The Library Girl

Chapter 9

January 25, 2015

I don't know what I was going on about all those time I got upset about not writing for one day. Now I haven't written for a whole week! Shame on me! What got into me? Diary, how could I do this to you?

Anyway, today was terrible. In fact, maybe even the worst day of my life, and, as you know, that's definitely saying something, considering how terrible my life has been a lot of the time since the fire. Since I moved into the library I've been able to escape with a book most of the time and forget the awful reality. Because of this, it seems like I've adjusted quickly. But really, I haven't.

Anyway, today started out all right. I spent the morning reading another incredible book by Lemony Snicket. I still can't wait to tell Emma all about how much I love his books.But then, just I'd finished the book and was already about to sit down with the next one in the series, three boys came into the library. I recognized them from my class in school, but we had never spoken.The three of them always went everywhere together. They spent their time hanging around town, eating at fast food takeaways, smoking and drinking, laughing at their own stupid jokes... well you get the idea. They were the kind of boys who couldn't care less about books, and just came to the library to hang out after school and use the computer. The kind of boys that liked to make fun of people who liked reading, call them Nerd and all sorts of other horrid names. The kind of boys I hated. Anyway, the boys plonked themselves down on the couch opposite me and started playing video games on their laptop.Then they noticed me.

"Are you always here?" one of the boys said.

I didn't really care at that point. "What does it matter?" I said lightly. "All that matters is the magic of reading. That's what libraries are for, and that's what they should be used for."

The boys all looked at each other. One of them snorted.Then they all began laughing as if at a really funny joke."Do you live here?" the biggest, meanest looking boy snorted. And they all began to laugh again.

I felt my face grow hot. I had to think quickly. "Well..." I began.

Unfortunately for me, Tina happened to be passing by."Yes, she does," she said cheerfully. "She is our very special library girl."

I was so angry at Tina, I felt like slapping her across the face.I wished she wasn't so scatterbrained. She should have stopped to think about what telling them would do to me.

"So, it's true then!" said one of the boys. "The library girl!That's who you are!

"Why do you live in the library, anyway?" said another.

"And why would you want to?" the leader of the boys shouted. "Because you're a nerd, that's why! Silly library girl!"

And they all got up and left the library, laughing to themselves.I buried my face in my hand so that no one would see that I was crying.Even now, I haven't been able to forget about it. Even reading isn't helping. Instead, I can hardly make myself read.When I try, the words blur, and tears fall onto the page. I can't help feeling sad about my home and my family. I used to be a normal twelve- year- old girl, living in a house with her parents and little sister. But now I'm the library girl. It's more than I can bear.