Lying To Myself

“Have you ever lied to someone in this room?”

It’s 4:15 pm, eight of us sit in the high school cafeteria. Mr. Hollowaty has been asking us questions for the last half-hour.

I feel Mr. Hollowaty looking at me before he utters my name, “Miss Addler?”

My face burns. Max glances at me without lifting his head before looking away. He couldn’t know that I lied to him, right?

Brianna is staring directly at Max. I want to throw up.

Don’t tell anyone, but she’s sleeping with Mr. Hollowaty. The words I uttered to Max a mere three hours ago.

“Sophie?” 

My throat is dry. “Yes, I have.”

Brianna eyes me as if she knows. 

“Time’s up,” Mr. Hollowaty says. “Thank you for your participation. Tomorrow will be just Brianna, Sophie, Max, and Justin.” 

Max looks at Brianna and a small smile curves on his lips. I grab my bag, ready to go, when someone walks up next to me. 

           “I’m getting a ride with Bri,” Max’s whisper tingles against my ear. 

           “Fine.”

           I throw my bag over my shoulder and keep my eyes down as I walk towards one of the exits. I set my hand on the lever to open the door, but it doesn’t budge. The lights flicker overhead twice, and then the room darkens. I spin to find Brianna, Max, and Justin standing at the other door. Everyone else is gone.

“What the hell,” Justin says. “I’m late for football practice.” 

My phone has no service. “Anyone else’s phone working?”

“Already checked,” Brianna’s voice makes my jaw tighten. 

Great. I’m stuck in a high school cafeteria with my best-friend, the girl he has a crush on, and the quarterback who thinks he’s better than everyone else. 

Max checks the wall phone as the rest of us convene in the middle. “It’s also dead.”

“Yeah, the powers out, dumbass.” 

Max glares at Justin and tension builds in my stomach. 

“Max, don’t,” Brianna says, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

I take a steadying breath. “It’s still daytime, surely someone will walk this way.”

“There’d be no reason to come to this part of the school from the practice fields,” Justin says. 

Brianna clutches her bag. “I’m going to the bathroom.” 

Justin brushes past me and follows her towards the bathrooms in the back. 

I walk over to a door, Max’s footsteps follow me. All I ever want is to be alone with him but right now, this feels like my personal hell. 

“So, you asked her out already?” I hear myself ask. 

“Not exactly.” 

He gets to the door before me and lays his entire body weight into the door handle, his triceps flexing. 

“Well I hope that works out for you.” I spin towards the other exit. The definition of insanity, right? Keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Keep pushing on locked doors. Keep pushing him to other girls. 

I try turning the handle, it doesn’t even move.

“Soph, what’s wrong with you?”

A laugh bubbles out of me, followed by tears pooling in my eyes. I bang on the door three times before a tear escapes.

“We’re never getting out of here,” I whisper. 

Max’s thumb brushes over my cheek, wiping away the tear. 

I pull away. “Don’t.”

“Sophie.” My heart skips. The way he says it, with such gentleness like he actually cares. 

Brianna and Justin come out of the bathrooms and Justin grabs a chair, heading towards a window. 

“Justin, wait!” Max shouts running towards him. 

Max rips the chair out of Justin’s hand as a wave of Deja Vu washes over me. Bri and I take off towards them, as if we had the same thought. Justin picks up another chair as Bri side checks Max out of the way, and Justin spins.

A loud crack echoes through the room before her body thuds to the floor. 

“What the fuck!” Max shouts before he drops to the floor beside Bri.

My body runs cold as Justin backs away from the scene of the crime. 

“I didn’t mean…”

“She’s bleeding,” Max says. He pulls his shirt over his head and pulls her into his lap, pressing his shirt to the wound. 

“Is there a pulse?” I grip my stupid, useless phone.

“Yes,” Max says. 

Justin crawls over towards Bri.

“Don’t hurt her,” Max pushes him back with his free hand.

Justin reaches out and touches Bri’s head. My chest expands as a positive energy flows around me.

“I’m helping.”

“How?”

He closes his eyes and Max looks at me, questioningly. 

“It’s okay.” Because I can feel Justin’s power as he focuses on Bri. 

Max studies me. “Why were you crying?”

“Because we’re stuck in a cafeteria.” The lie weighs like lead on my tongue. I can't tell him, because I can't hear him tell me what I already know. That he doesn't want me.

Brianna inhales a sharp breath and shifts in Max’s arms before she sits up. 

“What’d you do?” Max asks. 

Justin studies his hands. “I think I healed her.”

Brianna uses Max’s shirt to wipe the blood off her skin, no wound visible beneath the mess. 

“That’s why they're doing this to us, we have powers.” 

Brianna laughs, “no way.” I hate how beautiful she is. 

“It can’t be real,” Justin says. 

“I certainly don’t have powers,” Max says. 

“You just haven’t found it yet.” A deep voice sounds from the corner of the room and the lights flicker back on. The man slowly claps his hands. “That was impressive.”

“Who are you?” Justin asks. 

“My name is Hunter. I will be one of your guides to help you understand these powers.”

I try to dig into whatever sensation I felt when I could feel that Justin was healing Bri. But it’s useless, I can’t feel Max.

Max cocks his head, “what are you doing?”

“Trying to feel you,” I say.

“Why were you crying? Don’t lie to me.” 

“You wouldn’t care if I told you the truth.”

His Adam’s apple bobs. “Soph, you have no idea how much I care.”