The Boy Made of Static

CH 2: The Boy

"Coffee. Black."

Lyla looked up over the cash register to the boy standing in front of her. Messy dark hair, blue eyes, sucker in his mouth.

Lyla looked down at his leather jacket and band tee, and then back up to the stubble on his chin and the piercing through his lip. As her eyes grazed across his form, Lyla felt a static grow in her ears. What? There was nothing. Nothing for Lyla to hear besides the buzzing static. She quickly realized she couldn't read his thoughts.

It wasn't like other times when someone was next to brainless, no thought for Lyla to even read. No, Lyla thought, this was very different. It was as though the static shielded him from her ability.

"Hello? I said I'll have a black coffee," the boy said.

Lyla shook the surprise from her mind and steeled her nerves. She had almost let her secret slip on more than a few occasions, usually by responding to someone's unspoken thoughts. I can't stand out anymore, Lyla thought. I need to be normal.

"Is that all?" Lyla asked, feigning apathy.

The boy nodded.

"That will be $2.19."

He put the change on the counter. Lyla grabbed the coffee and handed it to him.

He turned and began walking out of Café Lecteur.

Fuck, Lyla thought, what the hell was that? She caught herself drifting when she heard her boss demean, "what do you think you're doing? Get back to work. We have a show tonight and you need to stay late to set up."

A show? Oh right, the concert for one of those local bands. "Which junky band is it tonight," asked Lyla. "Hell if I know," said her boss, "go check the poster."

Lyla walked to the cork board filled with flyers near the front door of the cafe. Lost dog, stats tutoring, table for sale... wading through the mess of advertisements Lyla finally found the poster.

RIOT SHIELD. 8-9 P. CAFÉ LECTEUR. $5 COVER CHARGE.

Lyla looked at the picture on the flyer. Wait. Wait wait wait. No. Is that? Lyla looked closer. SHIT. In the back, on the drums, he was unmistakable. It was the boy made of static.