Page 71 of One Lovely Lie

Fuck. I miss my mom.

“They wouldn’t,” she gasps. She takes her hand away as she fiddles through her desk drawer. She comes back with a little piece of candy. My favorite. “Here, take this. You’re a good boy, Avery. You just need to remember to keep yourself in check.”

I shrug. “I really wish it were that easy.”

I guess I just need somebody that’s not me to remind me not to do a bunch of stupid shit just because my brain tells me it’s okay. Apparently, none of the things I do are okay, but they seem reasonable enough when I first think of them.

“Excuse me. I think this is where I need to be?”

Both Hildie and I turn at the interruption. In front of us is the prettiest guy I have ever seen. He’s like nobody I’ve ever encountered before.

He’s small, really thin, and so petite. I think if he were standing next to me, he’d barely come up to my chest, but I am a pretty big guy. He’s got this face that looks like a pixie, all dainty and pointy but so smooth. He’s wearing some sort of blue shit on his eyelids that make his brown eyes glow and his nails are painted a nice blue to match the color of his sparkly shirt.

He’s so fucking cute.

He’s giving me a weird look because I’m probably scaring him, but I can’t help it. I’m so mesmerized by the way he smiles at Hildie and the little nervous tremble in his fingers as he shifts on his heels in front of us.

“Avery,” I blurt out, sticking my hand out in front of me. He looks at it once, twice, and then places his in mine.

“Sebastian,” he replies.

Sebastian. Sebastian. Sebastian.

Oh no.

We like Sebastian.

Oh, fuck no. I shake my head and try to get rid of the voice lingering in there.

He’s so pretty.

I can feel it coming on. I tell myself it’s a bad idea. I pray for my brain to think of anything else. I want to be normal. I want to be nice. I want to not be expelled.

But my brain’s already fixated.

I’ve found my newest obsession.

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