On The Plus Side

26// cock blocked by a piece of lettuce

After skating for what felt like only thirty minutes, I was shocked when I found out two hours had passed. When we left, I only had four new bruises, which was an accomplishment. Victor slung his backpack over his shoulder and we walked down the street together.

"So, what's next." I ask cheerily while we walk down the street. It's a lot cuter than I had expected; Iredale truly was a vintage town. There were lots of cobblestone pathways, Victorian houses and buildings, and even a medium sized river that snaked its way through the town, sporting many roads and bridges. There was rolling hills of green everywhere you looked, and all the shops had a European style to them.

"Well-" Victor pauses, unfurling his ten foot map. It was an embarrassment to be seen with, but I guess that was the price of being tourists. Placing his finger on what I assumed was out location, he draws a line.

"The map is upside down." I say, taking it from his hands and turning it around. "Where are we supposed to go next?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise." He mumbles, taking the map back. "I can read this. From here, we head south."

"Who do you think I am? Lewis and Clark?" I scoff, following Victor as he 'heads south'. "Just speak like a normal person. Head left. Head right."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He rolls his eyes. After some more walking, we stop in front of a small storefront, and by the way Victor's eyes light up I can tell we've made it. The glass is frosted, and Madeleine's is inscripted in fancy white letters. Holding the door open for me, I step in.

It's a bookstore, and all I can say is it's huge. From the outside it looked fairly small, tucked away between a pastry and a souvenir shop. It's made of redbrick, Victoria style like everything else in this town. All the walls are filled from floor to ceiling with books, color coded with dots and alphabetized by genre, the oak wood shelves gleaming from fresh veneer. There's even a ladder to reach the topmost shelves. In the central reception area, there are several tables with computers available for use. Not to far is a kid's section, with bean bag chairs and colorful educational rugs.

"I like this place because," Victor points to a far back corner I hadn't noticed before, where there was a small cafe style nook selling drinks. "They make the best hot cocoa in the world."

"This place is so cool." I whisper excitedly, wondering if he knew how much I loved to read or if that was just a coincidence. I take a step forward, inhaling the scent of well used books.

"What's your favorite genre?" He asks me as we walk into a secluded aisle belonging to the young adult genre.

"Every one of them." I say, pulling a book off the shelf by its spine. "Except historical fiction. I don't give a care about the biographies of dead people. What about you?"

Victor snorts at my response. "That's easy. Science fiction or mystery. But what if you only could pick one genre to read for the rest of your life?"

"Hmm." I have to think about the question. Turning, I lean against the sturdy shelf. Victor's standing across from me. "Romance."

"Ew, you're such a girl." He wrinkles his nose and laughs when I playfully kick him in the shin. "Okay-- let's play a game.In the romance section, we'll compete to find the worst scenes in the novels. Each time we make the other laugh you get a point. The one with the least points at the end buys dinner."

"Sounds fun." I exclaim with a smirk. Pulling out a stopwatch, Victor sets the timer for three minutes.

"Ready?" I nod, pushing myself off the bookshelf. "Go."

At the start of the timer, we split up. I scan the shelves, picking out the ones with the cheesiest and stupidest titles or covers I've ever seen. They begin to pile in my arms, and when I think I have a decent amount I pore over them on the floor to see what I've collected. A few have such ridiculous scenes that they make me laugh, so I put them on the side.