How common are novels, animes, or mangas, that are both coming of age and thriller? What do you think of these kinds of stories? What are some examples?

“Sky’s paying for the pizza,” I say. “And the tip.”

“Of course.”

At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but then when Alissa broke her wrist in the gym, mine was painful for weeks too.

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“Alissa.”

Sky points at his eyebrow. “So much gunk came out! I could have made it into a smoothie.”

At home, I sometimes stare at myself in the mirror. I don’t dare get a tattoo, but how about a piercing? Once I put a dot on the side of my nose with a Sharpie. The thought of a stud in my nose instantly made me feel stronger.

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Certainly not since last Christmas.

“Yep. It’s for us.” Then Sky points at Alissa. “She’s paying.”

I thought this was just about a bet, but Alissa smiled at Miles the way only she could. Her boy-slaying smile.

Can a twin flame runner be happy in a karmic relationship?

“One pepperoni pizza?” The boy takes out a pizza box. The scent of melted cheese makes my mouth water.

She came up to my desk that first morning and asked if the seat next to me was taken. Alissa was the kind of girl who could have sat anywhere. She was so incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were the color of the sea on the Italian coast, where I’d spent the summer. I looked around suspiciously. Where were her giggling friends, laughing at me from a distance because I’d fallen for it?

Alissa waves a five-dollar bill around. It reminds me of the first day of junior high. I thought Alissa had made a bet then too.

Who has experienced what they called a happy accident (bestiality)?

“Stop it.” Alissa quickly straightens her T-shirt. It’s a small gesture, but I can tell she’s nervous.

But I haven’t forgotten.

When I was little, I used to spend hours awake in bed, waiting for my dad finally to come back safely from work. I didn’t dare close my eyes until he was home. Sometimes I didn’t manage to stay awake. Then I’d wake up with a start in the middle of the night and run barefoot to my mom and dad’s room. When I saw the lump on his side of the bed, I’d sneak back to my room, feeling relieved.

Honestly! Do you people actually watch all that nonsense produced by the nitwit network television stations or do they just claim you do?

Miles breaks in front of our bench and gives Sky a wave. When he lifts the visor of his helmet, I see two bright blue eyes, like Alissa’s. But there’s something cold about these eyes. They have nothing to do with the Italian sea but are more like icy water. I get a weird feeling that I can’t quite identify.

The girl smiles. “Want a slice?”

In the window of number 39, there’s still a line of wooden cows on the ledge. I used to spend ages looking at them when I was a little kid. Dad stood patiently beside me as I counted them and gave them all names.

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I can see part of her bare neck.

Miles shakes his head irritably. “No, I’m not gay.”

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But there was no one else there. We were the only ones in the classroom.

Fenna would climb into my bed, terrified, whenever Dad started screaming. I’d hold her until she fell asleep.

Miles stands out, not because he’s good-looking, but because he doesn’t seem to want to be. It’s as if his looks torment him somehow. And that’s something I recognize.

Hi everybody! I have been looking at posts on narcs and narc abuse on here and if has really helped me out a lot. I am currently struggling with my situation and need some advice/support. I met a narc last year, everything seemed to good to be true. Love bombing, always texting calling and taking me on dates. Everything changed when someone warned me about him out in public in front of him and who he is. This caused a conflict with us and the love bombing seized. he would tell me that everything is okay and i can come and talk. He would set a time limit on me and kick me out after that. he would then text me like everything was fine and we hung out again and after that he completely ghosted me for one week. He came back and texted me a week later laughing about the ghosting and acting like nothing had happened. he continued to text me ( not like in the beginning) make plans with me, then on the day of the plans he would just ghost me. One day he would act interested the next silence. i contacted him a month later and he acted like nothing happened. He was on a vacation and sent me a picture of another woman ( someone he allegedly met on the trip) to strike a reaction but i never gave him one. After the trip he came to my place and was extremely rude, accusing me of going on dates with a bunch of men. The next day he accused me of being an alcoholic and that he wanted nothing to do with me but said well maybe we can be "friends" then ghosted me i assumed at this point it was over and i would never hear from him again. He contacted me on the holiday a month later acting like everything was great. We ended up hanging out a month or so later and when we hung out it went well, i thought things were going in the right direction. after we hung out.. silence. I would try to text him and if he replied it would be very short then he just stopped replying. He ghosted me for almost three months. I thought he was done this time and of course he popped up again like nothing happened. At this point i was getting sick of if so i questioned him as to why he dissapeared and always does this. Of course he had some sob story about a injury and family member dying of cancer. I felt pity for him and he gave me an apology.. so i took him back stupidly. things seemed to be going smooth for a couple months, of course until his family member died and his injury got better he never contacted me and was distant. Menawhile, i was there for him during the difficult time for him. He lied to me about the funeral and never wanted to chat. I was chasing him and he would always claim nothing was wrong but when i said i thought he used me when he was down he could not handle it and would always tell me he didnt care and to go away. I would get so upset i would try texting him to work it out he would barelt respond and if he did he would not be nice about it. we did hang out a couple times after that, he would ignore me after. One day i was like hey i think you are seeing someone else, and i was like well ixam seeing someone so no problem if you are he said " buy bye good luck with your new guy stop contacting me" i was devastated and tried to get into contact with him for weeks then i just gave up and accepted it was over. He ended up contacting me a month later acting like everything was fine. He wanted to go out and have drinks i told him i would. He and i both seemed to have a great time. He ends up ignoring me again. I kept texting him trying to figure out what was wrong. He kept saying everything was fine and i said ok can we hang out again? He said maybe i was like why? He just kept saying maybe … our last conversation we had… i said what is wrong ? He said nothing is wrong everything is fine. I asked him why he keeps saying maybe. He said " maybe but i dont want to see you right now" i said why? He saix " im just not feeling it, if i wanted to date i would" i said why did you contact me less then a week ago wanting to go out? He said i didnt.. even though he did. So i said should i just move on or what? He said whatever you want to do. So i said that he was really confusing me and asked him if he had anything more to say before i move on? My messages were turning green so i panicked he blocked me and reacted irrationally. I said " omg did you block me? My messages are not going through. Even texted him on my work phone asking what was up. And called him twice ( please dont judge me i know it is pathetic i never was this type of girl before him) so he replied and said " Ok I'll block you now" then immedietly blocked me. He has never blocked me before since I have met him he will just ghost. Is this ths final discard aka " grand finale? Did i just push him too far? this has upset me so much its hard to even function.

And escape the room in 60 minutes.

The memory’s painful.

A girl with blond hair and a red scarf around her neck comes jogging into the park. As she passes us, she flashes me a quick smile.

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“Now?” Mint smiles. She knows I have no patience. When I have an idea, it has to happen right away.

We’re sitting so close that Miles’s leg is touching mine. He’s looking at me as if he hopes to find something in my face. His eyes scan every inch of my skin.

I know Mint’s mom can get, like, totally panicky, but it still shocks me every time. She talks to Mint like she’s a little kid. My younger sister’s nine, and not even she gets treated that much like a baby.

What was your first impression of The Carter V by Lil Wayne? Did it feel like 2008 Wayne, when you heard the first few songs.

I follow Alissa’s gaze to Sky’s eyebrow piercing, which he had done a while ago. When he turned up at school the next day, the skin around the piercing was red and swollen. I touched my eyebrow, which also hurt for a few days.

I hated that Fenna had to go through that. I wanted to do something to help, but I didn’t know what.

Sky grabs my wrist and looks at my watch. “Bang on time. Typical Miles. You see? He’s a punctual gay guy.”

“Where were you?”

It's simple.

Miles

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Alissa likes him.

“You coming?” I ask Mint as she gets on her bike.

I know I should go, but somehow I find myself taking off my helmet and sitting down beside her.

It got loads of positive reactions from all kinds of young people, which pulled me through that tough time.

“Where to?"

“What’s that in your nose?”

Even now, I still feel that scared sometimes.

Choose their game.

After a few months, he went back full-time and seemed to have forgotten it all.

“You think?” Alissa looks at the boy. “Hey, Miles.”

Miles

“It’s almost time for your break, isn’t it? Come on, have some.” Seems the girl with the blue eyes knows not just my name, but my work schedule too.

Find the clues.

A couple of weeks ago in Textile Studies, we had to make dresses out of garbage bags. Alissa pulled hers over her head, grabbed hold of it on one side, and shot a staple through the plastic. Then she paraded around the classroom like she was on a catwalk. Some of the boys started whistling. Even in a garbage bag, she was stunning.

“Here.” The pretty girl passes me the box. As I eat my slice, I dare to take a closer look at her. There has to be something about her that’s disappointing, something that’ll help me to forget about her later.

Dad used to scream the whole house awake. Nightmares, Mom said, but that was an understatement.

How is that possible? All this time, I’ve never gone the wrong way. I settled into our new place immediately.

I curse to myself.

The situation with Dad seemed to be going on forever, but at a certain point, it gradually started to get better. They gave him medication to calm him down. He saw a psychologist and, with the help of the other firefighters, he was even able to go back to work for half days.

I’ve seen this girl before. She meets Sky after work sometimes. I noticed her immediately because she had the same blue eyes as me. Dad used to say I was the only one except him with blue peepers like this, but he was wrong. This girl’s eyes are hypnotic.

Can I feel other people’s pain? Is that possible? It feels supernatural, weird. And if anyone finds out, I’ll get even more of a reputation for being crazy.

Why can’t I shake it off?

But her voice sounds like she’s singing. Her eyes are an endless blue. And she smells like autumn sunshine.

“Nice.” Mint went so pale as the needle sank into my nose. It was like she was the one who was suffering.

These days I do sleep, but never very deeply.

Sky

A few minutes later, we’re riding our bikes into the upscale neighborhood where Mint lives. The first time I went to her house, I couldn’t believe my eyes. But Mint’s dad is a lawyer, so he earns way more than my dad, who works for the fire department.

“Miles has half an hour to get here. After that, the pizza’s free.”

I’d like to cut everyone else out of the photo, but this way Alissa can come into my room without realizing what’s up. There’s no need to worry about Mint. She spends half her time floating in another dimension.

Dad tries to look stern, but then he bursts out laughing. “I think it’s cool. Hey, your mom will be home soon. Ruben and Koby are upstairs. Will you give Fenna a hand with her math homework?”

Mint’s mom gives me a quick nod but then turns back to her daughter. “A deal is a deal.”

“Where’s that pizza?” Alissa asks impatiently.

Boys like to check me out, and it drives me crazy. Andreas is the last boy I kissed, and I did like him. But after our kiss, I heard him bragging about it like I wasn’t even a person, just some “hot” girl.

One night, when Dad was on duty, four people died in a fire, including one of his fellow firefighters. A beam burned through and collapsed on the guy’s head.

My stomach’s churning, like I’m about to take an important exam.

Solve the puzzles.

I have no idea who my two best friends are talking about. Their conversations often pass me by, like I’m on the other side of a wall.

“Did it hurt?” I hear Alissa ask. I’m back on the bench in the park. What were they talking about now?

He kisses me on the forehead and closes the front door behind him. I watch through the glass as he rides his bike out of the front yard.

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But what happens if the Game Master has no intention of letting them go?

My heart skips a beat when I see that nothing’s changed. The sidewalk is lower in one place, where I could always ride over it on my bike without bumping the back wheel.

I get why the teachers say he’s direct. He’s like a bulldozer sometimes.

Alissa

Nothing’s changed here, and yet everything has changed.

My dad’s already in his firefighter uniform when I come into the hallway.

“Mom . . .” Mint blushes.

It’s only then that I notice the other girl on the bench. She’s leaning forward slightly, with her straight hair hanging over her face like two curtains. She doesn’t quite seem to belong.

Alissa doesn’t have a clue that I only started dating Caitlin to divert attention.

I don’t realize where I am until I’m almost at the front door. This is my old street.

Alissa

So they’re talking about Miles, who works at the pizzeria with Sky. I’ve never seen him before, but Alissa’s mentioned him a few times.

Miles puts the last bit of pizza into his mouth and stands up. “Got to go.”

I pick up the photo and hold it close to my face. There’s a small worn patch where I sometimes press my lips to it. We’re standing close together, our arms touching.

“He’s gay. For sure.” Sky’s sitting on the backrest of the bench, right behind Alissa and me. It’s just the three of us. The rest of the park is deserted.

Did Sky tell her my name?

I’m not sure I want to forget her.

Alissa gives him a shove and he nearly falls off the back of the bench. “Stop! You’re going to scare me out of it.”

I hesitate because I need to get going, but something about her voice makes me stop.

When I get home, I turn the amp for my electric drum kit up high. Drumming always works, but not this time. Even after playing for half an hour, I still feel angry. I pull off my headphones.

Since when has Alissa wanted a piercing? I try to imagine what it would look like on her, a little ring through her eyebrow.

I’ve never talked to Miles, but whenever I go to meet Sky at work, I watch him from a distance.

All they need to do is get out.

“What do you think?” I ask yet again when we’re both on our bikes.

Mint

I turn my face from left to right. “Do you like it?”

“You belong with me,” I say quietly to the photo. “You just need to see it.”

I don’t like it when people know my name and I don’t know theirs. Feels like I’m down 1–0.

Get locked in a room.

So when a documentary maker asked me if I’d interview the effects of the fire on our family, I said yes immediately. The documentary was broadcast on a kids’ channel, and I hoped I’d be able to help someone, even if it was just one person.

Is he leaving because Sky asked that question? I realize that I’m riled up. I want Miles to look at me again the way he just did. It was like he could see much more than my exterior.

At the door, Mint reaches for her keys, but the light in the hallway goes on and her mom opens up.

“He’s on his way, so now we just have to wait and see.” Sky puts his phone in his pocket and casually rolls a cigarette. He never has actual packs of cigarettes. Sky always does everything just a little bit differently from everyone else.

Sky’s handsome too, but his rough-and-tough exterior scares a lot of people off. Which seems like a great idea to me.

Sky lights his cigarette. “No need to get pissed. Gay people are cool.”

“Don’t think so.” Alissa takes out her wallet. “How much do you want to bet?”

The people who lived in the house were in the bedrooms on the second floor, and no one could reach them. Dad tried to get through, but it was too dangerous. In the end, all he could do was stand and watch helplessly as the whole house burned down.

“Sure.”

“To get the piercing?”

Absolutely none of it was his fault, but the accident still changed him. Dad stayed home from work, wandering around the house like a ghost. Even the firefighters who’d been with him that night couldn’t get through to him.

“And who are you?” asks Miles.

I fall back onto my bed and look at the group photo on my nightstand. Having it there makes it hard for me to sleep, but it’s even harder without it.

Alissa. Every pizza I deliver for the rest of the evening, I’m thinking about her. As I ride my scooter home, I can still see her bare neck.

Sky’s voice brings me back to the present. “Let’s bet for a pizza,” he says. “And Miles can deliver it. Perfect.”

I’m startled by my thought. After Karla, I made up my mind never to feel anything for a girl again. It’s easier to reject them all than to let anyone get close. Because when they get close, they start asking questions. Questions I can’t answer.

A few minutes later, a scooter with a big blue trunk on the back drives into the park.

I swallow the pizza. “And who are you?”

Now and then I watch the documentary again. I see the dark circles under my eyes, which look anxiously into the camera.

Caitlin’s in our year at school. If I squint, they even look a bit like each other. But Caitlin’s blue eyes don’t match up to the real thing.

“Are you gay?” Sky asks.

Alissa, Sky, Miles, and Mint are ready for a night of fun at the Escape Room.

What would it feel like to kiss that soft bit of skin?