The HermitCraft Literature Club!

Caring

The next day, Xisuma greets me with a grin. "Hi again, Grian! Glad to see you didn't run away on us!"

"Nah, don't worry. This might be a little strange for me, but at least I keep my word."

Well, I guess I'm back at the Literature Club. I was the last one to arrive, so everyone else is already hanging out.

Joe sees me right after Xisuma. "Thanks for keeping your promise, Grian. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it..."

Scar pushes Joe out of the way. "Oh come on! Like he deserves any slack. Mumbo said that you didn't even want to join any clubs this year, and last year too! I don't know if you only plan on only coming here to hang out, or what... but if you don't take the club seriously, you won't see the end of it!"

Xisuma slaps a hand over Scar's lips. "Wow, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps their stack of Minecraft instruction manuals in the clubroom!"

"T-those are literature!" Swiftly defeated by X, Scar plops back down at a desk.

Mumbo finally contributes to our conversation. "Don't worry lads, Grian always gives it his best when he's having fun! He helps me with busywork, like cooking and cleaning my room, without me even asking."

"How dependable...", remarks Joe.

"I know!"

"Mumbo, that's because your room is so messy it's distracting, and you almost set your house on fire once!", I quickly clarify, no wanting to seem boastful in front of Joe.

The man with the mustache nervously giggled. "Is that so... ehehehe..."

Joe cuts in. "You two are very good friends, aren't you? I might be a little jealous..."

"How come? You and Grian could become good friends as well!"

Joe blushes and shyly looks away. "U-um... M-Mumbo—"

"Hmm?"

As per usual, Mumbo seems totally oblivious to the uncomfortable situation that he shoved me into.

"Oh! by the way, Joe even brought you something today, ya know!", says Mumbo, making the atmosphere feel even more awkward.

"W-wait! Mumbo!"

What? "You brought something for me?"

"Uhh...not really...", stammered Joe, his voice getting quieter with every line.

"Now Joe, don't be shy~", chided Mumbo.

"It's really nothing..." mumbles Joe, refusing to make eye contact with me.

"What is it?", I ask, curious.

"N-nevermind... Mumbo made it sound like a huge deal when it's not..."

"Eh? Oh I'm so sorry Joe, I wasn't thinking!", exclaims Mumbo with wide eyes.

Looks like it's up to me to save the situation.

"Hey, don't worry about it. First off, I wasn't expecting anything in the first place, so any nice gesture from you is a pleasant surprise. It will make me happy, no matter what it is!"

"Oh... is that so..."

"Yeah, I won't make a big deal out of it if you don't want me to."

"Alright... Well, here."

Joe reaches into his bag and pulls out a book. He hands it to me with a small smile, and I take it.

"I didn't want you to feel left out, so I picked out a book I thought you would like. It's short, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't read often. Also, we could... y-you know—", he pushes his glasses up his nose with a finger as his cheeks turn slightly pink,"— d-discuss it, if you want to..."