"Messing with my girl, huh?" a rough voice demanded.
I groaned, trying to lift my head. "W-what?"
Thea's boyfriend loomed over me, eyes blazing. "My girl, Thea… she told me you were harassing her."
I shook my head, dazed. "No… that's not… true, what are you on about?"
The boy's fists slammed down repeatedly on my face. "Didn't you forcefully hug her? Try to touch her?"
"No!" I shouted, desperation rising. "She, she hugged me!" I tried to use my power, but my mind was fractured from the blows; the intense emotion radiating from the boy made my ability fail.
The beating continued until the world went black.
When I woke up, I was sprawled on the street, aching in every bone. I limped home, fury and shame burning me from the inside.
"OHH MY GOD, DEAR! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" my mother cried, rushing to my side.
"It's nothing, mom… I just fell," I muttered, though the lie tasted bitter in my mouth.
My mother carefully tended my wounds, wrapping my scraped arms and patching my bruised face. She saw the despair in my eyes, the heavy weight of my mind.
I collapsed in tears. "Why always me, ma? WHY? Why can't I just… be happy? Why can't things ever go my way?"
My mother hugged me close, her voice trembling. "Shhhh… my little boy… life isn't fair, but I'll always be here. Do your best, and it'll be alright."
I cried myself to sleep that night, mind spinning. I realized someone must have seen me and Thea hugging, and Thea when confronted must have twisted it, telling her boyfriend Ronnie that I was harassing her. Whether it was Thea's confusion or disgust, or a simple misunderstanding, it didn't matter. What mattered was the sting of betrayal and the taste of helplessness.
For the next week, I didn't go to school. I focused on strengthening myself, both physically and mentally. I pushed my body to the limit at the gym, meditated, ran in freezing mornings, took cold showers, deliberately put myself into humiliating situations to numb my emotions. Every repetition, every pang of pain, sharpened me, honed my control. I realized the effectiveness of my power depended on my own mental clarity and focus: stronger mind, stronger effect.
And one thing was certain: I never forgave. I understood Karma was meaningless. I set my sights on retribution for every insult, every humiliation.
My power had grown. Now, I could influence short-term memory without direct eye contact, as long as my target was nearby and not mentally dominant.
I noticed Thea chatting with a friend. Waiting for an opening, and there it was Thea was complementing her not so good looking friend out of kindness, I concentrated, projecting a flash of Thea's sarcastic mockery into her friend's mind, her smile twisting, her tone sharp. The friend froze, sadness washing over her. Thea blinked, confused. "What's wrong?" she asked, but the confusion only made the friend's perception worse; she interpreted it as falsity, deception, insincerity.
When the teacher called on Thea, I acted again. Her mind blanked; she forgot the question entirely.
"Sorry, sir, can you repeat that?" she asked timidly.
The teacher's voice rose slightly. "Alright, listen carefully."
I repeated the manipulation; Thea's mind reset, and she genuinely believed she hadn't heard anything.
"Pardon me?"
"If you don't know the answer, just say so!" the teacher snapped.
"No, sir! I really didn't hear it!" The class erupted in laughter, Thea flushed crimson.
Finally, after a last attempt to repeat the question, the teacher barked, "Sit down, now!"
I nudged her mind again, twisting the words: "Sit down, slut." Thea froze, tears streaming down her face as whispers spread around the room. Shock and confusion rippled through the students, but I had already scanned the group and seen the friend who had been offended earlier. I did my manipulation, her thoughts hardened: "She's faking, seeking attention, manipulating us." I amplified this perception on others who weren't on good terms with her.
The friend believed it completely, starting to gossip, speaking with venom about Thea. Overwhelmed by the perception of betrayal and judgment, Thea left school early, humiliated, broken by the manipulation she couldn't even comprehend.
I observed silently, a cold satisfaction in my chest, though the shadows of guilt tugged faintly at my mind. Power had a cost. But in that moment, I felt invincible.
My head throbbed as if my skull were splitting open, blood dripping from my nose in uneven bursts. The pain lasted for hours before subsiding, leaving me drained but strangely exhilarated. A wave of guilt tried to creep in; I had humiliated Thea in front of everyone, but the guilt was drowned by something darker, a pulse of satisfaction I had never felt before.
Wait… why did I do that to her? I thought, staring at the ceiling in the quiet of my room. Because she hurt me. Because I love her. Maybe this is what love really is, fairness. She rejects me, she humiliates me, I give it back to her. That's fair. And one day she'll understand. She has to. Love isn't gentle; it's brutal, it's punishment, it's devotion. And I'll carry it for her, even if it destroys me.
The obsession consumed me. I scrolled endlessly through Thea's socials until I found what I was looking for: Ronnie. Her boyfriend. The barrier between us. The one who had beaten me bloody in the street. Hatred burned hotter than guilt in me.
How do I get rid of him? I wondered. I can't just stab him; I won't dirty my hands like that. No, it has to be cleaner. Smarter. A way that makes him fall without me ever touching him.
I dug through Ronnie's feeds like an addict, hunting for weaknesses. Friends. Family. Old posts. TikToks. The cracks began to show. A strained relationship with his father. Strange jokes about "powder nights." Comments and tags with friends flashing cryptic emojis.
He's a druggie… oh, this is perfect. My lips curved into a cold smile. All I need is proof. Once everyone sees it, he's done. Thea won't have a boyfriend anymore; she'll have me, her soulmate.