THE OUTLIERS

The day dragged on, the unspoken tension between the four of them hanging like a storm cloud. Alice, in particular, couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched. Every time she glanced up from her tablet, Jimmy's eyes were on her. His stare wasn't angry or mocking, just... curious.

Finally, at lunch, she'd had enough.

Gripping the strap of her backpack tightly, Alice took a deep breath and stood. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked toward Jimmy, who was slouched at a table surrounded by his usual entourage of the school's elite.

"Uh, Jimmy?" she said, her voice quieter than she intended.

The table fell silent, all eyes turning toward her. Jimmy slowly looked up, an eyebrow raised.

Alice cleared her throat and forced herself to speak louder. "You know, if you keep staring, people are going to misunderstand, right?"

The words left her mouth before she fully realized what she was saying. Her stomach dropped, and her face turned crimson. What am I doing? she thought, suddenly hyper-aware of how many people were now staring.

Jimmy's lips curved into a lazy smirk. "Oh? Misunderstand what, exactly?"

Alice froze, feeling like the ground might swallow her whole. "I... um..." She couldn't believe she'd actually walked up to the table of the most popular guy in school. She wasn't bold—this wasn't like her at all.

Jimmy stood, towering over her, and leaned in just enough to make her more uncomfortable. "Relax, nerd," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

She glared at him. "Stop calling me that," she snapped, grabbing his wrist. "Come with me."

Before he could protest, Alice dragged him out of the cafeteria. Jimmy chuckled, more intrigued than annoyed, as she led him toward the theater room.

/////

Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, Ace had been stealing glances at Jessy all day. She'd been avoiding him, and it was driving him crazy.

Finally, he snapped. Grabbing his sketchbook, he marched over to her table, where she sat chatting with her friends.

"Jessy," he said, his tone firm.

She looked up, surprised. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk," he said, his eyes serious.

Jessy hesitated, glancing at her friends for support. "I don't think—"

"Now," Ace interrupted, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Jessy sighed, reluctantly standing. "Fine. Where?"

"The theater room," he said, already walking away. Jessy followed, her arms crossed, skeptical about whatever he had to say.

////////

The theater room was quiet, dimly lit by the sunlight peeking through the old, dusty windows. Jimmy leaned back against a desk, his arms crossed as he watched Alice pace nervously in front of him.

"Alright, nerd," he said with a smirk, though the uneasiness in his voice betrayed him. "You dragged me here. Spill it. What's this all about?"

Alice glared at him. "First of all, stop calling me that. Second, why have you been staring at me all day?"

Jimmy shrugged, his smirk widening. "Maybe because you freaked me out yesterday. Who knew Little Miss Perfect could read minds?"

Alice froze, her stomach tightening. "I didn't mean to. It just... happened."

Before Jimmy could respond, the door creaked open, and Ace walked in, his sketchbook tucked under his arm. Jessy followed reluctantly, her arms crossed and her expression guarded.

"Uh... what's going on?" Ace asked, stopping short when he saw Jimmy and Alice already there.

Jessy raised an eyebrow. "You didn't say we'd be walking in on this," she muttered, looking between them.

Alice and Jimmy stared back, equally surprised. "We didn't plan this," Alice said quickly, her voice tinged with panic.

Jimmy smirked. "Looks like the nerd brigade is growing."

"Seriously?" Jessy snapped, glaring at him. "I didn't ask to be here. He dragged me," she said, pointing at Ace.

"Jessy, you saw what happened at my house," Ace said, his tone sharp. "We need to talk about it."

Jimmy's curiosity piqued, and he leaned forward. "Oh, this should be good. What happened at Casa de Ace? Did your parents ground you for being too moody?"

"Shut up, Jimmy," Ace snapped, his voice unusually harsh. "This isn't a joke."

Jessy sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine. If you really want to talk about it, let's start with the part where time stopped, and music notes were floating around you like some kind of weird sci-fi movie."

Alice blinked. "Wait. What?"

Jimmy's smirk vanished as he straightened up. "Time... stopped?"

Jessy threw her hands in the air. "Yes! Right in the middle of his parents yelling at each other. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

Ace clenched his fists, his face red. "You don't have to announce my family drama to the world."

Jimmy let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Man, this just keeps getting better. First, Alice here starts reading my mind, and now you're a walking time machine?"

Alice's head whipped toward him. "Why would you bring that up?" she hissed, her cheeks burning.

Jessy looked between them, her eyes narrowing. "Wait, what? She what?"

"She read my mind!" Jimmy said, throwing up his hands. "It's not normal, okay?"

Alice looked down, her face burning with shame. "I didn't mean to. I didn't even know I could do it until yesterday."

Jessy rubbed her temples. "Let me get this straight. He's stopping time, you're reading minds, and I'm just here because... what? Moral support?"

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly off the hook. You've been pretending like everything's fine, but I know you saw it. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

Jessy glared at him. "Excuse me?"

Before she could launch into a tirade, Alice interrupted, her voice trembling. "Stop. Just... stop."

Everyone turned to her, startled by the sudden outburst.

Alice took a deep breath, her hands trembling. "I've seen this before," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Ace asked, frowning.

Alice hesitated, then met his gaze. "You. All of you. I've seen you in my dreams. We're all... connected somehow. I don't know how or why, but it's like we're supposed to be here. Together."

The room fell silent as her words sank in.

Jimmy finally broke the tension with a dry laugh. "Great. First mind-reading, now dream connections. What's next? Magic wands?"

Jessy crossed her arms. "You think this is funny? Because I'm not laughing."

Ace sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "None of this makes sense, but... maybe she's right. Maybe we are connected."

Jessy scoffed. "Oh, please. Just because weird things are happening doesn't mean we're part of some cosmic plan."

Despite her words, none of them could deny the strange pull they felt. Something bigger was happening, something they couldn't explain.

And for the first time, the four of them stood together, their fates intertwined in ways they were only beginning to understand.