Blatantly Avoiding Social Contact

Tiffany curled up in a little ball in the corner with her eyes closed. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt like a weight was lifted from her.

There was a party of some sort going on upstairs. She didn't like parties. Or social gatherings in general, really. She was the most introverted of introverts, and was actually kind of proud of it.

Being in a new school was weird. She knew none of the people and they didn't even try to know her.

Which wasn't all that new to her, really.

Mike snook silently into the basement to see someone already there. He blinked a few times, to get used to the lack of light. It was a girl, around his age, maybe, with a shock of red hair that reminded him strangely of home.

Home.

"Hey," he said, quietly so he wouldn't startle her, "Mind if I sit here?"

Tiffany glanced upwards. She remembered what the counselor said, and decided that she was going to have to speak. It was the only way to get better, right?

"S-sure," her voice cracked embarrassingly.

He looked at her with slight concern. "Are you alright? You sound like you have a cold or something."

"N-no," she shook her head, "I-I'm just used to..."

'... talking with my eyes.'

He blinked twice with wide eyes, hearing her meek voice echo gently in his mind. Octela Academy for Weirdos, he had called it. All kinds of crazy stuff over there, he had said.

This was, undoubtably, crazy.

"Wait, so you... Can talk to people just by looking at them?" He tried not to visibly recoil away from her. Especially when he remembered that he was just as crazy as she was. "That's... That's crazy." His tone was not insulting.

Tiffany paused for a second, frowning at the floor.

But then she laughed. A quiet melody like no other sound she could make out loud.

'Yes. Yes, it is crazy.'

He smiled at her, "It's okay, though. It's a good kind of crazy."

"I originally didn't want to come here for that exact reason, actually." He took a deep breath, "I have a power, as well. But it's nothing special. I can live in memories. Time stops when I do it, and I spend more time in the past than I do in the present. I didn't want to come here because I don't want to be fixed. And I definitely don't want to meet so many people with more... More interesting powers than I do."

Mike glanced at her, then laughed, "I failed that already."

'I'm not that interesting. In fact, I don't talk normally much anymore. It has affected my voice, as you heard before.' Even using her favourite form of communication, Tiffany rarely said any more than she needed to.

She was trying not to smile. She was positive he was lying, or at least exaggerating. But, all the same, he was the first student she had met who hadn't made a snide comment about her not being able to speak very well.

'I'm Tiffany, by the way. Tiffany Arsenic, first year Rosewood.'

"Every talent has it's drawbacks, I suppose." He frowned.

"Mike Valentine, second year Ceballeran. I'm a transfer student, though, so I've only actually been here about a week. Nice to meet ya," he extended a hand to shake.

They shook hands.

'Well, Mike Valentine, I really must be going. Homework, and lots of it. From what I can hear, the party's stopped.' She stood up, and brushed herself off, 'See you around sometime.'

With nothing else to say, she left.

Mike watched her go, in deep thought.

Tiffany acted as if her ability was frowned upon. Maybe it was frowned upon. Maybe it wasn't all that fun having a power like that. Maybe he had it better.

He didn't want to think that he had it better.