The Eastwood Archives is not a place to be crying your heart out after a heartbreak.
No, definitely not when the said public library houses endless rumors of a weird Library Ghost that appears at midnight.
But when Ebony Suarez, a graduating college...
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The events that transpired after the Ghost Festival were quick-paced and blurry---at least from my standpoint.
It's quite a paradox how the day I can finally breathe from the past, the uncertainty of the future is slowly eating away the days I have left as a student at the Eastwood Central University. I find myself sometimes envying the freshmen and sophomores. To them, graduating students are the "cool ones" who can finally break free from the university and the routine of studying and sleepless nights. To us, they're the lucky ones with more time on their hands to make better decisions and form new experiences while they're still young.
No. This isn't a question of who is right and who is wrong.
It's just a matter of perspective.
Like standing on opposite ends of a bridge that leads you somewhere. You either stare ahead for the journey that lies in front of you or glance back at the journey you've already traveled. Both makes you wish you could cross the other side.
For me, realizing you've already come a long way, makes you question things like: have I made the most out of my college years? If I studied harder, could I have passed that exam? If I've done something different: a detour, talked to my seatmate in math class, went out with friends, or spoke more freely during recitation, would it be enough to drastically change something in the "now"?
It's frustrating to realize that no one holds the answer to that and you could only wonder about it for so long before you're pulled back to reality.
"So, you're almost done with that book review, right? Are you gonna meet up with him later?"
I smiled at Julie when I noticed the teasing tone in her voice. For the past week, we fell back into our old routine which includes her talking about everything under the sun and me getting lost in my own thoughts while we claim our seats in the cafeteria.
And, admittedly, this past week we've been closer than before. After making amends, I quickly told Julie everything about Ronan. It felt good, like finally telling your best friend a secret you've bottled up for so long. Surprisingly, the words flowed easily.
Naturally, of course, she'd bring the topic up while enjoying her pesto.
"Well," I started, unsure of the next words. "Yeah. I mean, I'm almost done... I've got the draft ready, I think I just need someone to proofread it."
"So you are meeting him?" Her eyes sparkled.
I laughed awkwardly. "If he's there. I don't know if the Library Ghost has a schedule, you know. He might be busy haunting other public libraries," I joked.
The truth is this: for the past week, I've been trying to communicate with Ronan but every time I go to his little kingdom (a.k.a. book fortress) he isn't there. And because I couldn't sleep, I started camping overnight at his spot, in hopes that he's just busy or something. Surprising, the night before the Ghost Festival, we did manage to finish "A Room with a View", thanks to his patience in reading me the entire novel and explaining words I couldn't understand without pulling out a Merriam-Webster.
