Linked

Chapter 1

"Casey?  Hello...?"  I saw my best friend waving her hand in front of my face out of the corner of my eye, and hurriedly turned back to face her.

"Wow Casey, you just can't stop looking at him.  You really like him, don't you?"  Ellie smirked and waited for my response with her eyebrows raised, knowingly.

"What?  No I don't!  That's crazy.  What gave you that idea?"  I rambled phrases back at her, and fell into one of her traps yet again.

"Because you keep staring at him, and literally just spouted gibberish back at me to try and make up for it."

Man she's good.  What am I supposed to say to that?  I mean, she already knows the truth, and is practically an expert on reading someone.  I'm just the smart one.  Book smart anyway.

"Well... I was just staring at a random person because I'm tired.  I didn't notice I was staring at him...."  Tired!  Tired?  Wow, nice save.  Good lie.  Even my thoughts knew that was a lame excuse.

"Okay... but I still think you like him,"  She prodded me for answers, smiling that smile when you know something and want the person to admit to it.

"Eh... let's just keep eating..."  I looked back down at my plate and begin shoveling in the cafeteria food.  Alright, Ellie.  I'll admit defeat.

"Okay."  She seemed satisfied with my response, and proud of herself.  Ellie knew that avoiding the topic meant I liked him.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ellie.  I'm just not a very open person with my emotions.  I'm the smart kid, remember?  The one that studies each night instead of going to parties; and fantasizes about hot guys instead of actually dating.

I can't believe people find time to date during high school.  We have tests almost everyday, and I strive for A's on all of them.  Ellie's the one that should be dating.  She's the typical cute, funny, social kind of girl this place accepts.  I don't know how we've stayed friends for this long, but I guess being a little different from each other is a good thing.

That's the upside to being friends with Ellie.  She's always so happy and social; plus she has that gift with knowing what to say to people.  So we help each other out a lot.  I help her understand the school lessons, and she gives me tips with talking to people every now and then.  Of course her skills don't extend too far because neither of us have boyfriends, but I'm not complaining.  I'll get there on my own one day, and I know she'll start dating soon.

I know how she feels about this one guy.  James is his name, and they both like each other in secret.  I can tell by the way they look at each other and how shy they are to one another.  Plus, let's just say I know how they think.

Liam Walker is the name of the guy I like.  He's tall, blond, and muscular.  Whenever I see him during school, there is always a parade of girls close behind him which makes it kinda hard to talk to him.  So I keep things to myself, and stay inside my own head.

Remember how I said I know how James and Ellie think?  Well, that's the thing.  I do.  I actually know their thoughts.

This sounds crazy, but ever since I can remember I've always walked up to people and been able to read their thoughts.  They just came to me when I got close, and I've never questioned it.

Ellie and my parents are the only ones that know.  They're the only ones I've gotten close enough with to tell.

Although other people can't do what I can, they might use it better than me.  Most people, if given my gift, would use it for a witty comeback or to get close to someone.  But I can't connect reading minds and communicating with people because I'm always stuck inside my own head.

I guess you might say I'm not worthy of this gift.  That smarter individuals would use it better.  But maybe being anti-social is how this power works for me:  I'm never going to say something that will give it away because I can't talk to people as it is.

For now, I'll keep to myself as I always have been.  And keep staying inside my own head... With a tiny touch of mind reading for pleasure.