She wasn't at school today. She wasn't here.

I had no way of accessing her location either. She was stupid enough to forget to un-share her location with me. And that damn boyfriend of hers still had my phone. And here I was thinking Aaron and I were friends, I even defended him when Trina tried saying anything bad about him... because I thought we were friends. Well didn't I turn out to be a fool.

He wasn't here today either. I glared, angrily as hordes of people kept asking me what happened to my face. It was frustrating that I had no way of hiding the bruises. I didn't deserve what he did to me, but I believe his payback threats were empty. He could do nothing to me.

I had to buy myself a new phone soon, I'd probably borrow one of Trina's for now. Trina who had hopping through the weird time portal with me and ended up here at this high-school, living at her odd generational parents house. It was weird to know that she had had six different sets of parents in her past lives, of which I was with her in one of them.

Her current parents were always out of town, much like the majority of the people I knew.

"I fell off my skateboard." I kept saying, it wasn't necessarily convincing enough to people who knew me well, but it was a possibility as to why my eyes were both blackened and the rest of my face had cuts.

Jared knew something was the matter for sure, but he'd held off on asking me until he practically complained about how I had ignored his texts to pick him up last night. I knew something strange had happened with Stacy, but I simply didn't have my phone. Regardless, I was stunned that he even cared enough to ask about my bruises.

I walked into the cafeteria and I felt like everybody was staring at me. I believed my face had become the center of attention as I walked through the lunch line and walked over to my table.

"How do you fall off a skateboard and get two black eyes, a cut lip and scars on your cheeks, and a giant bruise on your nose, which by the way looks like you misshaped it?" Trina asked jokingly, sitting beside me in the cafeteria and chewing a carrot with her mouth wide open and annoying chewing noises coming out.

I glared at her momentarily.

"Shut up Trina, I'll tell you about it later." I said, taking the carrot out of her hand and taking a big bite out of it. She rolled her eyes as I scanned the room, searching to see if Tyler, Amy, Aaron, or Violet were here. I spotted Tyler sitting at his regular table, surrounded by a large group of friends while Amy sat at the other end of the table. Odd. They usually sit together.

The cafeteria lights above them flickered slightly as I watched, wondering if either of them knew where Violet was today.

"Does that hurt?" Trina asked, watching me chew her carrot. She was referring to the three cuts on my lips. I was thankful he'd focused more on other parts and didn't hit my teeth hard enough to fall out.

I shook my head.

"So... did you get in a fight?"

"Why are you asking so many questions today?" I snarled. I was angry and upset, I didn't want to take it out on her, but she was the only person with me right now. I wanted to apologize in that moment, but pride wouldn't let me.

"Chill, I just want to know why you look like you got hit by a car. I want to know what happened, there's nobody else here that could even be listening."

"Fine!" I groaned, glaring at Trina. She could be so annoying sometimes. Perhaps that why she'd been kept silent in her past lives.

She smirked happily, reaching for another carrot and chewing, her ole ready to listen.

"Aaron visited me last night, he was mad about something stupid and I had a cop take him away." I said, feeling better about telling Trina this version of the story.

"Why was he mad at you?"

"I don't know." I said as Trina raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Do you think it has something to do with Amy?"

"Why would it have anything to do with Amy?" I glared at her now, wishing she would stop talking. I didn't talk to Amy, it bothered me that Trina made assumptions based on someone I didn't even talk about.

"Well, Aaron doesn't seem like the type to even get angry; whatever you did must've pissed him off. Did you pee in his Gatorade bottle? Kidding, that would require him to actually go to practice."

"He's getting kicked off the team this week if he doesn't show up. Coach said if he does, then I'd get to be a starter in next week's game and I would get to take his spot as shooting guard." I was excited, just thinking about it.

"So he's mad that you're taking his position on the team?" Trina raised a skeptical brow, "I mean, it just doesn't seem like he really wants the position if he doesn't show up to practice." Trina could be so annoying.

"Well his grades are bad too, so he doesn't really have a choice."

"Why do I feel like you're lying to me?"

"I would never lie to you." I said smoothly, wishing the bell would ring so this interrogation could be over.

"Joseph, look, we've been through a lot and I covered for you... a lot. Especially when... you know. When we got back to the woods. I even had my new family help you find an apartment and pay your rent. I trust you completely and I know any of the skeletons you've had in your closet," she began before taking a sip of her chocolate milk then spitting it out laughing, "your one skeleton."

I glared at her, hope she would keep it down.

"What's your point Trina?"

"My point is that you can trust me. I know your darkest secret and I've kept it quiet. I don't know why you're keeping this lie going."

"I'm not lying, he's just mad about the team, that's it." I felt my body heat up, wishing that the bell would ring soon.

Trina suddenly stood up, holding her tray in her hand.

"Well, Joseph. In that case, don't talk to me until you're ready to tell me the truth. Because if there's anything I've learned throughout my lifetime trapped on this earth, it's telling when someone is lying. Come to me when you feel like telling the truth."

I was starting to grow angry, "you have no right to know, it's my personal, private business and I don't need to tell you anything."

"Yeah, I know. But I hoped you would since we were such good friends." She picked up her tray, gave me a sideways glance, and left.

I took the chance to walk over to Tyler, who was happily laughing along with his friends. "Tyler, man, you got a minute?" I asked, adjusting my backpack. Tyler turned to face me and smiled.

"For sure, just give me a second." He looked confused, especially since I hardly talked to him outside of practice. His cologne reeked, I wondered if he had put that much on so it would reach Amy from across the table.

I waited for a few moments until he got up and walked with me for a few seconds, "what's up?" He asked, glancing at his friend group every few seconds.

"Do you know where Violet or Aaron are today?"

"No idea man, they're not here." Tyler stated the obvious. He really just did that.

"Can you ask them where they are? Are they together right now? I lost my phone last night."

"I saw a phone in the trashcan outside school this morning, it's probably gone by now, also I wouldn't even know why it would be yours." Tyler had laughter in his eyes as he glanced again at his friends. He seemed to want to leave as soon as possible. And he had ignored my first question.

"So do you know if they're together?"

"Probably, they usually are." The obvious. He could state nothing more than the obvious. I glared at him momentarily, before realizing I was going to get no information from him. Either he was too stupid to know or care, or his friend Aaron had told him not to tell anyone. Knowing Tyler, it was probably the former, not the latter.

"Ok, thanks bud." I said just as the bell rang. I headed off to class, tomorrow would be another day and in that day, Violet will be here; then we can play.

****

♥️

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)