Left to retrieve the clothes off my bedroom floor, I tried to decipher if my t-shirt was clean enough to wear. I smelled the armpits and inspected it for stains. It was good to go, but I realized that I really needed to do the laundry.
“I found them… you’re amazing,” she called out from the bathroom. “And I also need you to get Kylie up and walk her to school.”
“Sure,” I replied in a mumble.
For a sixteen (almost) year old girl, I had more than a few responsibilities.
Help out at my mom’s coffee shop (I do get paid).
Look after my little sister, Kylie (she’s ten).
Do the laundry and cleaning.
Occasional cooking (my skills are not impressive at all).
And then there’s the whole school thing.
“You worethat Care Bears t-shirt like three times this week,” Kylie pointed out. “And just so you know…” she added in her grown-up voice, “my socks don’t match. That’s because I have no more clean socks.”
Hint. Hint.
I just had to smile – even my little sister was bossing me around.
“Have a good day.” I kissed the top of her sweet little head. I handed her over to Laurie, a nice mother who helps out at her school. I like her. She has a nice orange aura, a very warm person. Darkness also hovers around her – she lost her sister a few years ago. I know this because people talk. I also know because… I just know.
“Thank you so much, Laura.” I smiled and waved bye to both of them. “You have a great day.”
When I gotto my locker, Gavin was already there, far in the distance. He was looking at me. Gavin Todd was one of the best looking guys at my old school. He wore plaid shirts and looked like he could use a haircut, but the look worked for him. He was one of those guys who looks like he doesn’t even try but is still crazy hot and cool.
Ordinarily, a guy like that would never have paid attention to someone like me. By ‘someone like me’, I mean the outcast, the loner, the unpopular weirdo, whom most people steer clear of. They didn’t even know I could read minds. I kept that fact well hidden… well, I tried to. Sometimes I slipped. I tried my best but I think they could feel that something wasn’t quite right with me.
I was able to get close enough to Gavin in art class when I helped him with a project, close enough to read him. And I knew he liked me. His heart pumped just a little faster when he saw me, his breathing got a little shallow. He pictured us kissing. Mind reading does have its advantages, but it also has its downsides. For example, I also knew he liked Katie Groves, too.
He dragged a finger lightly along the length of my arm in and attempt to get closer, to flirt with me. He gave me goose bumps. He had no clue how close I could get when he did that. “You wanna hang out after class later?”
I beamed. “Yes, sure…” I said casually, “but don’t you have hockey practice?” I pointed out before I could even think. I could see him being reprimanded by the coach, I could sense his internal struggle, his guilt. He needed to be there. He was thinking of skipping it, but he knew he shouldn’t.
“Uh…” he said, taken aback. “How… how did you know… that I have practice?” he asked in that ‘are you stalking me, girl?’ tone. He pulled from me, backed away just an inch.
Damn, I had done it again. I really needed to stop doing that – there really weren’t that many people I hadn’t freaked out at my school yet. I was running out of people. “Uh… you want a Tic Tac?” I stretched my box of candy to him, attempting to change the subject. And these were my good Tic Tacs. They were special edition Minion Tic Tacs; yellow with little minion faces. I had bought five boxes at Universal Studios when we were there last March, and I just didn’t offer these to just anyone.
“No thanks,” he said. “Uh… I should go. You’re right… I do have practice and I should probably go.” Yep, he couldn’t get away fast enough.
Typical slice in the life of an outcast weirdo.
I slappedon my apron and took over for my mom, who had to pick up my little sister at school.
And there she was.
Calista.
I didn’t even know her name at first. I just knew that she liked lattes, that we looked similar; both short brunettes, only she was much prettier and way classier than me. She always wore pretty blouses, skinny jeans and heels, in contrast to my nerdy t-shirts, torn jeans and Converses. She always carried a notebook she often doodled in, and another thing…
She always seemed so sad and lonely.
I knew I should probably say hi or offer a friendly smile, but I just couldn’t go there. She had been coming in the café for a few weeks now and she intrigued me. Yet, I didn’t want to get involved.
I didn’t take the time to get to know her. I never even properly introduced myself. Beyond the name tag on my shirt, she knew nothing about me. The thing is, I’ve always been anti-social, and have always kept people at arm’s length.
