Just Friends

04

"Mel? You good?"

     I shudder at the voice that utters the words; it's not necessarily deep per say, it's more so low and husky as though the speaker had just awoken from a long nights slumber.  The words slurred and can almost be thought of as mumbled; however, I unfortunately  know the speaker all to well as if his voice has made its very own customized imprint on my mind.

"Yeah," I answer, "I'm fine."

     My eyes gaze at the tall figure leaning against my locker, towering above me, Nathan. the fringe of his hair slightly dangling. I chuckle to myself which causes him to raise an eyebrow in question. I walk past him, away from my locker and walk down the somewhat busy hallway; like expected, he trails along behind me. 

"You seem so out of it today," he groans in fake sadness.

I glare at him playfully, "Well of course, its first thing in the morning after all."

I watch him roll his eyes as the words come from his mouth, "I know, I know, but still..." the 'l' held longer than usual.

     I laugh at his childish behaviour and he grins in response. Its the kind of grin that you'd typically describe or see in a movie—eyes that turn into crescent moons and a smile that spreads smack across his face. He's always been like that, a smiley kind of person, which is what always made the difference between us work out. I being the gloomy and negative part of the relationship; meanwhile, he being the cheerful and positive part to the equation. As a result, we balance each other out; like a scale with equal weighting on either side.

    We stroll down the halls endlessly, stopping momentarily whenever passing by a familiar face. We have different groups of friends, which makes it all the more strange to many as to how we [Nathan and I] became friends to begin with. 

    Suddenly, my eyes land on the brunette ahead of me; Beckett. His head sticking in his locker, perhaps looking for homework or something of the other, earbuds in with blasting music—so loud that I can hear it from a far distance. His hair is oddly still in place; unlike most guys who swipe their hair with gel, he never seems to use it. I'm positive he could feel my gaze on him because moments later he is looking me in they eye.

"Hey Mel!" he exclaims and quickly shuts his locker, running up to Nathan and I.

I greet him with a smile and he returns one, "So how's it going?"

"Meh. I've been the same old same old. What bout you?" 

"Exhausted as usual. I have something going on practically everyday," he groans in feign annoyance.

     I chuckle softly and glance to my left—Nathan's face full of utter awkwardness and something else that I can't exactly seem to pinpoint. His stance slightly more tense then it was earlier. I pat him on the back before saying, "We were just about to head to the library so I can check out some stuff; do you wanna come?'

Bennett gives me a brief bewildered stare, as if he were to never expect such a question. He pauses for a second, an inner debate perhaps, before coming to his conclusion, "I'll pass. I think I'd just be in the way..." As he says this I can hear a sigh to my right and I punch Nathan's side.

"Are you sure?" I ask, "You won't be in the way."

"I'm sure," he confirms, "Plus I want to check in with my teacher about a project before homeroom starts." His lips pull a small smile before bidding me farewell and nodding in Nathan's direction.

     Nathan and I walk towards the doors leading to the main stairwell, with each step I take I can feel a squirming thought in my mind that shouldn't be there. I brush it off before it lingers too long and I actually start thinking. 

I turn to the giant next to me, "You good?"

" 'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ah no reason."

     For some strange reason my heart forms a knot that is tied somewhat tightly. I think about pretending to have a stomach ache and just turn around to get back to class early, but what would be the point of all that? I save myself the trouble and just continue walking alongside him down the three flights of stairs then to the library. The solid oak doors are still closed because the janitor has yet to adjust them so that they remain open. However, I know far to well than to turn around. Nathan of course, lets me do the honours. I wrap my hand around the beautifully designed brass handle; the library is vintage indesign but the facilities are all up to date. Its quite breath-taking really, and I'm not just talking about the architecture and design. Libraries are just so...exquisite.

     Ever since I was a little girl I was obsessed with books. Unlike most girls who wanted dolls or pretty dresses for Christmas; I would wish for books or hope for another trip to the book store. Weird to most and maybe I'm cliche to some— regardless, the point is that I have been a bookworm practically since I first learnt to read. Heck, you can only imagine how it was like when I discovered my sanctuary; libraries. I think its great that that part of me—the book loving part—hasn't changed. Makes me glad because having that part of me makes me feel safe; a safe place that is familiar; gives me a warm and comforting feeling inside. 

     In pure pleasure, I wrap my fingers around the long handle and push my weight against the door to open. Surprisingly, there are more people there than usual, despite the fact that it is quite early in the morning. 

     Without a thought, my feet take me to the tall shelves where the manga and young adult reads are found. I beam giddily as I lust over the new additions to the shelves, I can hear Nathan groaning behind me and mumbling something along the lines of, "Here we go again."

     Five minutes in, I am reaching for a book that caught my eye while Nathan talks to me about something funny that happened in one of his classes. Everything was going so well. Too well. 

"Nathan? Is that you?"