Nothing Super [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10 - "You know nothing so back off!"

Taylor was jolted awake by a hand shaking her. Eyes blurry, she jerked her head around, trying to make sense of the world that wasn't familiar. The uncertainty of her surroundings sent her heart pounding, muscles flooding with adrenaline.

"Hey, it's okay. You're fine."

The voice shocked clarity back into place. The library. Dominic. The Time Stop. Shaken, Taylor flopped back onto the rough carpeted floor, resting one arm over her eyes.

"You all right?" Dominic asked.

She nodded, trying to calm her rapid heart rate.

"I didn't mean to startle you, time is almost up and I figured I would give you a chance to wake up."

"Thanks," Taylor breathed out.

As she relaxed, other pieces of her world returned. She realized in her stretched out form - with her legs laying over Dominic's, her backpack wasn't beneath her head. When she found it, it had shifted close to where he sat, telling her she must have looked like some curled up C shape as she slept.

"Late night?" Dominic asked.

"Yup, the usual, stalking my crush."

Dominic didn't reply and Taylor wondered if he believed that or could tell it was a joke.

"What did you read today?" she asked, drained from the spike of adrenaline and having no want to move at all.

"Pride and Prejudice."

At this, Taylor lifted her head and stared at him. "What do you think?"

Dominic eyed the cover as if he could glean from the picture the entire plot.

"It's not great. It's about an egotistical guy and a judgmental chick."

Taylor let her head fall back to the ground with a muted thump. "Way to downplay a literary classic."

She felt Dominic shrug from the shift in his legs. "Nothing happens. All everyone does is stand around and talk. No one takes action. Elizabeth seriously does nothing but sit on her a-"

"Hey." Taylor propped herself up on her elbows. "She is one of the first strong female characters."

"Who does nothing and lets everyone else solve her problems."

Taylor sighed and sank to the ground, realizing she didn't have the strength to argue. Besides, he had a point.

"I want a character who takes action. For instance, in this other book the character Kvothe has to fight for everything and takes charge of a situation, he doesn't just wait for things to happen."

Taylor stared up at the patchwork ceiling, mulling over his opinion. There was nothing for her to add since it made sense. A person couldn't simply sit around and wait for life to happen.

"Where did your interest in reading come from? It's not something most teenage guys do all that much."

The silence that followed told her that she had crossed a line that she hadn't known was there. When she looked at Dominic he was stuffing his book into his backpack.

"My mom," he said.

Even with the answer, Taylor knew a brick wall when she saw it. She pulled her legs away and the world raced back in, the sudden wave of life less disorientating. As she gathered her things, she handed Dominic his jacket.

"Thanks for letting me use it," she said.

"Yeah."

He tugged it on and headed for the exit. Before he disappeared, Taylor drew him back. She glanced down the row, checking that they were still alone. A question that couldn't be held in any long popped out.