Uncommon (Shawn Mendes)

Chapter 2

Shawn's POV:

I hate to admit it but I probably reread Uncommon at least three times this week.  My mind is constantly turning to Jade and her kind smile.  It is somewhat inconvienient when I'm at the studio and find myself wondering about her.  

"Come on Shawn it's just one song focus," says my mixer through the microphone.

"Um yeah sorry I'm just a bit distracted today," I say rubbing my neck.

"Distracted?" he guffaws, "more like on a different planet."  I roll my eyes and try to focus on the lyrics.  Several hours later I'm finally free to do as I pleased, unhooking my bike I speed through the busy streets.  A few blocks later I'm just outside the book shop, I grip the brown paper bag that contains Uncommon.  

*Ding* chimes the little bell above the door.  Today it smells like mint and ink, I quietly navigate my way to the front desk.  Jade sits on a battered wooden stool wrapped in a heavy wool sweater.  Her hair is stacked on top of her head, her face scrunched up and her tongue stuck.  In her hands is a heavy novel easily the size of a brick.  

"Um...hello Jade," I say shyly my voice seems to be silenced by the atmosphere.  She just keeps reading however, "Hello?"

"OH!" shouts Jade looking up quickly. Her book seems to jump from her hands onto the floor.  It makes a loud smack on the hardwood and Jade blushes furiously.  "Oh jeez I'm so sorry," she says as she hops off the stool to pick up the book.

"It's okay," I say smiling, "sorry I startled you."

"Yeah I was just really wrapped up in my own little-" she says and I say with her, "world."  She laughs; it was a sweet soft sound like muffled bells.  I smil dumbly as she comes out from behind the counter.

"I'm Jade by the way," she says sticking out her hand, "I don't think we've met."  I look at her oddly and take her hand.

"I'm Shawn," I say, "but we met last week you lent me this."  I hold up Uncommon and her face lights up.

"Oh! I was looking for that one," she says, "but you said we've already met?"  She looks at me oddly then glances down at her hands.  Tied on her hands are multiple colored strings. She picks at a navy blue string and scrunchesd up her eyes.  "Wait a second," she says looking up at me again. She rushes behind the desk and brings out a worn looking journal.  She flips through pages each with a date and full of multicolored notes.  Jade runs her finger down a page until she reaches a long sentence in navy blue ink.

"Male, Shawn.  Bought some romance novels and I lent him uncommon.  Cute and interesting."  She says this outloud blushing at her own notes.  Jade looks up and gives me an awkward smile, "Sorry I have a memory problem."

"Oh no it's okay," I say startled from finding out this new information.  "I wanted to ask actually if you have any other recommendations Uncommon was a great book."

"Really!?" She gasps looking at me, her blue eyes locking onto mine.  Jade blushes and turns away after a couple of seconds. "I think I have some you'll like."  She walks slowly to the romance section and climbs up a small stool.  Jade is significantly shorter than me and has trouble reaching the book on the high shelf.  The old wooden stool teeters for a moment as her finger brush the book.  She hops a little and knocks over the book and quite a few more.  Jade yelps as the stool topples and begins falling with the books.

*Oof* 

I react quickly and catch her bridal style right before she hits the ground.  The novels fall and create quite the ruckus.  Jade's eyes are scrunched up and her hands are in fists.

"Are you okay Jade?" I ask worridely, she peeks through her thick lashes and I notice her glasses have fallen off.

"Woah I can't see a thing." She says moving her hands. Her fingers brush across my face and she traces the shape of my nose.  "Thanks for catching me Shawn."

I blush bright red as I set her down and find her glasses partially crushed beneath some books.

"Oh no your glasses got a bit broken," I say as I hand them to her.  She slips them on and a thin web of cracks across the left lense make her eye look distorted.

Jade laughs, "this is so cool," she says smiling, "it's like there are two of you."  I try hard not to blush as she smiles at me and touches my face with both her hands.  "You're really handsome you know that," she says it so bluntly it takes me a moment to register.

"You too, um I m-mean pretty that is...um," I stammer my heart thumping.  I don't get why this girl is making me feel butterflies in the oddest of circumstances.  She lets me go and begins picking up the books. The moment is gone and I let out a weird sigh full of awkward feelings.

"Here try these Romeo," she says handing me all the books on the ground.  It is a big stack of at least six novels some big and some small.  Jade then reaches into the folds of her sweater and pulls out a bookmark with some shiny beads on it and a pen.  Using the side of a shelf she writes down something on the bookmark and sticks it in the first novel.  

"Call me when you've finished them all and we'll go out for coffee," she says with a grin.

"Wait like a date?" I ask foolishly, I'm kinda of still a few seconds behind.

Jade looks at me slyly through her cracked lense, "Exactly Romeo."  My brain slowly registers the fact that I've just been asked out by a girl.  I leave the bookstore in a lovestruck stupor as Jade waves me away from the door.  That blue string on her finger is replaced by a new string on her wrist.  As I walk home I'm quietly excited about finishing the books.

What have I gotten myself into.