trouble breathing. He seems to have the same difficulty. Reaching out, he slowly tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
Hearing giggles across the yard, I break my eyes from Colton and sit up, attempting to hide my blush. David is chasing Emma across the yard. She pushes with all her might to try and get away from him. Watching them makes me smile. Standing up, I lean back, keeping my eyes on them and ask Colton, “When do you think they’ll realize that they are both crazy about each other?”
Putting his arm across my shoulder, he replies, “Knowing David….probably never.” David runs over and grabs Emma around the waist, pulling her towards him. Her smile is infectious. I hope to someday have something like that.
“I hope they come to their senses soon. No one wants to see them pining after each other anymore.” I say, but don’t mean. It is endearing to see them together. It is like watching a romantic comedy—a friendship that slowly turns into more.
“Dinner is ready!” yells Claire from the kitchen. I walk away from Colton and over towards Logan and Liam, who are trying to pick up all the larger pieces of wood to put into the pile for the fireplace. I concentrate on the pieces and thrust my power out, connecting small pieces of energy onto each wood piece. Forcing them to come together, I create a smaller pile near the house.
I smile sweetly at them when I see their mouths hanging open in surprise. “You’re welcome.”
Walking past everyone, I head into the kitchen and stop short when I see four extra people. People I’ve never seen before: a man, in his low twenties, two teenagers, and a small child. Colton slams into my back when he comes into the room. Steadying me, he looks around the room and runs over to greet the man at the table.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here? Where are your parents?”
“Working, but Tom called us over. Haven’t seen you guys in a while, thought we could catch up.”
“Awesome. Yeah, that sounds great. Oh, Conner, this is Ryanne. Ryanne, this is Conner. Natasha and Natalie, they’re twins, and Madison. They used to be our neighbors a while ago.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” I smile at them. Natasha glares at me while Natalie stands at her side quietly. Conner and Madison seem nice enough though. “Oh, Claire, do I have time to go take a quick shower. I feel gross.”
“Of course. I just said dinner was ready to get everyone to start cleaning up. I forgot how quickly you could finish it for them.” Laughing, I walk out of the room and back up the stairs into the bedroom. After a quick shower, I change back into a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. Being in a much better mood than I have been in a while, I skip down the stairs.
Ugh, she’s back. Slut. Look at what she’s wearing. Her shorts are way too short and her shirt is super tight. She just wants attention. This is my only chance at getting Colton back…if she ruins it…
I turn towards Natasha and ask, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“W—what? H-how?” How did she know that?
“Ryanne can read minds,” explains David. Crap. Turn them off. Don’t think about Colton. Grunting, Natasha stalks out of the room.
“I’m great with new people, can’t you tell?” I ask Conner, trying not to smile.
She’s pretty. I wonder if she’ll play with me.
Bending down, I stop at eye-level with Madison. “Thank you. You’re very pretty too.” She giggles and jumps up to give me a hug.
“Looks like you made a new friend,” Conner says.
Claire calls out from the kitchen, “Ok, someone go get Natasha. Dinner’s ready.”
I follow everyone into the kitchen. I turn to Logan, “Are my shorts too short?” I ask him.
He looks me over once and shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. Why?” I can’t really tell if he’s being serious or not.
“Natasha said my shorts were too short and my shirt was too tight. Apparently, I want attention.”
“Well, she doesn’t know you very well, now does she? Ignore her,” he tells me.
I nod and sit down at the table, between Emma and Liam. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on pushing their thoughts back into the mental box in my mind.
“What the heck is she doing? Praying?” says Natasha.
“She’s blocking your thoughts. Unless you’d rather have her read your mind all night,” Logan explains a little rudely.