Chapter 16

Talia was another one of my Biology classmates—and she was so very pretty. She had long, wavy, sable hair that shined and contrasted beautifully with her fair skin and bright, hazel eyes. To run into her in the hallways was a gigantic coincidence, but it was one that I welcomed just because of how nice it was to be around her.

"Are you okay?" I quickly asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no," she replied with a casual wave, "That was totally my fault."

I shook my head. "Well, I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going either."

She laughed as she combed back her long hair. "Guess it's both of our faults, then."

We smiled at each other as we stood there for just a moment. She had this unfaltering, pretty smile on her face that reflected how upbeat and perky she was. She was another part of the reason Biology class was so enjoyable. She was a sweet girl whose beauty was amplified by the exotic nature of her Persian genetic makeup. Although, she sounded and dressed and acted just the same as any other American girl in school did. Well, except for how nice she was compared to some others.

I kept a smile upon my face, trying to keep my eyes on her face and deter myself from looking down to mentally undress her. She had a lovely frame, though it was currently obscured by a dense, black sweater. Just like Jennifer, Talia always seemed to wear a sweater when there was even the slightest dip in temperature outside. I swear girls were so much more sensitive to the cold. Just my opinion, though.

"Pretty crazy," I said, "that we just happened to bump into each other like this, huh?"

"I know, right!?" she ecstatically asked. "Totally a one-in-a-million chance. Guess the universe just wanted us to bump into each other and give us a knock on the head."

"You believe in that—fate and stuff?" I curiously asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely. I love that kind of stuff. I mean it must have been fate, right?"

"Yeah," I remarked with a slight smile as I pondered it over in my head. "Maybe it was."

I began to wonder if we really were fated to run into each other. There must have been some reason involved. My mind instantly went back to lunch when I was obsessing over all the details of who I would try to fool around with next. When I looked at her warm, smiling face I couldn't help but feel like the stage was set and the moment was perfect. After all, it could've very well been a fated encounter.

That was all the precognition I needed to give it a shot. I didn't hesitate before I blinked—and brought time to a halt.

"Well, I should get going," Talia said, continuing to smile at me. "It was really cool seeing you around, though!"

"Hey, wait, Talia," I quickly said, bringing her to a halt just as she started to walk away. "What do you say... you and I do something fun instead of going back to class?"

She seemed a little confused that I would even suggest such an idea. "What are you talking about? I really have to head back before I get yelled at. My teacher is a huge pain."

"Well, what if I told you that you, I don't know, had all the time in the world to get back to class?"

She furred her brow curiously as she jerked her head back in confusion.

"You're a strange dude, Anthony," she remarked with a small laugh. "What are you up to?"

"Humor me for a minute," I replied. "Where's your class?"

She spoke with a hint of confusion, pointing to a door down the hall. "Right over here?"

"All right! Let's go," I said as I led the way there. She curiously followed me, trying desperately to figure out what I was trying to prove. There was no way she would ever believe me if I just blurted it out, and I became eager to see her reaction.

I stopped in front of the door and motioned for her to try to go inside.

"Check it out," I said.

She watched me with a befuddled grin, waiting for perhaps some sort of punch line as she reached for the door handle. She immediately found that it was immovable.

"What?" she uttered in confusion. "Why'd they lock me out?"

I smiled, holding back a chuckle as she peered in through the pane of glass on the door.

"Hello?" she called out. "I'm locked out of...," she trailed off and squinted her eyes in disbelief when she realized everyone in class was frozen stiff.

"Like I said," I spoke up, causing her to turn her surprised and wide-eyed attention to me, "all the time in the world."

"Did--I don't understand," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "What-what is- ... what?"

I laughed reassuringly, hoping to avoid that aforementioned 'freaking out' I was worried about.

"Well, to put it simply, I can sort of... freeze time."

Her reaction to that was a blank stare. I wasn't sure I liked that and so I winced and turned slightly, preparing for a possible meltdown from her. Instead, she surprised me when she gasped in excitement and her lips curled into an enthralled grin.

"Oh... my... gosh!" she exclaimed. "That is the coolest thing I've ever heard!" I quickly realized the disaster had been averted. I let my guard down and stared at her, my lips spreading into a bigger and bigger grin as she happily flipped out. "Are you really serious right now? Holy crap, I know a guy who has superpowers. Superpowers! Oh, my gosh. Ohh, my gosh—this is awesome. This is--wow! This is so cool!"

I took a moment to take all that in. "Um..., wow," I remarked in pleasant surprise. "For a second there I thought, you know, it was gonna make you panic."

"I'm totally panicking--," she exclaimed, "but in a good way! This is great!"

She then caught her breath, grinning as she looked at me in disbelief.

I laughed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" she replied. "Just wondering... what to do first? That's okay, right? We can do whatever we want!"

I really liked the way she thinks.

Talia began to curiously look around and quickly noticed a school security guard in mid-stride down the hall next to us. She giggled to herself as she quickly made her way over to him. I kept nearby in tow. I had no idea what she was up to, but I could only imagine she was looking to have some fun while time was stopped.

"Hey, jerk-off!" she exclaimed as she neared him. I was taken aback, having never heard her talk like that. She walked up to him and hesitated for a second before she gave him a couple of little slaps on the face. "Yeah, you can't do anything about that cause you can't hear me! Right, jerk-off?"

She looked over at me with an elated smile. "This is so freeing!"

I was grinning from ear to ear. Watching her have fun made owning this power so much more satisfying. What's more, she was doing something that I would've gladly done first as well. Great minds think alike, after all.

"Did this guy piss you off or something?" I asked.

"Nah," she said, looking him over as she slowly circled around him, "I don't even know who he is."

I couldn't help but laugh. She was great.

She then came to a stop in front of him and hummed thoughtfully. She again hesitated for a moment—after all, the guy may have been frozen but to us he looked just as normal ever. It took her a moment to let go of her inhibitions and, when she did, the results were amazing.