"It's time to wake up Beth!" I hear my mom yell from downstairs.

I blink open my eyes and shut them back. It's much too bright in this room. Sometimes I wish I could control the brightness of the sun the way I can control the brightness of my iPhone. Sleep is calling my name and it doesn't take long for me to drift back off.

"Beth?" Mom calls up the stairs once again. I grab my pillow and put it on top of my head in attempt to block out any noises. After a brief moment my mom opens my door and sits down on my bed.

"Honey you need to wake up. You've been sleeping all day. It's already noon" she declares.

What is going on with her lately? Is she depressed? I hear my moms think.

Oh great, now I'm depressed? Why is it moms think like his, their mind automatically assuming the most drastic and worse outcome from every little thing, or is just mine? Where did that even come from?

At that, I sit up. "You're right. I guess I should wake up," I tell her with a smile so she hopefully feels better, and-even better-stops riding me.

Her lips curve into a smile. "Glad to hear it honey. I'll go make you... breakfast," she offers, -hesitating on the word "breakfast"-and kisses me on the forehead. I believe brunch is the word she was looking for. She stands up to leave, but before she's out the door she turns around to look at me and says "I love you, honey."

"I love you too mom."

Oh and in case you thought I had messed up when I said "I heard her think," I guess I should let you know that I've had the ability to read minds since I can remember.

Yeah, that's right. You didn't hear me wrong, you aren't going crazy, and neither am I - I don't think - so don't ask!

At first I thought that it was just something everyone could do, but I soon learned that wasn't true.

Dude, I totally just rhymed without even trying!

Apparently I'm some sort of freak of nature that has supernatural powers. Great, right? Exactly what a teenage girl wants, something she's born with and can't control that makes her a freak. It's just lovely.

Go ahead and get it out of your system right now. Yell, jump up and down, tell me I'm a liar, call me a freak, whatever it is you feel like doing, do it now.

I'm not explaining all of this again so I might as well tell it all, I guess. Like I said, I could read minds ever since I was born. I've never told anybody, ever. Not even my mom or dad-before he died-I'm an only child, so no, I didn't tell my brothers or sisters. Or even my best friend Abigail, although she probably wouldn't forgive me if she found out... As far as I know I'm normal in every other way, I can just... hear what people think. Man that sounds crazy every time I try to admit that.

I know what you're thinking, 'wow! What an incredible gift, you're so lucky!' Well sorry to burst your bubble -And I'm not trying to sound ungrateful when I say this-but reading people's minds sucks. The mind of any individual no matter who it is, is dark, mean, judgemental, incredibly strange, and beyond depressing. It's the cold, hard truth that is never spoken. It's every careless thought that gets caught in a person's mental filter. It's no fun listening to what people truly think about the way that you look, act, smell, talk, and everything else. Every little thing about me is judged by my friends, family, and acquaintances. That stuff can really hurt a girl's ego. It's why I try not to listen in on people's thoughts too much. I'm just glad I finally learned how to control it. Let's just say middle school was a dark, dark time and leave it at that.

I can't send thoughts to people's minds, I can't manipulate people, and I can't move things with my mind. I'm not a mutant, I wasn't a scientific experiment, and I'm not lying so don't go thinking it - and remember, I'll know if you are. Anyway, yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

After brushing my teeth I head downstairs to find mom making eggs and bacon for breakfast, which immediately sends my stomach into a series of grumbles that I am guessing registered on the Richter Scale.

"That smells freaking amazing mom. Thank you." I enthuse, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, before sliding into my seat at the table.

"It's no problem, Honey." She assures me as she puts the eggs and bacon on a plate and hands it to me.

Outside I can hear some guys talking, doors slamming, and a loud beeping sound. "What's with all of the noise?" I ask my mom before stuffing my face with her family famous fluffy eggs.

Mom's face suddenly lights up and she smiles brightly. "Oh yes! Aparently, the house right next to us - where Sandra and John used to live - is getting a new owner. It's a young man I'd say around your age, very cute! All by himself it looks like. After breakfast, you should go over and meet him. Welcome him to the town," she enthuses, obviously trying to do that thing mothers do, where they try to set their daughters up on dates with boys they like. Although how she could possibly already like a guy when she hasn't even met him yet is beyond me.

A young guy that's very cute? And already somewhat has my mom's approval? I mean, I'm not really looking for anyone to date or anything, but meeting my cute new neighbor might not be such a bad idea, eye candy is after all, eye candy. And candy never hurt anyone.

"Yeah. I might just do that."

"Oh good!" Mom exclaims.

Maybe Beth will end up dating him... Ooh that would be great if she did! She's never really dated anyone before, I wonder why. She's very beautiful, sweet, intelligent, and she clearly has her mama's body... boys should be flocking to her.

Oh geez. "It would be nice to have a guy friend," I admit, emphasizing on the word 'friend.'

My moms face falls a little which makes me feel kind of guilty. But I don't want to get her hopes up. Like I said, I'm not looking for a relationship, especially at my age. I've gone on dates before, but I've made sure not to get close to any of the guys. I just want to get through High School, and go to a college away from here, no more strings attached than I already have to this town. Because the way I see it, the whole reason for me to date someone is to find my future husband, and I don't believe in long distance relationships, so there's really no point in me dating until I'm out of high school. Like they say, if you aren't dating for marriage, than you're dating for heartbreak.

"Right. Of course," my mom replies dryly, disappointment clearly evident on her face.

After I'm done eating, I clean my dishes and race up the stairs where I slip on a gray t-shirt that's loosely tucked into a red skirt, some sheer panty hose with big black polka dots, and a pair of black ankle boots. Yes, I know that I dress weirdly, but I really like my style, and I try not to care too much about what other people think. Being unique is something that everyone learns to appreciate, one way or another. After that, I put my hair into a high pony tail and jog down the stairs, ready to greet the supposedly hunky new neighbor.

"See you later mom!" I call through the house, as I make my exit.

I walk towards the gray house where the moving truck is now leaving. As I'm waiting for the truck to drive off I'm starting to wonder if this is such a good idea. What would I say anyways? 'Howdy doody neighbor! I live right next to you, welcome to the neighborhood!' Cheesy. And if he's never seen The Simpsons that would end up very embarrassing. 'Hey! I'm Bethany, Where are you from and what brings you to my neighborhood?' Cheesy and nosey. Shoot ... I needed a plan now, or an exit strategy.

I'm about four feet from the front door. Just as I'm about to turn around and leave, allowing my doubt to bring me home, a guy walks out and immediately turns towards me.

The guy's about 6'2 with shaggy stark, black hair, and bright blue eyes. His eyes are so beautiful and intensely blue they put Micheal Ealy's to shame-and with the sun reflecting off of them, it only intensifies their appeal. I have to admit, he was pretty damn good looking. Suddenly a smug smirk tugs at his perfectly formed lips, as if he could smell or sense my attraction. But almost as soon as it appears, it's gone.

He crosses his arms and looks down at me. "Can I help you?" He asks me, a tone of annoyance ringing in his deep voice.

"Uh, no. My name is Bethany Hibbler, and I live right next door." I say pointing to my house next to his. "I was just, uh, welcoming you to the neighborhood." I greet lamely, and uncertainly.

He steps back a little and looks me up and down very, very slowly. Going from my head, to my feet, then back up to my head again. I squirm a little under the intensity of his stare. Geez could he be anymore obvious with it? I clear my throat and look up at him.

As I look at him I try to read his mind but in a strange way it's like there are no thoughts at all. His head is completely...thoughtless. Empty. It was as if I were reading a dead body's mind - yes I have done that before, don't judge - and then it's almost as if I'm pushed out of his head, just like that. I don't really know how to describe how that feels but I know it happened. I've never been pushed out of anyones mind before. How did he do that? What is going on?

After that he simply turned around and walked off. He just walked off! He didn't say anything at all. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. How rude. Here I was, all dressed up, and then I kindly took the time to walk over here to welcome him to town, and that's all he does? Looks me up and down and then walks away? I'm entirely taken aback. I don't even know how to respond to that. How can he be so incredibly rude and he doesn't even know me?

In a moment of overpowering confidence and anger, I march up the steps to his house and pound on the door as hard as I can. Damn, I was just trying to be dramatic but that actually hurt my hand a lot.

"Excuse me! But that was extremely impolite!" I yell at the door, my hands balled up in anger.

I stand there waiting for him to open the door but he doesn't. "HELLO?!" I scream. I start to wonder if maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of this. If he wants to be an ass, that's on him. I just wish he knew he was missing out on a really dope friend.

Just when I'm about to turn around and stomp my way home like the child I am, the door opens to reveal him standing there in nothing but sweatpants and a towel around his neck. Dear God, do not look down at his abs. I take a peak. Dude must hit the gym everyday with a six pack like that. My eyes linger for a moment longer before I finally snap out of it and glare back up at him.

"I-I-uh..." I stutter, feeling my cheeks flush crimson. I suddenly very much regret my decision. Why was I doing this again? Something about hurting my pride? I cower at his intense stare.

He opens the door wider which sends a whiff of what smells like a combination of orange and peppermint towards my face. I breathe it in because it's a strangely calming smell, a combination I've never smelt before.

"If you don't mind, I'm busy, so I'm sorry if I can't sit around chatting to some bored, annoying little girl. And just so you know, in the future, Pounding on somebodies door when they clearly dismissed you, can lead to a serious harassment charge." he growls angrily, making my lack of welcome very prevalent.

All I can do is stand here, staring up at him with my mouth agape. Dismissed me? He dismissed me?! Who the hell does he think he is? What he said stung. Never have I ever met someone so hateful. Finally I close my mouth and simply walk away without another word.

So much for becoming friends with the neighbor.

As I walk inside, my mom comes up to me with a small smile on her face. "Hey hun, how did it go?" She asks. Poor mom, I think shes hoping for grandkids in the next six years or something.

"Great. It went great mom, thanks so much for telling me to go over there. That neighbor of ours is one fantastic guy!" I snap sarcastically. I make my way up the stairs to my room, my blood boiling inside of me. I kind of feel bad because I know my mom didn't deserve that, she didn't know that guy was going to be a total douchebag, but I was too angry to go back and apologize at the moment.

I pace back and forth in my room. The words that he said to me repeating itself over and over in my head. Anger surging through me. I feel like throwing something. Or hitting something. Better yet, someone. And I had the perfect jerk in mind. What was with him, anyways? Why couldn't I read his mind? There was something off about him, I could just feel it. There had to be a reason I wasn't able to read his mind when I've never had trouble before, plus I got a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach the moment he walked out. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was definitely different about him. Ive got a bad feeling about that dude, and not just cause of the way he acted. So, I pull my phone out of pocket and I call Abigail. I tell her to meet me at the coffee shop down the street called "Java's Hutt". Some Star Wars geek owns the place and thought it would be a sweet name for a coffee shop. He filled the inside with Star Wars decorations, and some life size Clone cut outs. Everyone from school hangs out there.

I run down the stairs and out the door without a word to my mother, and I slip into my black car, which is a 2014 Ford GT.

I know what you're thinking, "well we know she didn't buy that herself" and you'd be right.

The only reason I was able to get such a nice car is because it was handed down to me from my mom who paid it off when she was still in cahoots with her parents who are uber rich. She will never tell me why they are estranged though, oddly enough. Everytime I bring up the subject she gets all weird and tells me she'd rather not talk about it. I tried reading her mind to figure out before too but in her head she wasn't thinking anything about her parents, even when I outright asked her about them! I thought that was super weird but I guess even in her head she refuses to think about it. It must have been something awful that happened I imagine.

Anyways, as I pull into Java's Hutt, I immediately see Abigail by the front door waiting for me. I step out of my car and walk over to her.

"Come on. Let's go get our table," I tell her as we walk inside.

We find our R2D2 table and I immediately launch into my conversation with my new obnoxious neighbor.

When I'm finished the first thing she asks is, "Is he hot?" Cue eye roll.

"What? Were you even listening to my story? His looks shouldn't matter at all after what I just told you" I exclaim. I honestly shouldn't even be the slightest bit surprised.

"Woah woah woah there, looks always matter, boo. We have eyes for a reason. So is he?" She asks with wide, anxious eyes.

I shrug. "I don't know... yeah, I guess he's pretty cute," I answer briefly, struggling to compliment him.

"But on a scale of one to ten, how hot?" She questions with a spark of excitement in her dark brown eyes.

I roll my eyes at her question. "Who even cares" I reply flatly. I'm starting to get really annoyed with her obsession with boys. It seems like every girl my age only has one thing on their minds at all time, boys. An addiction I've never understood.

"Fine. Guess what?" She says, already changing the subject. She gets bored easily and and I swear has the attention span of Dory, from Finding Nemo.

"What?" I sigh, trying to push my annoyance away.

She starts talking about some shopping spree she went on where almost everything she bought was on discount, but I'm not really listening. All I can think about is that stupid guy's face, and maybe body too. But mostly the words I wish he was hot enough for me to forget. And then maybe another thought about those abs of his. Damnit, let me direct my thoughts back to Abigail before I come off as a hypocrite.

Ugh, being a teenager sucks.

Especially when you're a freaky mind reading girl, living next door to a greek god that knows he looks like a Greek god. Sheesh.

This year is going to be interesting, at least, that much I'm sure of.

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