While sitting in bed sulking I was surprised to hear my mom announce that I had a visitor. I wasn't much in the mood to get gawked at. My spirits were heightened when moments later Jessie peered around the corner.
"Hi how are you feeling? Just my luck, I find someone to talk to and he gets hit by lightning." She asked, smirking at her comment.
"Like Charlie Brown." I replied. Being a smart ass.
"Charlie Brown?" She looked at me like the lightening might have done some serious damage.
"Yep I'm happy the pretty red headed girl came to see me." I said smiling at her.
Jessie blushed without saying anything. She had taken the trouble to get my home address and bring all my missed school work. I could have really done without the work, but I was glad to see her.
"Thanks for coming by. I've been going insane cooped up in the house with my mom hovering over me every second." I sighed.
"What are friends for!"
I invited her to grab a seat. She rolled my computer chair up next to my bed, carefully straightened Her skirt under her and sat. We gabbed for a long while, about anything and everything. I found it relaxing sitting there listening to her speak.
"Jessie I really need to talk about something else...can you keep a secret?" I asked.
"Sure. Is everything OK?" She had a truly concerned expression on her face.
I went into painstaking detail about my newly discovered abilities. Being able to read, control, modify, and twist peoples minds and thoughts. I did however omit the part about Gabby. That detail I was keeping to myself.
She sat and thought quietly about what I said. Maybe it's the Loratab he is taking for the pain. He has been through a lot.
Before she could formulate a reply I said " Yes I have been through a lot, and it's not the Lotatab, because I am taking Ibuprofen for pain." I said aloud.
Jessie's jaw fell slack and she turned white as a ghost. She looked horrified and scared. She sat in total disbelief for a few moments.
"Wha...How...I didn't say anything. Oh my God you can..." She stammered making the sign of the Cross as if praying.
"Are you OK? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I am just as weirded out as you."
"I...I...no I'm OK...just so many questions." She replied
"So do I. Ask away I'll try do my best."
"My parents will be here any minute I told them to pick me up at six."
"Would you like to stay the night and talk, I swear only talk."
"I would like that but my parent's would never allow that. Not with anyone especially a boy."
Just then mom yelled up and announced Jessie's parents were there. I Followed Jessie downstairs hopping on one foot. I greeted her parents and slipped the notion that they were so proud of Jessie for helping me in my time of need. That I seemed like a truly trustworthy boy, and that she should stay as long as she wanted. I also made my parents keen on the idea. Then I turned and winked at Jessie and mouthed the words play along. She stared at me quizzically.
"You know I think it's great, you keeping Paul company." Jessie's father commented to her. "Would you like to stay tonight? I am sure he is getting lonely." He continued. His wife standing dutifully by his side putting up no argument.
"Sure dad. Thank you." Jessie responded in amazement.
Jessie and I retreated back to my room. She was in a total state of shock.
"I can't believe he let me stay. You can make people do anything?"
"Well I didn't make him, I just put the idea in his head. But yes I could have had him strip naked and honk like a goose in our living room If I wanted."
"Oh my too funny...wait...have you messed with my thoughts or made me do anything?"
"No, I wouldn't do that. You are the one person in this shit town that even speaks to me. I wouldn't do that to you. You have my word."
She smiled softly seeming content with my answer. We chatted for hours about both the good and bad things I had the potential of doing. I suggested I could even walk into the girls showers without them know. She scolded me and said if I did that I would have to get her into the boys locker room. I looked at her in shock.
"What? Just because I am saving myself for marriage doesn't mean I can't think about it!" She said sternly. We both busted out laughing.
I offered her some of my shorts and a long t shirt so she could get out of her school clothes, and get comfy since she was there for the night.
As much as I would have liked to, I forced myself to be true to my word and did not mess with her or spy on her. I truly liked Jessie, and didn't want to wrong her. With all the twisted shit I had notions to do with these new powers, that little piece of intact conscience wouldn't allow me to taint her.
Jessie returned a short time later. Instead of staying cooped up in my room we grabbed some sodas and sat out by the pool. We talked for a long while, she told me the story of how she came to be the new girl in town.
Jessie and her family were from Seattle, a couple years back her sister Marcy now seventeen fell in with some bad friends at school and began abusing drugs and alcohol. Her parents decided to move the whole family to a more rural area like our town to clean her sister up and avoid her being thrown in juvie. Her father is an accomplished author of Christian books and blogs. Her mom was an accountant, but now stays home with her sister.
"At least it doesn't rain here everyday." She said wrapping up her story.
I told her my nearly identical story. Dad was an attorney, Mom didn't need to work but kept her self occupied doing internet surveys, and reselling nice stuff from yard sales on eBay. We moved here from Baltimore because it was getting too dangerous, and Dad was tiring of defending gang bangers and wanted a slower, safer place.
It was getting late, and we were getting tired so we retreated back to my bedroom. I crawled into bed, and offered her a spot next to me. She looked at me kind of funny, apparently she had not considered the sleeping arrangements.
"Gentleman's honor, I won't... rather can't lay a hand on you." I said holding my bandaged hands in the air.
She giggled accepting my pledge of honor and crawled in. We found a movie and neither of us made it all the way through before falling asleep.
I awoke first, happy to have her by my side. I just watched her sleep, even with bedhead she was beautiful. I carefully inspected every freckle, every curve of her face. Her gorgeous red hair was starting to glow from the morning light beginning to shine through the window. She stretched and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands, as they opened revealing their pretty hue of green. It was then she realized I was watching her.
"You creeping me in my sleep?" She asked jokingly.
"Not creeping, admiring." I replied, watching her soft white cheeks blush.
Jessie helped me with all my back logged school work, being I would be returning in two days. My hands had been bandaged for seven days, and time to be removed. Jessie helped unwind the gauze off off my hands and fingers, watching my face carefully making sure it didn't hurt. When she was finished she examined my hands, commenting that the burns weren't as severe as she expected.
"That bat just disappeared in a ball of fire....I thought for sure that your hands would have been mangled." She said softly touching the wounds.
"Let's celebrate. How about the pizza shop up the street?" I asked.
A short time later we were walking up the street. I would have been happy to walk hand in hand but they were still tender so she took my arm. We grabbed a booth and split a large pepperoni. We must have been hungry because we demolished it in no time flat. I payed for our meal and we started the short trek back to my house. We noticed a guy staggering a short distance behind us but paid him no mind.
"Hey...hey you hotty...get rid of the kid...I'm a real man." The man obviously drunk slurred. We tried to ignore him and pick up the pace.
"Hey does the carpet match the drapes? I'd tear that pussy up." He shouted.
I spun and stared at him. At fourteen I was no match for this guy physically. But I sure could fuck with his head. Jessie took shelter behind me. I concentrated on what I was going to do. Before he closed the distance, he stopped, stripped totally naked, then ran down the middle of the street singing It's raining men, with his dick in his hand.
Jessie stepped out from behind me, visibly shaken. She looked at me, then at the nude guy running down the street, then back to me, and erupted in full on belly laughing. When she finally pulled her self together, she stood and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and thanked me.
"He's going to have a hard time explaining that to the cops." I said snickering.
Shortly after arriving back at my house, it was time for her to go home. I hated to see her go but we both had things to do before Monday. The next couple of nights I slept on the pillow she had used. It was intoxicating, her scent made my dreams so vivid. I intended to do some pretty raunchy things with these powers, but Jessie was to be both untouched in body and mind. I would not reveal or let her discover my dark side, unless it was something she wanted.