I stared at myself in the mirror, my muddied brown hair had grown long enough to need a trim. And of course, if I wanted to cut my hair, Violet needed to be there.

The issue was that we couldn't go out in public. At least not for the next week especially with our video circling around the globe. The world couldn't figure out how we ended up off the ground without a CGI animation or wires attached to us. We had become a subject of interest of researchers all around the globe.

I was receiving emails every minute about it and I'm sure Violet was too. I never responded, I don't even understand what happened much less be able to explain it to a researcher. All I knew was that things had returned to how they were before I met Violet, only upgraded because I knew her now. I could read minds, she couldn't and that's how I liked it.

I turned away from my mirror. Sure I loved how I looked, but I loved more who Violet was. Spending that much time together was probably a cause for my delusion, but I think I was starting to fall in love. I'd never been in love before so maybe I just deeply lusted for her.

It was a Thursday afternoon. We had just gotten home from school and she had decided to rush over to her new garden on the porch and check on her tomato plant while I made a stupid joke about telekinesis. I wondered if the limitations of whatever superpower I had ended at hearing thoughts of everyone, but Violet unless she let me.

Her distance headaches had faded after the crash, she hadn't been having them anymore when we were far apart. I knew this because I had left her in my house and drove four blocks away and when I got back, she was perfectly fine and completely unaware that I had even left.

I didn't want to tell her. It seemed like things were back to normal. I couldn't tell her. I wanted to spend time with her: it had become so normal. I watched her as she walked back inside, holding a small tomato in her hand.

"Look Aaron! My tomatoes are growing!" She cheered, looking like a kid on Christmas. I couldn't look away.

I walked over to her and reached for the tomato, "looks just like you." I said as she scoffed and snatched the tomato back from me.

"Looks just like you," she mimicked in a childish voice as I laughed. She walked to the kitchen, opening and closing all the cabinets in her kitchen as a voice rang in my ears.

Ethan's dead! He's dead and nobody told me!? I need to go find out what happened. Shit, is Violet here already? What time is it... Mrs. Veowsalot's words sang in my ears. I wondered why Violet hadn't told her yet.

"Mom! I'm home," Violet called.

Why is she banging all the cabinets? Can she shut up a minute I'm trying to think. I need to go to the precinct. I have to find out.

Violet began talking and my mind was distracted, it's sole focus on the raven-haired girl in front of me. The next thing I knew, I had her pinned to the fridge kissing her.

Can't these kids get a room!? A voice said and instantly disappeared as another odd occurrence happened and I immediately pulled back from Violet.

Her memories flooded me as I kissed her. The most prominent one was at our high-school. I couldn't recall it happened to me because I never snuck in after school, and especially not with a boy.

She was with a boy, she was happy.

They'd snuck in.

His face was that of Joseph, the boy who had some odd things happen to him in the woods, my teammate and friend.

I thought she said the boy didn't go to her school.

It was definitely him.

Flashes arrived, they were in a classroom, I couldn't push the memory out. I felt her fear.

The memory flashed as quickly as a lighting strike. It was Joseph. Her ex-boyfriend and rapist was Joseph Cooper.

I pulled away from her kiss immediately, staring at her with a mournful look in my eye.

She'd lied to me to protect the identity of a rapist. I wondered why as I stared into Violet's dark eyes. I was shaking from the fear, wanting to cry on her behalf. Nobody deserves that happening to them. Never, regardless of if they're in a long-term relationship, no always means no. And especially when she was not planning on doing anything of that sort until marriage. My mouth hung wide open as I watched her carefully.

"What?" She asked, staring at me curiously as I stepped backwards.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, unsure of what to say. I would've cried myself to sleep every night if I was forced into feeling the way she felt for months. Hell, I would've been afraid if anyone even touched me. She was strong for how she reacted, but I wish she had told me before. I couldn't explain what I felt but it wasn't pleasant. And I felt the burning urge to go punch Joseph in the face.

"For what?" She asked calmly, her head tilting slightly as she watched me. I grabbed my clenched jaw in an attempt to control my anger. It was a true struggle as I watched her. I didn't want her to know what I saw, but I didn't want her to feel guilty over something she had no control over. She was just handing out with her boyfriend and he decided to disrespect her boundaries and rape her... in a classroom of all places. And she protected him.

"I..." I was frozen, shocked at her experience as I reached for her hands and stared at her, wishing I could do something to make her forget the pain. I led her to the couch, "I saw something. I know you said you didn't want to tell me but I didn't go searching for it and I want you to know that and I'm sorry if that kiss made you feel any sort of bad way." I said shakily.

"What are you talking about?" She raised her eyebrow and then furrowed her brows, sitting beside me, confusion written all over her features.

"I saw something." I automatically tightened my hands around hers as she looked at our fingers.

"Aaron, please don't do anything drastic." She said, removing her hand from mine and heading upstairs. I couldn't handle it, I had so much pent up anger that would certainly make me end up having to replace her wall if I punched it. She wasn't here and I couldn't make myself follow her.

I was out for blood, I needed my revenge for her. It would give me peace. It would satisfy this anger inside me.

Without giving it a second thought, I had texted a couple of the guys on the basketball team, excluding Jared, and asked if they knew Joseph's address.

3426 Hayward ave, I think his apt number is 67.5 but idk I'll ask around. One of the boys, Bradley, responded as I punched the address into my GPS and headed over to the address. It wouldn't matter what apartment he lived in, I would be able to hear him from a mile away and know which unit he was in.

I reversed out of Violet's driveway. Dramatic wouldn't begin to describe how I was reacting to this information.

"Turn left in 400 feet." The GPS said as I swerved into the next street, driving an ungodly speed.

I knew I shouldn't let this anger fuel me, but I couldn't handle the idea that Violet was forced into something so traumatizing by a classmate that I knew.

Beyond angry, I arrived in a matter of minutes and parked outside his building.

In case you're interested in getting the totally edited/revised/changed paperback version of this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Read-Minds-ebook/dp/B08RYV11F2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=veronica+Soliman&qid=1609863783&sr=8-3

(Link will be available in the coming weeks)

(Link will be available in the coming weeks)