Don't Even Think About It Read Online Free PDF Page B

She lifted her goggles. “Excuse me! Can you please stop?”
    He didn’t stop.
    “Sir!” she said again, this time louder.
    He stopped and turned to her. “Yes?”
    “Can you please stop talking? It’s making it difficult for me to concentrate.”
    “I’m not talking. I’m swimming.”
    “No, you’re talking,” she argued.
    “No,” he snapped. “ You’re talking to me.” He shook his head and said, Crazy chick. Her swimming cap is on too tight. Then he dove under the water.
    Pi held on to the edge of the pool and tried to figure out what had happened. He had said something, but his lips hadn’t moved.
    And on it went all morning. On the walk over to school. Getting her coffee—one cup of coffee was also rumored to increase IQ. Homeroom. She was starting to worry that she was working too hard when Olivia had her meltdown in class. It was then she realized what was happening. Olivia could hear thoughts too. Then, in the hallway, she discovered that the same thing was happening to Tess and Mackenzie.
    As soon as she made that discovery, Pi moved Mackenzie and Tess down the hall so they could talk without anyone overhearing. Or without them overhearing anyone else. The farther they stood from the others, the quieter the voices in her head became.
    Mackenzie hugged her arms to her chest. What number am I thinking? Seven.
    “Seven,” Pi said.
    Tess’s jaw dropped. “This is crazy. I heard it too. My turn.” Tess closed her mouth. Eight. No, ten. No, thirty-three and a half!
    “Eight, no, ten, no, thirty-three and a half,” Mackenzie said.
    “This is the coolest thing ever,” Tess said, eyes dancing.
    Pi glanced at the others in the hallway. “As far as I can tell, it’s just happening to the four of us,” she said. “You two, me, and Olivia.”
    “Where is Olivia?” Mackenzie asked.
    “She fainted,” Pi said matter-of-factly.
    “From this?” Tess asked.
    “Sort of,” Pi said. “Not because of this, but because it freaked her out. She was doing her public speech and then it kicked in and she passed out.”
    “Is she okay?” Tess asked.
    “Probably,” Pi said. She didn’t want to talk about Olivia. She wanted to talk about what was happening to them.
    “But what is happening to us?” Mackenzie asked, throwing her hands up.
    “We can hear each other’s thoughts,” Pi said.
    “Not just each other’s,” Tess said, looking at the crowd in the hallway. “I can hear everyone’s thoughts.”
    “But why is this only happening to the four of us?” Mackenzie asked, her forehead wrinkling. “It’s not happening to anyone else.”
    Pi was deep in thought. “We’re all in the same homeroom.” But what else did they have in common? Nothing, as far as she could tell. The other two definitely weren’t as smart as she was.
    “Hey,” Mackenzie said. “Just because my GPA is low doesn’t make me stupid.” I just don’t try.
    “Whatever,” Pi said with a shrug. “It’s irrelevant. What do the four of us have in common?”
    Mackenzie and Tess stared at her blankly.
    Suddenly all the numbers aligned. Aha! “We all got our flu shots yesterday,” Pi said.
    “But everyone got their flu shots,” Tess said. “Most of the school got their flu shots.”
    “That’s true,” Pi said. “I need to think about this.”
    Mackenzie rubbed the spot on her arm where she’d gotten the vaccination. “I didn’t even want the shot!”
    Pi rolled her eyes. “None of us wanted the shot.”
    “No, but I really, really didn’t want to get it. I just did it because …” I wanted to punish myself.
    Pi didn’t understand what Mackenzie meant about the punishment thing. They had telepathy. This was amazing. They were exceptional.
    “I wonder how long it will last,” Tess said.
    Not long, Mackenzie hoped.
    They watched Nurse Carmichael enter the classroom. “Maybe we should talk to the nurse about it,” Tess said.
    Pi considered the options. Should they seek medical advice? What if the