(Unknown)

Chapter 4

‘Liz? Earth to Liz, you're about to knock your coffee over,’ said Adelaide, who I shared a spared with. I came out of my daze and looked up at her before glancing towards my leg which, like she said, was about to push my dark coffee over onto my white backpack.

‘Sorry Addie,’ I apologized. I had been wondering about Unknown, he had told me that he had a spare period now. ‘I’m kinda tired and I was remembering that I have to take Rebecca’s shift at work today.’ Adelaide was probably the gentlest and sweetest of my friends, I disliked lying to her more than the others. Luckily enough, she was also the only one who never pushed me for details on anything if she saw that I didn’t want to talk about whatever it was. 

‘Oh okay,’ she said, going back to her computer. We were sitting in the commons area in the school, waiting for the end of the day so that we could take the bus with Vick, Zana and Cass. She was working on some essay she had for a class, I was not being nearly as productive. I always had something to do during spare, and I could have been working on one of my many

assignments, but I was distracted. 

        The commons area was where most seniors hung out during their spare periods, but a few of them would leave school before the bell because their day would already be over. I was hoping that Unknown wasn’t one of those people. My eyes kept flitting from the pages of the book I had on my lap, up to the large area, looking for the boy I had pictured in my mind. I was disappointed each time, there weren’t many guys, let alone those who I knew were athletic. 

        Suddenly, I heard Addie cry out, ‘Watch it, Oliver!’ I turned towards my friend, disgruntled due to being forced out of my search. Paused on the steps next to where we were seated was Oliver. ‘I have an assignment in that bag!’ said Adelaide as she moved to put her backpack upright again. Oliver, I assumed, had kicked it over “accidentally”.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ he said with an overdramatic look of apology on his face. ‘I didn’t mean to, I hope my shoe didn’t accidentally hurt your non-feeling backpack.’ 

‘Wow Oliver, I didn’t realize that Tanner owned your brain,’ I said with an equally overdramatic look of confusion on my face. ‘He must have taken it with him to the soccer match, I’m guessing he needs as much mental help as he can get.’ Oliver glared in my direction and continued his walk, but not before I noticed what he had been holding. In his hand was a copy of The Two Towers with a school library barcode seal on it.

        I stopped him just when he was about to go into the side staircase right next to the steps. ‘Is that yours or did you steal it from some poor guy who’s now looking for his book?’ I asked him, trying to sound like I was attempting to annoy him. ‘I didn’t think you guys could stand to read a book longer than twenty pages without pictures.’ He stopped and turned around quickly. 

‘It’s not mine, I found it in the hallway,’ he said hastily before speed-walking into the staircase. 

        I jumped up and ran before I could lose him on the second floor, curiosity had overtaken me. 

‘Where did you find that?’ I asked. If he told me where he found the book, maybe I could walk by and see if Unknown was anywhere around there still.