Just a Maid

Chapter 17

     It was a weekend and I was bored out of my mind. Donovan wouldn't be coming and Lea still had to finish up a few of her chores. That left me all alone in my room with nothing to do.

     Usually I would read my lovely but small book collection when I was alone, but I had finished my last book a few days ago. Rereading my books was an option, but I felt like once you read a book it would never be the same. You already know the ending, the way the characters grow and whatnot, so I felt like if you reread a book you'll just end up judging the contents of the book rather than enjoy it.

     Sighing, I decided to turn on the TV for the first time, knowing Lea wouldn't be done for a while. Yes, I had never touched the small TV that sat on a small wooden shelf, even though it had been there the entire time. I had to admit I was a bookworm.

     Halfway through the movie I didn't know the name of, there was this scene. It started off with this girl crying, running away from a house as if Satan was on her heels. A boy ran after her with a frantic expression. My heartbeat began to quicken in anticipation from the scene.

     The boy caught the girl's wrist and pulled her to him, a sight that was cute to me. However, as she nearly smashed into his chest, she slapped him. His head whipped to the right and I winced. Ouch. Bad memories popped into my mind.

     "You asshole!" she yelled.

     "Annabelle, I swear it's not what it looks like," the guy pleaded.

     "Shut up!" she yelled back. "You were kissing Rose, my best friend!"

     The guy remained silent for a few minutes, causing me to frown. That was how you knew her words were true.

     "How could you," she sobbed. "How could you cheat on me? I thought you loved me?"

     My stomach began to twist at her words and tears. She had been cheated on and was now sobbing. Would that be Brianna if she found out?

     "I'm sorry," the guy said. "I'm so sorry Annabelle."

     The girl didn't say anything and sobbed harder. I couldn't help but look away from the screen. The girl looked like a wreck. From her expression you could tell she was truly heartbroken over the fact her boyfriend had cheated on her. The thought of that made me sick and I hated the feeling.

     Quickly turning off the TV, I rushed out of the room. Forty-five minutes had past, so I assumed Lea would be done her chores. Rushing to her room, I nervously stood in front of the door and knocked. Mentally, I prayed Lea would be there.

     The door soon opened and Lea dressed in warm blue pyjamas smiled at me as she held the door open. I forced a smile back and stepped into her room. Unlike my room, Lea's room was a mess. She had a bunch of papers carelessly thrown across the floor and a bunch of wrappers and junk piled on her small studying desk. I never minded that though. For some reason her room gave me a cozy feeling.

     We both walked to her bed and sat on it. I crossed my legs and stretched my arms, realizing I had been tense from the movie. Lea frowned at me.

     "Is something wrong?" Lea asked.

     "No," I lied. "I was just bored."

     "Are you sure? You look kind of pale."

     "I'm sure," I said reassuringly. "Did you finish all of your chores?"

     "Yeah." She shook her head tiredly. "It took forever to finish them though. I feel like Ms. Rose has been giving me more chores than usual."

     "Yeah, I think she has been, too."

     It was true. For some reason I had been getting less chores from Ms. Rose and Lea had been getting more. It was so bizarre because originally I had been given tons of chores from her. Now it seemed like my chores were slowly going to Lea.

     "Alanna," Lea said awkwardly. "You know I love you and all but I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

     "Now?" I asked, disappointed. "But it's only seven."

     "I know, but I'm about ready to pass out." Her eyes softened at me.

     I sighed. "Okay, it's fine. I don't know what to do. Any ideas?"

     "Hmm," Lea said thoughtfully. "Well you still haven't gone to Leonardo's library. Why don't you go there."

     My jaw dropped. I was such an idiot for forgetting about it.

     "You're a genius Lea!" I exclaimed. "I'll go there right now! Thank you!"

     She laughed. "You're welcome Alanna."

     Smiling, I got up and said my goodbyes to Lea. With a smile still on my face, I quickly left the room and rushed down the large spiralling staircase and then down the series of hallways to Leonardo's library. Excitement was running through my veins as I rushed my way there.

     In a few minutes I reached the library. I opened the large door and stepped into the silent library. It seemed like no one was there, which I was glad for. When it came to books I preferred to be alone. Sounds strange, but I liked to have one-on-one time with the books I read. It made me cherish the book more.

     I walked down the starts of shelves, reading the label placed on each of them. The first shelf had a label that said mystery and the second one had a label saying children. The organization in the library wasn't well, but I was too in love with the millions of books to care about it.

     As I kept walking down the aisles of shelves, my eyes finally got caught on a label reading young adults. I loved fiction books, especially ones that were aimed for young adults. Those types of books were the type to teach you about the real world while living in someone else's life. That was something I loved.

     I walked to the shelf and began scanning the books. A few books caught my eyes based on their appearance, but the descriptions from them bored me from the first sentence. I still hadn't realized you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, even though I was now an adult. It was something I was working on at least.

     Eventually, I found a few books that seemed really interesting. Excitement blossomed within me as I grabbed them and began to exit the library. If I wasn't so worried about having to talk to Leonardo - socially awkwardness with bosses being the reason - I would have just began reading in the library.

     I honestly didn't know why but reading was something I loved a lot. It was something that just gave me happiness. Something, just something about getting lost in the book and forgetting about reality and its constant problems was just welcoming. So welcoming to the point where I constantly read in my free time.

     When I first got this job I found myself drowning in books, which was simply amazing. Yes, having Donovan and Lea around was also awesome, but sometimes I missed those days. I missed the simplicity of falling in love with a story and not the many secrets I had to face now.