Chapter 11 - Library

I survived from my sickness! It's now Wednesday. I've been staying in bed for three days straight. Ethan has been taking care of me. But I still have a stuffy nose but that's really all. I have been sucking on cough drops for the past couple of days. I sat on my couch downstairs and was looking at a magazine. Tiger Beat. I always read these magazines. That's where I get all my updates on stars.

I heard the door open and sat up. Ethan came over with two pieces of paper.

"Look what we got in the mail today." Ethan said showing me both of the pieces of paper.

I took the one that had my name at the top. I read it. It was about me failing my exams. I'm guessing Ethan failed his because he has the same sheet too. It says I have to retake the tests Friday.

"Looks like we're going into school Friday." Ethan said.

"Yeah, lucky us." I said handing it back to him. I laid back down and continued reading the magazine.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ethan said.

"Yeah."

He took the magazine from me.

"What?" I said.

"When, when are you going over to Jake's?" He asked.

I froze. Why would he ask me now? Isn't it still a little too soon.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Aren't you supposed to look in his closet for something?"

"How do you know that? You were out of the room." I said.

"Yes, I was out of the room . . . standing by the door. Whatever that doesn't matter. I'm just saying. Maybe it's time to go over there. You haven't seen his parents."

"I don't care. It's too soon. I'm not going over there."

"Okay . . . I'm not going to make you do something that you don't want to do."

I took the magazine back.

"I have to go to my cousin's birthday party on Friday. Did you want to come? Right after we get done with the tests we can go."

"Which cousin of yours?" I asked.

"Timmy. You remember him don't you?"

"Barely."

"He's turning thirteen. It will just be me and you. Mya can't go; she's doing something with her mom this weekend."

"I don't know."

"Why not? You have nothing else to do this weekend."

"My point exactly."

"Please." He said pathetic.

If I say no he'll probably just nag me about it. I have the whole summer with him. I better say yes so I get use to having him around. I stared at his blue sparkly eyes and then stared at the ceiling and sighed.

"I guess . . . I can spare some time." I said.

"You sound excited." He said sarcastic.

"Oh, I am." I said looking at him.

He laughed. "Do you want to go to the library? We can go study there for a little bit. I don't want to fail this test too."

I stood up. "I guess." I said throwing the magazine on the coffee table. I went over to the door where I put my book bag and put it over my shoulder. I looked at Ethan. "You coming?"

"Yeah." He said.

We got to the library and you'd be shocked how many people come to the library during the summer but, I actually think half of these teens here failed their tests too.

"Where do you want to sit?" Ethan asked me.

"I don't think there is anywhere to sit." I pointed out looking around.

"This way." He said and I followed.

We walked around looking for a table. We finally find one in the corner of the library that wasn't taken. I sat down and put my back against the wall. I put my bag on the table. Ethan, without even asking, took my bag and got my book out. I was supposed to hand in my History book before I left school but since I already knew I'd fail my test I took it anyway.

"So, what are we supposed to study again?" I asked.

"Apparently if you don't know what we were supposed to study then I know you failed your test bad."

"It's not my fault." I looked away.

"It's a review test. Meaning it will be about things we already learned. The test we had on Friday won't be the same from this test. So we're going to have to study different things."

Just my luck.

He opened up to some random page and sat the book up making it so I can't see the answers. He put his legs up on the chair that I already had my legs on and he slouched into his chair knowing that we'll be at the Library for a long time. I was lazy when it came to the library. I usually sit like this every time. Sitting in one of the chairs leaning against the wall and having my feet up on the chair that was in front of me. Yeah, that's what we're supposed to be doing in the Library.

"This is a very easy question." Ethan said. "Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?"

"Thomas Jefferson." I said staring off at nothing.

"Very good." He said sarcastic.

I rolled my eyes.

So in the Library Ethan kept asking me questions right after another. But I never got to test him on any. Most of these questions I didn't even know. I was getting a little tired being asked the same questions over and over again. If I don't know the answer what makes you think I'll know it the second time!

"Wrong. Germany." Ethan said.

"Well how am I supposed to know that if I haven't even looked it over yet?"

"I've asked this question a million times before. Which country never had a colony in North America?"

"Germany!" I yelled quietly at him.

"Thank you." He said getting mad.

"Give me this thing." I said taking the book from his hands.

He sighed and I put the book in my lap.

"Hey Kasie."

I looked over to my left. It was Alec. Fancy meeting him here. His hair looked a little messy but I'm pretty sure that's how is hair was supposed to look like.

"Hi Alec." I said.

"Here to study?" He asked coming a little closer.

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Same here."

I looked over at Ethan who was staring at me. I felt like Ethan didn't want Alec here but I didn't take any notice to it and I looked at Alec.

Alec looked at his phone. "I better get going. My friend is probably outside waiting for me. I'll see you at school Friday."

"Okay, see you."

Alec and Ethan exchanged an evil look to each other and Alec left. I felt like there was a bad aura when Alec and Ethan looked at each other. I don't know what it is. But I know this isn't going to turn out good.

I waited for Ethan to look at me when Alec left but all Ethan did was stare at him leaving until both him and me couldn't see him anymore. Ethan looked at me.

"You know him?" He asked.

"Yeah, I've talked to him a couple of times. He had a locker next to mine. Why do you want to know?"

"Stay away from him." Ethan said.

"Excuse me." I said confused.

"You heard him."

"You can't tell me who I can and can't hang around." I pointed it out.

"Just don't hang around him. He's bad news." He said looking down at his hands on the table.

"Really like what?"

"Kasie." Ethan looked back at me. "Just please. Do me a favor and don't go near him."

He said it like he was desperate. Like there was something important that he didn't want me to know about Alec. I looked away from his eyes knowing that if I stared at them too long I'd get dragged into his hypnotizing eyes. I looked down at the book.

"Whatever." I said not angry but calm and still a little confused.

"Give me the book." He said calm.

I put the book on the table and slid it over to him. I heard Ethan sigh under his breath. I felt like the mood for studying was completely gone. What is so important about Alec that he doesn't want me near him?

"On which side did Italy fight in World War One?" Ethan continued asking me questions.

"I don't know."

He groaned. "You don't remember any of this stuff?"

"No."

"Do you even listen in class?"

I thought about that. "Not usually."

"You're so complicated."

"Not my fault." I whispered staring at the table reading people's notes they marked in the table.

It got silent.

"So why can't I hang around Alec?"

"Kasie, don't ask me." Ethan got angry.

"Why?" I said also doing the same.

"Because. Can't you just listen to me for once in your life?"

Rude much?

"No, I can't. I want a reason."

"Just don't go near him Kasie."

"I want to know why!" I yelled.

"Shh . . ." A lady said. One of the librarians. She was an older lady and was a little chunky. "Keep it down you're in a Library." She said rude.

I ignored the lady's comment and looked at Ethan. I know when I yell at him he gets pissed off. But we're also out in public so I could care less if he gets angry.

Ethan didn't say anything for awhile.

"I'm waiting." I said quietly.

"I use to be friends with him." Ethan said. "Let's just say after I found out what he does . . . he was probably close to death."

Close to death did he just say that?

"What did he do?" I continued ignoring that little part of his sentence.

"You're . . . semi smart figure it out."

"Hey, what do you mean by semi smart?" I felt offended.

"If you were that smart you'd be able to memorize history." He complained.

"You're not that smart either." I said taking the history book. "When was the Holy Roman Empire dissolved?" I asked.

"In 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars."

I looked up to him. "Lucky guess." I whispered. I flipped to a different page. "On which side did Japan fight in the First World War?"

"With the United Kingdom against Germany."

He keeps getting these stupid answers all right.

"Between which countries was the Hundred Years war fought?" I continued.

"France and England."

"What political coalition was elected in France in 1936?"

"The Popular Front."

I looked up at him confused. "How did you fail your test if you knew all the answers?" I asked.

He smiled. "I did it for a good reason."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"No tell me." I demanded.

"Forget I said it." He basically yelled but wasn't angry about it.

"No you have me curious now. I wanna know how you failed your test."

"No, it's my secret."

"Please."

"No."

"Pretty please." I said.

"No." Ethan said loud.

The librarian came over. "Do I need to kick you two out?"

"No ma'am." We both said.

"Please be quiet." She left.

Ethan and I looked at each other trying not to laugh. Getting in trouble always makes things funnier.

"Why won't you tell me?" I asked.

"Because I don't want to."

"You're mean."

"I'm not mean . . . I'm just stubborn."

"Well you're a pain in my ass. That's for sure." I whispered.

"Now that was mean." He pointed out.

I started arguing with him and I didn't realize how loud we were being until the same librarian lady came over.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you two to leave." She said angry and she didn't tell us in a kind tone. It was more like 'leave before I kill one of you' tone.

Ethan and I looked at each other and stood up. I got my book and put it in my bag and zipped it up. We walked away from her.

"See what you did." I told him.

"See what I did? See what you did. You were the one arguing with me."

"Shut up. I was so not."

We argued all the way until we got outside to the car.

"So much for studying."

Ethan started laughing.

"What's so funny? We got kicked out of the Library. I think we were the first ones to ever get kicked out."

He stopped laughing and smiled at me. "I miss arguing with you." He said.

I thought about it. The only time we argued was about something serious. But when we were kids we always argued about little stupid things like who would get the last juicy juice drink when we went over to each other's houses. Those were serious arguments back then. Now that I think about it . . . I also miss those times about arguing with him over nothing. Now it's more like arguing over boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, and more. When you become a teenager it's like you lost your little kid package, like at McDonalds. I use to get the little kids meal but now because I'm older I don't get it. Everyone loses that little kids package. To tell you the truth I'm actually sad.

I snapped myself out of it and came back to reality. "Let's go." I said rolling my eyes at him.

He still smiled and got in the car.