by Sarah Carter
“Mom,” Lexi groans. “The door was open.”
“I know, but I’m your mother, and I have to tease. Your father will have a heart attack. Other than Ashe, no boy has ever been in here.”
Lexi’s jaw drops, and she yells, “Mom! Oh my god. Shut up.”
A mischievous grin passes over her mom’s face. “I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Connor.”
“Likewise. You have a beautiful house.”
“Thank you. It’s more her father’s doing than mine. This house would have a funkier edge to it if I had my way. Damien is about classical beauty. I’d have a hot pink wall, but he won’t let me.” She crosses her arms and looks at Lexi. “So, what are you kids going to be up to this afternoon?”
“Studying for biology,” Lexi declares. “Mona is going to brings us snacks. And yes, I’m leaving my room door open.”
Her mom puts her hand to her chest. “I personally trust you and don’t care, but your father’s head would explode if you shut your door.”
“And that’s why we are leaving it open,” Lexi states.
“He should be home momentarily,” her mom says. “He will want to meet you, Connor.”
“I figured as much,” Connor replies. “I would also like to meet him.”
“Are you staying for dinner?” her mom asks. “Damien is making chicken kiev. He’s a wonderful cook.”
Lexi looks at Connor. “He really is. You’ll love it.”
“Then, yes, I would like to stay,” Connor smiles.
“Will you have to call your parents?” Lexi’s mom asks.
The smile fades on Connor’s face, and he looks out of place. “Yeah, no, it will be fine.”
“Okay, I will let you guys study. Your father will be up as soon as he gets home. Don’t let him intimidate you. You’re the first boy to come around, friend or not.”
“Dad is totally not intimidating,” Lexi scoffs.
“Oh, I think he might be given the situation.”
“We’re friends mom,” she groans. “Not a big deal whatsoever.”
“Mmhmmm,” her mom hums. “You kids have fun.” With that she turns and walks out of the room.
When she’s gone, Connor turns to Lexi. “I think your mom knows.”
“She probably does know,” Lexi snorts. “But, she won’t say anything to my dad.”
“That’s cool.”
“Both of my parents are really cool. My whole family is really cool. My dad just has expectations.”
Connor puts his hand on his chest. “And I don’t meet those expectations.”
“No.”
“Oh well, what are you going to do? Most parents don’t like the first guy, anyway,” Connor laughs. “So, I won’t be surprised.”
“Let’s study,” Lexi suggests, pulling up another chair to her desk. “What do you need help on?”
“Ummm, nothing. I’m getting an A in that class,” Connor laughs again. “I just wanted to hang out with you.”
Lexi drops her hands and gives him a look. “Connor.”
“Well, I have a thing about big lies. Like, lying to get you to hang out with me is one thing, but to continue that lie is not good. So, I’m going to tell you the truth. I get straight As.”
She laughs this time. “Of course you do. Well, if we aren’t going to study. What do you want to do?”
“Learn more about you. I know stuff has to be kept quiet, but what can you tell me?”
“I’m adopted. My real mom was a psychopath. My mom and dad adopted me when they were nineteen. I was two. I have four grandparents and one greatgrandpa. He’s scary and super protective of me.”
Connor smiles. “Your greatgrandpa is scary?”
“Mmmhmmm,” Lexi hums. “Don’t cross him.”
“Okay, got it.”
“I have four uncles and six aunts,” Lexi declares. “Two aunts and one uncle by immediate family, but I adopted the rest when I was twp.”
He says, “I have one aunt, Maddie’s mom.”
“Yeah, I kind of have a big extended family,” Lexi laughs. “We’re all super close. I’m the closest to my Uncle Mason and my cousins Ashe and Lana.”
“Do they live nearby?”
Lexi shakes her head. “No, Uncle Mason and Aunt Ariel live in Alaska.”
“Alaska!” Connor gasps. “Why do they live in Alaska?”
“Jobs,” Lexi snorts. “They have high security jobs, and they have to live in Alaska. They love it. They have this beautiful house, and when it snows, it’s beyond gorgeous. I go and visit a lot.”
“I want to go. I bet it’s fun,” he nods. Lexi smiles and shakes her head. “What else can you tell me?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know what you want to know.”
“Favorite food.”
“Flaming hot Cheetos. I can eat them by the handfuls for hours.”
“I’m close to that. I love jalapeño kettle chips. Oh, so good.”
Lexi grins. “You like spicy food?”
“Like it? I love it.”
“My dad will make some amazing meals for you then,” Lexi states.
“He’s that great of a cook, huh?” Connor asks.
Nodding, Lexi replies, “You have no idea.”
Suddenly, they hear, “I don’t see any studying going on.”
They both turn to see Lexi’s dad standing in the doorway. “Gosh, Dad, we were talking.”
Connor stands up and walks over to him, extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Connor.”
Her father eyes him up and then shakes his hand. “Dr. Damien Blakely.”
“You had to throw the doctor in there?” Lexi groans, standing up to go over by them. “Really, Dad?”
“I get so used to saying it all day long that sometimes I forget I don’t need to say it,” her dad laughs. “So, what are you studying?”
“Well, I think we are the same page now,” Connor says. “Your daughter is very smart.”
“She is. So, does that mean you are going home?”
“Dad!” Lexi yells. “Don’t be rude.”
He puts his hand to his chest. “I apologize. What are you kids up to now, then?”
“We are just getting to know each other,” Connor says. “She fits right into our group of friends.”
“That’s good,” her dad replies. “It’s good for her to make friends.”
Lexi rolls her eyes. “Thanks, Dad.”
“No. It’s a true statement. It’s good to make friends. True honest friends can sometimes be more like family than your own family.”
“How was work, Dad?” Lexi asks pointedly.
“Busy,” her dad sighs. “Going to be looking forward to the weekend.”
Lexi sticks her hands in her back pockets and rocks on her heels. “Mom said Aunt Kayla and Uncle Jackson may be coming over.”
“I heard that, too. I think on Saturday.”
“Uncle Mason said he might be coming too, with Aunt Ariel and the boys,” Lexi declares.
The smile disappears from her father’s face, and he narrows his eyes. “Great.”
“Dad,” Lexi hisses. “Connor is standing right here.”
Obviously forcing a smile, her dad says, “Wow, it will be so nice to see your Uncle Mason.”
“Dude, he’s my favorite uncle and mom’s best friend,” she laughs. “One of these days you will have to get used to him being around. It’s Uncle Mason. He’s not so bad.”
“We will talk about this later,” her dad states. “Are you staying for dinner, Connor?”
“Yes, if that is all right,” Connor replies.
Her dad nods his head. “Of course, you are more than welcome. We can get to know you a little better.”
“No interrogating him, Dad,” Lexi growls.
“It won’t be interrogating,” her dad says, with a smile. “It will only be thirty questions instead of fifty.”
“That’s all right,” Connor interjects. “It honestly doesn’t bother me at all.”
Lexi touches his arm. “I’m just saying sorry now.”
He laughs. “I promise. It’s all right. I don’t care.”
“I promise to keep myself in check,” Lexi’s dad chuckles. “You are the first guy that has come around. It’s a little troubling for a father.”
“I’m almost seventeen, Dad,” Lexi groans. “Could be going off to college in a year and a half. What are you going to do then? There will be hundreds of boys instead of one.”
Her dad gets a horrified look on his face. “What is that supposed to mean!?”
Connor bends over to Lexi and whispers, “You just made yourself sound kind of slutty.”
With her jaw dropping, Lexi starts to wave her hands frantically in front of her. “No, no, no. That did sound horrible.”
“I think I just aged ten years,” her dad says, grabbing his chest. “Stay my innocent daughter, please.”
“That coming from you,” Lexi laughs. “Really?”
He narrows his eyes. “I wish your mom wasn’t so honest with you sometimes.”
“Me too!” Lexi yells. “Ewwww.”
“She’s trying to teach you to learn from our mistakes,” her dad says. “Learn from them.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it.” Lexi looks at Connor. His eyes are wide and are staring at Lexi. “My dad wants me to be a virgin until I die.”
Her dad crosses his arms. “No, married. Married would be nice.”
“I will die a virgin, Dad,” Lexi groans. “We both know this.”
“Lexi, let’s not start.”
She rolls her eyes and shoos him with her hand. “Go, go do something productive. We are going to talk about music.”
“Leave your door open,” he instructs. Giving her a look.
“Whatever Dad,” she snorts. “I’m seventeen.”
“Lexi Rose Blakely, until you live under your own roof, you live by my rules,” her dad states. She narrows her eyes at him, which makes her dad laugh. Lexi rolls her eyes to the heavens. “I’m just teasing, dear. If you feel the need to shut your door, go ahead. I trust you.”
Lexi gives her dad a look. “Dad, you are a jerk sometimes.”
“Both your mom and Aunt Kayla used to say that all the time,” her dad says, obviously reminiscing.
“We’re keeping the door open,” Lexi sighs. She can’t but smile.
“Okay, dinner will be around five.”
“We’ll be downstairs.”
Suddenly, they hear, “Daddy!” A little boy around the age of five comes tearing into Lexi’s room.
“Hey, buddy,” Lexi’s dad says, picking him up. “How was your day?”
“Good,” the little boy says. He looks at Connor. “Who are you?”
“This is Lexi’s friend Connor. Connor, this is Brayden. This is the oldest of Lexi’s siblings. She also has a younger brother named Drew. He’s three and a half. Then the twins, Phinn and Olive, are 10 months old.”
Connor smiles. “Big family. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Brayden.”
“You Lexi’s boyfriend?” Brayden asks.
He quickly shakes his head. “No, just a friend.”
Her dad eyes Connor up and then smiles at Brayden. “We should go get a snack.”
“Speaking of snacks,” a soft voice says. They all turn to see Mona. “I brought refreshments.”
“Oh, very good,” Lexi’s dad says. “We will see you guys in a little while.” He turns and walks out of the room.
Mona comes in and sets a tray down on a corner table in Lexi’s room. “If you need anything else, please, let me know.”
“This will be fine. Thank you, Mona,” Lexi says. Mona bows her head and then walks out of the room.
Connor looks at Lexi. “She really is an attendant.”
Pressing her lips together, Lexi says, “Yup. Want a snack?”
He walks over and looks at the tray. “That’s a snack!”
Lexi raises an eyebrow. There are veggies and dip. A flower made out of fruit. Chips and salsa. Plus mini tacos. She takes a mini taco and pops it into her mouth. “Yup, snacks.”
“Is this homemade?” he asks, dipping into the salsa with a chip.
“Yup, everything is,” Lexi says. “My dad doesn’t believe in processed food.”
Looking at her, Connor inquires, “How rich are you?”
“Rich enough,” Lexi mutters. “Anyway, I kind of eat a lot.”
His eyes scan up and down her body. “You don’t look like you eat a lot.”
“I do. Like mass quantities,” Lexi says, eating a carrot. “I have super high metabolism.”
“So, this is normal for you,” Connor laughs, waving to all the food.
A smirk creeps across Lexi’s face. “Maybe...”
“That’s all right,” Connor chimes. “I will join you.” He takes a mini taco and eats it, wiggling his eyebrows.
Lexi eats another carrot and smiles.
A couple of hours later, Lexi and Connor make their way to the dining room. Connor looks around. “Holy cow.”
“Oh, this is the family dining room,” Lexi snorts. “We have a formal one, much bigger than this one.”
Suddenly, a boy comes running in chased by Brayden. The boy is crying. “LEXI!”
She sweeps him up into his arms. “What’s wrong, Drew?”
“Brayden mean to me!” Drew yells.
Her gaze turns to Brayden, and she says, “What were you doing?”
Brayden scowls. “He stole my Batman.”
“Is that true?” Lexi asks Drew.
“Daddy says he need to share!” Drew yells again.
“Drew, give Batman back to him. You guys should wash your hands for dinner.”
Brayden stomps his foot. “You are lucky I’m not like Lexi! You’d be on the roof!”
“BRAYDEN ANDREW!” Lexi gasps.
His little eyes get wide, and he runs from the room. Lexi set Drew down. “Go wash your hands.”
She turns to Connor. He blinks a few times and then says, “I really want to ask, but I promised not to.”
“We should go,” Lexi mutters. “Come on.”
“No...”
Lexi brings her finger up to her mouth to silence him. Connor nods. She grabs his hand and leads him out of the dining room. They pass her mother. “Where are you two going?”
“His parents called. He needs to go home.”
Her mom smiles. “It was very nice to meet you, Connor. We hope to see you again.”
“Yeah, it would be nice,” Connor replies.
“Okay, I will save a plate for you,” her mom tells Lexi.
She nods. “Okay, tell Dad I will be back soon.”
“All right.”
They silently make their way to her car. “Are you going to...”
“Shut up, Connor,” Lexi hisses.
He just stares at her as they drive away. It is nothing but silence for a while.
“Can we talk yet?” he finally asks, ten minutes later.
“Yeah,” Lexi sighs.
“What...”
“You said you weren’t going to ask.”
Connor crosses his arms. “Yes, but that was before putting people on the roof came up.”
Lexi swerves and pulls off into the woods. She takes a deep breath and says, “If I tell you anything, and you breathe a word of it to anyone, I will disappear from your life and bad things will happen.”
“Again...cult,” Connor replies, looking concerned.
“Listen, I’m going to tell you about me, okay? Nothing about anything else.” Lexi stares at him, and then Connor nods. “I can do things...”
“Like put people on the roof?”
She hangs her head. “I’m going to get into so much trouble. Anyway, I have powers...abilities.”
“Like what?”
“It’s kind of a long list,” Lexi sighs. “Like, a long list. But, I can make people feel pain. That’s what I did to that guy.”
“And you can put people on the roof?” He dra
ws out, looking totally unconvinced.
“I’m telekinetic,” Lexi whispers. “I can do what you want to do so badly.”
He stares at her and then shakes his head. “I totally think you’re lying to me. People really can’t do that stuff. I told you I didn’t like lying. And, you’re playing on me like I’m stupid.”
“Connor, no, please. I’m not lying,” Lexi pleads.
Connor looks out the window. “Take me home.”
Clenching her jaw, Lexi snaps, “Fine, get out of the car.”
“You’re leaving me in the woods!”
Lexi narrows her eyes. “I’m getting out with you. We have to get out of sight.”
“Whatever,” he grumbles, getting out of the car. She gets out too and nudges her head. They walk down the path. He looks up at the full moon. “It’s actually pretty in here.”
Finally, Lexi grabs him and stops. “Come here,” she whispers, grabbing his hand. Connor stares at her and then she pulls him against her. “Watch,” she exhales.
He stares at her, and then his eyes drift up. “Oh my god.” Connor spins in a circle. Every pine cone around them is suspended in the air. He looks back at Lexi and asks, “You’re doing that.” She nods. “Wow,” Connor exhales. He steps over to one of the pine cones and grabs it. Walking over, he thrusts his hand out to Lexi. She laughs. The pine cone lifts up into the air. “This is so cool...”
“It can be very handy sometimes,” Lexi snorts.
“You can also make people feel pain?” he asks. Lexi nods. Connor points to himself. “Do it to me.”
“Are you crazy?” she snaps. “It’s excruciating.”
Bouncing from side to side, Connor says, “But I want to know what it’s like. Is it like my pinky hurts, or is it like I broke my leg?”
“It’s debilitating,” Lexi replies. “It’s not a good idea.”
“Just do it,” he cheers. Lexi rolls her eyes. Suddenly, Connor falls to the ground screaming. She immediately stops. He grabs his head and folds up into the fetal position.
Lexi runs over him. “Connor. Oh god. What did I do?”
He finally rolls over to his back. He groans, “That’s what you did to that guy the other night?”
“Yes,” Lexi whispers.
“Whoa,” Connor exhales, shaking his head and getting up. “What else can you do? Can you do more?”
She looks down and fidgets with her fingers. “I don’t know.”