Varsity Boy and The Prep

2

"Emerson, you have a visitor." Jessa called, sounding tired as ever.

Of all of the things I could hear at eight in the morning, this was the worst. Because not only did I know that Carson was waiting for me, but our destination was the library, where I'd be spending my morning. Quickly pulling on a school blazer and khakis, I ran a brush through my hair, and opened the door. Carson was standing in the frame, as expected, wearing the guy's uniform; a navy blue sweater w/ dress shirt underneath and khakis. His gold hair was so eloquently combed back, as always, and he held two coffees.

"Hello, Emerson. You like your coffee black, right?" he said, offering me a cup.

I took it cautiously, making sure not to burn myself, as I had done many times before. "Thanks for coming, C. I know that I'm a mess right now, but-"

"No problem." he said.

We began down the wide hallway, past empty dorms of girls who were in class. For juniors, you get one free period and it's at a different time each day. On Tuesdays, mine just happened to be at eight. Carson and I continued towards the library which wasn't so far, but it was nice to have someone with me. It made the experience much less dreadful.

"Are you still going to track?" Carson asked. He wasn't a runner as much as he'd helped coach with times and schedules. It was Carson's way out of the school requiring everyone to do a sport. Coach had been in on it, many times.

"Yeah." I answered. "Being stuck in the library is definitely a motivation to run. I'll have a lot of steam to blow off."

We walked in silence for awhile, admiring the beauty of west campus. Here, there were brightly colored flowers and murals all around. Students would often call this "the art side" in reference to both the art building that took up most of the space, and the paintings that littered the once blank concrete grounds. I'd never been out here during the day-mostly after dinner, to work on projects, and I had to let Carson lead me to the library. Navigating at night was easier for me, because you could tell the buildings apart. During the day, they all looked like the same brick building. We neared an identical building with a sign that read library.

"Here we are." Carson said, coming to a halt in front of it's glass doors. "You ready?"

"Nope. Definitely not ready for an hour of silence and torture."

Carson placed a hand on my shoulder. "You'll be in my thoughts, buddy."

And with that, he lightly pushed me towards the entrance. Freak. The librarian was already waiting for me at the front desk, impatiently stacking books.

"You're Emerson?" she asked.

I nodded, pressing my lips into a straight line. "Anything in particular I could do, to bide the time?"

The librarian shook her head, a bland expression occupying her thin face. "Reading's the best suggestion I've got. If you need help finding anything, I'll be here. Stacking books onto carts."

I forced a smile, but cringed inside. What a horrible way to spend your day. I was surprised at the fact that she hadn't asked me to help her. I followed her orders, though, and searched the shelves for a book that could entertain. The library at Towerpointe was supposed to be one of it's greatest features, but none of the books were really up to date. This made it hard for me to find a decent read. In the middle of checking out someone's English essay, I heard a whisper from not too far away.

"I have no idea what you're saying." I whispered back, not one hundred percent sure if there was actually someone else in the room.

The answer proved to be true, as a boy about my age appeared at the end of the aisle.