The Library Girl

Chapter 15

February 16, 2015

There were lots of people in the library after school today.Quite a few of my friends were there, which was lovely, but not everyone there were my friends. Let me tell you the story,anyway.

I walked home to the library with Emma, Evie and Johnny.The rest of our friends couldn't come. Brooke actually didn't want to come with us, which was fine, and Hannah and Daniel were both sick. Amelia and Lily's parents both said they couldn't come, which was really sad, but at least some of us could go.

Once we arrived at the library we sat down on the couch together. We started chatting, but soon we were interrupted by the sound of someone snickering behind us. I turned around. Oh no! It was those boys again! They had swaggered into the library and now they were laughing at me once again.

"Hey, look over there!" said one of them, pointing at me as if I was far away. "It's the library girl with her stupid library friends!" He laughed loudly and his friends joined in.

 "But there's something I don't understand," said one of the other boys when the laughter had died down. "How could she have friends? I mean, who would want to be friends with the library girl?"

"A nerd, that's who," the third boy chimed in. "Why would cool kids like us be friends with her? I'm sure all they care about is having their nose in a book all day. Why, I bet they all wish they were library girls and boys, too!"

As the laughter resumed, I felt my eyes sting with tears. Now they weren't just making fun of me, but my friends too! Emma stole a look at me. From the look on her face I could tell that she was furious, and would happily clonk them over the head with her book. I could see that Evie was crying too. Johnny put an arm around him in comfort.

"It's a waste of time to read when you have more important things to do," came a loud, stuck up sounding voice. It was Elva Rickham, who was known around the whole school for being very rich and a total snob. "I'm entering a talent quest and I'm going to win."

"No one knows for sure," hissed Johnny under his voice."For all you know you'll come last."

Elva shot Johnny a murderous look. "You watch your tongue," she snapped. "Now, as I was saying, I'm going to win the talent quest, so I have to practice every spare moment I have.I don't have time to just sit and read a book. And do you know what I think? I think that you are a bunch of procrastinators. Do you ever take your nose out of your book long enough to even begin to consider your future?"

I was furious. We all were. None of us had ever liked Elva,but now I liked her even less. How dare she even hint that books take away from my future! Books are the future. Without them,all else would fall to pieces, and I'm going to make sure Elva knows it.I open my mouth to say all this, but I can't seem to find the right words. I close my mouth again.

"Now listen to her! She is so right!" one of the boys was talking. "Books do nothing but get in the way of your life! Join in with me, now!"And the three of them chanted: "Books are useless! Books are for nerds! Books should be banned! Libraries shouldn't be lawful! The library girl should die! Yea!""

Elva came over and high-fived all the boys. "Brilliant!" she said. "I love it!""The boys beamed. "I just have a few suggestions," continued Elva. "Instead of the library girl should die, you should say, the library girl should be murdered!"

"Okay," grunted the boys.

"And, at the end, you should put, Hooray for the Anti Book Movement!"

"Yeah!" the boys punched the air. "Awesome!"And the four of them began again: "Books are useless! Books are for nerds! The library girl should be murdered! Hooray for the Anti Book Movement! Yea!"

I stared at them, shocked. I couldn't believe what was happening! Anti Book Movement! It was the most appalling thing I'd heard in my life! I mean, where would the world be without books? I forced myself to sit straight and wait for them to murder me, they said they were going to do. I felt like I could die anyway,right now, without so much as any of them touching me.You can probably see why I was immensely pleased when the library closed and I finally had it all to myself.