No Ordinary Girl

Chapter Twenty-Six

He laughed. "Stop doing that."

It was amazing how once in a while, I could read one of his thoughts, word for word.

He pulled his gaze away. He had the habit of doing that when I was reading him. I did it, too. It's pretty freaky when someone can read your thoughts.

"Are you taking Music Composition?" he asked. "With Mr. Newman?"

"Yeah. You, too?"

He nodded.

"Why aren't we in the same class?" I whined.

"Where are you from? Chicago, right?"

"A suburb, just west of Chicago. How 'bout you?"

"Williamsburg, Brooklyn," he said, "but don't hold it against me. I'm no troublemaker," he joked. I wasn't too surprised by his answer – he did have a tiny bit of an accent, which I found fun.

"I don't know about that," I teased. "Boys who play with fire are trouble, aren't they?" I said with a bite of my lip. Was I flirting again? Oh my, I didn't even know I knew how to flirt. What was happening to me?

Obviously, I had it bad. I'd really have to speak with Alicia about that potion.

"Do you miss your family?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't miss my dad. I miss my mom and my sisters a little, and honestly, I miss my dog the most."

I perked up. "What kind of dog do you have?"

He beamed. "A black lab. His name is Whisky."

"I have a cat. His name is Oreo."

He smiled. "I wonder what Oreos and whisky would taste like together?"

"Disgusting," I said. "I assume. I never actually tasted whisky."

"I was a kid when I first tasted it. My dad was like, 'here kid, taste this'. I think I choked on it."

I laughed. I had forgotten about everything else. Haley. My family. My classes. Simone. He and I were the only ones in the world. And the world was my little dorm room.

I wanted to know everything about him. His favorite color. His favorite music. His favorite foods. His biggest dream. "So, what brought you here?" It was a question I often asked. I was fascinated by people's stories.

He sat up a little straighter. "My sister was already here, and I was kind of acting up at the time, with all the fire play and stuff... I think my mom just wanted to set me straight."

"I thought you said you weren't a troublemaker," I said, teasing again. Really, I was out of control.

He laughed. "What brought you here?" and inched closer to me, and I breathed him in.

"Well..." I started. No one had ever asked me this question. "I... I kind of saved a girl. I saved her from committing suicide. It was on the news, and Simone found me. She was the one who sought me out."

"Wow," he said. "That's amazing, Anna."

My name on his tongue felt like sinking into a hot bath. Say it again.

"Yeah... it was kind of crazy," I went on. "Calista... the girl who, we're in touch by email. She's super nice."

"Wow." He was speechless for a long time, and after forever, he said, "It's awful that she wanted to take her own life, but I'm kinda glad she brought you here."

I was speechless.

"Is that a horrible thing to say?" he asked with dark eyes. "Am I a selfish ass?"