The Boy Who Read Minds

by Veronica Soliman

  I watched him carefully, my heart fluttering at his words; I wasn’t sure if it was because I was apprehensive or excited. "What's going on?" I finally asked.

  "Please hear me out first and don't get mad, okay? At least not until I'm done explaining." He held his hands up as though he were surrendering, and I wanted to hug him. I was drawn to him and everything about him at his moment; and I just couldn't understand why.

  "No promises," I smirked as his eyes widened in shock, "but I'll try." He seemed uncomfortable in his seat as he watched me. I wondered if the reason he had told me to wash my hands was so I wouldn't get ice-cream on his face when I slapped him. If I slapped him.

  "I know it was Joseph." He said and I felt my heart sink at the sound of his name. I was hurt and speechless; but in all honesty, I knew he’d eventually figure it out, "I saw it when we were kissing, I felt it; I didn't want to make you feel that way. I just… I didn't know how to deal with seeing it again. I didn't try to dig up that memory, you sort of thought about it while we were kissing, and I got so angry." Aaron said, avoiding my eyes as he stared at my hands instead.

  I didn't know how to respond or what to say, "s… so you knew who—" I stuttered.

  He nodded, "when you asked me where I’d been, I had gone to his apartment to… uh… talk to him." He said. If there was one certain thing that I knew about Aaron, it was that he was a horrible liar. He was always brutally honest, and he had never beat around the bush to spare someone’s feelings.

  "You hit him?" I whispered, reaching for Aaron's hand. I was bursting at the seams with joy that somebody cared like this; but at the same time, I was bothered that he had figured out something so deeply personal to me which I hadn't intentionally shared with anybody.

  Aaron looked at our hands, nodding. He looked up to meet my eyes, "I know this must have violated your trust, but believe me I didn't attempt to or want to Vy, really, I just couldn't handle knowing you felt that way because of some punk who didn't deserve you." He muttered softly; the sun had set behind him as the screams of excited people on rides surrounded us.

  I knew he couldn't prevent himself from hearing something I'd thought of, especially not with my eyes closed. I couldn’t blame him for something he couldn’t control.

  "I'm really sorry, Vy. I was scared to reach out afterwards, I didn’t want you to be angry, but I couldn’t keep this from you anymore." He said as I lifted his chin, our eyes met, and I was enamored by the look he gave me.

  My heart was racing rapidly as I leaned forward and pressed my lips onto his. He was frozen for a few seconds before he returned the kiss and it felt like sparks were flying all around us. The sparks between us felt almost electric.

  "Thank you," I whispered, my eyes softening as he pulled me into another kiss. We sat there for a couple minutes, unable to keep our hands to ourselves until a member of the park walked up to us, clearing her throat.

  "I'm sorry to interrupt; but would you two mind going to a more discrete part of the park? There are children watching and we'd like to keep this place PG. I apologize for the inconvenience." She said, walking away as Aaron glanced at me and smirked. I felt my heart turn into a puddle at his glance. It was so warm, so soft, so kind, the absolute epitome of Aaron.

  Aaron stood up and reached for my hand, helping me up as we walked through the bright trails of the park and waited in line for a roller coaster.

  “We should get going soon,” I said, looking at my phone for the first time since we’d arrived. There were a few missed calls from my mom, and I knew she was probably freaking out right now. As soon as I spoke, my phone began ringing with a name I thought I'd never see pop up on my screen again.

  Stacy.

  Chapter 50:\ A Little Birdie

  Joseph

  A little birdie told me that Violet was going to be at her house tonight— alone. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have a ride, but that hadn't stopped me before. I had my sources, which I’m not obliged to disclose, but just for the sake of argument, let’s just say I somehow found my old phone. I’d also learned, from my new friend Amy Bloom, that Aaron was going to be out of town to visit one of his friends today; thus, giving me the perfect opportunity to pay Violet a friendly little visit.

  I wasn’t sure if I could trust Amy; she had been friends with Aaron for a long time, so she was probably crazy too. And I didn't have the patience to deal with her problems. It had only been a week or so and now the entire town knew that her sister was on trial for murdering Jared's father, Ethan Cowell: the owner of a coffee company that was now up for grabs. I would be sure to try to somehow become friendly with Jared so I could eventually snatch his family café and get out of the poverty I was living in. Since my parents had been mauled by an animal, I had no money.

  Regardless, the hearing in court would happen tomorrow and that was just a whole mess on its own; so, Amy was out of the picture for me because she was too much drama. Nobody believed that Bailey was innocent except for Bailey Bloom herself. Stupid, stupid girl.

  I checked my phone, the location services were still foolishly shared with me and they informed me that Violet was in fact, at home. My face was still covered in scars and bruises from when Aaron had come to my home about a week ago. I knew the way to Violet’s house like it was the back of my hand. I had been there countless times when we were together. I'd spent more time in her room than in my own at some points of our relationship.

  And she loved me. I knew she had loved me. From the day she met me, I could tell she liked me. So, when we started the summer of our sophomore year of high school, I decided to ask her on a date. We went to the movie theater and I kissed her; her first kiss. She and I had spent a lot of time together. We would work on our math homework together and I'd sneak kisses along the way.

  It was the month before our junior year when things got more serious, but we still continued to keep our relationship private and under the radar. Anytime I even brought up anything sexual, she would say something along the lines of, "I can't wait to do that with you… when we're married." It made me frustrated; I didn't have the patience for a girl that wouldn't put out and so I would go to parties, have my fun, and she would never have to know about it. It's not like she found out anyway.

  And when her parents were together, she'd always sneak out in the middle of the night and I would walk with her to the nearby pond where we would make out. It was always fun, but I wanted more, and she wouldn't let me take what I wanted. Thus, one night after basketball practice, she wanted to sneak out the day and I happily obliged since I had just gotten my driver’s license. And so, I happily drove to her house, shut off all the lights of my car and discretely picked her up.

  "Are we sneaking in?" She asked, clearly giddy as she shifted in her seat, her skirt rising as she kept readjusting it. I couldn't help but stare and wonder why she was trying to provoke me tonight. Was she wearing this as a sign to tell me she was ready?

  "Yeah babe," I said, placing my hand on her thigh as I drove us to the school and parked in the back. I saw the lights were on, so I parked in the shadows. We snuck around to the window that I had purposely left unlocked before leaving school earlier.

  "Ooh! I feel like a spy on a secret mission," she giggled as I helped her enter through the window and I shut it. She sat at a desk, I could see her underwear and my mind was jumbled instantly, going to odd places. She grinned cheerfully at me, her eyes full of lust, "so are we going to do some homework?"

  "You know I would rather do someone… my bad, I meant something else." I chuckled as she rolled her eyes. We had had this conversation countless times and I was sick of it. You'd think telling someone what you want enough times would lead them toward doing it. But no, not Violet. She was too stubborn.

  "I didn't really bring homework; I did bring a book though. Pride and prejudice, have you read it?" She smiled excitedly as I glared at her. Sometimes she could be so boring, I tried not to yawn in front of her.

  I walked over to her and shoo
k my head, placing my hand on her shoulder as I scooted the seat beside her and sat. I heard her breath hitch and grinned. Tonight, would be the night, "I'm going to kiss you now." I said as she smiled and leaned forward. One thing led to another.

  She was crying afterwards on the classroom floor and I was confused. I thought that this was what she wanted; she didn't stop me at any time. And then she started crying when she had been the one to signal me tonight. Being the gentleman that I was, I decided to give her space, so I left. And she never contacted me again after that.

  I was certain that pure, innocent Violet Veowsalot wouldn't tell anybody about it. Yet, I was clearly wrong, and she would need to pay for it. I glared at her house, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door.

  Within minutes, she unlocked it and looked me with the darkest look in her eye. "Violet, hello." I said, "can I come in?"

  "No." She said, maintaining eye contact with me. I saw her hands shiver as she reached to shut the door again, but I held it open.

  "I'd like to know why your little friend decided to do this to my face." I pointed at my jaw which had a few cuts and my eyes, which now had a greenish-blue bruise surrounding them.

  "What are you talking about? What friend? And why are you asking me?" She asked, disgust written all over her face as she stared at me. I couldn't contain my anger as I went straight for her throat and pushed her up against a wall.

  "What are you doing!?” She choked, her eyes widening, “let go of me!" She gasped, trying to pry my hands off her throat. I was surprised that her so-called boyfriend wasn't around, all the more power to me.

  "No! Tell me why you would tell that bastard!" I shouted as I saw fear flash in her eyes.

  "I can't breathe," she choked as I released her throat and wrapped my hands around her arms, pinning her to the wall.

  "Now you can, tell me now!" I glared at her, my voice rising as she began to cry. “Stop crying and answer the question!”

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Her face was red as tears streamed down her cheeks, she turned her face away from me as I grabbed her cheeks and made her face me again.

  "Oh really!" I shouted, I should've seen it coming, her fist met my face and her knee to my crotch as I immediately released her. She quickly ran away from me, yet my adrenaline was pumping, and I was beyond angry. How dare she disrespect me and lie to people about what happened between us!?

  "Go away!" She shouted as I followed her up the stairs. She shut her bedroom door and I groaned; I didn’t understand why she was making this conversation more difficult than it needed to be.

  "Don't make this harder than it has to be Violet. Open the door and we can talk like civilized adults." I yelled, kicking her door down just as she had one leg out of her window. "Oh no you don't!" I rushed over to her and pulled her away, throwing her onto her bed.

  "I don't know what you're talking about! Get off of me!" She shouted kicking until I pinned her hips down with mine and her arms behind her head. She was immobilized, trying to bite me and claw at any spot she could reach. “Get off!”

  "So, you'll put out with Aaron but not me?" I spat as she sobbed quietly below me. "I was your boyfriend! You hardly know Aaron!"

  "Please go away, get off of me." She said through a tear-stained face and a large sob escaped the back of her throat.

  "Tell me why you told him of all people. That's my teammate! Do you understand how disrespectful that is to me and the team? I need the spot so I can get into college! If he tells anyone, it ruins my chances! Do you understand? No, of course you don’t. You’re just dumb and now I can't trust him not to tell anyone because you are so stupid!" I muttered, leaning forward as she took sharp breaths.

  "Please don't hurt me." She whimpered as I stretched out above her.

  "How about I leave you with a memory you'll never forget." The idea struck me as I realized the untimely position that we were in. I could feel her heart beating quickly and realized what I wanted. My revenge would be easily had.

  "No! No! Stop please! No!" She said, frozen in her spot as I reached for her zipper. Tears streamed down her face as I watched her. She used her arm to try and hit me, but she couldn’t.

  "Violet?" A voice said as a tall man stood at the door. I quickly stood up as she lay there, frozen and crying. "Excuse me young man, do you mind giving me a moment with my daughter."

  "How did you get in here?" I glared at him; the stupid old man had ruined all the fun before it could even begin.

  "The door was open, and I heard screaming. Excuse me if I’m interrupting, but do you mind giving me a minute with my daughter?" He asked again as I stood up.

  "I don’t want this broken waste of space anyway." I shot her a glare and left.

  Chapter 51:\ Last Chance

  Tyler

  I sat in the courtroom beside Amy. Things weren’t perfect between us anymore, but I needed to support her, especially now. I had to put my jealousy behind me. She had texted me to tell me that her sister was on trial at the Rosemond County courtroom. It was a trial titled Bloom versus the state. We were all on the edge of our seats as we sat in the courtroom. I held Amy’s hand as she watched the lawyers walk in and make their statements. Amy feared that Bailey would be sentenced to death row. She would be convicted of first-degree murder; death row was one of the two options available if she was proven guilty. While her ‘murder’ hadn’t seemed premeditated, her plan to knock Ethan out and eat from him certainly was— and thus, since it led to his death, the court had counted it as first-degree murder.

  I personally believed that this news, which the entire United States knew about now, shouldn’t have made Bailey seem like an enemy of the people. She seemed like she had some serious mental health issues: she used to be huge, but suddenly shrunk to half the size of Amy in a matter of months. Bailey, from what I’d heard of her legacy at Rosemond High, used to be bright and happy— and one day, her entire personality seemed to shift: she became obsessive and she seemed detached from the life she lived. It made me wonder what had happened to make her that way. Personally, I believed she belonged at a mental health institute; although, others might’ve disagreed with me and claim that she was too far gone. She was too emotional and emotionless all at once.

  On the third week of her trial, she'd made Amy upset and in that second, she had admitted to the murder of Ethan Cowell. It wasn’t necessarily a shock to the court— everyone had seemed to already think she was guilty, even in the trial by jury, yet the vote hadn’t been unanimous yet. I thought Bailey was weird, but a little part of me felt sorry for her. Unlike Ted Bundy, who hadn’t felt guilty for manipulating and lying to everyone, Bailey Bloom felt bad after weeks of stressing out her sister.

  Her statement went out to the local news and traveled worldwide. She was given three life-sentences and once she admitted to harming over forty men in the past four years, it was the chair for her.

  "I didn't mean to kill him!" Bailey cried in court; Amy was staring at her with tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, her hand covering her mouth. I had seen it replay on television and read about it in the newspaper; but most importantly, I had lived it beside Amy in that court room. I held her against my chest as she cried. It was a difficult sight to see. She had nobody now, and I hoped that I could be there for her.

  "Your honor. I believe this woman is guilty." The attorney said, stating the obvious. But before the judge could sentence her to anything, she continued speaking through tears in her eyes and her cheeks had turned a bright red, her words were directed toward her sister as she continued crying.

  "I… I usually don't go that far. It's usually just a hamstring or a bicep— and that's it. I even learned how to do the surgical sutures! I could be a doctor! It's addicting!" She said as someone in the jury rushed out quickly, probably to puke. I had a weak stomach as well, but I had to be strong for Amy today. They had seen all the evidence and regardless of who Bailey tried to bounce the blame to, it somehow always ended up going ba
ck to her.

  I was hopeful that spending the remainder of her life in prison might allow her to heal, but they’d quickly changed things up as Bailey kept mentioning all the crimes she’d committed. The only consolation was that it would be a quick death after being in jail for a while; she could live in the torture of her own mind in the meantime. Bailey deserved everything that was coming to her and there was no doubt about it, but I couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

  "Have there been others?" The defense attorney asked as Bailey stared at the woman. It was kind of funny watching a defense attorney turn against her own client.

  "Yes! Yes! There have been others! Okay, is that what you want to hear? Arrest me! I never meant to hurt anybody! I was just hungry!" Bailey stood up and tossed the chair as officers walked over to her and restrained her once again. “I couldn’t control it, I—” She sobbed loudly, knowing she’d already dropped herself into a hole that she had no way of climbing out of. She stood there, defeated as everyone stared at her with disgust and remorse.

  "Do you regret it?" The prosecution asked as they watched her face contort. I realized then that that was the face she made when she saw her next meal. She'd looked at me like that a couple of times when I was at Amy's house.

  I had to look away, shutting my eyes as I furrowed my face into Amy’s neck, I wished I could leave. After a couple of minutes of back-and-forth between the prosecution, the defense, the judge, and Bailey Bloom, it was all decided that she’d be on death row, getting the harshest punishment as the law was enforced. A life for a life— the complete opposite of what I’d expected a progressive system to do.

  It made me angry when men began to come forward and talk about their experiences with her. The majority of them said they didn't remember anything except that, the following day, they'd wake up and their leg would be sore.