Avery Turner, a perfectionist with a double life, and Kyran Drake, a charismatic boy with secrets, find their fates intertwined when their secrets threaten to unravel their dreams-will they overcome their differences to protect their futures, or wil...
I believed strongly in the Boltzmann brain thought experiment; there is more of a chance for a single brain to spontaneously form in the middle of outer space with the memory of a universe existing than for the entire universe to create itself with the perfect conditions.
In essence, our lives are just figments of the imagination, and we're just existing on a whim. It's not hard to believe that when the world is a horrible, painful place. It becomes easier to pretend as if everything were just a piece of our minds, rather than an existence.
Especially not when everything I did meant nothing to anyone. The reality was, everyone in my extended family preferred my sister rather than me. It was the universal truth. Eliza was prettier than me, bubblier, and more cheerful, even if she didn't have the same level of intelligence.
Maybe that's what made them like her so much; it was easier for them to interact with her instead of listening to a yapper who talked about how the Boltzmann Brain Paradox had to be the most real thing in the world.
That's what I was thinking as I watched the house flood in with more and more people—a lot of them that I recognized. Yashna had set up everything quite impeccably, and it was a talent of hers. She was able to concentrate on one thing at a time and get it done quite perfectly. I was here for the past hour, watching them work their way through everything.
It was almost harmonious to just watch.
Until I received the fated call, I felt the ringing of my phone in my pocket, and there was no other person who would call me other than Mother Gothel herself. I made my way to Yashna's room and closed the door behind me to prevent any noise from getting in.
And out.
"Hey Mom," I answered, and I felt a sudden jolt in my stomach. What was she going to say now? It would be quite unlike her to interrupt an educational event, so I was naturally curious.
"You need to come home in the morning," she said without warning. "Take a local bus or something and come back home."
"Mom, but the debate is tomorrow," I tried reasoning. There was something up if she decided to get me to abandon the debating program, and if it was a stupid, petty reason, I'd probably burst into tears right here right now.
"There's absolutely no need for you to go anywhere as of now," my mom snapped, her voice angry and judgmental. "All you need to do now is focus on your studies, so stay there for the night and then come back home."
There were tears forming in my eyes, and I fought to keep my voice steady. "But, Mom, this debate is very important. I've been preparing for it. I can't just leave right now."
