The Perks of Being a Freak (Editing)

34. Eyes In The Night

The next day passed by as any summer day would- endlessly. By the time that night rolled around, I was a spring wound up tightly. I was so, so, so close to snapping, and it seemed that my family sensed that, and treaded carefully around me.

I never really decided to fly to Emily’s house, it just happened. One moment I was on the roof, swinging my legs over the edge and thinking about how easily I could just drop off of it, and the next I was outside her window, tossing small pebbles at the screen.

After a minute, Emily’s face appeared and squinted into the darkness. When she caught sight of me, a wide grin split her lips. A minute later, and she was running out the front door to meet me, still in her pajamas.

Aimlessly, we walked. For a long, long time we were silent, save for the sound of our sneakers against the ground and the air pumping in and out of our lungs. I couldn’t help but think of the dream, of seeing the girl I adored and the boy who hated me holding hands.

“You’re… tense.” Emily finally spoke, shattering my reverie and startling me.

“Huh?” I asked, turning to face her. Her wide, heavy-lidded eyes glared up at me lazily, a small smile making it much less intimidating. Even though Emily was smaller than me, she had a glare that could make a grown man wet his pants. “Oh.. um… yeah.” Eloquent, I know.

“Why?” She asked, swinging her arms by her side like a child would.

“I… had a dream,” I looked up at the stars. They were the same stars I had ducked around in my dream. They were the same stars I flew through every night. They were my stars. “I was in a tree at the park, and you and Tony walked beneath me, holding hands. Then you kissed him.”

Emily was silent, and when I looked at her, she was looking down. I squinted in the darkness. Her tanned cheeks were several shades darker than the rest of her face.

She was blushing.

“Holy shit,” I said, jaw dropping. “Holy fucking shit, Em. Tony? Really?”

“I like him,” she whispered, twisting a lock of dark hair around her finger. “And he likes me.”

“Last I checked, he hated me the most, but you were a close second,” I shook my head, braid whipping me in the back. I couldn’t believe it. Tony was dating the “crazy girl.” 

“There’s a fine line between hate and love, Lia,” Emily turned blank eyes towards me, and my stomach dropped. It seemed like her period of lucidity was coming to an end. “You will know that better than any of us.”

“Don’t go crazy on me, Em,” I scolded, leading her across the street and deeper into downtown. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to wander at night, but we had powers. I could fly, she could control metal. We probably weren’t in danger. 

“Love and hate are just forms of passion,” she whispered, unsteady.

“Yo, blondie!” A male voice split the night. I turned to see three tall guys. The middle one had dark skin, and it looked like he had been the one who spoke. “Your girl alright?”

“She should be, yeah,” I called back, supporting Emily. “She gets dizzy sometimes. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“A’ight,” the leader replied. “Have a good night.”

“You too,” I replied, half carrying Emily away.

The gangs in our town were so polite.

Emily started giggling hysterically, muttering under her breath about love and hate and then laughing some more. It was enough to give me a headache, especially since she was moving and thrashing.

And then she bolted.

Emily was not a fast runner, at least not normally. But now it was like she was possessed. She dashed down the street, crossed diagonally, and was at the corner almost before I could blink. I didn’t think about the fact that I could fly, or that she was running way too fast for me to be able to catch her on foot. I simply bolted after her.

I caught sight of Emily at the park. She was sitting cross-legged in the grass, pulling at it and laughing. Panting slightly, I skidded to a stop beside her and dropped onto my back.

“Since when are you so fast?” I demanded. Emily only grinned in reply, and I flipped onto my stomach to pluck at the grass as well.

Slowly, I became more and more aware of my surroundings, and of the prickling feeling across my neck that could only mean one thing.

We were being watched.