The Part of Me with You

Chapter 4: Libby

Although it felt like it, Libby and Miles had not always been friends. In eighth grade, Libby been in the library with her history class doing research on one war or another when she noticed Miles sitting at one of the other tables alone. She knew who he was because the school wasn't that big, but they'd only had a couple of classes together over the past three years.

She watched him over there, reading like a little kid. Running a finger along the page, mouthing the words. Sometimes he would skip back to read something again and smile to himself. Libby found it far more entertaining than the research she was supposed to be doing, but she wasn't the only one to notice him. She supposed he was an easy target, sitting there alone and looking like he was actually enjoying himself in this dreary place. One of the guys from her own class walked up and grabbed the book, flipping through it like he owned its pages.

"Hey!" said Miles, standing up. Libby recognized what he was reading now from the cover, because she had the same edition of that story at home. But the one this jerk was looking at had a "signed copy" sticker on the front. Oh, hell no, he did not get to put his greasy hands all over such precious material.

"Hey Ethan!" She called, walking over to the table, and crossing her arms. "I don't appreciate it when people steal my things from my friends."

Miles stared at her in shock while Ethan squinted as though a magician had just pulled her out of a hat and set her in front of him. "Who are you?"

Libby rolled her eyes. "I'm literally in your history class. The one you're in right now? Anyway, I'd like my book back please." She held out a hand and he scoffed.

"This isn't yours."

"My name's on it. You can check, inside cover, heart above the I."

He glared at her and flipped it open, reluctantly handing it over when he saw the signature that matched her description. She tucked it against her chest possessively and watched him saunter back to his table, happy to forget about the two of them again.

"Thanks," Miles said behind her. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know." She turned to find him smirking and handed him the book.

"So, this is your signature, huh?" he joked. "You're very young for a bestselling author.

Libby smiled. "I knew he wouldn't know an author's name if it was tattooed on his head."

"And how did you know about the heart on the I?" He asked, looking at the signature page for himself."

Libby shrugged. "She always signs like that."

His eyes lit up at her response. "Do you...want to sit over here?" He asked.

"Sure, why not?" And just like that...plot twist. She had a new best friend.

Back to sitting alone in public these days, Libby dutifully attended her online classes the day after the shower. The rest of that garish event had felt like wading through a swamp, her feet catching on whispers and sad smiles between the sipping of alcohol and tearing of wrapping paper. She missed the predicable, organized structure of campus where everyone was too busy with their own work for pity, but she couldn't go back. That was the one step toward normalcy she wouldn't take yet. It felt too much like moving on. Logging out after the lecture had run over, she checked her phone. She had just enough time to make it to her afternoon shift.

The windchime over the door to the bakery announced her arrival to the few customers inside and she inhaled the sugary dough smell that she'd somehow not gotten sick of after all these years. It wasn't as glamorous as an internship at a publisher, but at least this place was comforting.