Chương 6: Chapter 6: Library Of The Damned

Another week of school and I’ve barely made a dent in my latest book. I also haven’t been sleeping. I don’t know if it’s my lack of sleep or lack of brain cells, but I haven’t had much of an appetite lately. I decided to ditch having lunch with Jasper so that I could read in peace.

I snuck to the back corner of the library, also known as the bugs and insect section of the library. This is the one place where no one dares to go because no one in their right mind feels the need to read about spiders and other bugs.

I sat on the windowsill in my own private sanctuary of the library. Tall shelves piled high with thousands of books sending me to my own personal oasis. I watched students pass through to get a book needed for class, that they'll bring back and never think about again. There was minimal dust residue on the shelves due to the librarians that work tirelessly to keep them immaculate.

Now it’s time to see if the lovesick Julie will accept the prestigious invitation from the handsome Justin to attend a fundraising gala.

As I read through chapter upon chapter, Julie was finally dressed in a stunning green ballgown ready to go to the event. Her life as the before version of Cinderella was about to change. She’s nervous about seeing her family and friends’ at the evening affair that awaits her when she will see Justin again for the first time since childhood.

“Lucy?” A voice snapped me from the words on the page. Justin? Is he real?

I looked up to see Wesley Reynolds standing before me. Why am I unable to escape him?

“What are you doing here?” I asked, thinking my own question was ridiculous.

“Well, I claimed this as my spot to read. I’m seeing now that you might’ve claimed this spot long before me,” Wesley explained, sitting across from me on the windowsill. “Now that you’re not running away, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“What do you mean finally?” I asked.

“Your friend, Jasper, and I have been hanging out a lot. He seems to be the only person in this school who doesn’t see me as either a drug addict or a drug dealer. Jasper’s been talking about you so much, and I wanted to meet the legendary Lucy,” Wesley explained.

“It’s nice to meet you, but I hate to disappoint I’m not all that legendary,” I murmured.

If you count sleep-deprived mother figure and student as legendary, then yes. However, I find myself lacking the brain capacity to keep up a conversation and be a contributing member of society, so I’d consider myself infamous.

“You seem extraordinary to me,” Wesley smiled.

“Trust me, I’m not,” I whispered.

Much to my surprise, Wesley didn’t leave me alone in the insect book section of the library. He sat across from me on the windowsill with his legs dangling, while my knees were bent to my chest. My legs were the barrier that kept Wesley at arm’s length. We both had a book in our hands and the only sound came from my own heart beating. He sat across from me reading The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wonderful book choice.

I took the opportunity as he was reading to finally take a good look at his face. There was no way I was going to be able to read when he was sitting across from me. Pieces of his ash-colored brown hair fell in front of his forehead, obscuring the phenomenal view of his dark brown eyes. The sunlight which came through the window gave the impression that he had the slightest tinge of orange in his eyes.

My imagination started thinking about what Wesley would look like when he’s surfing. Jasper mentioned that Wesley was a surfer. I fantasized about his broad shoulders duck diving through the surface of the water, until exiting the freezing California ocean, before he could jump and stand on the board.

Oh my God, please have mercy on my sinful thoughts.

Jasper calls him Wes. In my head, I’ve been calling him Wesley. I wonder which name he prefers.

“Do you go by Wes or Wesley?” I asked, pressing my fist against my lips. I meant to only think that in my head.

“People call me Wes,” he grinned. “You look tired. If you want to sleep, I can wake you up when the bell rings.”

“I’m fine,” I muttered. “I’m too busy to read at home, so this is my only chance.”

Wes nodded, keeping his lingering question at bay. I know he wants to ask me why I’m so busy. Would I answer him? Absolutely not! It’s bad enough that I’m in such close proximity to the most handsome human being I’ve ever laid eyes on, but I don’t have it in me to answer him.

My eyes lingered on the printed words in my book; however, I couldn’t focus on reading them. I’ve re-read the same line four times in the last ten minutes. My brain is slowly shutting down. Maybe it’s the lack of food. Or the lack of sleep. Or the beautiful creature sitting before me without a care in the world. I wonder what my life would be like if I didn’t have to care about anything, wandering through life without any responsibilities.

Maybe then I’d be able to tell Wes about myself.

***

“I’m leaving now, I promise!” Jasper shouted, running towards the exit.

Jasper Hale, being the best friend that he is, agreed to pick up all the kids from school. Jasper doesn’t do well with taking care of the kids on his own, because he gets overwhelmed and forgets how many children I have. However, I can’t help but appreciate all that he does for me. Despite my fear of the house burning down under his watch, I still allow Jasper to take care of five kids.

“Thank you,” I muttered, walking towards the library again. It’s been three hours since lunch and I’m ready to read. Actually read. Not be distracted by the sight of Wes.

Wes.

He likes being called Wes.

The minutes turned to hours. I’ve finished reading my latest book and got to start another one. I hid in a different corner of the library, because I didn’t want to risk Wes being in the same spot as me.

Reading had to be put on hold when the lights in the library turned off. I assumed I was alone because the motion sensor lights had turned off. I didn’t bother standing in the darkness, so I took out the flashlight on my phone. I started working on my homework for English due tomorrow. We were going to be assigned our project partners tomorrow. I’m not worried. Jasper and I are permanent partners.

“You know, reading in the dark affects your eyes,” a voice said.

I jumped from the floor tossing my phone at the serial murderer in front of me. However, it ended up being the surfer with a pension for reading. “Jesus! You gave me a heart attack! What are you doing in here?”

“I was reading and then fell asleep. Since the lights are off, we’re going to need to climb out the window,” Wes explained.

My eyes widened at his words. No! I’m not jumping out of a window. We’re on the second floor of the school. This is not happening. I’m going to jump out the window and then we’re going to die. I’m going to die, and my kids are never going to see me again. They need me. I need them. I can’t leave them alone in this world. They can’t leave me here to die!

“You haven’t been at the library this late before, have you?” Wes asked.

He handed me back my phone and I checked the time. It’s almost ten o’clock at night! I’ve been sitting here for over seven hours! My kids are at home, probably starving and sitting too close to the television!

I've been in the library daydreaming about Wes for hours. I've barely made a dent in my book. My thoughts were consumed with Wes!

“I’ve gotta get home!” I shouted, jumping to pack my bag. Wes took my hand like the action was normal as if holding hands was something we do every day. He led me over to a window and a knot in my stomach twisted tighter when he smiled at me. “Have you done this before? You’re new here, so why do you come here of all places? Why do you not seem scared about jumping out of a window?” I asked, frantically. I couldn’t help the rambling of questions. My eyes wouldn’t look down, so if I concentrated on Wes’ chest and kept talking, then maybe I wouldn’t realize I've jumped.

Wes’ fingers hooked under my chin, lifting my face to look into his eyes. “Can you trust me?”

That’s a loaded question.

The logical part of my brain says, no. No, I can’t trust anybody.

However, the feather-like touch of his fingers and his eye contact so severe it almost burned my eyes, made me want to trust him.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Wes laced our fingers together as he sat at the edge of the opened window. His hands gripped my waist, and the air got sucked from my lungs at the feeling of him touching me. My eyes refused to open, but Wes wiggled me to the edge of the window.

“Fly away,” Wes whispered, brushing his lips against my ear. I don’t know if it’s the cool night air or his voice making me shiver.

Wes’ hands released me, and I free fell out the window. “Wes!” I shouted, feeling the ground beneath me already. I finally opened my eyes and saw that Wes’ face was two feet above mine. I’m standing on the roof outside of the library. “What? How? This is so much worse than jumping out the window! You knew those stairs were here! I was scared for nothing!”

Wes hopped down from the window. He took my hand again, intertwining our fingers together. The simplicity and normalcy of the action felt unnerving. I don’t know if I’m supposed to pull my hand away or not. However, I let him drag me to a door on the roof. He pulled it open revealing a staircase to the ground.

“Sorry,” Wes murmured, taking me down the stairs. “You looked cute when you’re scared. I guess letting you be scared for so long was a d*ck move.”

When we reached the parking lot, he held my hand all the way to my car. “Sorry for freaking out and thank you for helping me out of here,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” Wes whispered, brushing a piece of hair that fell out of my braids behind my ear. I wanted so badly to lean into his touch, but that’d only make matters worse. I need to avoid Wes. “I’ll see you in English tomorrow. Who knows, maybe we’ll be partners for that project.”

“Who knows,” I whispered, feeling cold when his hand went back to his side.

His confident strides towards his own car made my heart flutter with excitement for tomorrow. I know we won’t be partners because I can't betray my partnership with Jasper, but the thought of seeing Wes from a distance felt exhilarating. It’s a feeling that I never knew I needed in my life. I’ve never given a guy a second look. Admiring somebody for who they were and how I reacted to them has never been a part of my life. My life revolved around my kids.

It’s terrifying to think that I’m excited for school tomorrow. Even though I know I’m not excited for school.

I’m excited to see Wes.

bình luận bình luận của 0

Bình chọn

GỬI QUÀ TẶNG

Load failed, please RETRY