bloom. : a fireafy fic

Chapter Thirteen

When Leafy got to work, the people around her were glancing in her direction and whispering. She noticed the second she walked into the building. She passed it off as a natural reaction, such as one where someone enters a classroom, and all the students turn to see who it is.

However, when she pinned a flyer for Smokey on the library bulletin board, she realized they were most certainly watching her.

It was awful. She looked around nervously. It looked like everyone was talking about her.

But why?

Flashbacks of the time when she was hated by almost everyone bubbled up. Could this be happening again? What did she do? She was certain she had been on good behavior. She was nice, kind, and understanding.

Or was it because of the assault rumors with Firey, and people were simply just pitying her?

Oh right, she thought sourly. It's not a rumor, it's the truth.

But last night changed everything. Last night Firey showed that he cared, and all he wanted was to be loved and understood. That's all what everyone ever wants.

But she didn't know what to do with this situation.

She tried her best to ignore all the library patrons and clocked in. As she made her way over to the front desk, she was suddenly very aware of all of the people actively watching her. No one was making any effort to hide their staring.

Discomfort made her nauseous. She tried to avert her eyes, but even when looking at no one at all, she felt all the eyes bore into her soul. She dropped her head into her hands and sighed.

The sound of books thudding against the desk made her look up. Teardrop had placed some books for checkout in front of her.

"Oh." Leafy looked up and started to scan the books. When making eye contact with Teardrop, she noticed her sapphire eyes held nothing but pity.

Leafy's heart dropped. It must be the Firey assault situation again.

"Return them in a week," she muttered to Teardrop. The girl nodded in response. The whispers started up again, and Leafy decided that she had enough. She stood up and stalked over to Tree, her superior.

Her superior was organizing books in the nonfiction section.

"Tree," she whispered. He looked up at her. "I don't feel well. Can I go home early?"

Her coworker looked down at his watch and back at Leafy. He looked like he had something to say, but refrained from doing so.

"It's only been 45 minutes since you've clocked in. You won't get paid." His face was expressionless, but his brown eyes had a look she couldn't quite distinguish.

"That's fine," Leafy replied. "I've got some funds saved up, I'm not desperate for cash right now."

"Go, then." Tree looked at her for an extra second before turning back around to sort books. Leafy took that as her cue to leave.

She clocked out and walked out of the library, her jaw tightly clenched from distress. The pressure was beginning to hurt her head.

She still had a full day ahead, but she didn't plan on doing anything. She started walking back home. She had to talk to Firey. Even though he's made mistakes in the past, she was willing to forgive.