Patience ➳ Shawn Mendes

Chapter 6

I was sitting in the school Library alone during lunch break on my first day. Like agreed, Shawn picked me up at home and brought me to school. As soon as he parked, we were swarmed by his friends and I quickly escaped.

We shared several classes together but I didn't sit near him because he was always surrounded by his friends and while I agreed to be some sort of friend to him, I wasn't ready to have lots of friends. I just wanted to be alone for just a bit before my next two classes so I went to the library 'cause I knew that I'd get silence there.

With my Harry Potter book open, I was lost in the world of Wizarding London and Hogwarts. I felt as if I was part of their experiences and lives. With a content feeling, I kept reading and feeling as if I was included in their little group and they weren't the golden trio but I was part of their little group and we were the golden foursome or something.

That's the magic about books, isn't it?

If a book is written the right way, it could make you feel part of the story. It didn't make you feel as if you were an outsider just reading the story, it made you feel as if you sucked into the story and you were part of it. That was me with Harry Potter and other series such as Hush, Hush and The Selection or Divergent.

The same thing goes for movies, some movies are so great that it just sucks you in and it doesn't make you feel an outsider just watching it, but you're there and you witness everything and you're part of the story.

It's what I love about reading, or at least what I like about reading a good book.

Of course you also have books that do make you feel like an outsider. I give a book a couple of chapters and if I don't feel included in the story by the fifth chapter, I give up because I know it will not get better.

"In the library? Really, Charlotte?" A familiar voice asked behind me.

I put the book down and turned around to face Shawn. "What's wrong with the library?"

"Nothing but I just expected you to sit in the cafeteria, along with everyone else." He shrugged, sitting down next to me. "Why are you sitting in the library, secluded from everyone else?"

"Because of that exactly. I'm secluded from everyone else, I'm alone in a silent cocoon, my own little silent world. It's been a bit overwhelming for me already, today. All of these people, a lot of attention and all that- I'm not used to it and I want all of it gone."

"The attention will go away soon enough but what is overwhelming?" He looked genuinely confused before his eyes fell on my book. "You're a Harry Potter fan?"

"Yup, I'm a huge fan. I love the books and the movies, I want to go to the tour soon. Dad said I could maybe go for my birthday with a friend or something." I explained, looking forward to it because it was just a little more than a month away.

"Oh, that's so cool! Before you came, I went there as well this summer with my family. It was amazing, I loved it! I would go back tomorrow if I could. I would recommend it for any Harry Potter fan."

"Yeah but to go there, Dad says I have to take someone with me but Dad nor anyone else from my family will go with me because they hate Harry Potter and any other book or series that are sci-fi or fantasy. Seeing as how I'm not here to make friends, that will be a difficulty."

"What do you mean, if you go to school you'll always make friends- not?" He asked, averting his gaze. "And what about me? Am I not a friend?"

"You, Shawn, are a friend of sorts. Don't take it personally, I don't let people get too close to me at all and my plans are to get an education here and get over my problems, work through them and then I'll think about making friends but for now I want to work on my problems and myself. I don't want to bother anyone else with them so I want to do it alone before I make friends. If I make friends now, I'll just be distant and I don't like that being done to me so I won't treat anyone like that."

"What are your problems?"

"Not for you to worry about. If I'm ready for it, I'll share but for now I'm not ready for it. Now, let's go to class."

"I've got AP History. You?"

"Same."

"Sit with me? I've had several classes with you but you never sat next to me."

"You have friends surrounding you, I didn't want to be included and questioned and all. For now, I want to be alone and I want to have some rest so I can focus on the lesson."

"Well, I'm alone in this class so will you sit next to me?"

"Sure, why not?"

We both got up and went to our class. As we walked, we had a light and easy-going conversation about anything and everything but our conversation in the library. He respected my boundaries and didn't push me on the topic of my problems. It was very nice to know that he would respect it if I said I didn't want to talk about because I've known people- even some of my friends- who would just keep pushing until I would snap and tell them but I felt more comfortable now that I knew he wouldn't do that.

As we sat down, we kept talking until the teacher came in and silenced us.

I had to say, this day and just moving but also coming here to this school proved to be very different from what I anticipated it to be. I had expected it to be hard to adjust and that I would hate it but coming here to this school and meeting Shawn might just be the best thing that ever happened to me yet.

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No pictures!