Reality Lies by D.F. Downey (books recommended by bts txt) 📖

>“Yeah, I’m ready.” Jay enjoyed her glow.

 

***

 

Vinnie’s had started out as a simple pizzeria but over the years had added a table here and a table there to become a full-blown restaurant. The food was good, the service friendly and the prices reasonable. Amy had been there with her mother many times when she was younger but not in quite some time.

 

“Amy! Is that you! You look so . . . different.” Tony the owner greeted her near the door.

 

“Yes.” Amy answered the question head down, embarrassed.

 

“You look so grown up. How’s your mother? She hasn’t been in for a while.”

 

“Mom’s doing well.”

 

“Your sister?”

 

“She’s working.”

 

“She is! That’s great.”

 

“What does she do?”

 

“She’s a waitress at a diner.”

 

A hurt look crossed his face. “Why didn’t she come to me? I always need waitresses. She’s a nice girl. I would have hired her. You let her know if she ever needs a new job come see me first.”

 

“Okay, I’ll tell her.”

 

“So, who’s your young friend?”

 

She drew a blank.

 

“Jay.” Jay stuck his hand out.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Amy intoned.

 

“Forgot my name already.” Jay snickered.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Amy fretted. What a time to do this considering what was to follow. ‘Did I forget his name on purpose? Maybe I’m getting myself ready for his reaction. That’s it; I’m not going to tell.’ she thought.

 

They arrived at the table. Jay grabbed the inside seat. Tony pulled out Amy’s chair.

 

“At least someone knows how to treat a lady.” Amy teased. Jay stood up, stopping halfway when he saw her smile. He realized she was cranking him.

 

“What’s good?” he asked. He was past hungry.

 

“Just about everything, it depends on what you like.”

 

“You order first. I’ll keep looking.”

 

They spent the meal in banal conversation, nice weather, history class, music, blah, blah, blah. All the while Amy drank Jay in. She had reestablished her resolve. She would tell him. She just wanted to treasure these last precious moments before.

 

“You’re not yourself, what’s wrong.” He sensed her unease.

 

“Nothing.” She wasn’t convincing.

 

“No, really, tell me.”

 

“It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.”

 

“You sure? You look sad.”

 

She decided it was time. “Jay. I’m not what I appear to be.”

 

“What do you mean? You appear to be a girl, a beautiful girl.” He laughed nervously.

 

“Well, I’m definitely a girl but far from beautiful.”

 

“What are you talking about? You’re gorgeous! You’re the best-looking girl in school! Hell, you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen!”

 

“To you!”

 

“To everybody, ask anybody.” Jay declared vehemently.

 

“Okay then, because of you!”

 

“What does that mean?” he was confused. He couldn’t imagine where she was going with this.

 

“It’s because of the way you see me that I’m beautiful. I wasn’t beautiful before you saw me.”

“Don’t talk crazy. You were always beautiful. You just hid it.”

 

“I’d like to believe that but until the night you and your friends picked me up, I was just plain, just plain ugly. Even my own mother thought so. Think about it. I was in your homeroom for three months before that and you didn’t even notice me. If I was this beautiful would I have been able to hide it that well?”

 

He paused for a moment. “It’s true I didn’t notice you but that’s me. I never notice anything until it smacks me in the face. I mean the way you’re saying you weren’t beautiful until I saw you. Are you implying I had something to do with it?”

 

She could see he was struggling with this. She made it swift. “Yes, you have everything to do with it. You have a gift. The way you see things, is the way they become, exactly the way they become.”

 

Jay tried reason. “Let’s just say if that’s the case, if I had that gift that kind of power, couldn’t I change the world to my liking? Wouldn’t I do it!?”

 

“I don’t pretend to know how it works. I only know that it does.”

 

“This is crazy. If I had this, this “gift”, wouldn’t someone have noticed by now? Told me by now? My mom? My friends?”

 

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t tell you. But I know, at least some of your friends knew.”

 

“Name one.” he said defiantly.

 

“Brian for one. Remember at the mall when I disappeared.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I had just noticed my change. Brian caught me. He told me what happened. He told me if you realized what I really looked like I would have changed back. I was confused but knew that I didn’t want to go back. So, I called my sister and took off. I stayed home for the same reason. I was trying to figure out some way to transition to the new me. All the while afraid that you would realize who I really was.”

 

“Brian knew?”

 

“Yes. He explained how great it was. How did he put it? Oh yeah, skanks like me with no self-esteem would suddenly be gorgeous. Then he and his friends would swoop in. Ugly chicks are easy, he said. He even went so far as to say I might have been the last bad looking girl left in this part of town.”

 

“That son of a bitch!” he was starting to believe. A lot of questions were beginning to be answered. He was upset. He felt used. He was angry.

 

She glanced behind him in the mirror. She still looked the same, so far, but as his anger grew she noticed that the faces around him began to turn ugly. They began to twist and distort ‘At least they don’t know.’ she thought. Finally, she called out, “Stop it!”

 

Everyone turned towards them, “What?” Jay answered,

 

“Control yourself. These people didn’t do anything!”

 

“I know they didn’t. What do you mean?”

 

“Quick, close your eyes. Now!”

 

He did as she ordered.

 

“Think happy thoughts. Clear the room from your mind.”

 

He started to relax.

 

“Okay, open your eyes, open your mind.”

 

She held her breath. The distortions had eased. She couldn’t be sure if the other patrons had returned to their former look but at least they looked presentable.

 

“What happened?” he asked innocently.

 

“Your anger distorted the faces of every stranger in the place. I mean they were hideous. That is, everyone facing you.”

 

People began to leave. Half were confused. That half had faced him. The other half were in a state of shock, shock leavened with relief.

 

He grabbed his face and covered his eyes. “I can’t believe you but it all makes sense. There were so many strange things always happening around me. People kept away from me. I didn’t know why until now but I always felt it.”

 

Amy took hold of his hands, “I had to tell you. I couldn’t go on any longer without telling you. I love you but I couldn’t build a future based on a lie.”

 

Jay drew back, “I know you did what you think was best but it’s gonna take me awhile to deal with it. It would probably be better if we didn’t see each other for a while.”

 

“No! You need someone to help you through this. You’re right, this is only the beginning. But your gift could be incredibly isolating, especially if you cut me out. Please don’t do that.”

 

“Amy, just give me a couple of days then we can talk.” He got up to leave.

 

Amy looked at him pleadingly, “Please Jay, don’t go. It’s not just that you need me. I need to be there. You’ve made my life more. I can’t imagine being who I was before I met you. Please?”

 

Jay hesitated. “Okay, but I do need to talk to my mom and I’ve got to do that alone. I can’t believe she never told me, prepared me. She had to know, right?”

 

Amy thought for a moment before answering. “That’s between you and her. She loves you. Maybe she couldn’t see it. I know Brian and the guys saw it but your mom? Even if she knew, I’m sure there were very good reasons she didn’t tell you. I mean she never used your power, not like Brian.”

Jay hoped she was right, “No. I don’t think so but we have to go over a lot of ground to be sure. Amy, I’m not going to run away from you but I will need time to revisit my life.”

 

“As long as you don’t cut me out.”

 

“I won’t do that. I promise. Let’s go. I have a lot of thinking to do.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 22

 

 

Brian and the guys were hanging out per normal on a Friday night when they caught sight of Jay and Amy exiting Vinnie’s.

 

“Jay, my man, what’s going on?” Brian said expectantly. Jay glared at him, then charged him, pinning him to the wall.

 

“You son of a bitch! Using me all these years, I thought you were my friend.”

 

“Cool down! What’s the problem guy?”

 

Jay loosened his grip slightly, “You know what I’m talking about.”

 

“I haven’t a clue.” He looked at Amy, “What, did she tell you something?” Jay’s eyes answered yes. “She’s just trying to get between buds. You know how girls are. They can’t stand the competition so they get rid of the friends.”

 

“She told me how you knew about my “gift” and used me to pick up girls, needy girls.”

“Gift? Whoa guy, don’t get delusional. I mean, if anything, you drive girls away not towards. I mean, I’m Brian, I don’t need no help with the ladies. You’ve seen me in action.”

 

Jay released his grip.

 

“Jay he’s lying.” Amy pleaded.

 

“Listen to her man. She’s desperate. That’s a homely girl trapped inside a hot chick’s body.”

 

Jay turned towards Amy and indicated she shouldn’t speak.

 

“Sorry pal. You’re right. I sound crazy. What “gift”? Until I met Amy I never had a girlfriend.”

 

“That’s right guy, you’re suffering from first timer syndrome. Don’t worry, once you get back in the game you’ll see how easy it is.”

 

Jay turned to leave then paused, “Uh Brian?”

 

“Yeah Jay?”

 

“Thanks a lot!”

 

“Don’t mention it guy.”

 

Amy felt lost but in an instant that disappeared.

 

Crack-k-k! Jay exploded a right hand in Brian’s face. He crumpled to the ground.

 

“You’re right. I’m suffering from first-timers’ syndrome!”

 

He took Amy by the arm and led her away. She couldn’t help but look back as they moved forward. “That went well. Don’t you think?” Jay was unfazed.

 

Amy shook her head. “You’re going to have to establish a little control over yourself. For a moment I thought you believed him.”

 

“For a moment I did.”

 

“What changed your mind?”

 

“Your smiling face.”

 

“No, really, he really had me convinced and I know better.”

 

“I believed you all along but he pushed me, finally, over the line with his remark about you.”

 

“What was that?”

 

“You know about the homely