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✧➴FIVE

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FIVE
the room where it happened
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[ TW: neglect ]

Q KNEW HE should be working on his chemistry study guide, taking advantage of the peace and quiet while he had it, but somehow couldn't force himself to open up his folder and retrieve the packet.  Instead, it sat an arms length away as he doodled on the edge of his Spanish homework.  Señorita Hampton would not be pleased but he'd deal with that later.  At least he finished the worksheet.

Q possessed a love-hate relationship with the library.  He loved its tranquil atmosphere, the musty smell of books that reminded him of how his father would read to him and his sister each night. (Their favorite was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and he was sure his father wished his children would just find a different story to become infatuated with already). Often, he nearly fell asleep to the shuffling of papers and quiet murmuring, his own personal lullaby.  Though, he missed his friends.  They would come visit sometimes but often got themselves kicked out or would only be able to stay half the period if they wanted to have time to eat.  So most of the time, it was only Q.

His pencil skated across the paper, much like an ice-dancer, shading in the petal of his daffodil.  He knew he was decent enough at drawing, though he could never make a career out of it.  He couldn't say he knew what his alternative career path was, either.  And with his junior year beginning, the topic of possible occupations would need to be addressed.

As he finished, he tilted his head up to glance at the clock on the wall.  Lunch would be over soon, and Teagan offered to come a bit later to catch him up to speed on the plan.  Though, it had remained the same over the past few days: meet up at the library today at five o'clock sharp, tardiness will not be tolerated.  He wasn't necessarily expecting any serious developments.

Perhaps, he could waste some time with a book.  Due to his parents implementing their value of reading on him at such a young age, he'd grown a fondness towards literature, especially the classics.  Teagan teased him from time to time, but he didn't care much.  As long as he was satisfied, that's all that mattered.

Q tugged out his earbuds, allowing them to fall onto the table with a soft clatter, and paused his music, only thirty seconds into the current Rex Orange County song.  He stood and made his way over to the fiction section, appreciating his height for once that allowed him to easily reach to the top-shelves.  His fingers dragged along the spines of the books, shivering at the touch of cool leather.  He heard the squeaking of a stool in the next aisle, but paid it no mind.  He was more engrossed in the copious amount of books the library had collected.  Chesterfield High may have been a shitshow, but at least they had decent books.

Finally, he saw it.  He hadn't been looking for a book in particular, but the moment he saw the golden embossed cover, he knew that was the one he wanted.  His fingers wrapped around the book, covering the large ALCOTT on the side so that all that was visible was OTT.  The moment he pulled Eight Cousins away, he struggled to maintain his balance as he came face to face with another human being.

He wasn't smiling.  In fact, he looked rather vexed.  Any whisper of a smile that had been on Q's face disappeared instantaneously.  Both boys stared at one another, neither knowing what to say to the other.