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My alar me so badly I actually jumped and spun around

Man,me jumpy

I hit the off button Tih School was so my least favorite part of the day My past inability to experience e, which resulted ina friendless one This had been fine when I couldn’t feel, because I’d had no idea what I wasout on But noell, let’s just say that for so a piece of bacon in front of a dog’s face—pure and utter torture I hated watching everyone walk around in their little cliques while I stood on the sidelines alone

I tossed my blanket on the bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt I ran a brush through led brown hair and pulled it back into a ponytail Then I went over to the full length lance over My legs ay too long, my skin far too pale, and ht in with everything else that had to do with me

Downstairs in the kitchen, Marco and Sophia—randparents who insist I call them by their first names—were already there Sophia stood over the oven, pans hissing, as the smell of bacon filled the air Marco sat at the table, thenewspaper opened up in front of him

The roo the yelloalls nearly blinding Add that to the teal cupboards—which Sophia insisted were sky blue, but as she trying to kid—and the roo on

I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and took a seat at the kitchen table

Marco peered over the newspaper atdown the brihtly crooked nose“Gemma,” he mumbled with a subtle nod

I strained a smile

I’ve lived with Marco and Sophia since I was one, after ic car accident That’s all I know about my parents—how they died I’d asked Marco and Sophia about the had traced its way downitthat I was never to ask about ain And when I’d shed tears and screa off to my room Ever since then, our already strained relationship worsened We barely talked to each other, which I guess isn’t that big of a change since we’d barely talked before

Over the last feeeks, I’d been trying to make some sense out of why they refused to speak aboutabout my parents was too painful for them Either that or they didn’t like me

And it wasn’t justcrazy Every ti, and the ath down like the air taken on an abrupt case of hu, and when Sophia sawthe back door behind him Evidently, they preferred the old hollow h I didn’t They never even asked me about my sudden ability to feel either I mean, if you had a child that had been an emotionless zombie for most of her life, then suddenly she did a complete 180 in the emotional departetting pissed off

I knoould

But since Marco and Sophia chose to say nothing about it, I opted to keep the prickly sensation tothat if I didmyself a one-way a ticket to the Psych Ward

“Do you want sohts

The bacon sizzled as she tapped her foot on the tile floor She reminded me a lot of one of those women in a 1950’s TV series; her auburn hair pulled back into a bun, a crisp white apron tied over her floral dress

“Sure,” I said, starting to get to rateful that I had grandparents who fed , I am But it would have been nice if they’d at least talk to ive me a smile once and a while Was that too o start my car first”

“Marco already did for you,” she said curtly

“Oh”I turned to Marco “Then—”

The sound of the chair grinding against the tile floor cut hty like He folded his newspaper and tucked it under his ar to um…” He trailed off and hurried out of the kitchen

He did that a lot— away mid-sentence He was a retired salesman, but it was so hard to picture since he couldn’t carry on a conversation for more than a minute

The spatula clanked as Sophia tossed it on the counter “Go get a plate and conal to hurry up and get out of her hair