“Don’t forget to F.O.I.L,” Mr. Larson reminded his students as his marker slithered across the whiteboard like a snake. He transcribed several equations but Maia only jotted down two of them. Sure, one of her ears was listening to her teacher but the other was in love with the sound of her pencil as she filled her notebook with intricate portraits.

Many of her classmates had the privilege of being immortalized by her graphite, but her favorite subject, by far, was Kaito Ito. He sat two rows down and one across, and Maia would sketch the back of his head all day if she could. A tiny smile played with her lips as she shaded in his thick black hair and added a few wrinkles to the edge of his blazer. She was so enamored by his perfect ears and relaxed shoulders that she hadn’t heard Mr. Larson call her name for the fourth time that second.

“I asked you a question miss Santiago.”

Maia blinked and snapped to attention. “I was just. The formula. I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“If you’re not going to listen, you can go to detention. Shall I write you a hall pass?” Larson strut over to his desk and grabbed the drawer but didn’t open it.

“That won’t be necessary,” Maia said. “I’ll focus, I promise.” Her face went as red as rose because twenty eyes swiveled to watch her, including the striking green ones that belonged to her crush.

“Good,” Mr. Larson said. “But if I see your pencil making anything but numbers, you’ll have detention for the rest of the month, understood?” Embarrassment stole Maia’s voice so all she did was nod weakly; and with that, her teacher returned to his lesson.

Maia strove to catch up with her classmates; but in only a few minutes, she was dreaming about Kaito again. It was a shame she could never fully control herself when he was around, but algebra was her strongest subject so she saw no harm in letting her mind wander. While her GPA thanked her for being so mathematical, Maia thanked God no one could read her mind. Just thinking of how mortified she’d be if any of her classmates knew how smitten she was made her stomach flip-flop; and ultimately guided her down some pretty absurd rabbit trails.

What if one OR MORE of her peers had telepathic tendencies?

What if she were broadcasting her thoughts like a lousy radio station?

What if they knew everything?

Maia took three silent breaths and reminded herself of how stupid she was being, but still wanted to test her theories, encase any of them were true. She zeroed in on Mr. Larson’s sermon and let the brain numbing education system strip her of her cognizance. After she was sure she lulled her head-hoppers into a state of complacency, she imagined screaming at the top of her lungs and hoped the gesture would translate. 

She didn’t expect anything to happen, so when a student sitting adjacent to her flinched like they’d been stabbed with a knife, she went stalk still. The worst part was; the suspect was Kaito. She puckered her eyebrows and shouted again, but this time he was as motionless as stone.

Coincidence.

It had to be a coincidence.

For the next half hour, she tried not to think about it; but when the final bell released them from their seats, her gaze gravitated to the back of Kaito’s head. 

After spoon-feeding his rucksack a textbook and a trapper-keeper, Kaito merged with his friends as they wandered into the hallway. It was too casual. He wasn’t acting like someone whose deepest secret was just discovered, so Maia blamed the event on her wild imagination and focused on an actual issue – her instructor.

Mr. Larson was livid. He imprisoned Maia before she could escape his classroom and proceeded to chide her for the better part of an hour. By the time his last reprimand hit the ceiling, Maia’s ears were ringing with disappointment, and the rest of her schoolmates had abandoned her to her fate. 

“This can’t happen again,” Larson said as Maia inched closer to the exit. “You’re an intelligent student who shouldn’t be daydreaming.”

“I understand,” Maia said. She slipped through the door before their chat could continue and slammed into Kaito when she turned to take her leave. He was built like a brick wall but quick enough to catch her before she broke her nose on the yellowing linoleum. 

“Are you alright?” Kaito asked. He pierced her soul with his emerald eyes and Maia’s face simmered like an egg.

Had he waited here for her? No, idiot, he was probably here to see Mr. Larson. She’d wasted too much of his time already, and now she was obstructing his path. 

She should step aside. She was rooted to the floor, however, so instead of moving her feet, her mouth took a stab at it.“I’m sorry, did you need to-“

“Actually, I came to see you. We need to talk.” Kaito straightened Maia’s shirt collar and she practically swooned.

Stay focused. “Talk about what?” she asked.

At that point, Kaito got serious. He lowered his head and checked his peripheral before taking Maia by the hand and guiding her towards the gymnasium. “Not here,” he insisted. “It’s too risky.”

Maia didn’t have the capacity to wonder what was so dicey about it; not when her fingers were entwined around her crushes. By the time she was able to recapture her composure, she was stashed behind the stadiums’ benches, and couldn’t remember walking there. “So what did you need to talk about?” she asked in the smoothest voice she could conjure.

“You know my secret,” Kaito accused, so matter-of-factly that Maia struggled to make sense of it.

His secret? What secret? Did he mean the incident that happened in class earlier?

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Kaito replied as if Maia had spoken her inquiries aloud. The problem was, she hadn’t asked him anything. Was this some kind of prank?

“It’s not a trick,” Kaito said. “I’ve been able to do this for as long as I can remember and no matter what I try, I can’t shut it off.”

Maia’s vocabulary was reduced to babble. She would’ve never thought she’d be having this discussion; and now that she was, she didn’t know what to say. The worse part was; if Kaito was a telepath, it meant he knew exactly how she felt about him. That alone made her want to bury her head in the ground.

“Don’t worry,” Kaito said, addressing her concerns although she never said a word. “I’m going to fix this.”

“How do you plan to-” but Maia never got to finish her sentence.

The next thing she knew, Kaito pressed his lips against hers. They were so warm and soft that they were all she could focus on. She forgot all about where she was or what she was doing. She forgot about Mr. Larson’s lecture, their lesson on binomials, and the bizarre event that incited this charade. All her memories were sucked from her body like a juice box; and once her brain stopped bludgeoning her forehead, she couldn’t recall a thing.

She frowned but her limbic system was empty. When did she decide to gallivant into the sports arena, and for what purpose had she squeezed under the bleachers? She always had a history of spacing out (due to her unique imagination as her mother often said), but this was ridiculous. After scolding herself for being such an airhead, Maia glanced at her watch and had a heart attack. 

Dinner would be ready in twenty minutes and there’d be hell to pay if her butt was late. She crawled out from her grimy spider hole and sprinted through the double doors, before practically face planting when she passed a familiar jacket. Kaito was strolling in the opposite direction while the unruly breeze raked its fingers through his hair. 

Maia’s face turned the color of watermelon and she bowed her head so it wouldn’t be as noticeable. Maybe one day she’d have the courage to spill her guts, but as of today she wouldn’t mention it and just be thankful he couldn’t read her mind.

– Sarah Everett