Sara has been my best friend since Kindergarten. When we met she was having a hard time at home and making new friends. I can remember her being a sweet young girl with a flushed face, and long blonde hair styled in braided pig-tails. Now I look at her, a grown woman, her face red with anger– anger because I was different. Anger because I foolishly threatened to unravel a secret about her and Easton that she held dearly to her heart.

She was the only person who knew of my abilities. Unfortunately, because of them, I knew she held a lot of distrust in me because sometimes things slip out. It’s not an occurrence that happens frequently, but yes, it does happen. Some thoughts are so intrusive and braising that.

I’m not sure if it is because of how close we are that I managed to keep her thoughts at bay. Recently, the only time I heard anything from her was when she was upset about something, or when I was touching her. Touching someone always brings the thoughts in more clearly for some reason. 

My parents’ internal dialogue also subsided over the years, however, it wasn’t as dull as Sara’s. But there were always times when my parents or friends would become emotional and I could hear them loud and clear…

As I stood speechless and guilty of my threat, Sara walked over to my dresser, noticing the locket I placed there just before her entrance. She picked it up, examining it.

“This is a very beautiful necklace… Where did you get it?”

Before answering, I contemplated on my answer. Should I tell her the truth or just lie? After the way she reacted to Easton being back in town, I wasn’t sure if I should say. But, then again, I really hate lying. “Easton found it in an unusual place today.” I hesitantly replied. “He said he had no use for it and told me to keep it.”

Her eyes lingered on the jewel for a minute before placing it back down. Clearing her throat, she continued, “It’s very beautiful.” She sat down on the bed with me following right behind her. “So, are you two a couple now?” Her voice cracked.

“What?” I asked incredulously. “No! Today was the first time I had seen him in years. You know I have a weird feeling about him…” Then something dawned on me. “Wait… Do you have a thing for him?” 

Sara’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“Really?” I asked in astonishment. “You two would’ve made a cute couple in high school.” 

Tears started to stream down her face.

“What?” 

“I thought you knew…” She sobbed. “I just assumed you knew and kept it to yourself like you always do…”

“What?” I replied confused. Was there something I was supposed to know?

“Easton and I were together in high school…”

I stood up and stared at her in doubt. The confusion I felt changed to a feeling of betrayal. “How? When? What happened? And why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Why wouldn’t she tell me something like that? That seems too silly to hide.

“I thought you knew… You know everything…” she repeated.

“Apparently I don’t. I told you I couldn’t hear everything you were thinking. And I also told you I couldn’t hear anything from Easton from the beginning. I was honest with you when I said your thoughts mostly bleed through if I touch you.”

Sara let out a drawn-out sigh and grabbed my hand. “Concentrate. Then you will know everything…” She let out another sob. “It’s easier than talking…”

“Are you sure?” I questioned hesitantly, not wanting to get lost in other thoughts she was having. 

She nodded. “You deserve to know…”

“Fine…” I replied in defeat. “You focus on what’s making you feel this way so I don’t wander into other thoughts…” 

I am not an expert at this at all. It would be nice if there was some kind of manual on how this stuff works. 

For the first few minutes, nothing happened. I was just staring at the back of my eyelids. Just as I was about to give up, Easton’s face flashed before my eyes. I was reliving Sara’s memories. I could feel all of the emotions that she felt and hear everything that was going on around her. It was like I traveled back in time to freshman year in high school, except I was Sara. We were wearing our white button-up blouses and hunter green pleated skirts – our school uniforms. 

I turn to look at myself through Sara’s eyes. This is so weird… 

We were talking about some nonsense that had just happened with some of our classmates. Then the room grew quiet when Easton walked into the room. Sara’s heart started to race as his intense green eyes stared through me. His blonde hair was styled with a spikiness to them. She was checking him out! 

As Sara, I found it hard to catch my breath and anxiety began to consume me. Sara’s eyes glanced over to high school me. Her voice rang in my ears, “Ember must like him too… She is studying him as much as I am.” 

Just as quickly as I saw this memory, it passed. Transporting me to a time when Sara was sitting alone in the cafeteria, until my past self walked up to sit with her. 

I looked at my old self and began, “Do you find the new guy interesting?”

High school me replied, “I find that there is… something interesting about him.” I paused to take a bite of my lunch. “Why do you ask?” 

“No reason really… I have just noticed that you have been spending a lot of time with him these past few weeks…” 

“Well it’s not exactly by choice, Sara. You know that. I don’t even see him after school or know anything about him. He just happens to be in all my classes.”

“Why do you say that he is interesting then?” 

Before I answered, I looked around to make sure no one was listening or near us before leaning closer to her and continuing quietly, “I just don’t trust him. He freaks me out. I’ve never experienced this situation before.”

Sara’s eyes wandered away from my face and rested on Easton, who was staring at her from the back of the cafeteria. I could feel my face becoming warm. 

Past me continued, almost as a dull murmur in the background. “I can’t hear his or anyone’s thoughts when he is around…”

Sara’s heart must have weighed heavy at this remark as I was suddenly absorbed by sadness. “Well… sounds like you two would make a great couple…” She began, looking back at me with a feeling of disappointment. “Maybe there’s a chance you won’t have to put up with your abilities 24/7 now.”

“What, and use him? That wouldn’t make me any better than the rest of these people.” I remarked, rolling my eyes and taking a sip of my soda. “I mean, he is an attractive person, but I’m not interested in him like that. My interest in him is more figuring out a science experiment than anything else.”

She giggled at this. “Are you calling him a freak of nature?” Her eyes moved back to her eye candy. He was smiling as if he was chuckling to himself about something. But what? He wasn’t sitting with anyone.

I laughed at her question. “No, not exactly. That wouldn’t be fair to call him that. I mean, look at me.”

Another few months flew past, and a barrage of faces, voices, colors, and shapes whizzed past, making me feel a little disoriented until it slowed, and I found myself as Sara sitting alone in the lunchroom once again during junior year. 

I noticed someone walking towards me, and looked up to find Easton smiling back at me. “Hello,” he stated.

A smile spread across my face. I could feel Sara’s giddiness mixed with anxiety. “Hi.”

“So, where’s your friend, Ember?” he asked.

“She isn’t feeling well today.”

“Oh,” Easton replied with a little disappointment in his voice. “May I sit with you?” He asked politely.

“Yes!” She said overly-excited. Her face grew hot as she let her true awkward feelings show.

He only smiled at her as he took his seat. “So, how long have you and Ember been friends?”

“Since we were about… six years old, maybe. We met in Kindergarten.”

“That must be nice to have a friend for a decade… I’ve never had that.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “My family moves around a lot.”

“I’m sorry to hear that… We have just stuck together for so long because we don’t fit in anywhere else. Well, I mean, we are best friends because we have a lot in common, but we also don’t really fit in anywhere else either.”

He smiled at her. “I couldn’t help but come over to you. I know we have been coming to the same school for two years now, but… I always noticed you… Even the very first day I walked in. I immediately saw you.”

I could feel Sara’s face become hot again. Staring deeply into his eyes, she didn’t say a word. Nor did any thoughts cross her mind. 

Before I could fully grasp what was happening between them, I was thrown through another multitude of memories. Various dates Sara and Easton had been on flashed before my eyes: kissing and intimate moments I wish I could unsee passed by.

Finally, it was graduation night. Sara and I were still in our gowns, joking around while getting ready to leave. Easton had appeared from behind a tree when Sara noticed him. She turned back to me, saying that she needed to go talk to her mother. I left as Sara made her way over to Easton. 

She gave him a hug; one that was not returned.

He looked pale, and there was a pained expression on his face. 

“What’s the matter?” Sara asked, her heart skipping a beat at the sorrow he wore on his face. She had never seen him like this before.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet.” He replied hesitantly. “I have something important I need to tell you.” Easton’s voice sounded desperate, yet there was a certain harshness to his tone. It was obvious that whatever it was that he wanted to discuss, it was not something that he wanted to do.

Sara’s heart immediately sank at his words and tears started to blur her vision. She already knew what was about to happen. But she still reluctantly followed him away from the crowd of recently graduated seniors and into the unoccupied parking lot where they sat in his car.

She didn’t speak and couldn’t move as she sat in the vehicle. It soon felt as though she had completely lost the ability to function. 

Easton cleared his throat. “I’m having to leave for a while,” he stated slowly, “and with where I need to go, it’s best that we…” He paused for a minute. He struggled to finish his thought. After a deep breath, he finished his statement. “I feel that it’s best that we break up.” He finished.

Just as if a levee broke, her tears began pouring down her cheeks and she could not make herself look at him. “Where do you need to go?” She questioned in a monotonous tone, knowing that no matter how much she pleaded for him to reconsider, it would make no difference. Sara was also someone who refused to beg for anything, no matter how badly she wanted it.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said. “Please, Sara, please believe that this is the last thing I want to do,” Easton pleaded, wanting to hold her, reach out to her, but knowing he couldn’t.

“Then why are you?” Her voice cracked as she questioned him.

Easton stared at her, but she refused to look at him. “I cannot tell you that… It’s safer this way.”

“Then what’s done is done,” she responded coldly as she opened the car door.

Easton’s hand grabbed hers before she could get out. “Sara… I love you.” His eyes started to tear up.

She jerked her arm away from him and walked off alone.

Suddenly, I was back in my room. My vision blurred as tears streamed down my face. Letting go of Ruth’s hand, I stared at her in disbelief. “You kept a serious relationship and break up a secret from me for five years?” Anger filled my voice. “I am your best friend! Do you seriously not trust me that much?”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“What possible reason could you have for not divulging something like that? Did you think I wouldn’t approve?”

She looked down at her feet, guilt and shame on her face. “I.. I don’t have a good explanation…”

“You have to have some type of reasoning. Especially since you couldn’t tell me you two broke up on graduation day! You told me you were sick!”

Sara sighed, wiping the tears from her face. “Easton wanted me to keep it a secret… I didn’t know why. At first, I thought he was ashamed of me, but he made me believe that wasn’t the problem. He just specifically didn’t want you to know. I asked him if there was a specific reason, like maybe he really wanted to be with you, or, I don’t know, maybe he didn’t like you. But he said no, none of that was true, but he felt that maybe you wouldn’t like him dating your best friend or some excuse like that… I thought you would’ve already known anyway… Even before he had asked for me to keep it a secret…” She got up from the bed and started playing with the locket on my dresser. “You know… you two aren’t very different.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked more offensively than I intended it to come out.

“Easton is telepathic also.” 

I was floored by her admission. “I didn’t know that…”  Fear suddenly began to course through my veins. “You didn’t tell him I was, did you?”

Sara gave a half-hearted smile. “That’s not my secret to share. I tried my best to not think about you when he was around. I also tried my best to not make any connections between the two of you while I was around him. He never said anything about you, so I think you’re safe.”

I didn’t say anything more as I watched her play with that locket. Today had been very exhausting for me. How could so much happen in one day? More importantly, how could I not have known any of this was happening? Am I losing my touch? It should be something that I am excited about, but really it made me more concerned. 

Why would Easton want to keep all of it a secret? What was he playing at? There was something about all of this that was wrong and deeply unsettling. Maybe I was right to be suspicious of him all along.

“You can have the locket if you want,” I finally said, getting up and walking over to Sara. 

“No, it’s yours,” she replied with a sigh. 

“To be honest, after seeing him through your eyes and knowing how you felt about him, I’d rather not have it.” It was a haunting feeling to have loved and lost in a matter of seconds. Even though it wasn’t actually me, I still experienced it all. 

I had never had a boyfriend, but now I know the emptiness that came from the sting of your first love. 

“Well, I don’t want it.” She retorted, still looking at the jewelry. “Especially not to be reminded of him.”

“Fair enough.” I replied. “But now I don’t want it to be reminded of him. Now all I will see is a naked Easton..” I gagged.

Sara’s face blushed with embarrassment. “You saw that? Oh no…”

“It’s fine,” I replied. “Kind of, I guess. My poor eyes…”

Sara covered her face with her hands I continued teasing her.

“I’m kidding Sara, chill.” I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. 

We remained quiet for a minute, before a thought occurred to me, “Sara, has this jewel looked strange to you in the whole time you have been holding it?”

“The only thing that strikes me as odd is that I have never seen anything like it before.” She replied. 

“No… It’s not that,” I stated, grabbing it out of her hand.

“Then what?” She asked curiously, inspecting it with me.

I stared at it for a minute. “Nothing,” I replied, looking at it harder. This time, it didn’t do anything. “It must have been my imagination.”