Special thanks to Gabbyyy_y_ for editing this chapter and to Ashleys_storys for the end of chapter questions!
❀
When the bell rings, I grab my stuff and rush out into the hall.
"Holly, wait!" Treble shouts after me, but I keep running.
I wobble my way down the hall, cursing Mom's heels with every echoing step. When I reach the staircase, I grab the railing and literally hang off it so I can move faster. I'm probably going to end up breaking my neck, but what do I care? I'm not even supposed to go anywhere alone, not according to Mom's list of rules, but I need to get away from Treble.
I clench the railing, hard. I couldn't focus in English class, all because of a boy. His voice put me under some sort of spell, and each time I caught a girl ogling him, I wanted to rip out her hair. Even when the teacher did his over-the-top dramatic reading, just like Luke promised, I still couldn't focus. I was constantly aware of Treble, and if that wasn't bad enough, I kept daydreaming about Luke and Miles, too. Three boys. Not one. Three. At this rate, every single thing Mom said about me is going to come true.
I make it to the first-floor landing and stumble into the packed hallway. Everyone's shouting and laughing and walking in random directions, so I have to push my way through the crowd. Then, I see a tall guy in a football jacket, and my heart nearly stops. Except, it's not Treble. It's one of his teammates. He's not even that cute, not compared to the other three boys I've met today, but when he lets out a wolf whistle, I still stumble. I almost crash into a girl with neon green braces, and she gapes at me. Then she nudges her friend, who has really frizzy hair, and the two of them burst out laughing.
I let my hair fall in front of my face, shielding me, and break into a wobbling, high-heeled mockery of a run. I know I shouldn't care, but after everything I've been through, I just can't handle anything else. I keep my eyes glued to the library, where I'm supposed to eat my lunch, and don't stop until I'm safely inside.
"No running in the library!" the librarian shouts. I look up, expecting a stuffy old man in a tweed jacket, and my eyes widen. Half the librarian's head is shaved and the other half is dyed a mix of blue and neon green. His arms are covered in tattoos, so densely packed that none really stand out, and he's got more piercings than I can count. They glitter under the fluorescent lights: nose, upper lip, all along his left ear. Mom's worst nightmare, incarnate.
She's taken me downtown before, and there were people like him in the artsier sections. Mom would always grab my hand and pull me across the street, clutching her purse against her chest the entire time. Then, she'd go on some crazy rant about drugs and city streets, her tone dripping with the same sort of self-righteous disdain she now aims at me.
"You got a presentation after lunch?" The librarian gives me a curious look.
"N-no?" I croak. My throat feels dryer than it had earlier, and the word barely slips out.
"New to Thomas Clarence, then?"
I nod and that's when it hits me. My outfit. Mom's suit! No wonder he thinks I have a presentation. My cheeks flame and I quickly look down at my ugly high-heeled shoes.
"I'm Ren," the librarian says. "And you are?"
"Holly." I swallow to try to soothe my sore throat.
"And have you been in a library before, Holly?" Mr. Ren quirks an eyebrow at me.
My cheeks heat and I nod.
"Good. Then you know what to do." He gestures vaguely at the shelves of books and turns back to his computer screen. His fingers begin to race across his keyboard, each click echoing through the ensuing silence.
Mr. Ren doesn't pay me any attention, so I slowly start to relax. I scan the room and stop short when I see the computers. There are six in total, and they're older looking machines, each affixed with headphones. They make me want to cry. Not because they're probably so slow they barely work, but because of Mom. Again. You'd think that smashing my laptop and phone would have been enough torture, but no. She made me log into all my social media accounts on Dad's tablet and then she deleted them, one by one. Instagram. Snapchat. Wattpad. Friends. Followers. My entire life, gone. Just. Like. That.
You did this to yourself, Holly. Her words ring through my head, and maybe she's right. Maybe I did.
I hold back the tears and rush to the nearest empty table. The carpeted floor masks the sound of my heels as I take my seat in clear sight of Mr. Ren. At least I can hide out here until lunch is over. As long as I don't run into any more boys, I won't be breaking Mom's rules. Plus, I can finally take off her stupid, uncomfortable heels. I don't even care that the carpet is dirty—it's such a relief to be able to flex my toes. I let out a blissful sigh and take out my lunch.
"You can't eat in here." Mr. Ren clicks his tongue at me.
"B-but—"
"What does this say, Holly?" He taps the large laminated sign taped to the front of his desk. It has a picture of a burger and soda, surrounded by a thick red circle with a diagonal line running through it.
No food or drink, I think, but when I open my mouth, no words come out.
Mr. Ren sighs. He brushes back a strand of his blue-green hair and thinks it over. "Look, you can eat here today, but make some friends by tomorrow, okay? You're gonna have to eat in the cafeteria."
I nod, even though I already know that eating in the cafeteria is not an option. Mom would never allow it. Not when she won't even let me browse the shelves upon shelves of books that surround me. If I so much look at a book that wasn't assigned by a teacher, she'll go all psycho. Her email was clear: no reading, no friends, and definitely no fun.
I quickly finish my sandwich—bologna on whole wheat—and take out the school-sanctioned novel I got in English. I've always hated old, boring books where the character just drones on and on, but now I feel a wave of excitement. I haven't read a single word in three long weeks. Well, if you don't count class and the random signs I caught glimpses of on the drive here from Brooklyn. No websites, no magazines, no books—not even textbooks. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Off limits!
In class, Treble read from chapter three, but I start at the beginning. Still, each word in my head is in his voice. I try to read in someone else's—my own, a celebrity's, even the teacher's—but it's no use. My choices, it seems, are Treble or nothing.
For a second, I wonder if Mom's right. I've already developed some crazy obsession with a boy I barely know. Three boys I barely know. What if it's just the first step to all the things Mom accused me of?
I try to focus on the book, but the librarian is typing like a maniac. The clatter of keys echoes through the library, making it hard to focus. I just manage to stumble my way through page one—well, actually page xii, which makes zero sense—when the library door bangs open.
My head snaps up and my heart leaps. I want it to be Treble, or Luke, or Miles, even as panic sets in. Luckily, it's not one of them and I feel a momentary wave of relief. Then, I realize that my life has just gone from bad to worse. Even though the newcomer is a complete stranger, he makes my heart lurch like I'm not already obsessed with three other boys.
Dark eyes hidden behind thick-framed glasses lock on mine, sending my pulse racing. They remind me of chocolate—something I haven't had in three long weeks. Mom found immense pleasure in eating it in front of me, hoping the temptation would break me. Hoping I'd confess. She ate her way through half a dozen candy bars and a tub of ice cream, and when that didn't work she started baking brownies and cookies. The delicious smell permeated the air, but I never got so much as a taste. That has to be why I'm drooling over this boy now: chocolate withdrawal. It is not because I'm the boy-obsessed drug-addicted slut Mom thinks I am.
"Hello, Eli." Mr. Ren looks up from the computer screen. "Chess club canceled again?"
Eli doesn't answer, his chocolate eyes not once straying from my own. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and pulls at the strap of his messenger bag. Then, he studies me, like I'm a chess board, and it's his turn to make a move. He takes his time, until Mr. Ren finally clears his throat.
"Noticed that you've got company today, huh?" It takes me a second to realize that the librarian means me.
My face heats and my eyes snap back to my book. Eli doesn't reply. I still feel eyes on me and wonder if he's noticed Mom's super ugly clothes. Not that I care what he thinks, because I am not obsessed with some boy. Still, I hold my breath until I hear Eli rushing across the room. By the time I look up, he's already settling down in front of one of the computers.
Mr. Ren sighs, shakes his head, and goes back to typing. The clacking of keys echoes through the room. Then, he mumbles something that sounds a lot like, "I tried."
I sneak a peek up at Eli, only to catch him staring back at me. My blush deepens. Eli quickly looks away and I do too. I try to focus on the book, but the words swim in front of my eyes. I turn the page anyway, and then sneak another peek at Eli. He looks up from his screen, our eyes meet, and we both look away. My heart pounds in my chest, and the next time I dare look up, Eli slides on a pair of headphones.
"Hey, Eli, why don't you... What am I doing? He can't hear me." Mr. Ren shakes his head, sending a few strands of blue-green hair tumbling down his forehead. The library's fluorescent lighting reflects the different shades as he rounds the desk. He taps Eli on the shoulder and gestures from him to take the headphones off. "Why don't you show Holly how to log onto a library computer? It's her first day."
Eli turns to look at me, but his chocolate eyes aren't enough to distract me from my growing panic. I'm not supposed to log onto a library computer! Didn't Mr. Ren get Mom's instructions? Did Principal Sloan forget to send them to him because he's a librarian and not a real teacher? Or did he just decide not to read them? For all I know, he did read them and is purposely ignoring them! He totally looks like someone who'd do that, but does that also mean he won't tell Mom? I can't risk making things at home any worse. I don't want to use a computer that badly, do I?
I'm filled with indecision as Eli stutters out an okay.
"Great." The librarian smiles, deciding for me.
❀Questions?❀
❀Comments?❀
✿What did you think of this chapter? 👍/👎?
❁ Should Holly use a computer? Would you?
❁ Who wants to kill Holly's mom? Are you more outraged about her not letting Holly read? Deleting her social? Or about the chocolate?
❁ Who is your favorite guy so far? Miles? Treble? Eli? Luke? Which guy(s) do you want to see more of in the next chapter?
❁ Do you think starting books with page "xii" is weird? Should I start this book with page xii if it's ever published, just to see if anyone notices?
❀SHIFTER ANIMALS❀ Is it too early to decide on a shifter animal for Eli? I definitely have some ideas!