**This came from a writing prompt I found online, this is not my original concept. Credit to them, please see the picture above.**

I had always known mind readers were real. It was just a part of society. Some were born like that, while others had to be careful of their thoughts. It was as simple as that.

I was of the latter. With this thought in mind, I plopped my stuff down on the floor next to my tall chair and desk, climbing up. The front half of our classroom had normal sized tables and chairs, while the back half had tables and chairs that were twice as tall. As I climbed up and sat my butt down on the chair, a sense of dread passed over me.

I hate living environment.

That's when I saw him. The lanky boy known as Ethan Nestor. He had just recently dyed his hair a vibrant dark blue, which made me love him even more. I had a crush on him before, but after he dyed his hair, it multiplied by ten, if that was even possible. I was so in love with him, I realized I was staring.

And he was staring back.

Our eyes were locked for a moment before I darted mine away to shakily take my laptop out of my backpack. Our teacher began teaching the material, in which I just wrote down everything on the board, hoping to grasp some of the material.

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Class was getting boring. We were only fifteen minutes in and I was already lost. The teacher was going too fast for my fingers to type, but I didn't want to be THAT kid that makes everybody wait so I can finish. I guess it seems slightly inconsiderate in a way.

I was getting tired of this dumb class. My mind wandered back to the mind-readers. I decided to think of a piecing scream to try to catch anyone who was reading my mind.

Suddenly, Ethan flinched. I could see part of his face, which was contorted in what looked like discomfort. His body seemed to be tenser. I stopped screaming in my head, in which he shook his head and loosened up a bit.

He couldn't have been reading my mind. That's impossible.

The fact that Ethan was a mind-reader was boggling. He just didn't seem like the type, to me. Then again, it was all by some random chance whether you got this "power" or not. I wanted to talk to him after class, but being the "shy nerd," I wouldn't be able to even approach him. He may be a nerd too, but he was popular. I would be talked about for days on end by the popular girls and their posse. When class finally let out, I gathered my stuff and walked shyly out the door, but once outside, I heard my name being called.

Oh no...

It was the jocks. They teased me all the time, always singling me out from the crowd. I tried to walk faster, but one got in front of me. They began to surround me, laughing. "Aw, lookit the poor baby girl who was staring at Ethan all class!" One said. "Yeah, poor thing can't get a boyfriend, so she has to fantasize about having one during class!" Another mocked. I hugged my laptop tighter to my chest and tried to push past them, but one, the team captain, pushed me down. I fell to the ground as they began laughing at me. My school-assigned laptop was broken on the ground, and I was sitting on the ground, holding my wrist. I had landed a bit roughly on it, and I think it was sprained.

The boys laughed heftily at me, taunting me and ripping my backpack off my back, dumping out my binders and materials, throwing them and kicking them around the hallway. I tried my best not to cry in front of them, keeping my head down so my hair would cover my face. They finally walked away after leaving the hallway littered with my belongings. I sniffed as tears emerged from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I didn't bother to stand up, looking down to my knees, which had floor burn. I held my aching wrist gently as I broke down in quiet sobs, which filled the abandoned hallway.

After a moment, I heard quiet footsteps, and a shuffling of papers. I glanced up to see Ethan picking up the papers those mean boys had ripped from my binders. My heart skipped a beat and a blush rose to my cheeks. I swallowed my sobs and whispered. "You don't have to do that..."

"Yes, I do. Why wouldn't I help you? Why would I just leave you here alone with your binders scattered everywhere?" He replied gently. I looked away from him, blushing. "Why should you stop to help me? If those guys find out, you'll be teased too..." Ethan shook his head. "Does it matter? Why would I care if they teased me? Everyone does it enough anyways."

My head perked up at this. "Y-You get teased...?" "All the time. I'm a nerd too, remember." I shook my head. "But you're a popular kid." Ethan walked over, slipping my binders back into my backpack, kneeling next to me. "Says who?"

My wrist was throbbing now. Ethan took it in his gentle hands. "Sprained, for sure. You're going to need some ice." He glanced down at my red knees. "Floor burn too, huh? They really got you good without getting you, huh?" I nodded, understanding him perfectly. I knew what he meant.

He looked at my face, lifting my chin and tucking my hair behind my ear. I had tear stains on my cheeks, which he gently wiped away with his thumbs as he held my face gently. His face was kind, soft, and gentle.

His hands trailed down to mine, holding them gently. "Come on, let's get you to the nurse, then we can report your broken laptop." Ethan said gently, helping me to my feet. He was always careful and gentle with me, which is what I loved most about him. He was kind and considerate of my needs and injuries, pulling me into a gentle hug.

He had read my mind.