In the Library

Chapter 4 .M.

I walk to school with Sam just like he had since middle school, when my mom actually let us walk to school unsupervised.

"I'm thinking we meet up somewhere after school, since i don't have any practice." Sam suggests. "What do you say, Ford?. Also, can I take picture of your English notes from yesterday?"

"We're not in the same english class, you realize that right?" I ask.

Sam blinks. "We aren't?"

I chuckle. "Maybe if you didn't you the hour as your nap time you'd realize." I tease then get serious. "I don't think I can hang out after school today, I might have something going on."

"How come?" Sam frowns.

Because I'm babysitting the school delinquent in the library. Only I don't say that out loud. "Uh, It's like an errand for a part time job." I say, we stop by the locker banks.

Sam spins his combination lock, 10-17-8. His birthday and I wasn't sure what the other number was for. I lean against the cool metal. "Want some?" He holds out a bag of gummy bears. I take a few and thank him. Sam empties the rest of the packet in his mouth, stuffing the crumbled bag back into his locker. He pulls out a bottle of water to wash them down.

"Yo Collins, you still coming coming to Colby's ?"

"Nah, not today."

I scan through the faces looking for the source of the conversation, I spy Collins leaning up against the spirit painted walls the bruising on his face his practically unnoticeable. The guys his talking to his build that a brick wall, in baggy black pants and a white button down, the sleeves strain over his bulbous biceps and the buttons on the front could be come bullets if he laughed to hard or sneezed."What? Really? You totally haven't been hanging out with us since like ~ weeks, man." Says the brick wall. "What have you been doing after school anyway?"

Collins shrugs nonchalantly. "Been busy running errands for a side job."

The brick walls makes a either confused or constipated face. "What does that even mean? You do take out for some Chinese restaurant or something?"

Collin's face twitches into a sardonic half smirk. "Sure, Brock. That's exactly what I do." He ducks under Brock the bricks massive arm. "Later."

He passes by me and Sam, who's now busy munching on a rope of beef jerky from the convenience store across the street. Collin's oddly colored eyes, connect with mine and he winks like we shared some strange secret or something.

Sam slams his locker loudly and I break eye contract to look at him. He whips his face with his sleeve. "Nothing like, dried meat and candy to start the school day." I shake my head at his antics. "Ready for class?"

"Uh-Almost, theres something I need to check in on first, I'll meet you later." I leave before I can get a formative response.

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"Mr. Wybore!" I wave to get his attention. He whips of the front of his jacket with one hand while holding a coffee mug in the other."

"Good morning, thanks again for watching the library. Do you need something?"

I come up short. "Uh it's about the library thing, how long is he going to be there?"

"Be where? Who?" Wybore, blinks obviously not connecting the dots.

"At the front desk."

"OH," The teacher scratches his head thinking. "Probabbly up until winter break, maybe longer. Who knows." He looks up at me then, squinting. "Why do you want to know?"

I take a deep breath forcing out the words in a rush before I can change me mind. "I'll stay with him till then."

"WHAT? YOU WILL!" Wybore exclaims, coffee sloshes over the brim of the mug, he swears jerking around spilling more of the hot liquid down the from of him.

I choose this time to make my escape to first period.