could ever get over it. Yet, I just couldn't picture us having a future together as anything more than friends.

  Yeah right, when this is over, you'll hardly consider him an acquaintance. A voice in my head said, I couldn't help but agree with it. It was odd hearing my own thoughts when I'd gotten so accustomed to hearing everyone else's. I'd learned to drown them out, it just felt strange being able to finally think and that was all thanks to Aaron being around.

  I thought back to last weekend when my dad had stopped by to visit. I’d asked him about his research and asked if he’d ever met someone who could hear people’s thoughts. He’d mentioned that when I was younger; he had created the perfect formula to allow mice to communicate with one another telepathically, but a kid had destroyed it before he could present his work. He explained that he had given me the remainder of the serum to see if it would affect me but said that nothing happened afterwards, and I was okay. He seemed rather interested as we spoke, but he was angry and violent the entire time.

  After about half an hour of inspecting me, he had concluded that I was the crazy one. He told me he believed I was making everything up for attention. He was yelling at me and he almost started a fight with Aaron. Then Ethan, mom's boyfriend, who had heard the commotion, rushed into my room and kicked Dr. Robert Dooley out of the house.

  And that wasn't the end of it either, Dr. Dooley wouldn't leave without throwing a punch at Ethan's face. So, the cops were called, but Dr. Dooley had left before they’d arrived. It was horrendous and mom made me promise not to let him into our home again.

  Aaron had remained oddly silent throughout the conversation and it made me curious. It wasn’t until after Dooley left that Aaron informed me that he had been the kid who pranked him. He mentioned that he was afraid that my dad would recognize him. I was a little shocked, but a couple of things had certainly clicked in my mind at that moment.

  I was lost in thought as Aaron continued to drive. It was hard to see as the rain picked up its pace and started hitting the car harder. It took a couple moments for me to realize what was happening. I turned my head toward Aaron who finally faced the front and put his hand on the steering wheel. I screamed his name as I heard the brakes squeal loudly and my entire body was pushed forward as I felt the impact of the car crash. I knew my neck would be cramping for at least a week.

  I glanced around, looking at the front of the car that had smashed into the pole of a stoplight. I tried to speak, but no words came out. I knew I was completely conscious as I frantically looked around me. Where is Aaron?!

  I freaked out, tears streaming down my cheeks as I checked around me. It was as though he had disappeared. The car had been split in half, separating the driver’s seat from the passenger’s seat and shattering the windshield. It had shattered into dozens of pieces as the cold rain now surrounded me; I felt numb, my head hurt, and I felt nauseous again.

  Everything was moving slower than ever before. It was all too bright as I looked around, trying to wipe the rain away from my face. But— the rain was red. I wondered where the blood had come from. I looked at my arms, glass was sticking out of multiple locations. I reached for my forehead, feeling a warm liquid trail down my cheek as I stared at the pouring sky. I turned my head to look at the spot beside me. The roof had sunk in and I realized that I might die from the wounds.

  “Aaron!” I screamed, crying as I sat in my seat in utter disbelief.

  How did he just disappear?! Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me out of the wet vehicle. Pretty gray eyes looked at me, searching mine. Aaron showed up out of nowhere, instantly at my side, pulling me out of the car.

  "Violet, Violet I'm so sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Can you see me?" He looked so concerned as he hugged me, pulling the shards of glass out of my arm quickly. He waved his hands over my eyes as he sat me down on the wet sidewalk. The rain continued to pour as I reached for my cheek, the blood had mixed with the water and made a floral pink color. Aaron stood above me, still trying to get my attention as I glanced into his eyes. He kept my hand in his and I stared at him, realizing the reality of the situation. His lip was bleeding, I felt my eyes rush to the back of my head. I wanted to help him, but I felt trapped.

  I coughed as the downpour entered my mouth. I was fine, annoyed, but fine. He had crashed his car into a pole, the entire hood of the car was scrunched in. I reached for his other hand when he sat beside me, wrapping his arms around me and apologizing.

  "Aaron! Is it that hard to keep your eyes on the road?" I murmured against his freshly wet sweater.

  “Only when you’re around,” he smirked as I rolled my eyes. Only Aaron would make a joke like this after almost dying. I felt better.

  “I’m fine.” I muttered as he squeezed me tighter, "I'm fine. How are we going to get to school now?" I asked, angry at him and the fact that he had destroyed the car. Something felt different, my mind was less foggy and way quieter now. I looked around as the clouds started to slowly fade and the rain turned into a soft drizzle.

  "Woah." He gasped, tightening his grip on my hands. He stared at me like a child stares at his Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. I felt a strange surge rush through me as I stared at him. It was a familiar feeling that only happened twice before when Aaron was around.

  "Woah." I mimicked, unable to contain my astonishment. It was like we were the only two on Earth. I felt an odd sensation course through my entire body, it was like a cool wind or some ice-cold water had entered my veins and was rushing through my body. He smiled at me and I at him. It was a moment of unexplainable bliss.

  Our moment was cut short by the sounds of people surrounding us, I wondered why there were so many people outside when it had been raining like crazy only seconds ago. Regardless, we had attracted a small crowd. I noticed everyone had their phones out, recording whatever they were looking at. But their camer
as were directed at Aaron and me. I glanced at them, I wondered why they all looked so small. Had Aaron and I somehow grown a couple feet while we stood there? I then noticed we were floating. On nothing.

  It looked like we were possessed just floating in midair besides Aaron's newly crashed car. My feet were not on the ground and I began to panic. I hated being up this high and it seemed like we were only going higher by the second.

  Afraid, I looked back at Aaron who was as speechless as I was. Whatever strange power we shared was only getting stronger. We weren't flying, we were just stuck floating in the sky, about six entire feet off the ground. My heart began racing as my fear of heights kicked in.

  "How do we get down?" I whispered, staring at Aaron, my voice shaking as he shrugged his shoulders. I noticed that we were still holding hands, and as soon as I let go, we fell to the ground at a rapid speed, pain filled my entire body as I landed beside him. I was afraid that I had broken something.

  "Are you okay?" Aaron frantically asked, sitting up and reaching toward me as I saw that his elbow was bleeding. I felt water slide down my forehead. Only, the rain had stopped a while ago and this water was red. The stupid cut on my head was still bleeding.

  "Let's just get to school, okay? Can we call a cab?" I suggested, wiping the blood off my forehead before it could enter my eyes.

  "Yeah," Aaron sat up beside me, reaching for his phone. People were surrounding us and staring. I hoped whatever they had recorded wouldn't be shared, but it was doubtful. There were at least ten people who had seen us, and of them, about five might have recorded. I glanced at every one of them, my heart racing as I realized what may have just happened.

  "Are you okay, Violet? Vy, can you hear me?" Aaron's voice snapped me back to reality. Right, we were sitting on the sidewalk, bruised and bloodied, after a bunch of strangers recorded us floating after he crashed the car.

  "Stop asking me that!" He stared at me silently before cracking a smile. I sat up as Aaron stood, holding his hand out to help me up. I sighed, feeling pain-free for a moment as I took his hand.