Notes

Chapter 1

"Delilah, the shop's about to close."

I sighed, putting the book I was browsing back on the shelf. I knew I had to go sooner or later, but time passed so fast.

I loved this place. I knew it was nothing special, but it had my heart. The tall shelves, where you had to climb a ladder to get to the top, the narrow paths between the shelves, the piles and piles of books in every corner. I loved the smell of books, the sound of turning pages, the beauty of different covers.

"Yeah, just a second!" I shouted back, making my way back to the register, every twist and turn so familiar to me. I saw Ben, the owner, holding the door open for me, the sign on it already switched to 'Closed'.

"Aw, you know I like to do that!" I pouted at him. He chuckled and shook his head, turning the sign back. I grinned and flipped it over once again, passing Ben in the process.

"Thanks! I'll see you soon!" I yelled at him while walking away. I heard him mutter a 'I don't doubt that' and I grinned. He knew me too well.

I headed back home, a small house I lived in with my friend Allison. I was a junior at Kingsbury, but my parents thought I was responsible enough to live on my own, as they didn't want to move from Manchester. I then found out that Allison needed a roommate so here I am. And as summer had only just started, I was free from everything.

"Honey, I'm home!" I yelled, closing the door. Allison poked her head out of the bathroom and smirked when she saw me.

"Let me guess, the bookstore again?" I could hear the mocking in her voice.

"Hey, I enjoy living other lives," I shrugged, throwing my bag on my bed. She rolled her eyes but smiled and went back to painting her toenails, which were now a bright pink.

I shrugged off my jacket, wishing it were a tad bit warmer. It's summer for gods sake! Though I guess I shouldn't be expecting much more from London.

"I heard that One Direction came back here to spend their vacation in the UK, but I think most of them have left London to go see their families." Ally informed me, as if I hadn't seen the tabloids yet. It caused an uproar in their fandom, as they were cutting the tour short. Personally, I didn't care much for them, I was more of a rock-kinda girl, but I get why people liked them. They were really talented, not to mention quite handsome, too.

Seeing that it was still early, I pulled out the next book I needed to finish. This one was "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". I was pulled once again into the story and when I happened to look at the clock, it was already past midnight. Allison was sleeping in the bed next to mine. I hadn't even noticed her falling asleep. Cursing silently for forgetting myself again, I quickly got ready for bed, trying to untangle my mess of a hair and brush my teeth at the same time. I already knew I was gonna be tired the tomorrow.

As I predicted, I woke up feeling like utter shit. I had circles under my eyes, which no amount of makeup could cover. Giving up on trying to make myself look presentable, I threw on some leggings and an off-shoulder top, trying to sneak out quietly. Key word: tried. I swear, our floor is gonna fall apart if it keeps creaking that way.

Leaving Ally in her peaceful slumber, I made my way to the nearest coffee shop, as I needed something to help me function. The cup of coffee warming my hands, I entered my book shop, automatically heading towards the book which I left there last night. As I picked it up, something fell out of it.

This book is complete bullshit.

What? This note certainly hadn't been here last night, meaning someone must have put it there this morning.

I happen to like this book! Pursing my lips, I took my own pen from my bag and wrote something to defend it's honor.

Let's agree to disagree.

Satisfied, I put the note back between the book, leaving it poking out a little, so maybe the person who wrote it could see my answer.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, but my mind was still at the note and the person who could have wrote it. My curiosity getting the best of me, I decide to check it out again in the afternoon. I was, however, surprised to see something added below my writing.

What? You want me to believe it was good? It was stupid and predictable.

How dare he? The book was really good! How the hell is it 'predictable'?

It was anything but! I mean, did you see it coming when their dad was killed by that drunk driver?

I felt like a toddler but at this point I didn't care. This person insulted a damn good book and I felt as if it was my honour that I needed to defend.

The next note didn't appear that day. Instead, I saw a new paper, a striped one that looked like it'd been ripped from a notebook.

Duh, it was literally written on the back. "...and when their dad dies, the siblings are left to face the world on their own."

I stared at the piece of paper. Why didn't I think of that? Damn, now I looked stupid. Eh, who cares, it's just a stranger. Right?