AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That makes sense.” He rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “I wanted to ask about your seizures too.”
I angle my body toward him. “What about them?”
“Why haven’t you learned how to block others’ thoughts? There has to be a way, right?”
I shrug. “I haven’t figured out if there is a way to block them.”
“Maybe I can help you figure out something.” He glances over at me for a second. “We could practice.”
“Maybe.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth, wondering if I should tell him the truth.
“What is it?” Parker asks, nudging me with his elbow.
I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything.
“Come on, Henley. We’re friends, right? And friends don’t keep secrets,” he urges.
“It’s just… you already do help me. When you touch me, you silence the noise. All voices cease the moment our skin makes contact.” My cheeks grow warm with my admission.
“It does?” He furrows his brows, looking between the road and me. “What about Will or Blaine? Do they do that for you too?”
I shake my head. “Only you.”
Parker gets quiet after that and I wonder if I said too much.
Eventually, he clears his throat. “We’re friends, right?”
I nod my stomach in knots at his choice of words.
Friends. Like he’s reminding me that we aren’t anything more. Which, of course I know. It just hurts a little to be reminded.
He smiles. “Okay, good.”
I sit up straighter. “Just so you know, when I tell you that you silence the noise, I don’t mean metaphorically. I mean itliterally. When we touch, the voices disappear. I don’t know why.”
He frowns. “Oh.”
Does he look… disappointed?
I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I don’t want you to feel obligated because I told you that. It’s just… you touching me is what stopped my seizure yesterday. I didn’t want to tell you that because it’s a lot of pressure. I don’t expect anything. Even if we stop being friends and you never touch me again, it’s okay. I’ve lived with this my whole life. I’m a survivor. But the silence is nice. Peaceful.”
“Has that ever happened before? Has anybody’s touch ever…” his voice trails off.
I shake my head. “Never.”
He nods, keeping his attention on the road.
I take another drink of my coffee. “Do you think your mom would teach me how to make coffee like this?”
Parker snorts. “My mom would freak out if you wanted to learn. She’s dying for female companionship. Out of the seven of us, Lucy and Gemma are the only girls. And Gemma is pretty much the opposite of a girly girl. And Lucy still plays in the mud with Carson and Dylan. So if you come over to hang out with her, be prepared to be trapped.”
I grin. “It might be fun. I never had a mom and I’ve never even had a girl friend before. Your mom seems really nice.”
His eyes widen. “Right. I forgot. Your dad is single. It must be strange to grow up without a mom.”
I shrug, not knowing what to say. It’s normal to me, just having a dad. I’ve never known anything different.
“Do you ever wonder about your birth parents?” Parker asks as he pulls into the parking lot at school.
