A Date For The Books

Part Four

"Love with your whole heart. If you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person." -  Haruki Murakami

Back in the comfort of my room, I was reading to my heart's content. Pride and Prejudice has been cracked open and read more times than I can count, but I decided to reread it anyway. But for some agitating reason, West wouldn't get out of my head. 

The encounter at the library kept replaying, reheating my frustration. I smacked my forehead in any attempt to focus on something other than him, like good old-fashioned pain. 

But there he was in my mind, looking at me with those dark beady little eyes of his. I sat up on my bed and sighed. There's no way he's ruining my reading time. 

I got up to throw open my closet door and look for my long blue cardigan Mom got me last fall to cover the tank top I had been wearing and at least cover a bit of my legs. The weather is still in summer temps so I could wear shorts up until October at least. 

I peeked in the hallway making sure that everyone was asleep or at least in their rooms. The coast seemed clear but I heard muffled sounds coming from the guest room. 

The door was shut but the light was on. His shadow moving was visible under the door. I knew I shouldn't be nosy but it's my worst trait. The urge to know what he was doing was starting to eat at me. 

Before I talked some sense into myself I scampered across the hall to his door and put my ear up against the wood. It sounded like he was on the phone.

"Mom I understand that but--"

Mrs. Campbell?

"I don't need a girlfriend or 'fun' right now. I'm just trying to graduate and get out of here. Maybe if I stayed home, I would be graduating sooner, who knows." 

A girlfriend? If his mom wanted him to have a girlfriend, there didn't seem to be a problem with him getting one considering his fan base at school. On the first day.

"Mom I can be happy on my own. We've been over this a million times," He sighed. "I know you want me to be like you and Dad, but Mom there's more than enough time for that. I can be a party animal in my own way."

"Yeah right." I laughed.

He stopped talking for a minute before his feet shuffled towards the door. 

Crap.

I've never run so fast in my life. Everything was a blur until I was back in my room leaning against my cracked door. Peeking to see, he looked outside of his door and straight at my room. I jumped back and silently cursed at myself. 

"Hey, Mom I'll call you back tomorrow." He went back inside and shut the door and the silence draped the house for a few minutes. 

I'm going to take this as my sign to not be nosy.

I rolled the conversation over in my brain. His mom wants him to let loose?  It seemed so laughable. Four years ago, West was the most rowdy and craziest fifteen-year-old I knew. West being a stuck-up snob now is the most laughable thing yet.

Heart still pounding and hands shaky, I directed myself to finish what I started. 

 Picking up my book, I went to my window to unlock it and climbed out onto the roof while managing not to fall. Luckily our house is only one story so the fall wouldn't even hurt, maybe a couple of bruises though. I've been climbing out these windows for years now. I used the roof for everything.

Crying? Roof. Failed a test? Roof. Can't write? Roof. I guess the night air helps me think and put things into perspective. Me and West would climb up here all the time. We'd talk for ages and just lay around. Now, the only body the roof sees is my own.

By the time my foot got ahold of the gutter to push myself up, West was sprawled out, eyes shut in front of me. 

You have got to be shitting me. 

Finally, atop the roof, I stood over him until my shadow awakened him. One of his brown eyes showed itself and looked me up and down.

West huffed before greeting me. "Hello to you too." 

I scoffed. I swiped at his legs, pushing them over so he would have to sit up.

"Why and how are you up here?"

He combed through his unruly hair and leaned on a palm. "Well for one, I didn't know the roof was off limits, and two I think you forgot the guest room has a way to get up here too."

"For your information yes, the roof is blocked off."

"Mm, I see. That sucks, 'cause see I'm the guest and I'm supposed to be welcomed here with open arms." West smiled and tilted his head. I really just wanted to wind up a bat and get a homerun on his head right about now.

I sit down next to him and open my book to where I had left off. "If you're going to be a dick, at least do it quietly."

He hummed in response and looked up at the night sky. Minutes flew by and he slowly started to annoy me. I could feel him breathing on my neck, probably reading the pages. It's like babysitting a five-year-old.

 I whipped my head around to meet his stare but he was just a bit closer than I anticipated. I don't know where my breath went, but I needed it back quickly. 

His face was only a few inches from mine. The breeze moved his hair to frame his face just right. His eyes studied my face longer than I had hoped they would. His lips parted as if he was going to say something. My heart rate was quickening and that was the worst thing that could be happening right now. We sat like this for a few moments. 

We both snapped back in opposite directions. My eyes scanned the pages, not reading a single word. He went back to looking at the sky. This is what I was afraid of. That we'd end up right where we left off. 

Stillness surrounded us. Nothing was heard but the cicadas and a few passing cars. I weighed going back inside, but I didn't want to be a wimp. I wanted him to see that he couldn't make me succumb to him. I don't feel anything for him. We're strictly associates. 

After what felt like forever, West was the first to break the silence. 

"I have a proposition for you."

I inspected him. I have a feeling it's about to either be the dumbest or most outrageous thing I'll ever hear.

"What do you mean?" 

He kept looking ahead watching the cars pass by.

"What if I got you into Yale? Or just any good school for that matter?"

This has to be a joke.

"Are you serious right now? How are you going to get me to Yale, or 'any good school'? Anyways,  I'm more than capable of handling my own future."

He didn't do anything but chuckle.

"Evie, you forget I have connections," He turned to look at me. "I could introduce you to editors, meet as many famous authors as you'd like, and get you private lessons from a tutor. For your writing and your grades." There was a slickness about his tone that told me this was a two-way deal.

I leaned back onto my palms placing Jane to the side of me. "So let's say I went for it, what's in it for you?" 

West sat up and placed his hand on his thighs. He nibbled his bottom lip as he looked at me. 

"You pretend to be my girlfriend."