(him)

i was a crazy teenager, i wish i could've realized that then. i spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years looking for mysteries.

i had the vampire phase in middle school. i would walk out on completely dark nights with a silver cross and some silver spoons my grandmother had left behind.

six months later, i went all out for werewolves. then, unicorns and medusa and the gateway to the underworld, elves and goblins and mermaids.

a princess trapped in a tower.

my parents were often unaware of my nightly adventures, but when they didn't find me in my bed for three consecutive nights one summer, they shut my window with boards and nails. so i started escaping through the kitchen door.

i had two friends, and we have hope that we will be friends all through our lives, kaleb with a k, and austin. as kids, we went on adventures together, but as we grew up, i was the only one left with the thrill. but i never minded being alone, so it was okay.

one day, as i was walking into school, kaleb jumped into step beside me, and started telling me this tumblr post about finding mind readers. i wasn't interested but i was listening. i think that's what friends are for.

"so you scream as loud as you can, but inside your head! if someone reacts, like their face scrunches up in pain or something, or if they wince, they're mind readers!"

"oh yeah?" austin walks up as we near our lockers. "what if they're really good at mind reading? what if they don't fall for it?"

"way to be a fun sucker, aussy pussy." kaleb smirks, and austin groans. austin loved pussies, which is what he'd told us the first time we met him.

"hey, i'm austin, and i love pussies." he'd meant cats though.

"never call me that. if you do, i'll shove a pussy through your oesophagus."

i smirk and leave them bickering. austin calls my name, shouting for me to wait for him.

i turn around, and bam!

something really hard collides with my chest, and i stumble, and fall down hard on my ass. the other person is luckier, though.

"look where you're going, fag." the person says, and i realize with a jolt that it's a she.

"um, sorry." i say, my head down and cheeks aflame with embarrassment. she scoffs, and my eyes jolt up to her face in an instant.

pretty.

i shake my head a little to clear it. she is gone by then.

"dude what happened?" austin says, trying to see what i was staring so hard at. it was just the room the girl had entered. the door swung slightly as she let it go, and i snapped out of my thoughts.

"hey. what class do we have now, aussy?"

"english history?"