The Boy Who Broke The Rules

Chapter 10 - Levi - One More Chapter

"The right people don't just change your life. They change the way you see the world."

There are exactly three things I never imagined I'd do during my freshman year of college.

The first is to willingly eat Brussels sprouts. The second was to attend a poetry reading. The third... Read a book because I actually wanted to.

Yet there I was, sprawled across my bed at nearly midnight, my reading lamp casting a warm glow across the pages of The Hunger Games. My calculus notebook sat forgotten beside me, and my phone had buzzed at least three times in the last hour. I ignored it. Just one more chapter. That had been my excuse for the past forty-five minutes. The problem was, every chapter ended with another reason to keep reading. I finally turned the last page and stared at the inside of the back cover.

"...Well."

That was all I managed to say.

Kennedy had warned me it was good.

She had severely undersold it.

I rubbed a hand across my face before laughing quietly.

"I owe her an apology."

Not because she'd been right. Because I'd been so sure she was wrong. I'd spent years assuming books were just...books. Now I understood why people talked about them like old friends. I slipped the novel into my backpack before turning off the light. For some reason, I couldn't stop smiling. The next morning, Noah caught up to me outside the athletic center. He glanced at the corner of the paperback sticking out of my backpack.

"...What is that?"

I looked down.

"A book."

"I know it's a book."

"Then why'd you ask?"

Alex walked up beside us just in time to hear the conversation.

"Hold on." He pointed dramatically at my backpack. "You voluntarily read?"

"It was recommended."

Jonah joined us, adjusting his duffel bag over one shoulder.

"By who?"

I hesitated just long enough for Noah to smirk.

"...Kennedy."

The three of them stared at me.

Alex slowly placed a hand over his heart.

"We've lost him."

Jonah sighed dramatically.

"Should we hold a memorial?"

"For who?" I asked.

"The guy who thought reading was punishment."

I rolled my eyes.

"It was one book."

"No," Noah corrected with a grin.

"It started with one book."

I laughed despite myself.

"You guys are ridiculous."

Alex shrugged.

"We're not the ones carrying novels around campus."

By Wednesday afternoon, I realized something that made absolutely no sense. I was looking forward to tutoring. Not because of calculus. Definitely not because of calculus. Because I wanted to tell Kennedy what I thought about the book. That realization sat in the back of my mind all day. It was...different. Football had always been the highlight of my week. Now Wednesday afternoons were giving it some serious competition.

I spotted Kennedy before she saw me. She was sitting beneath the same oak tree she always claimed had the best shade on campus.

A paperback rested in her lap. Her headphones were in, though I doubted she was listening to anything. She had that look on her face—the one that said she'd completely disappeared into another world.

I walked over quietly.

"You know," I said, "most people blink every now and then."

She jumped, nearly dropping her book.

"You scared me!"

"You weren't blinking."

"I was reading."

"I noticed."

She narrowed her eyes.

"You enjoy bothering me, don't you?"

"A little."

She laughed and tucked a bookmark between the pages before standing.

"So..."

I held up The Hunger Games.

"I finished it."

Her entire face lit up.

"You did?"

"I stayed up way too late."

"I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"I knew you'd get hooked."

"I have complaints."

She crossed her arms.

"I hope they're valid complaints."

"I still think Peeta deserved better."

She pointed at me dramatically.

"Finally! Someone understands!"

"And Haymitch needs therapy."

"He absolutely does."

"And Katniss makes terrible decisions."

Kennedy gasped.

"They're understandable terrible decisions."

"They're still terrible."

She laughed so hard she had to grab my arm to steady herself. For a second, neither of us moved. Then she quietly let go. Neither of us mentioned it.

"So..." she asked.

"What did you like most?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"It wasn't the action."

She looked surprised.

"It was watching people choose each other."

Her smile faded into something softer.

"I think that's my favorite part too."

Neither of us said anything after that. Somehow... We didn't need to. When we arrived at the Brooks' house, Honor opened the front door before we even knocked.

"There are my favorite students!"

"I'm pretty sure we're your only students," I said.

She smiled.

"Exactly. Makes choosing favorites easy."

The smell of chocolate chip cookies drifted through the house.

I laughed.

"Do you bake every Wednesday?"

"I bake every day."

James looked up from the living room.

"She's not exaggerating."

Honor handed each of us a cookie before we could protest.

"Brain food."

Kennedy raised an eyebrow.

"Mom, cookies aren't brain food."

"They are if they make you happy."

James nodded.

"I've learned not to argue."

"I've learned not to waste my energy," Honor replied.

I couldn't help smiling. Being in this house felt... Easy.

Tutoring went by faster than usual. For the first time since the semester started, I solved every calculus problem without asking Kennedy for help. She looked over my paper twice. Then a third time. Finally, she looked up at me.

"You got every single one right."

"Seriously?"

She nodded.

"I didn't change anything."

I stared at the page.

Then back at her.

"I actually understand it."

She smiled.

"I know."

There wasn't an ounce of surprise in her voice. Just confidence. Like she'd expected me to succeed all along. It was a strange feeling.

Having someone believe in you before you believed in yourself. As I packed my backpack, I handed her The Hunger Games.

"I almost forgot."

She took it carefully.

Then frowned.

"...Levi."

"What?"

"You folded the corner of my page."

"I needed to remember where I stopped."

She gasped dramatically.

"You dog-eared my book?"

"I didn't know it was a crime."

"It is in this house."

James looked up from the newspaper.

"She's serious."

Honor nodded.

"We raised her this way."

I laughed.

"Noted."

"There are these wonderful inventions," Kennedy continued.

"They're called bookmarks."

"I know that now."

She opened the front cover. A yellow sticky note floated into her hand. She unfolded it.

Peeta deserved better. You can't change my mind. —Levi

She burst into laughter. A real laugh. Loud enough that it echoed through the kitchen. Then... She snorted. She froze. I froze.

"...Did you just—"

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

She covered her face with both hands.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing."

I couldn't stop laughing.

"You've spent weeks judging me for dog-earing one page."

"It was two pages."

"And now I know you snort when you laugh."

She peeked through her fingers.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

She sighed.

"...No."

Then she smiled.

"No, I don't."

As I reached for my backpack, Kennedy walked over to her bookshelf. She studied the shelves before pulling out another novel. She held it out to me.

"What about this one?"

I looked at the cover.

The Outsiders.

"I've heard of it."

"It's one of my favorites."

"You trust me with another book after what happened to the last one?"

She smiled.

"I'm choosing to believe you've learned your lesson."

"I have."

"Good."

She handed me the book.

Our fingers brushed for only a second.

Neither of us pulled away immediately.

Then she quietly let go.

"Don't fold the pages."

"I won't."

"And no food."

"I'll do my best."

"No coffee."

"I don't even drink coffee."

She smiled.

"Then we're making progress already."

I tucked the novel carefully into my backpack.

This time...I made sure the corners stayed perfectly flat.

The drive home was quieter than usual.

The new book rested on the passenger seat beside me.

I stopped at a red light and glanced over at it.

A smile crept across my face.

"One more chapter," I murmured.

For the first time...I wasn't talking about the book.