The Know-It-All

Ch. 2

This book is dedicated to ziggyhsmtmts bc she threatened me to dedicate it to her and who am I to tell her no? 🍕
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Debate was at six.

Nini had already planned out her day. First she would eat breakfast at the buffet downstairs, since guests dined for free. Then, she would take her bath and read To Kill a Mockingbird until she felt relaxed. There was going to be a group outing at three. They were going for a late lunch.

Her day was all planned out.

She brushed her teeth as she stared at her bathtub. She was so excited to finally have a dip in that luxurious tub. And read her book at the same time. That book was her child. Her pride and joy. Her sunshine. Call it whatever you want, but she has had that book through thick and thin. It was her favorite book. Her father gave it to her even before she could read words. It was so special because that was the only memory she had of him.

Nini threw on some casual clothes. A purple tank top and a white denim jacket with some jeans. She didn't feel the need to do anything to her hair except curl it like usual. She applied a minimal amount of makeup before making her bed and slipping on some white vans.

She hopped into the elevator and made her way down to the lobby, which was where the buffet and a small stage had been set up in the corner. They had open-mic nights on Fridays. Nini already heard of some of her teammates talking about going to see the acts. Maybe perform themselves.

She grabbed some toast and some packs of butter along with a cup of coffee before searching for a place to sit before pulling out her book.

It wasn't even nine in the morning and she was already over working her brain.

Nini took a book wherever she went. It was just her thing. She liked having the feel of a physical copy of the book in her hand. She liked the feel of the book, the feel of the pages when she flipped them. The smell of their old pages, the look of bleeding ink on some of the words. It was glorious.

The best part was when she found good deals on old books at thrift stores.

She had To Kill a Mockingbird with her. She read and ate toast and observed people at the same time. She was sitting at a table with only two chairs, one of them already being occupied by herself. She didn't mind sitting alone; it only gave her more privacy to read.

Ah, the day was going to be great.

Until it wasn't.

Ricky Bowen plopped down on the seat across from her, his plate almost knocking hers off the table. The brunette gasped, catching her almost-empty plate quickly before glaring at him. He had a plate full of waffles. They were stacked sky-high, drowned in syrup and a little pad of butter at the top.

Spoke too soon.

"Morning, buddy!" He chirped, happily. Looks like Mr. Mazzara already told him about the new arrangement. Nini was hoping to get by a few
more hours before their teacher broke the unfortunate news to him. She just nodded her head in greeting before going back to reading. She didn't want to deal with him today. Or ever.

Why her, God?

She read a few sentences before she heard extremely loud munching and slurping noises coming from the curly haired doofus sitting across from her. Nini wrinkled her forehead in disgust. "Ew, could you eat any quieter? Or better yet, choose a different table? Preferably at the opposite end of this restaurant."

Ricky continued eating, his face buried in his plate. He looked up once he realized that she was taping the table in front of his face. "Huh?" He questioned as syrup dripped from his mouth.