<A well read woman is a dangerous creature>

|4|

INHALING BOOKS happened to be one of my favorite pastimes.

The smell of books, particularly the newly published books, had a calm and serene effect on me while old books had an exotic earthy smell, giving off the scent of dust rising from the earth mixed with the smell of rain in a tropical country.

Very few people were in the library at that moment, so no one could see me doing that, thank goodness. It would only make me seem more like a freak than they already thought I was.

The library, my sanctuary, was a large airy room with shelves arranged in rows situated in the middle of the room. Each shelf had a note written on it to indicate the genre of the book placed there. Comfy chairs and wooden tables were placed against the wall for students to make use of and I was currently sitting on one.

I had chosen to stay at the table farthest away from everyone else. That way nobody could see me at all unless you wanted to go over to the back. Besides, no student, apart from a few bookworms like me, came to the library after school. School closed by 3 p.m but the library remained open till 5 and since I didn't have any friend to go out with and wasn't the sporty type, I'm pretty sure the library gods were tired of seeing my face.

I was reading Half Of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a female Nigerian author. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of foreign books, but Mom had persuaded me to give it a try and surprisingly it was actually a good read.

My phone rang out loud disturbing the quiet air of the library. Who could be calling?

The librarian, an old prickly woman shouted, "I heard that! Turn it off immediately or else it's detention."

Detention was not a given in my life and I didn't want to get one now, so I whisper-yelled back, "Sorry Ma'am, I've declined the message already. It was just a notification." It was a lie. We weren't allowed to make calls in the library.

"Good for you. I hope it doesn't ring again." From the rustling of papers, I knew that she had gone back to whatever she was doing and all was well.

I checked the number. Unknown.

Who could this be, I wondered. Hmmm. I put my phone in silence, just in case the caller decided to call once more and went back to reading.

Whenever I was reading a very interesting book, I got so engrossed that I forget reality. Whatever anyone was telling me at that point in time didn't matter in the least bit to me. I'd get so immersed in the character's life that I'd lose contact with anything else happening around me.

The only way to get me out of it was if you shouted really loud and hard or you tapped me. Mom sometimes used it to her advantage, she usually tapped me pretty hard on the back to bring me back. I was that addicted.

Since I was in my weird state of reading, I wasn't aware of Kian and his gang coming in to order everyone in the library, apart from the librarian, to get out.

Out of nowhere, I felt a hard yank on my hair. What the ---

"Hey Kian! Come on over here and have a look at what we found. A black ratty girl reading a ratty book. Didn't you hear our orders? Yeah, I forgot, you're a deaf dumbass black bitch." Josh pulled my hair harder.

They others did nothing, instead they stood watching with contempt written in their gaze.

Seriously, I wonder what I did to these people. I was human like them. Just as they were created by God, so was I. The only difference between us was the colour of my skin.

The overwhelming urge to rant and shout like never before engulfed me but I was too much of a coward to voice my feelings out to them.

"Oww, I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you come in. Please stop hurting me," I pleaded. His touch was painful and pinpricks of pain were ricocheting in my temple.

"Hey Josh! Quit hurting her." It was Kian.

Wait what?! I couldn't believe my ears.

Josh couldn't believe either because he left my hair alone, eyes and mouth wide open. His friends followed suit. Believe me, it was not a pretty sight.

Regardless of the pain in my scalp, I couldn't help but wish a huge fly would enter their mouths and that they'll swallow. That way I'll see how they'll like it. Rubbish.

An image of a fly sneaking in to their mouths triggered my giggle reflex but I held it in. I was sure Katharina and her pals wouldn't want to know what I had just been thinking about them now.

"Yup, you heard me right. Leave her alone and shut your face hole, before you choke on a bug." He was sauntering down the path that led to where we were. Ha! We were even thinking the same thing. Something was wrong somewhere.

"But I don't understand, aren't you supposed to be supporting us or something?" Maude asked, pursing her oh so red lips. Yeah, I was agreeing with Maude for the first time ever. Why wasn't he supporting them?

"Well," Kian drawled. He passed them by, coming to where I sat and picked up the book I had been reading. He ran a finger through the front.

"Well what?" Aliyah asked impatiently and tapped her high-heeled encased foot against the ground. Yes, Kian. Well what? I was pretty curious about this strange and unusual behaviour coming from him. This was not the Kian I knew.

Not at all.

He pushed the chair opposite me backwards and sat down with his legs crossed on top of the polished table.

"Well, that's because I've had a change of heart. I mean, yesterday I was thinking. Why on earth were we being so mean to her? Has she ever done anything to deserve it? The answer's no and you guys know it. She's human like me and you. She's no different and I think she doesn't need all these harsh treatments from us. We need to stop."

Kian dropped the book on the table and gazed at them. It was a piercing look. They looked back at him fiercely.

I stared at him continuously, waiting for someone to probably jump out from behind the shelf and yell, "Cut! Action's over people. He was just joking. You can scram."

Katharina came over and laid her well manicured fingers on his forehead. "Kian, I think you're sick. Are you sure you've not gotten caught with something? Maybe from this black bitch here." She glowered at me. I refrained from rolling my eyes.

Kian lifted her hands off him. "Thank you so much Katharina but I'm feeling fine and like I've said, no insults. She's not a black bitch. Convo's over, guys you can leave."

I was still staring, probably looking like a fool. Okay, pinch me someone, I need to wake up from this daydream.

A puzzled look marred Katharina's facial features. Her mouth was gaping open and close like she was trying to say something but didn't quite know what to say.

"I mean it, get going you all. I want to have a chat with Jamila here." Wow, it keeps on getting stranger and stranger. Kian never called me by my name. His melodious chorus was black bitch this, black bitch that.

"But-" Ryan began to say.

He cut Ryan off. "No buts. You're wasting my precious time. Just go already. I'm sure you have somewhere else to be." He waved his hands towards the door.

They examined him for sometime, maybe looking for a hint of clue that this wasn't Kian, surprise clearly written on their faces. After glaring daggers at me, they left.

No, don't leave me here. I don't want to be stuck with weird Kian, I screamed inside, realizing that it was no daydream now.

"I guess you're wondering too. Just like I said earlier, I've had a change of mind and I've decided to stop bullying you. You didn't do anything to deserve it and yet we still made your life a horror. I'm sorry. Very. Can you please forgive me?" He smiled sheepishly and ran his hands through his hair.

I focused an unseeing gaze at him, not knowing quite what to say. Did he really think I'll forgive him just like that? After all the taunts, name calling, and being treated differently? Did he really feel sorry or was it just an act? I didn't know.

"Hello, I get it if you don't want to accept my apology right now but I promise to treat you better. I'll make up for all those times I've mistreated you." His face broke into a smile showing off perfect white teeth.

I nodded slowly, I didn't really know what else to say or do. It was just a lot to take in.

Kian stood up. "By the way, I ordered everyone out just so I could talk to you and also I'm the one who called you earlier. I'll text you tonight. See you tomorrow beautiful." Winking, he walked off before I could recover.

The librarian called out, "If anyone's still in there you'd better come out right now or I'll lock you in." That got me back. I glanced at the clock. 4:55 pm. Wow, time sure flies fast.

Dazed, I packed my books, left Half of a Yellow Sun on the bookshelf and signed out. I would continue reading it another day.

What was that all about, I thought as I stepped outside the building.

It had all happened fast, so very fast. He called me? How did he get my number and why? Not only that, he said I was beautiful. Me? The girl he usually called black bitch. Maybe Katharina was right, he was definitely sick.

By tomorrow everything would return to normal. Kian would go back to being a big bully and I would go back to being a black bullied bitch. That was what I was used to.

Deep in thought, I didn't know when I stepped in a puddle.

Watch it, Olay.

I breathed in the fresh air deeply, decided not to think about Kian anymore and headed home. Home was familiar, that moment with Kian at the library was not.

A/N: Double update people! How's this chapter? What do you think? Please vote and comment. Thank you!

Nita.