Lost Stars

v. eclipse

"I'll go on to the reference area, Mrs. Sullivan. It always seems like the one that's the most disorganized." Elle told her before setting her bag down on one of the cubbyholes provided by the library to store your food and beverages that could possibly stain any of the pages before walking over to the said area. And as she predicted, it was a major dumpster. Some of the books were crooked. There were some unlucky ones that were on the floor face down as they are opened halfway. The reason of this absolute catastrophe was because of the way students don't do their homework in time that they are forced to rampage through the other shelves and into this one where they just pull random books out and write down everything they can before carelessly tossing them aside and heading off to class.

She sighed a very loud sigh before bending down and picking up each book with the respect that each of them deserves before putting them back to their rightful places. She was soon forced to get the ladder, since some of the shelves were just beyond her reach. She grabbed about five books and carried them in one arm while the other was tasked to sorted them out.

The loud screech that the library door made whenever it was opened reached her, even when she was a fair distance away from it, and though nothing of it as she continued with her volunteer work. The reason for her charitable behavior was the fact that this world would have lost its humanity if no one helped one another, and she always felt bad for Mrs. Sullivan whenever she was forced to pick up books or clean up any ketchup stains on the wooden tables.

She continued stacking them back onto the shelves, when one of the books managed to slip out of her fingertips because of its very glossy cover, and she was definitely ready to climb back down and grab it— much to her dismay— but the sound of its hardbound cover hitting the floor never came to her surprise.

Elle dropped her head to see what could possibly have the power to defy the natural rules of physics, and she was shocked to see that he was standing beside the ladder with the book in his hand as well as the same welcoming smile that pulled her in. It was Jack.

Elle slowly and carefully climbed down as Jack moved aside to give her some room and grabbed the book from his hand. "Thanks." She silently muttered under her breath before she climbed back up continued to stack other books, trying to ignore him as he just looked at her.

"Can we talk." Jack asked her nicely, and it has only occurred to her now how long she has gone without hearing the serenade of his voice. But regardless of her thoughts, she continued to stack the books as she slid the ladder left and right as it was allowed by the fact that it was connected to railings on top that allowed fluid motion for convenient movement.

"How did you know that I was here?" Elle deadpanned as she didn't even spare him a glance as she tried to focus on the books and not her demeanor towards him falter. She kept telling herself that though her unexplained admiration for his being, he did not deserve her attention after the way that she was treated throughout the duration of their very short acquaintanceship.

"It's basic knowledge that Elle Martin prefers being surrounded with words, rather than to go home early or hang out with friends." Jack spoke for everyone in their year before Elle slid down of her ladder and finally gathered up the courage and the resistance to talk to him without falling again.

"What do you wanna talk about?" She said with a flat face that matched her voice. Jack didn't bother hiding his confusion. He was used to the Elle that was constantly oozing with joy. This Elle was absolutely flat and emotionless that it had his eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to see what was the thing that could hinder such joy.

"I'm sorry." Jack said humbly.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Elle asked him as she started walking out of the reference area, since it was already very organized. Jack was shattered when she responded to his sincere apology with such coldness, but that didn't prevent him from following her to the novella section.

"I mean it, Elle. I shouldn't have treated you like you were disposable and replaceable because I realized that you weren't when I already lost you." He was clearly baring his soul out, but Elle was still rejecting him the satisfaction of her forgiveness because in her eyes, he still was not worthy.

"You know what, Jack? You can't just do this to me. You can't just toss me aside after I have showed you nothing but kindness and just come back with an apology. And I cannot believe how ruthless you are to have only realized a human's value now." Elle exploded as their bodies stood in close proximity and as her head was craned up to look at his sorrowful eyes. And at that moment did time seem to have frozen. Elle knew that her words were not entirely truthful and that she wanted nothing more than to let him back in, but she would not tolerate anyone to degrade her like that and think nothing of her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted you to know that." Jack said in a hushed town that gave her a clear vision of the destructive sadness that was being contained in his mind as he slowly walked away and turned around, and it took Elle everything she had to not take him back.

She breathed out a breath of emotional exhaustion before finishing up her task at hand and heading back home as she skipped dinner, since the thoughts that were surrounding her were killing her appetite. She laid down on her bed as she faced the terrifying face of being isolated with her thoughts as they clouded her judgement with worries of the future and other worrisome topics.

Suddenly, her phone rang and lit up beside her. It was a message from Melissa.

'Lucas is having a party, and everyone is invited. Please allow yourself some fun, Elle. What do you say?"

She was a bit skeptical about attending, since Lucas was known for having destructive parties in his parents' mansion. She has heard a lot about how the cops would have to fire warning shots for everyone to evacuate the house, but Lucas would never have gone to jail because of the high status of his parents. But then she thought about what Jack said about how everyone knew that she was more of a home body than a party girl. And the desire to prove him and everyone wrong was firing her determination.

'I'll be there.'