Read His Mind | ✓

Chapter 2

So this all started after I fainted. Something happened and it made me start to hear things, things that other people couldn't hear. What were those "things" exactly? Were they simply made up by my imagination? Or perhaps, was it what I thought it was?

◈ ◈ ◈

All my worries were forgotten when I went into my physics class. There was a tension in the air because there was a test today. Everyone was last minute flipping through their notes as we waited for our teacher to arrive. I quickly went to my seat and did the same.

I only got halfway through my notes when my desk started to shake. It shook for couple seconds and stopped before shaking again. I was going to ignore it but it grew more and more annoying. I turned around and stared at the girl with thick glasses who sat behind me.

"Nellie," I whispered. She did not respond. Her eyes were focused on her phone and she had earphones on. Her eyes never left the screen as her foot continued to tap rhythmically against my desk.

I lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

Nellie pressed something on the screen and looked up at me. The shaking stopped. She took out one of the earbuds out of her ear and smiled. "Oh, Abbie! Hey!" she greeted. "Did you need something?"

"Can you please stop shaking my desk?" I asked nicely.

"Oh yeah, yeah! I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"It's no problem, Nellie," I smiled at her. "Are you ready for the physics test?" 

She looked at me without answering then got a quick glance at whatever was on her screen. I wonder what's going to happen in the next episode. I can't wait for it to come out.. when are they going to arrest Nam Gyu Man? He's the killer, not the dad. She opened her mouth to answer me but I couldn't hold in my excitement. 

"You're watching Remember too??" Oh shoot, what did I just do? What if I was just hearing things? 

"Yeah I am," she said excitedly. "Wait-" Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "H-how did you know?" That was kinda creepy... I never told Abbie about this drama... 

Oh my God. I actually heard it. Well, this takes out the possibility of imagining things, leaving the other option. But first I have to deal with this. "I-I..." I had to think of an excuse fast otherwise Nellie will think I'm some kind of freak. "-I overheard you talking about it with someone else before."

"Ohhh..." She nodded in understanding and the confusion in her eyes disappeared. "Yeah! I am watching Remember! Yoo Seung Ho is so cute!! I totally love his character! Did you watch him in Imaginary Cat? How about...."

We talked about the drama until the teacher came walking in. "Sorry class, there was a car accident a few blocks away from my house and there was traffic you see... well let's get started on your test!" he took out a stack of papers from inside his desk with a grin. "It'll be very simple. Good luck!" Then he began passing it out.

◈ ◈ ◈

40 minutes later...

I walked up to the front of the classroom and turned in my test. Although it was not simple as he said it was, it wasn't too bad. I went back to my seat and started to think about what I had discovered earlier.

So it was really what I thought it was. Somehow, I gained the ability to read people's thoughts. That was what happened with Nellie. I was relieved to know that I wasn't going crazy but this wasn't normal either. Something I've only read about this in books and have only seen in movies was happening to me. Talk about freaky. Who would ever believe me if I told them? 

The bell rang soon after, stopping me from thinking about it anymore. I zipped up my backpack and hurried to my next class.

  ◈ ◈ ◈  

Lunch soon came around the corner. I dropped off some of my textbooks and notebooks in my locker and headed to the cafeteria. I bought lunch and walked over to our lunch table. It was in the center of the cafeteria. Alice, Calvin, and some other friends were already there eating lunch and laughing. I couldn't help but feel left out when I saw them. They were acting as if I wasn't missing at all.

I told myself that it was nothing and forced a smile. I walked over to them and took an empty seat beside them.

"Oh hey Abbie," Alice said. "What took you so long?" It would best if you never showed up. No one would've missed you anyway.

"Uh.." My mind went blank. Was this what Alice really thought? I couldn't help but remember what I heard this morning. 

Alice quickly got tired of waiting for an answer. She shrugged and continued her conversation with the others, breaking into laughter every once in awhile.  

I sat there feeling like a complete outcast and looked at the people sitting around me who were supposed to be my friends. Some of them made eye contact with me and smiled.

When I heard their thoughts, my eyes became moist and I couldn't help but feel self-conscious as I sat there.  

Oh, look at her... wearing those kinds of clothes again..

Did she even comb her hair today?... what a mess...

Does she think she's pretty?... pretty my ass.

Those kinds of thoughts kept coming out of their heads whenever our eyes met. Their smiles never felt so fake and insincere until today. The realization that one's outer expression may not be the same on the inside was frightening. How much more people around me were like this? On the outside, they smiled at me like we were friends but in the inside.. that person had nothing but mean thoughts about me. My appetite completely lost, I stood up, made up an excuse about forgetting something before running out of the cafeteria.

  ◈ ◈ ◈  

For the rest of the school day, I ignored the calls from my "friends" and kept my earphones on. I didn't want to hear any more. I didn't want this curse.

But I did find out something about this ability of mine. I couldn't read their mind unless I was looking straight at them. At first, I thought I would be able to hear their thoughts just by being near them, but it didn't work when I tried it out. It only worked when I was facing them directly.

I went straight home as soon as the bell rang and stayed in my room until my mom called me down for dinner.