The Library Girl

Chapter 39

December 31, 2015

The last few days have been so busy that I haven't had time to write. I've been living with Leanne ever since the library burnt down, and it's been wonderful. The meals she cooks are as delicious as always, and we talk about books every night. She lets me have friends over most days. I'm also reading a lot of Baby-Sitters Club books.

The library is well on its way to being rebuilt, and Leanne and I have been spending a lot of time ordering new books for it.An old bus has been set up nearby for use as a pop-up library in the meantime, and we've been filling it with the new books we've ordered. Leanne's been working there, and we go there every day.My friends are almost always there too, and yesterday Elva was there. She looked sad.

"Hi," she said, sitting down next to me. 

I didn't reply at first.Who does she think she is?But after she had been sitting right next to me for longer than I could handle, I finally looked up from my book. 

"Why don't you go find somewhere else to sit?" I snapped at her. I couldn't help it. "There's a seat over there."

Elva looked at me with hurt in her eyes. But how did she expect me to treat her, after all she'd done to me? 

"If you please,may I stay seated here?" she asked meekly.

I gave an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, all right," I said. After all, it wasn't really my business to tell people where to sit. "Wasn't your talent quest a few days ago?" I added sarcastically. "How did it go?"

At the mention of the talent quest, Elva's shoulders sagged."I lost," she said, so quietly I could barely hear her.

I almost said "Good for you," but I bit that back just in time.That would be going too far. I tried to make myself say something comforting instead. "Well, you can't always expect to win everything. When you think about it, you didn't really have much of a chance considering how many people must have entered." Whoa. That failed.

Elva gave me a poisonous look. "It wasn't all about me wanting to win," she began. "Do you realise how much pressure my parents put on me? They had to give up a lot to let me be in the talent quest, and they weren't happy about it. They said they'd ground me for a whole year if they didn't win!"

Whoa. This was pretty extreme. I actually began to feel sorry for her, and I didn't even have proof that it was true. "I'm...sorry," I say weakly.

"And I'm sorry too,"Elva replied. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did and was so horrendous to you. The pressure drove me to hang out with the wrong crowd, and I suppose they had a bad influence on me. I just don't like reading, okay? But I went more than a little too far."

I couldn't believe my ears. Elva was actually apologising?And honestly, who uses the word "horrendous" in this context?"I accept your apology," I said almost robotically.

"Thank you so much," said Elva, rising from the couch."Bye!" and she disappeared out the door.

Okay, I thought to myself once she left. That was weird. I still don't like Elva, and I don't think I'll ever forgive her. But even so, maybe she actually isn't as bad as I thought.

Today is the last day of the year. Tomorrow it will be a year since my family's wonderful New Year's celebration, when I received this diary. Two days after that, it will be a whole year since the fire. I remember how I felt at this time last year, excited for New Year and completely unsuspecting.This year has undoubtedly been the biggest year of my life. I have felt so much heartbreak and sorrow, but there has also been good times, and good friends who have helped me get through this hard time in my life. I feel like I'm looking forward to a lot next year. I will probably stay with Leanne even when the library has been rebuilt. I will still go there every day, seeing as Leanne works there. I will also be starting high school next year, which is guaranteed to be an interesting new experience. Next year will also be the year when my book comes out. I can hardly wait!And my friends will be there for me, and so will Leanne.And I will read a lot of books.I'm sure it will be a great year.