You, Me, and All The Spaces In-between

CHAPTER 5

For the rest of my weekend, my study schedule was a mess.

I spent the entirety of my remaining day and a half off reading 'This Blazing Heart' every chance I could. Brushing my teeth, folding the laundry, walking the dog. I ignored texts and emails, avoided TV, and only left my room to eat. I was helpless, caught in the splendour that was this marvellous, wonderfully obscure novel.

As it turns out, 'This Blazing Heart' was about Wren Tucker, a famous but melancholic lawyer living in a big city, with no ambition beyond his next pay check. He proceeds to meet Frederick 'Fred' Hunt, a poor but joyful clergyman with an enormous family, and the pair form an unbreakable bond, ensuring the other endures in all of their hardships. When Wren's mother dies, Fred is right there with him, and when Fred and his family are evicted, Wren buys his house and rents it to him for practically nothing.

It was beautifully written, deeply moving, witty-I'd never read anything like it. And as I read, I kept wondering 'Who could have possibly handed this in? Who, in all of Grammarville, was this profound?'

As if it could get any better, there were little handwritten notes in the margins! Someone had actually annotated it!

They were brilliantly insightful, too-'Wren's wrist watch is a comparison to Fred's old family clock!' one read, and another claimed, 'Fred's constantly worn clothes are a metaphor for the progression of life.'

There were even jokes. 'Gay subtext lol' was often written alongside particularly cosy scenes between our protagonists (I agreed), and there were also...a lot of puns.

I even wrote my favourite quotes from the book down on a piece of paper and pierced it to my bulletin board. 'Weathering time takes a strong boat-or in this case, lots of friends' was a favourite of mine, as was 'Don't fret, Wren old boy, we'll dance this dance together.'

Needless to say, when I arrived at school on Monday, I felt more content than I had in months.

"You look happy," Robert commented suspiciously as I reached his locker that morning. "Meet a cute boy?"

"Even better. I met a great book."

He quirked a brow. "Oh? Do tell."

Grinning, I slowly produced my copy of 'This Burning Heart' from my bag and held it out for him to inspect. "Meet the love of my life."

Robert shook his head. "Tell me that isn't the book Reiner gave you."

I couldn't suppress a smirk. "Guilty."

"Oh, Alyx Miller," he sighed, throwing an arm around my shoulder as we started down the hall. "You are such a hopeless nerd."

- - - -

Throughout the duration of my school day, I was unable to concentrate on anything but the book at the bottom of my bag. I itched to pry open its pages and devour each word, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself uninterested in the maths equations on the whiteboard, or the history notes in need of revising.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, I scrambled to the library and tucked myself into a quiet corner, sneaking bites of a sandwich as I read. Escaping to the library made for a nice change of pace, and it meant I didn't have to endure the disappointment of Martin and Ky's absences.

That is, until Cash and one of his football buddies, Tyson West, strode through its glass doors.

I sunk further into my seat, praying the pair wouldn't notice me. They went to stand by the librarian's desk; Tyson proceeded to wink at every girl that crossed his path, while Cash drummed out a steady beat on the wooden countertop, foot tapping in time.

"Mr. Smith," Ms. Reynolds sighed, sweeping behind the desk and placing a handful of books beside her laptop. She'd only been our librarian for a few years and couldn't have been older than 45, but she gave off a perpetually unimpressed energy. "What can I do for you today?"

That was my cue to leave. While Reynolds distracted Cash, I'd sneak past, and they'd never even know I was here.

Scrambling to collect my things, I made a swift beeline for the door.

"We were sent to collect some old sports biographies," Cash murmured as I slunk past, his voice a throaty baritone. "You can help us with that, can't you, Judy?"

That swagger, that arrogance...Good lord, my heart.

"It's Ms. Reynolds to you," the librarian sniffed, and the rest of her lecture faded away as I reached the library doors.

I had just grasped the first handle when something took hold of my hoodie, yanking me backwards with a sharp tug.

"Miller," Tyson crooned, "were you trying to hide from us?"

A/N: Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying so far, please leave a vote and/or a comment :)