The Fool

Chapter Eleven

"How am I suppose to get inspiration sitting here?" Synn grumbled, not impressed at her idea of meeting at the same spot he has come to every night for years to discuss his essay. He sat on the bridge, legs dangling over the edge while Aurora sat facing him with her legs in a basket.

"Don't you see? I'm your inspiration. People would pay to write a story about me because I'm so fucking amazing and beautiful, and here I am, letting you write about me for free. You should act more grateful" Aurora scolded playfully. Her arms waved animatedly as she spoke, adding to her dramatic story. Synn wasn't impressed however, he merely scoffed at the pretty blonde girl. She rolled her eyes and gave in.

"I'm just kidding. I first decided to bring some books. Your essay is suppose to be about something that inspires you, right? So I thought a good place to start would be to gather some books that are famously known to be inspirational to society, then we can go from there. If you find something in here then perhaps we can explore it in the real world" Aurora explained happily, pulling out a handful of books from her bag. She dropped them into her lap and looked up at Synn, grinning. He looked down at the girl who seemed way too utterly pleased with herself. He didn't say anything, only deciding to grab on of the books from her lap. He looked at the title 'To Kill A Mocking Bird', furrowing his eyebrows. He opened the book and began to read.

Aurora let him do his thing, inspecting the conditions of some of the other books in her lap. She grimaced as she noticed the cracked spine on one of them, not knowing how anyone could stand to do that to such a beautifully written book. She was unaware of the growing frustration of the boy in front of her.

Synn was tightening his hands on the book. His eyes were reading the words but by the time he got to the next line, he had already forgotten what the previous one said. This had always been a problem for Synn. Whenever he had to read big long paragraphs or books, none of the information retained. He growled lowly and slammed the book, causing Aurora to jump.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly.

"I don't want to read any of those fucking books" Synn hissed, tossing the book back into her lap. He folded his arms over his chest and looked down at his feet. Aurora raised an eyebrow at the boy, slightly amused at his toddler like behaviour. He glanced at her briefly, noting her expression that indicated she wanted an explanation. "Its confusing" He grumbled.

"How is it confusing?" Aurora asked simply. There was no mocking tone in her voice, or any malice hidden, it was purely curiosity. Synn was quiet for a moment, and Aurora was patient.

"The information doesn't stay in my head, I forget it in a second. It's no use trying to read it" He sighed, holding his hood with one hand as he ran the other through his hair, making sure the fabric doesn't budge. Aurora pondered over what he said for a minute.

"Have you tried reading aloud? Sometimes that can help with memory" She suggested, grabbing the book he was reading and shoving the rest of them in her bag.

"What am I? Five?" Synn scoffed. He hated the idea. It made him feel belittled and stupid, like he was beginning to read again.

"No, you're a cocky, arrogant, prick. Now take the book and start talking Sunshine" Aurora sassed, pushing the book into his chest. Synn looked at her, surprised. He slowly took hold of the book, watching her as she looked at him expectantly. He slowly opened it to the first page, knowing he's better off starting from the start. He was hesitant. His heart was beginning to race at the idea of reading aloud in front of her. Aurora's gaze softened as she heard his breaths becoming slightly more laboured. She turned herself around and lay down on her back, her head resting on Synns thigh.

His whole body tensed up at the contact and he almost shoved her off him and into the water, until she grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. She fiddled with his fingers, satisfied when his breathing calmed down into even soft pants. Synn looked down at the girl who was looking up at the pretty night sky, seemingly unaffected by their position, meanwhile he was blushing like a strawberry. What he didn't know however, was that she was impressively good at hiding the zoo that was erupting in her tummy. Synn took a deep breath and look back down at the book in his other hand, then began reading the story aloud.