Sick and tired of everything I stood awake staring at the sky and thinking of Violet Veowsalot. Who thinks of someone this much? Apparently me. The way she looked at the party, the way I felt...

It was as though I could see the future in that instant and I stared at the darkness below my feet. It was plain boring and black. Nothing special about the ground I walked on despite what everyone thinks.

Our first fight. "Don't antagonize me Aaron! We're in this together! That's what a relationship is about!"

"I want so much more from you, and you're giving me raindrops at a time."

"We have a life time."

As soon as the phrases shredded my brain, they disappeared.

Was I developing new... could they even be called powers? Could I see the future? This felt like a strange episode of that's so Raven where I somehow became Raven.

I turned on my side to stare at the digital clock. In green, the time read 12:37 am. I had to sleep eventually... I had a test tomorrow after all. Math that I didn't even study for. I didn't have to. I could just hear others thought processes and figure it out.

My mind was in flames and not planning on ending. I shut my eyes, forcing myself to sleep. The pillow was too hot, I could feel my eyelids, the room was too cold, and Violet was still on my mind. I imagined myself asking her to date me.

No. Too far Aaron.

Stop.

The words fell into an abyss as sleep finally took me.

¤¤¤

A loud ringing woke me up and I groaned at the sound. Seven a.m.

I had exactly one hour to shower and be at school. I stretched for the first time in the six hours I'd slept, a familiar ache in my back rippling throughout my body.

One day. Get through this one day.

I drove to Rosemond on this cold winter morning, letting the breeze fly through my still-wet hair. I didn't have time to do anything with it this morning.

As soon as I parked, my eyes landed on the familiar long black hair of a person who I'd thought of far too much. Her back was to me as she pulled things from her car, her sweater and jeans leaving everything to the imagination.

I watched her for a few more moments until she pulled her backpack over her shoulder and shut her car door. Her eyes landed on mine for an instant as she turned and I just kept staring. I couldn't hear what she was thinking today... maybe she'd figured a way to block me out.

I wanted to talk to her. Ask her if she knew anything about mindreaders... she was so smart, she might know something.

I kept my eyes trained on her as she turned around for the second time to look at me, a blush on her face and a smile at the edge of her eyes showed me she wanted me to talk to her.

So I got out of the car just as her smiling eyes turned to shock and she began speed-walking away. I was confused... what kind of signal is that?

"Violet." I heard myself say as she halted in her tracks. She'd just entered the school and now stood in the hallway entrance of Rosemond High school. Soon we would end up in math class so I can steal her knowledge and get an A.

"Hi Aaron?" She said, sounding more like a question. At a closer glance, I could see the dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days. I wondered what she'd been up to recently but refused to get too personal. Her eyes also showed a hint of white beneath, a puffiness that only shows when you've been crying. It became a struggle to zone in on my own thoughts as the loud clammer of the hallway's students shouted in my ear and for once, it wasn't about me.

Somewhere I'd read that the you that you perceive is different for everyone. I perceive myself differently than some stranger I made eye contact with some random place. Only I exist in my mind which means nobody sees me how I see myself. Which means Violet might just see me as the stud everyone else thinks I am.

"How's it going?" I asked her as she kept her eyes trained on my knees. I was looking directly at her, wanting so badly for her to look right back at me. I wanted to touch her, to feel the surge of power that came with it. I wondered if she'd ever felt it too.

"Good." She muttered as the hoards of students around us had their thoughts scream louder at me. People began to notice us standing at the entrance as the lights splashed into the windows of the student body.

Are they a thing now? I wished I could block them out, but I was stuck in between talking to someone. I really wanted to explore her rather than listening to a bunch of judgmental teenagers worry about my life.

"Would I... can I drive you home after school today."

"No." She simply said. "I'm going to class." She firmly replied and walked away as I stood there with my jaw about to touch the center of the earth. I was speechless at how easily she'd rejected me.

"See you..." I placed my hands in my pockets, slightly embarrassed at the thoughts people were throwing at me. I should have stopped listening or caring about their thoughts by now.

I headed to my first class and second and third... then came time for my math class which I was only looking forward to so I could see Violet. And ace the test of course.

I can't believe he did that to me.... and now my parents too.... I heard these thoughts come from a familiar voice and I was stricken by the sleek black hair. I could hear her only sometimes and never when I was looking into her eyes. I craved it because then I could stop hearing everyone else.

"Good Morning! Who's ready for the math test today?" Our math teacher, Mr. Salé, walked in with a bright smile on his face. A collective groan sprang across the room, I turned to look at Violet who looked scared out of her mind.

I usually did well listening to her on tests, but by the looks of it, she looked shocked that there was a test.

Why is he looking at.... whoever was thinking that was stopped mid sentence and silence filled my mind. Violet's eyes were trained on mine and if I didn't know any better, I could've guessed she was pleading.

And all the noise rushed back in when she turned her attention to the desk. Our teacher passed out the tests as smart minds began to think.

Why do I even go to this school. Someone thought as soon as they saw their test and I laughed. I could zone into each mind to see what they saw and copy how they wrote their answers. I shut my eyes, zoning in on Violets mind.

But math was far from it.

I saw people yelling; it was blurry... she might've been crying. She looked at her phone and the vision disappeared. Focus. She thought as my concern levels rose.

Nothing was coming from her mind and I began to panic, attempting to grab onto anyone else's thoughts, but they'd all moved on to the next problems. I groaned, writing random equations on the paper from what I'd seen the teacher do in class.

Shit! Time was running out. I tried to zone in on someone, anyone, but in a panic, the bell rang and everyone turned in their tests. I hadn't even completed half the problems and most likely got them all wrong.

Whatever- it's just one test right? Wrong. One test could be the difference from getting an A in this damn class and keeping my stance as Valedictorian. As everyone was exiting the classroom and leaving, I rushed over to Violet and snatched her wrist.

"We need to talk." I said, feeling so happy to be looking in her eyes.

"Don't touch me." She said. I quickly let go of her wrist, the feelings all muted.

"Come with me then."

"No."

"Violet..."

"People are looking..." she whispered as we stepped into the hallway, me following her trail like a hawk.

"Let them look, Violet please talk to me."

"Leave me alone Aaron." She rushed through the halls like a car dodging everyone and somehow being three strides ahead of me each time. If I were her, I'd probably avoid me too with the way I've been acting recently.

"Violet wait." I grabbed her wrist again and pulled her toward me, pinning her to the wall beside me.

"What do you want?"

https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Read-Minds-ebook/dp/B08RYV11F2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=veronica+Soliman&qid=1609863783&sr=8-3

(Link will be available in the coming weeks)

(Link will be available in the coming weeks)