The Boy Who Read Minds

By Veronica Soliman

Aaron's special power might just be the coolest- or scariest- thing ever! It's always helped with his bad-boy reputation, his rightfully arrogant all-knowing intimidation seemed to go a long way with his academic and romantic life. That is, until he met Violet, one of the smartest girls in school; a girl he's been using for years, zoning in on her mind to ultimately cheat on tests. Until one day, she failed him. Her mind wandered all over the place and he couldn't help but sympathize, curiosity got the best of him. Aaron depends so much on his mind-reading capabilities that when they suddenly disappear- so does everything he hasn't worked for. His secret was like Samson and his hair, once it's told, the magic's all gone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Veronica Soliman
• Release date: Jan 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005215224

Book preview

The Book Who Read Minds

Veronica Soliman

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story switches character point of views every chapter. This story may be triggering to some readers. Content warnings: violence, murder, rape, death, domestic violence, and other disturbing content. Read at your own discretion. Book 1 of the Mind-Reader Series. Copyright 2021, all right reserved.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:\\ Puberty      4

Chapter 2:\\ Tardy      7

Chapter 3:\\ Violet’s Catastrophe      10

Chapter 4:\\ Not Exclusive      13

Chapter 5:\\ Dior Red      18

Chapter 6:\\ Studying Violet      23

Chapter 7:\\ Making Scenes      26

Chapter 8:\\ ResponsibiliTEA      30

Chapter 9:\\ Camping      34

Chapter 10:\\ Jealousy      37

Chapter 11:\\ Insightful      40

Chapter 12:\\ Tossing and Turning      45

Chapter 13:\\ Liar      46

Chapter 14:\\ Caring      49

Chapter 15:\\ Close Encounters      54

Chapter 16:\\ Insensitive Bulls      60

Chapter 17:\\ Lab Experiment      63

Chapter 18:\\ Question His Sanity      66

Chapter 19:\\ An Interesting Turn of Events      69

Chapter 20:\\ Amelia      72

Chapter 21:\\ Powerless      74

Chapter 22:\\ Brain Games      76

Chapter 23:\\ Yeast Mode      79

Chapter 24:\\ Running      81

Chapter 25:\\ My Heart      85

Chapter 26:\\ Envy Has a Face      88

Chapter 27:\\ Mother      92

Chapter 28:\\ Into the Abscess      94

Chapter 29:\\ Unethical Woes      97

Chapter 30:\\ Admiration      99

Chapter 31:\\ Earnestly      102

Chapter 32:\\ The L Word      105

Chapter 33:\\ Trapped      108

Chapter 34:\\ Intimate Relations      112

Chapter 35:\\ Accidents that We Admired      114

Chapter 36:\\ Reign It In      119

Chapter 37:\\ Break Up Games      124

Chapter 38:\\ Missing      128

Chapter 39:\\ True Beauty      130

Chapter 40:\\ Wrong      133

Chapter 41:\\ Show Yourself      136

Chapter 42:\\ Serum      140

Chapter 43:\\ Lava Rising      142

Chapter 44:\\ Uncharted Territory      146

Chapter 45:\\ Levels of Protection      149

Chapter 46:\\ Birds Eye View      152

Chapter 47:\\ Morning Dates      155

Chapter 48:\\ She’s My Sister      158

Chapter 49:\\ Aaron      161

Chapter 50:\\ A Little Birdie      165

Chapter 51:\\ Last Chance      169

Chapter 52:\\ ‘Dooley’ Noted      171

Chapter 53:\\ Hook, Line, and Sinker      175

Chapter 54:\\ Like a Switch      177

Chapter 55:\\ Bulldozer      180

Chapter 56:\\ Hatred      185

Chapter 57:\\ Protector      187

Afterword      193

Extra      195

Chapter 1:\\ Puberty

Aaron

I stared at my body in the mirror, admiring the sculpted shape that seemed to take place out of nowhere. When puberty hit, everything changed— and not just physically. My four-foot body had skyrocketed into a six-foot tower that screamed for attention. My brown eyes had somehow changed into a lucid gray.

Neither my parents, nor any doctors knew the reason behind it, and neither did I, but it didn’t matter then. And that was only the start of the changes that happened back when I was thirteen. My choice of friends shifted with my sudden change of looks and girls suddenly went from cooties to cuties.

I was a professional cheater, zoning in on my classmates’ minds and stealing their answers during exams. My parents were very proud of their gifted Valedictorian so much so that they gave me everything I could have ever dreamed of, rewarding me for my accomplishments.

A few months after my thirteenth birthday, my shifting body and friend-types weren't the only major changes that happened. My voice began to change and so did my way of thinking. I recall waking up one morning and the only thought on my mind was how badly I wanted to buy a new car for my wife. Only— I didn't have a wife. And a day later, my dad had, surely enough, purchased a brand-new vehicle that was kindly placed outside for my mother to wake up to. Believe me when I tell you, I was confused.

Strangely, sexual thoughts began to play on my mind as I walked the halls of Rosemond High School and it didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't even thinking for myself. My mind had been taken over by the busy minds of my fellow freshmen just as the school year was starting out and I had no control or way to stop it.

I towered over the majority of my classmates and I strode confidently. I wondered if this was how Jesus had felt, walking through the crowd and knowing exactly who was thinking what thoughts. I knew all and oversaw all. I was a star pupil, and everyone knew it.

Occasionally, I would stroll through the hallways and find myself dreaming of vegetables, craving their taste in my mouth. But then my eyes would land on the very girl who studied too much and partied too little.

Violet was a sort of rare beauty. As in, she wasn't pretty or hot or any of that, she was just cute. Like I want to hug her because she's a puppy kind of cute. But I had used this girl far more times than I could remember, she was my only competition when it came to maintaining my spot as Valedictorian, but it was her mind that should've won. She scored the scores, studied the hardest, but I stole the answers when it mattered most. It was a system that she had no idea about; and I had no intention of telling her either. I kept my talent to myself; nobody knew.

My skills on the basketball court were just as great as my GPA, I caught onto my teammates' plans quickly and played out the role they needed. I could hear what they were planning for their next move and would work to make it perfect. We were an incredible team; exceptionally talented and loved by our community. I was a masterpiece put on Earth to steal answers off of tests and win basketball games.

This morning, I woke up beside a beautiful Amy Bloom. The same Amy Bloom who I had been with since I was fifteen. I knew she liked me, and I hated the way she felt around me. Her mind would jumble up and the one phrase that always stuck out to me was Aaron's so hot.

Her vile thinking went on for months, in fact it continued until the end of my sophomore year when I finally played upon her feelings. I couldn't feel what she felt, but I could hear what she was thinking— invading every shallow corner of her privacy until she was just a hollow shell of a mindless human being. Amy Bloom was hated by half the population at Rosemond High, the other half didn't know her. And I pitied her until I realized who she truly was. I admired the looks people gave us and the way they would boost me up when they saw us together.

Why is Aaron with her? Was their general train of thought as we strolled hand in hand, apathetic to the looks that were shot our way. By the time sophomore year ended, we had decided that a relationship wasn't for us and a casual friendship would work best. She had thought about suggesting it and I had simply voiced her thoughts, suffice to say, she happily agreed. And I more-than-happily complied.

And today was the start of our junior year, a year that was full of mystery and ready to grasp us by the collars and toss us against walls. It was exhilarating, but I felt ready to hop into this adventure, feet first.

I watched Amy for a couple moments, then finally got out of bed. My parents knew I was with Amy, but they never once suspected I was with Amy. They were slightly naïve in their thinking and I admired every aspect of it.

But, before I can get into the fact of the matter, I would like to assure you that I cannot read your mind. Believe me, I've tried, but you're just a hard nut to crack.

But Amy, Amy was easy. Easy in so many aspects that I could drown myself in the list. She lay on my bed, a small light from my curtain rained on her. She looked almost angelic, the absolute opposite of what she truly was. Amy Bloom could easily have been a genius if she had chosen to put in the work. I mean, if she ever decided to actually go to school. Yet, she wasn't one for change. She was content in her ignorance. Amy Bloom ditched school often but assumed that her parent's money and her good looks could take her far in life. Little did she know how wrong that was.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Allow me to rewind and start at the beginning. Puberty made me irresistible and somehow my malformed genetics gave my low IQ the power to read minds. From then on, I became the cool guy that everyone wanted to know. And I knew exactly what each one of them wanted from me.

Why, you ask. Because I, Aaron Paul, can read minds.

Chapter 2:\\ Tardy

Amy

I used to like Aaron, like hardcore crushing, thinking about him twenty-four-seven kind of liking. He always seemed to know what was on my mind and I admired not having to tell him my feelings or desires. He always seemed to just know.

I thought it was weird at first, but I was grateful that I didn't get stuck with a guy who had to second-guess everything he did to try to make me happy. Aaron always sort of just knew what he was doing. His confidence was insanely attractive. He was the definition of cool, calm, and collected; he wore it with a cocky smirk and confident stride.

Sure, he was hot, but Aaron wasn't exactly my type. It irked me how he would go on his days partying and somehow ace every exam. I couldn't understand how this boy never sat down long enough to study but ended up being Valedictorian. He didn’t even bring a backpack to school for crying out loud; it didn’t make any sense.

He was just an arrogant narcissist who walked all over people to get what he wanted; it was like he owned the world. He’d always had a comeback ready before anyone could even insult him, and it annoyed me just how perfect his life actually was. It seemed impossible to get him down or upset him, which made me even angrier.

His parents were only home for a couple days every week and he spent whatever time he could with them. He was an only child, so he searched for friends everywhere— and friends were something he certainly had. The whole school was practically waiting for an opening in his busy schedule, every girl that knew him wanted to date him while every boy wanted to be him.

I lay half-awake on his oversized bed. His room had two levels to it, separated by some stairs that led to the second level. He had never let me up there, but I had snuck up the small, white ladder-looking staircase once and found an empty desk and a whole lot of books on a bookshelf. It was coated in dust, indicating that he was rarely ever up there anyway.

I had awoken from a dream, looking into his sharp gray eyes and feeling slightly embarrassed when I saw the smuggest grin on his face. It wasn’t like he knew what I had dreamt, but it seemed like he did. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he replayed the events of my dreams back to me.

Idiot. I thought, catching his gray gaze on me. He was stunning and I didn't think I could ever get over it. He chuckled quietly as I continued to unblur my sleepy eyes to focus on him.

Ready to go? He asked as I rolled over, mumbling incoherently into the pillow before standing up and walking toward his closet to change. I’d left a couple outfits in here, mainly sweatpants.

Yeah, I muttered, changing my clothes and running a hand through my knotted hair. I pushed the thoughts away as I stalked toward him. My fingers laced with his as he stood up from the sofa and hugged me.

We should get going. He grinned, trailing his fingers up to my shoulders and down my back. I shivered under his touch. After two years, he still somehow made me nervous.

Or we could stay here today, I mumbled in a suggestive voice, wrapping my arms around his neck as I gazed into his eyes; his eyelashes were unfairly longer than mine. He laughed, I couldn't understand why or what he thought was so funny as he backed up and headed toward the door.

Or we could make a good first impression, His smile faded as I eyed him carefully, confused as to why he was acting exceptionally distant today. I ignored it and followed him downstairs.

Morning mom. Aaron said, passing his mother in the hallway before heading down the wide, glass staircase. It looked like it would much rather serve a role in the house of the Queen of England than here. On the outside, his home didn't look too big, but inside was a different story. It was so spacious and mechanically designed to harbor happiness. I’m not going to lie; I was jealous of his home and loved spending time there.

Aaron! You should've left an hour ago! His mom called, heading down the stairs with a frown on her face and concern furrowing her brows. Aaron swiftly nodded in her direction and strode on his long legs to his car. He grimaced when he saw it parked outside with its cover halfway off, probably pushed off by the wind, while yellow and orange leaves piled inside the cover.

I couldn't contain my smile. Finally, something didn't go his way.

He turned to look at me with an eyebrow raised and I suddenly felt guilty for thinking that. It wasn't like he knew what I had thought about him. Sometimes I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself and it made me paranoid. I sat in the passenger seat of his Toyota— lame I know, but his parents gave it to him as a test car, just for practicing, but instead he decided to keep it. He liked something about the car, even though he could easily afford any other car. Maybe one that looked nicer than this green dump.

He patronized me with a condescending tone as we arrived and parked in front of the school. He hopped out, not even bothering to open my passenger door for me as he skipped merrily to the front doors of Rosemond High school. It was invigorating, frustrating even, that he could look and be that perfect with little to no effort. It made me wonder if Aaron was some sort of alien from another planet whose sole purpose on Earth was to make everyone else feel inferior.

I watched him walk away without bothering to lock the car behind him. Obviously, he wouldn't care if it was stolen. After all, it was just some ugly, green piece of junk. He didn't look back once as he strolled through the front office and completely disappeared from my sight.

It was then that I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

I wore the same jeans that I’d worn yesterday, the same coat and shirt. I was an absolute mess by the time I looked at my reflection on his car window. My makeup was everywhere and my unbrushed hair looked like the bottom of a gum-covered shoe. I didn’t even want to think about how I possibly smelled. If I was sane, I would have decided to go home and at least shower. If I was sane, I would’ve been afraid to look at myself today, much less present myself in school.

But sanity was a figment of my imagination.

I strolled into the office where I collected my schedule and headed to my third-period class. Biology with Mr. Walker. What a great way to start off my junior year.

Chapter 3:\\ Violet’s Catastrophe

Violet

And then you find the cube root of pi and plug x into the equation. Take out your graphing calculators and we can practice these easy trigonometric functions before we get into the good old calc- Mr. Salé stopped talking as a boy I had known for the majority of my life strode in. I rolled my eyes; he always made a scene on purpose. I was sure of that by now. The whole class seemed to grow silent and their whispers simmered down as the temperature of the classroom suddenly rose. It was visible that someone special had entered when all the girls, and some of the guys, began blushing. The ladies behind me started whispering among themselves as I sat bored, staring at the projector screen and waiting for Mr. Salé to continue his explanation.

And you are? Mr. Salé asked as Aaron shoved his hands into his pockets, casually.

Mr. Salé was significantly shorter than Aaron; the only thing he held above him was authority. I noticed Aaron wasn't wearing a backpack, which wasn't odd considering he rarely did his homework— he usually just copied the answers from his many, many friends who were all too eager to please.

Aaron Paul. His voice was a mix of husky and smooth, a shiver rushed down my spine as he spoke. This was one of the many times where I had had a class with him since high school began and it was still crazy to hear how much his squeaky voice had become so masculine and deep.

He moved his hand from his pocket and into his hair, his fingers grazing his scalp before the impossible seemed to happen and I was harpooned into sparkling, deep gray eyes. I couldn’t seem to look away as my breath caught in my throat.

Right Mr. Paul. I would tell you to take a seat, but the bell rings in a couple minutes. However, class we still have some time so just write down the pages for your homework tonight. He turned to Aaron, Have a seat momentarily beside Ms. Veowsalot, I can give you your assigned seat tomorrow. He pointed directly at me and I immediately glanced away and blushed. Please don’t sit beside me, I don’t need this distraction, this class is difficult enough already.

Sure thing, Aaron smirked like he had planned this all out and slid into the empty seat beside me. He seemed so sure of what was happening; confidence clearly took him far in life. Or perhaps it was just an overinflated ego and he was guessing at everything.

As soon as he sat, the bell loudly fired off its alarm and I hopped out of my seat. I felt his eyes follow me, hotly staring at my back as I made my way out. Of all the empty seats in the classroom, Mr. Salé had to place me beside the biggest cheater in the school.

I never thought he was smart. In fact, I believed him to be a total imbecile whose only purpose in life was to play basketball and go to parties. Perhaps I was being too cruel in my judgements, but there was no other way to describe him.

My best friend, Stacy Marks, also fell for his insignificant looks years ago. He had blossomed at the end of our eighth-grade year and almost seemed to have grown two full feet during freshman year. He had suddenly become more attractive and so had his GPA. I couldn’t comprehend how he had gotten so smart so quickly or how his entire personality had shifted. He was always a very outgoing kid, but now he was way cockier and fuller of himself than I’d ever imagined.

I admit, Aaron challenged me intellectually and he always somehow scored higher than me. I often wondered how many hours he spent studying, aside from all the fun things he did. I had always wanted to ask him how he studied, but I never got around to it. Whether he was surrounded by his fangirls or his teammates, there was never a chance to ask.

The rest of the day went by smoothly as lunch slithered in. I found Stacy waiting for me at our usual table. We dropped off our backpacks like we had done last year to save our seats and went to wait in the lunch line. Typically, the first week of school was filled with decent food, but later on the food would simply be for sustenance. This year, Rosemond High had created a salad bar and the line for that was unbelievably long. I would have to wait at least twenty minutes just to get my two tomatoes. I tapped my fingers impatiently against my thigh as I waited in line. Stacy, my best friend, stood beside me silently and watched other people make their salads.

Stacy Marks could be unbelievably mean sometimes, but at least she was straightforward; I never would have befriended her if we hadn't gotten stuck together at lunch one day and we kind of just clicked. We had a silent agreement to tolerate each other until the end of high school and that’s how it had been for the past two years. I was overly kind and apologetic, meanwhile Stacy could kill a bird with one look. But I could be that way too sometimes and I appreciated that she said things like they were. I liked straightforward people; it avoided the awkwardness of beating around the bush or the dishonesty that came with not sharing what you truly feel and think about something.

Stop tapping your finger V, it's getting annoying. She tossed a glance, glaring in my direction as I continued to tap.

Stop tapping your finger V, it's getting annoying. I mimicked, picturing the SpongeBob meme as I laughed to myself. Across the cafeteria, I couldn't help but notice smiling gray eyes focused on me. I looked at him, confused as to why he was looking at me. I highly doubted that Aaron would take an interest in me other than asking me for homework answers. I looked away as the line slowly moved forward, and we got our lunches.

Aaron Paul is in my advanced-placement calculus class. I complained to Stacy as we made our way to our usual table and sat down. The cafeteria was crowded today, everybody was excited to see their friends and talk about their summers.

And? She asked, rolling her eyes and taking a bite out of her apple, he actually showed up to school, that's a first. She snickered, almost to herself.

And he sits next to me in calculus… Mr. Salé, I continued, hoping to vent and be heard, but I was cut off by a lettuce chewing Stacy.

Good, there's an opportunity to get to know him. If I were you, I would jump at the chance of sitting next to Aaron, he's hot and has good grades so he's definitely going somewhere in life and might end up rich. If not, you can marry him and mooch off his parents, Stacy laughed, "Hey, I've got a great idea. You should offer to tutor him and send him to me. I wouldn’t mind having a slice of that pie; you know I’ve loved him since I laid eyes on him." She licked her lips, glancing at Aaron then shifting her gaze back to me. I wondered if she was being sarcastic, but I didn’t dare ask. I knew she’d say something hurtful. I swallowed my disgust before glancing back at her.

So has every other girl at this school. I rolled my eyes; I just didn’t get it. That sounds really cliché. Besides, I'm not one to go after guys and you know it, even if it is for someone else.

Then how are you going to snatch him off the market? She asked, chewing loudly.

What makes you think that's what I want? I furrowed my eyebrows, frustrated. I had wanted a decent conversation, I wanted to complain about how Aaron would cheat off my homework now, but Stacy’s mind was always in the gutter.

Suit yourself. But if I were you— I knew she would say something along those lines, Stacy always seemed to turn conversations around to make herself the main focus.

You're not me. I cut her off, then apologized for being rude, S… sorry, I finally said, hoping I didn't offend her with my attitude. "But I really don't care for him. Honestly, he's hot, but he's a huge player. He doesn't know what a relationship is, and he seems to basically know everything about everyone, which is kind of stalker-ish and nosey, if you ask me."

I wouldn't mind a guy who knew what I liked. She smirked, returning her attention to her food. I didn't reply, there was no way I was getting through to her anyway. I didn't know what to say to her obvious innuendo. Aaron Paul was not someone I wanted to talk about while I ate, my appetite immediately disappeared, and I tossed the remnants of my salad into the nearby trash bin. The bell rang and I walked to my last class of the day. I groaned when I saw that Aaron was in this one too.

Chapter 4:\\ Not Exclusive

Aaron

Sometimes I wish I could control people's thoughts. Hearing them is great but controlling them would be the ultimate superpower. I could be so much more progressive if that were true. I could have Principal Thatcher in the palm of my hands. But no, I was stuck hearing everyone's thoughts and they always clouded over my own. I could never think for myself and it was annoying at first, but I guess I was used to it. I thought I was going insane; but who needs to think for themselves when they can have hundreds of people thinking for them?

Aaron Paul is not hot. Aaron Paul is not hot. The girl that sat beside me kept repeating that phrase to herself and I did all I could to hold back my laughter. She glanced at me as I smiled, and she blushed.

Okay, maybe a little. I laughed, turning my glance away from her and onto the history teacher in front of me. She was young, very pretty, and she seemed intrigued by my presence. She looked at me as if I were just another student, but I heard her vulgar thoughts the second she’d introduced herself. I looked down, urging my stomach to retain its contents.

I had tried to tune out her thoughts to hear her, but

Reviews for The Boy Who Read Minds

[jaima Mai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story is amazing I loved every part of it!! Was like a really well thought out puzzle so congrats to this author! I do wish it was available on more places and cannot wait for book 2!

[Jerusha P · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

sucks to be honest with you. Isn’t available anywhere else