Time

The entire Perry Monroe student population was flooding out the doors toward the parking lot, an aura of excitement surrounding everyone.

Summer break had just officially started. Everybody was talking about vacation and the beach. They were concerned with dates and parties while all I had to think about was my summer job at the library. I know, exciting.

I jumped on the bus and scrambled to the back seat before anybody would notice. The thought that this was the last time I would have to ride a school bus made me smile. When the summer is over I'd be heading to farthest college that accepted me. But as for this summer, I was stuck here.

When my bus came to a lurching stop, I hopped off and walked past the blue-paneled building that is my house and went straight to the public library that was only a few houses down. This is where I would spend my summer.

I walked in the old building and quickly went behind the desk, throwing my backpack under it. I hurriedly started re-shelving books. I did this task easily and efficiently, considering I've practically lived here since I could read.

There weren't many people, the few who were milling around were either sitting at the tables in the back filling out, what looked like, college applications or just browsing for a quick read. But there was one person, a boy. He wasn't browsing yet and he wasn't trying to get into college either. He was walking toward me with a frustrated look on his face.

He was tall and lanky. His hair was a deep shade of black and his eyes were minty green. His lips were puckered in annoyance and his strides were quick and jerky, as if he was just trying to get this whole experience over with already. His footsteps were muffled by the carpet, but his heavy-looking boots still made an impact behind him. He had a long sleeved teal shirt on, despite it being summer.

"Excuse me," he said in a low voice. "Could you direct me to the World History section, please?"

He had a slight accent, British maybe. Australian?

"Yes, it's right over there." I pointed to the back right corner where a giant printout of a globe hung on the wall.

"Thanks," he responded. He nodded to me with a smile and stalked towards the books.

The same boy stayed until closing. He sat in the back, pulling books off shelves scanning them for a moment and then putting them back with an angry expression. It seemed as though he got a little more irritated every time.

When I told him we were about to close he grabbed the stack of books from next to him and stood up.

"Could you hold these for me until tomorrow?"

I agreed and brought them up to the front desk and wrote on a sticky note, "Reserved for..." I realized I didn't know his name.

I looked up to him. "Name?"

"Alec," he replied. I nodded and scribbled it down.

"You can pick these up tomorrow. But if you want to take them out again you need a library card."

Alec obliged and said his goodbyes and that he'd be back tomorrow.

When he left I looked at what he picked out. Times Zones, The History of Time, International Time. Why were they all about time?

Alec stayed true to his word and came back the next day, got a library card, checked his books out and returned to his original seat in the back of the library.