You, Me, and All The Spaces In-between

CHAPTER 6

"West." The word was bitter on my tongue. "Always a pleasure."

Tyson's stubbled face was mere inches from mine, and I could smell the many energy drinks he consumed on his breath as I wrenched free from his grip.

"Who would've thought," Tyson mused, a repulsive smirk crinkling his features, "that I'd find a nerd in the library."

"Bit out of your territory, isn't it?" I asked, feeling bold.

Before Tyson could respond, Cash came over, a pile of books under one arm. "What's going on here?"

He grinned suddenly, clarity filling his gaze. "Reading again, Miller?"

"Only books about you, Cash," I crooned, and for a moment, I thought I saw him flinch. "But I'm afraid fraternising with the chimps wasn't on my agenda today. If you excuse me, I have to return to civilisation."

Cash's face seemed to flush with anger, and his eyes narrowed in obvious dislike. "Now, that wasn't nice. I'd like to know where you're getting such awful words from."

He grasped for the book in my hand in a sudden movement, but in my panic I dove to the side and ducked behind a nearby bookshelf. Panting, I clutched 'This Burning Heart' to my chest.

He couldn't have this book. I wouldn't let him.

"Oh, Miller," Tyson sang, creeping into the aisle. "Let us have a look at what you're reading."

Cash appeared at the other end of the shelf. "C'mon," he pleaded mockingly, "just one peek."

Jesus Christ, what was this boy doing to me?

"We promise we won't rip it," Tyson cooed.

They were closing in on me, and my heart was pounding, and where was Ms. Reynolds when you needed her?!

In the last second before the pair pounced, I made a split decision and, tucking the book under my arm, leapt up the bookshelf and scrambled over the other side. As I went to leap down, I glanced over my shoulder and caught a brief glance of Cash's face, which was bright red and wildly surprised.

Then I hit the ground and I was running, booking it back to my locker. I might've made a fool of myself, but I'd saved the book, and that was what mattered.

Don't worry, I promised the owner, staring tenderly down at its worn crimson cover. I'll take good care of your book.

- - - -

"You know what?" I said, stretching languidly across Martin's couch as I rested 'This Burning Heart' atop my stomach, "I think I want to meet the owner of this book."

"What was that, Alyx?" Martin asked, glancing briefly over his shoulder. He and Ky were currently engaged in a gaming competition of epic proportions, and his tanned face was lined with sweat and strain.

"Oh, he's talking about that damned book Mr. Reiner gave him," Robert drawled, perching on the couch's arm. "Alyx here has been obsessed with it all week."

"What?" I asked indignantly, sitting up. "It's a great book. And...maybe, just maybe, its owner is great, too."

Robert sighed in exasperation. "Oh, Alyx."

Martin gave a sudden squeak of outrage and fell back against the cushions. "Damn, Ky!" He tossed the controller onto the coffee table and ran his hand through his hair. "How are you so good?!"

Ky, lying triumphantly across the couch, reached out one leg and poked Martin's cheek with her big toe. "More like why are you so bad?"

She turned to me suddenly and added, "What Robert's trying to say, Alyx, is that this person probably snagged your book out of their parent's dusty collection so that they'd have something to bring."

"But-But they annotated it," I protested meekly. My heart was sinking-I knew they were probably right, but I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to pretend that there was some magical person just waiting for me to appreciate their book. "There were jokes-Puns."

"Anyone could have written that," Ky said gently. Her dark eyes were soft-sympathetic. "I'm not trying to be harsh, but I don't want you to get hurt. Just...try to keep your expectations realistic."

A lively conversation resumed shortly afterward, and I lapsed into a conflicted silence, my head awhirl with thoughts. After a while, Martin stood and stretched, yawning loudly.

"Alright, guys, I've gotta go change. Lucy will be here any minute."

"Why do you have to change?" I asked slowly. The hoodie he wore was ancient, sure, but it'd seen many great days. Martin had worn it for years, and it featured prominently in over half of our photos. "I like that one."

"Are you kidding? This hoodie is so old." Martin lifted the fabric to his nose and breathed in. "And it's starting to smell."

"You know you can wash it, right?" Ky snorted, tugging at a piece of aqua hair. She'd shaved half of it last year, and kept the other half cropped and dyed. With her bold eyeliner and high cheekbones, Ky always looked fierce-and beautiful. Most of the guys in our year had a crush on her, but she tended to mostly date girls.

"Of course I know that," Martin sniffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't know if you do, though."

Ky's mouth fell open. "Are you implying I smell?" she cried. "You, with your oh-so-manly BO-"

The pair proceeded to launch into a playful debate, bickering half-heartedly back and forth.

Robert and I exchanged a glance, but I couldn't help feeling my heart lift. These were my people-my friends. Only they could make me feel so carefree. For a moment it was like the good old days again.

It was just right.

And then the doorbell rang, and Martin was rushing upstairs to change while Ky distracted Lucy, and Robert and I were walking back home.

Back to reality.

"Did you mean what you said?" Robert asked after a few minutes of silence. He was staring off into the distance, his face unreadable.

"About what?"

"About meeting the book's owner. Are you really gonna try and find out their identity?"

"Maybe." I stared at the sidewalk. "I don't know. Probably not."

Robert looked at me sharply. "Why not?"

I blinked at him, surprised. "I thought you didn't want me to?"

"It's not that," Robert sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess I just...It's like Ky said. I don't want you to get hurt. But...I think you should do it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Hey, if there's a chance you'll meet someone just as nerdy as you, you might as well take it, am I right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so." I stuffed my hands in my pockets, but it was an effort to keep the smile from my face. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Good."

A/N: Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying so far, please leave a vote and/or a comment :)