Violet

Chapter 34: Devin

"That's insane!" Ryan shouted. 

Mariel crossed her arms. "Pretty rude to assume it was me after I was just being nice."

Liz and Desiree showed up for breakfast to see us three standing in front of the table. "Well, who was it? I mean you told me the story, Ryan. And you dropped me off in front of his house, Mariel."

"I didn't even know Ryan lived there?" Mariel said.

Liz grabbed my arm and I sat down on the table with her. Ryan and Mariel sat across from Desiree, Liz, and I. "I'm sorry to accuse anyone, but who else could it have been."

"What happened?" Desiree asked.

"A blue crying witch ran after Violet," Mariel said, making me look bad.

"No," I said. "I know it sounds weird. Mariel dropped me off in the wrong spot yesterday and as I was walking home, some woman with a blue face chased me. She wore a cloaked and was asking me to be her daughter or something."

Liz burst out laughing. "Violet, you should write a horror book."

"She's serious," Ryan sighed.

"Seriously?" Liz and Desiree spoke out at the same time.

I massaged my temples. "Nevermind."

"Well it wasn't me," Ryan said. 

"It wasn't me either," Mariel said.

Liz put a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe, you're not getting enough sleep."

I balled up my fist. "Stop, just stop. I know what I saw. I know what I've been seeing. Everyone around me thinks I'm crazy or overreacting. Well guess what, I'm not crazy, I'm not tired, and I'm not overreacting. I'm overwhelmed by everything that's happening to me," I said out of anger. I just had a total breakdown in front of them. Liz tried to stop me as I walked away, leaving my breakfast behind.

I didn't want to be around them. I held back tears as much as I could as I walked into the library. A librarian greeted me and told me I still had enough time to read or check out a book. There were bean bag chairs on the floor by a bookshelf. I sat on one, then grabbed a book to read. I didn't notice the boy sitting across from me. He was reading a book called, "Max the Mighty." He stared at me from behind the pages of the book.

"Yes?" I finally said, getting annoyed with him staring at me. 

He quickly walked up to me and sat down beside my bean bag chair. I scooted back real fast because he got real close up and personal. "Hi!" he said pulling my book halfway out of my hand. "All the Lovely Bad Ones by, Mary. That is a good pick. Do you believe in ghost? I do." He smiles real big. He stands up and points his thumb at himself. "My dad can see spirits and he says maybe I will one day."

His eyes are almost too big for his glasses. He's real scrawny and his shirt was tucked tight inside his pants. But his hair. His hair was wild. Blonde curls stuck out everywhere. It made me wonder if he ever brushed that mess. 

"That's...interesting," I said. 

He sat down next to me. "I'm Devin. Devin Bourne. Ma-ismuki?" he said.

"What?"

"That means what is your name, in Arabic," he continued. "My Muslim penpal from Syria taught me it. Pretty cool, huh?"

I nodded real slowly. "It's Violet."

"Violet," he said, gazing into the air. "What a beautiful name and color."

I smiled at him and started to stand up. "It was nice meeting you, Devin," I put my book back on the wrong shelf. He watched me as I did. "But I better get back to my friends."

"Friends," he sighed. "Must be nice to have them."

I nodded. "Yeah. Don't you have them?"

"I have books. Lots of them. Does that count as friends?" I'm about to reply but he cut me off. "Isn't it funny how we judge books, but books don't judge people? I mean, I love books and they don't think I'm lame." He raised his arms in the air and gave me a wide smile.

He freaked me out, but I did my best to be nice. "That's true," I nod, beginning to leave. He stops me.

"You don't seem like the judgemental type. Do you want  to, I don't know, possibly be friends? You know, with me?" He asked.

Things are never easy for me. He seemed nice but at the same time he was just so...weird. I smiled at him. "Why not? Sure."

He smiled real big. "Wow, my first friend. If I had a mom I would brag all day about this. My dad doesn't care about my day."

"What?" I said, but by accident. I didn't mean to make him bring up something he probably hated talking about.

"My mom left when I was eight-years-old," he said. "I don't know why. I'd tell my dad about you, but he isn't a big fan of me."

"Why?"

"He says I'm annoying. If I keep out of his way, he won't get mad." The bell rings. Devin waves goodbye to me. "Bye friend!" He's gone before I could say anything, smiling on the way out of the library.

***

After school, Liz and Desiree ran up to me on my way to soccer practice. "Guess what!" They yelled, running into me. All three of us fell to the ground.

"What!?" I called out.

"Ryan says he's going to ask you to the dance on Friday!" Desiree says.

"What?" I said. "I don't even think I'll go." All three of us stand up. Mariel finally catches up to the rest of us.

"You have to go!" Liz said.

"Okay, first you guys called him Reckless Ryan. Now you want us to go to a dance together?" 

"I ship it," Desiree said.

"What?" Liz asked staring at her.

"I mean, they should totally go together." Desiree put her arm over me. "It'll take your mind off of some stuff. Everyone likes dancing."

Desiree was right. Dancing was fun and it was something I definitely wanted to do again. I smiled, considering that I might go to the dance with Ryan.

* "Isn't it funny how we judge books but books don't judge people?" Can this please be quoted one-day xD*