My Toad Prince

5. The Toad Escapes The Todd.

I should have warned Faith about my knack for messing up well-thought-spontaneous-plans-for-an-exciting-evening.

Every single time I ever made a plan or agreed to one that I was really looking forward to, something that I had no way of avoiding, would come up. And it did this time as well.

I was just walking past the library, which I had to cross to reach the entrance of the cafeteria, when I saw the Bludger AKA Mr. Todd, the Librarian walking in the opposite way.

Fudgecakes!

I had a book due for return and it had already been a week when the limit was only upto two days. I tried to recollect wether I actually had the fat reference book in my possession still.
Last I remembered I'd placed it on top of my pile of ever-growing laundry, and I'd added a couple more clothes to that pile afterwards.

Uh oh.

I tried my best to keep my head low and prevent eye contact. I tried to be like Perry the Platypus, without the flat tail ofcourse.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ms. Coraline."

Should have gone with Johnny English.

"Afternoon, Mr. Toad, I mean Todd," I righted my unintentional slip over a cough.

Bad move, Coraline.

The Bludger's face got even redder than it usually was. His pointy moustache threatening to enter his flaring nostrils.

"With all the snark you're carrying about, one would assume you've been regular in returning your books to the library", he folded his arms over his chest in a threatening stance. And it would have been so, if only he was atleast a head or two taller than me.

I tried to look busy and distracted and fiddled with my messenger bag as if I was looking for something.

"Erm, Mr. Todd, I appreciate the compliments and all,"

I swear his face turned nearly purple at that.

"...but I really need to be somewhere and I'm already kind of late. So I'll be going,"

I tried to scoot past him, but his reflexes were pretty fast for someone so, well, pudgy. He made a grab for my bag and pulled me to a stop.

"Oh no you don't, Coraline. You know the punishment for not returning books on time. If you don't, well allow me to refresh your memory."

His mouth turned up in a flat grin as he gestured with his hands to follow him. It took me all I had to not pull a tantrum right then and right there, from all the frustration that was piling up on me since this day started.

I followed him instead to the library, cursing my rotten luck and hoping that Faith wasn't too disappointed. She did seem pretty excited when she invited me, thus making me curious. And I was not a patient person when I got curious. But I had no choice.

Grumbling under my breath, I pressed my thumb against the bio-metric scanner and went in, after Mr. Toad conveniently let the door close after he went in. Total prick.

"Now I want you to replace all these books your poorly disciplined juniors have left behind. You better keep them back in the right section and in alphabetical order. I'll be checking them, and if I do find even a single book out of place, I will call you out of whatever class you are attending, to place it back. Is that clear?"

I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent me from spewing any more snarky comments and gave him a side nod. He seemed to be satisfied with it, and walked off to his desk with an air of arrogance.