String of Fate

Chapter Seventy Seven

I felt a little bump against the back of my head as my friends and I were talking. I turned just as Flynn turned away from the pages of his book. "I'm sorry, Jonah. I didn't notice you. I was just so engrossed in this book."

"Also, Jonah is quite short." Mark joked. I shot him a glare before glancing back at Flynn.

"It's not that I'm short, it's that Flynn is ridiculously tall." I pointed out. He was like a tall, lanky giant. I looked at the book he was reading. "Weren't you reading a different book this morning?"

On our way into school, he'd knocked into me then, too. The cover had been different – a dark purple cover with silver font and a white dragon. This cover was blue with a golden dragon on it, the font colour matching the winged creature. The overall design was quite similar, so, they could have been in the same series.

"Oh, uh, yes." Jonah answered, quickly checking the cover of the book. He ruffled the hair at the back of his head. "I kind of finished the other one during morning break."

"You're a fast reader, then. There was a chunk of the book left this morning. Try not to bump into anyone else on the way to class." I told him, giving him a little smile. He nodded and headed off, putting his nose back into his book. It wouldn't surprise me if he knocked into someone else on his way. I turned back to my mates. "Mark, what were you saying about your string?"

Later, I saw Flynn walking with his nose in a book. I was walking alone since Mark and Ryan were at football practice, so, it wasn't much of a surprise that I was noticing more things. Since lunch, Flynn had somehow managed to read another large chunk of the book.

I kept an eye on him to see if he bumped into anyone. He managed to effectively avoid the crowds of students leaving the school. After the gate, he turned and began heading through the centre of town on his way home. My home was in the opposite direction, so, I began heading the other way.

The next morning, as I was just passing through the gates to school, I felt a familiar bump against the back of my head. Flynn's book had hit the back of my head while his arms had hit the top of my back. I stepped to the side, out of the way of the crowd, as Flynn started blubbering to me with his apologies. "Its fine, Flynn. I'm kind of getting used to it. You should really try to break the habit you have of reading while walking, though."

"I know. Sorry. This book is just ridiculously interesting. I don't want to put it down." He explained, looking a little worried. I noticed that he sometimes looked like a lost puppy, and he'd also get excited like a puppy. Geez, Flynn was a tall, lanky puppy.

"Its fine." I told him, waving my hand a little. "I'm just finding it a little strange that I'm actually getting used to being hit with a book on a regular basis. Just be a bit more careful. I got to get to class, so, I'll see you later."

Over the next couple of weeks, Flynn did continue to bump into me but I kept finding that I didn't mind and I actually liked the little conversations that we'd have. He'd tell me a bit about the book that he was reading – he'd get through one in about two days – and I'd tell him about the games that I was playing. It was like we'd been friends for years.

I decided to invite him over one weekend to try out some of my games or watch a movie on the day that Mark and Ryan had a football match. It would be better than spending the day playing games alone. There was a game that I wanted to try a co-op campaign for, anyway.

On the Friday, as I was leaving school, I saw Flynn walking with his head in a book a few metres ahead of me. I smiled as an idea popped into my head and I upped my pace until I was walking behind him. I gently bumped into his side. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you."