Unknown

5

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME VIEWERS, SO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING, PLEASE DON'T READ. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

*Obscene language *Sexual implications *Adultery

Walking down the sidewalk, in the opposite direction of the school, I keep thinking about how strange this boy is. "Do you do any sports?" He asks casually. "No," I say blankly. "Do you work out?" He asks. "Something like that," I respond, smirking a little. I don't transform my body to have muscles or abs or anything like that. I do work out, but my abilities play a big role in that. I'm not normal.

"Yeah, you're right." He says. I look at him, confused. "What?" I ask. He sighs. "You know, you're not the only one that's 'special'." He says tiredly. I stop in my tracks. "What can you do?" I ask, my heart pounding. Someone like me? I won't be alone anymore. "I can read minds and I can run really fast." He says, smirking. "Don't worry, I can't dig around in your mind. I just know what your current thought is, and I can focus it on one specific person if I want to. I don't use it a lot, but I knew you were interesting. What are your abilities?" He rambles.

"I don't know. You'll have to figure them out along the way." I say, copying his smirk again. I start walking again, matching his pace beside me. Suddenly, his arm is around my shoulders. I flinch. The last time someone did that to me, it was my dad and he shoved me down the stairs. I got a concussion that day, and a broken wrist. 

"Your dad sounds mean." He says, with a fake hint of worry. "Get out of my head, it's not your business what my dad is like. And he's not mean, he's just..." I pause. "Strict." I say. I shove his arm off me. "Is this the only reason you wanted to ditch with me?" I ask, getting annoyed.

"No. I really did mean it when I said I wanted to be your friend. I don't have any." He sighs. I can tell he's faking. "I'm not faking." He whines. "Stay out of my head," I say, anger rising.

"Is it dark in there?" He asks. I have to think about what he needs to know. "No," I say, thinking of nothing but that simple word. I continue walking, eager to get away from these weird questions. He comes up beside me silently.

I forgot I have to pick up some Tylenol. I can just do that now. I take a left to the drug store, Eli close behind me. I pause as I start to open the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my dad's truck. "Crap. Come back here." I say, leading Eli behind the drug store.

I make myself look like an 18-year-old boy with brown hair and green eyes, and no abs. My clothes always remain the same. "Whoa. What else can you do?" Eli asks in awe. "Anything that is or was alive. With the exception of plants." I say, leading him back to the front and through the door. Immediately, I see my dad.

I walk past him and to the back of the store to grab some children's Tylenol. I grab the Tylenol and walk to the register to pay for it. I see my dad in line, laughing with the cashier. As I get behind him, I see what he's purchasing. Condoms.

I resist the urge to gag. I hear what he's talking about with the cashier. "Yeah, she has no idea. I'm getting b*****s ten times as hot as her by the day." He laughs. I knew he was cheating on her. He steps aside as he pays for it. The cashier laughs with him. I put the Tylenol on the counter and he scans it. "What about that boy of yours?" The cashier supposedly named Richard asks. "Eh, he's a piece of crap. I want nothin' to do with him, but I can't do anything yet. He took a fall down the stairs last night." He says proudly. I rub the bump on the side of my head.

"Yeah, I'm hookin' up with this one babe tonight. I can't believe how dumb Erin is. Can you believe someone is as dumb as that?" He laughs. I hand Richard a ten-dollar bill and he starts to give me my change and receipt. He hands me the bag. I turn to my dad. "You shouldn't cheat on your partners. It's wrong." I say emotionlessly. My hatred begins to bubble.

"What do you know? You're just a kid. You didn't grow up like I did." He says rudely. I sigh. "Whatever," I say as I walk past him. I walk out the door with Eli behind me.

I knew he was cheating on her. I knew everything. He's such a coward. "That's rough. That was your dad?" Eli asks. "No. I don't know him." I say, making my body go back to normal. "I know that's a lie." He says, unamused. "So? In my book, he's not my dad." I say as I keep walking. 

"Can I have your number?" He asks suddenly. I turn to him. "What?" I ask. "Your number. I don't mean anything weird by it." He chuckles. "Uh, sure," I say. What have I got to lose? As I recite my number back to him, I feel a deep hatred awaken. Why did I find out like this? I already thought he was, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. How low can you get? Suddenly, I feel something hot run down my face.

"Whoa! Are you crying? I mean- I'm sorry, man." He says. I wipe my face. Why did I do that? "No, my eyes do that a lot. My contact lens is just being dumb." I say, aggravated at my eyes for betraying me. "I know that's a lie." He says. Suddenly, he pulls me into a hug. Confused, I sit there for a second, processing this.

"I know it's hard, but it'll be okay. Man, you really are starved of affection, huh?" He says, chuckling slightly. I don't respond. "It's okay. Friends don't let friends be sad." He says. Maybe he's not so bad. I catch myself. No, I can't let my guard down. What if he's working for him? What if he is him?

I push him back and wipe my face. "I'm sorry, but this is kinda weird," I say awkwardly. "Hey, your face is red again. Or is that because of the tears?" He asks, faking his innocence. I turn around and start walking in the direction of the park. It's only the fourth period. "Wait for me!" He calls and jogs to my side.