The Only Hope For Me Is You

Chapter 8

So Gerard cleaned up my locker. No big deal, the janitor does it all the time...Then why am I freaking out so much? It's not like he proposed to me! Not that I'd want him to but there must have been some act of kindness behind it wouldn't there be? I rambled on and on in my head like an old guy while making my way to room 213, the indicated room on the detention slip. It was a little after three in the afternoon so the hallways were rapidly emptying out as life after school commenced. As if anyone really went home and did their homework these days. I don't know how kids in New Jersey played things out but back in New York me and my friends were completely different people when nightlife came alive. No work, all play. No worries till dawn (or till our parents started wondering why we haven't gone home yet).

I reached room 213 and read the sign above the door that said Library. I turned the knob on the set of double doors and cautiously opened them. I was met with a musty draft of humid air,as if I were the first person to enter the premises in over a hundred years.The room seemed eternal with the endless stacks of bookshelves filled to the brim with books of all sizes. Hogwarts all over again.

I walked between bookshelves and ran my fingers along the spines of the many books, thick and thin alike.This would be my heaven, to be forever within the liberty of being able to read between worlds and realities of different ages, of being able to trespass the minds of great men before me. If only I owned so many words, I could be the happiest person alive. I sneezed. There goes the magic, stupid allergies.

"Hey, who was that?" a somewhat familiar voice called. Right, I couldn't have been the only person in this room, what if I was seen? Reality (my allergies) came crashing down on me and woke me up. You are not in an enchanted room in one of your novels, Frannie. Stupid girl, what am I to do with you? ....I thought crazily.

Abruptly where the sound of the voice came at the end of the aisle in front of me appeared Gerard just as surprised as I was. "Oh, it's you." he said, saying the very same thing I was thinking. His hair was messy and his eyes look wary as if he'd lost precious hours of sleep. He had the haggard look of someone who was troubled.

"Yeah. Who were you expecting? We'd only been given these detention slips this very morning and I really doubt anyone would be coming in here to actually research." I replied somewhat icily.

He was taken aback by the way I responded him. I don't know why I did, I just did. "Well...Marcos isn't here yet." He cleared his throat. Now would've been a perfect time to thank him for cleaning up my locker but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Why should I? He's the one that made it dirty in the first place.

Sensing an awkward gap in the conversation he started walking towards the tables in the front of the library. I reluctantly followed. "So how's moving here been so far?" he asked, feigning interest.

"Are you serious? Why are you talking to me?" I said grumpily.

"Uhh..right. Not my business." He sighed exasperatedly. "What is wrong with me? Why do I keep trying to talk to this selfish superficial girl?" he muttered to himself.

"Excuse me?" I scoffed.

"Nothing." He replied just as cold. We glared at each other when we both pulled back the chairs that were facing each other in both ends of a long table at the same time and sat down. I don't know why but I really don't like this guy. What is it about him that sets me off? I started making ugly faces at him to pass the time. At first he didn't seem to know how to react and pretended not to notice me. But after a while when Marcos still hadn't shown up yet he started retaliating with goofy looks of his own. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh once and while.

Gerard's POV

I'm making this stubborn, strange girl laugh, I thought with pride. Of all the things I could've done to this exasperating girl, I made her laugh. Huh. I had been in the library for a while now when I had heard a muffled sneeze comng from one of the aisles. Of all the things I could've seen, I had to see Frannie sneezing and collecting dust off the books with her fingertips voluntarily. She hadn't seemed too pleased to see me. She didn't even acknowledge the idea to thank me for cleaning up her locker. I can tell she hates me and truthfully, I welcome the fun. If annoying the crap out of her is the only way to get her to talk to me then so be it.

After we had parried a bit with words we sat down and Frannie started making faces at me. It  was cute, I'll admit, and I just had to look away in case my cheeks were to betray me. Me, blushing, that's just sick. What could have caused such a reaction from me escapes me and I am determined to figure it out. When it felt like Marcos wasn't gonna be here anytime soon I started making faces back at her. We played like that for a while and I actually enjoyed myself. But what made my day right then and there was listening to her silent giggles. Frannie tried to hide the fact that I was making her laugh and that just made me happier. Don't hide a smile, I tried to tell her but then thought better of it. She would then remain forever grim in my presence. I kept at it for a while until it seemed like we were there for an eternity.

I was the first one to break the ice, "Hey, it's almost four and Marcos isn't here yet. Are we really gonna sit here and wonder if he'll ever show up?"

She sat in deep silence I thought she would have stayed fixated like a statue never to move again. Her expression was unreadable as she bit the bottom of her lips. "But should we just leave? What if he shows up and we're gone?"

"Then serves him for not owning up to his responsibilities. Plus...who the hell cares?"

"What if...what if we get in trouble?" Frannie asked hesitantly.

"Then we'll have all the more fun running away from it. Come on, I'm getting outta here. If you wanna stay stuck inside this place all by yourself then be my guest. I'm going to go have the time of my life." I had gotten up and I was slowly making my way towards the door, hoping she would decide fast and follow me. "See ya.."

"You're going to have the time of your life on a Monday? Seriously?" She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yup, and you're going to hear all about it at the table tomorrow in lunch and how you were too lame to come hang out with us because you were being 'responsible'." I teased.

"Fine.I'll come with you. I mean, beats sitting here all night."She got up and got out the door I was holding out for her.

"Great. Now are you a fast runner?" I asked suddenly.

"Kindof yeah...why?" she puzzled.

"Because fate had to be an a-hole and just had to send us marcos right when we were leaving-"

"Hey! You two! Get back inside!" Marcos yelled from the end of the hall. Apparently he went out for donuts, since he was carrying two dozens of them. "I brought donuts for all of us!"

We only had time to share a look of understanding before sprinting down the opposite direction towards freedom. I laughed the whole way out.