Chapter 7: Library Time
1698 Words
Catrina’s POV
When I got to the library, I went behind the library desk and set my stuff down.
“Hello dear, it’s good to see you again. You know what to do. There should be one other aide this period. Can you teach him what to do when he gets here? I am pretty busy in the back.” The Librarian Mrs. Nora asked.
“Sure Mrs. Nora, I got this.” I told her with a smile. I was a library aide last semester, so she and I really got along and, like she said, I knew the routine and what to do, so she trusted me.
I sat down and got a notebook out to start writing my assignment for history when a guy came up to the desk.
“Do you know where library aids go?” he asked.
“You must be the other library aid. I’m Catrina the librarian Mrs. Nora asked me to show you what to do,” I told him, standing up.
“Oh, okay cool.” He smiled.
“So, you get that chair right there so you can come behind here and set your stuff down then I will tell you what our jobs are in here.” He came around and put his stuff away. He had dirty blonde hair that was a little long, had blue-gray eyes and was about as tan as Daniel and Lauren were, if not darker, and he was 6ft tall, making me look super tiny next to him.
“So, you will need this first,” I told him, handing him the library aid ID. “We have to wear these in here at the end of the period. They get put back in this drawer,” I pointed to the drawer I grabbed his ID from. “The first several weeks we will not have much to do, but normally we check books out to students or take them in when returned, run notes or errands for the librarian, put the books back on the shelves and also keep the shelves organized and in order. If we have nothing to do, then we are allowed to read a book or work on classwork. If you have neither to do, find something to do, and you can’t be on your phone,” I explained to him. I leaned closer and whispered, “If you want on your phone, just don’t get caught.” I told him.
“Got it.” He winked.
“Any questions?” I asked at normal volume.
“Don’t think so, and I’m Erik by the way.” He held his hand out for me.
I shook his hand with a smile.
“Hey Trina.”
I turned and saw Javier standing at the desk. “Hey, I thought you had class?”
“I was assigned a class I had already taken, and they switched it out with this class,” he told me, holding his schedule out for me to see.
“Oh, okay well, normally we only have two aids in here. Let me get you a chair and tell Mrs. Nora,” I told him. I grabbed a chair for him to sit in, and he sat down while I went to get the librarian. I found her in the back where the copier and fax machines were at. “Mrs. Nora, we have a third aid.”
“I just got the call about that he is in the right place. Just teach him what to do as well please.”
“Okay.” I headed back and looked at Javier. “Okay, I will go through all the information again, but for you this time. You can just chill Erik.” Erik gave me a thumbs up while I started explaining everything a second time. When I finished, I finally sat down between the two guys and started writing my history paper. I noticed that they both glared at each other throughout the period for unknown reasons.
“Oh, Kat wanted me to tell you that if you wanted a ride home, at the end of the day she offered to take you home,” Javier told me.
“Really, that is really nice of her.”
“Catrina, I need to run these papers to several teachers while I am gone. You’re in charge.” Mrs. Nora said with a huge stack of papers in her arms.
“Okay.”
“Do you want some help, Mrs. Nora?” Erik offered.
“I would really appreciate that,” she told him. He got up and took the stack from her and followed her out the door.
“If you want a ride from her, do you want her number?” Javier continued our conversation.
“I’ll think about it,” I told him.
“She doesn’t bite,” he joked.
I laughed at his comment “I figured she didn’t, but I still don’t know her that well.”
“I didn’t think about it like that.”
“Why were you glaring at Erik?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“I don’t mind the guy in general, but his family has never been nice to mine or to Nico and Deans. So, it is because of that.”
“Oh.” I was not expecting that answer. “Maybe he isn’t like his family. Can’t judge him on his family's actions.”
“Your way too nice. He is just like his family.” He laughed out. “I will try to be nice while in here with him though for your sake. Fair enough?”
“I guess that works.”
As long as they were nice while in here I didn’t care. I went back to working on my paper and had just finished it when Mrs. Nora and Erik came back. The rest of the period passed by really fast and, by the end, I was halfway through my second class assignment. Both the guys gave back their ID’s and I stayed sitting. I waited and when the next period began, I told the new aides the same speech I gave Erik and Javier. Mrs. Nora was very happy I was getting them sorted away so she wouldn’t have to. I put my ID back in the drawer and picked a table to sit at and finish up my last assignment.
“Is it okay if we sit with you?”
I looked up and saw both Nico and Dean standing there. There was another guy with them that I hadn’t met yet, and he had his arm around a girl, so I guess those two are together. “Sure, I guess.” They all sat down at the table but did have to pull another seat over since there were only three empty seats at the table. Nico sat on one side of me while Dean sat on the other side and the guy and girl sat across from me.
“Hi I’m Pearl.” She said waving at me. She was a cute little thing. She is a ginger with curly hair, blue eyes and is 4ft 11in. She always has pale white skin.
I waved back, “Hi Pearl, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Catrina. You can call me Trina if you want.” I just knew she and I would be good friends. She reminded me of Lauren a lot.
She smiled at me, then looked at the guy. “This is my boyfriend, Grayson.”
“Sup.” He waved at me.
“Hey, you two are cute. How long have you two been together?”
“Aww thanks.” Pearl gushed with a deep blush.
“We met when she moved here a year ago. We've been together for about 6 months now,” Grayson told me.
“That’s cute. Also, is your hair naturally that curly?”
“Yep, naturally this way. Makes doing my hair easy in the mornings. Unless I want to flat iron, then that takes a lot of time.” She laughed.
“Yeah, my hair likes to do its own thing as well. So, for me, doing a ponytail, braids and clipping it up is the easiest thing for me to do.”
“Why is this turning into girl time?” Dean asked.
“You can change tables,” I countered.
“Or we could move tables,” Pearl said.
“Oh, I like that idea,” I said, looking at Pearl.
“Not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing they are getting along,” Nico said.
“What’s wrong with me getting along with Pearl? Though Pearl, you have got to meet my friend Lauren. I think you both would really get along.”
“I would love another girlfriend. I only have two at the moment, not counting you.”
“Well, you can count me.” I told her, and she jumped in her seat smiling big. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and pulled it out. There was a group message with numbers I didn’t recognize. I opened and read the messages.
‘Hey, this is Rachel. I have dance class with Lauren, and she gave me your number. Also, I added Kat and our friend Pearl.’
‘Hey, this is Kat. You need a ride home?’
‘Girl, don’t be mad. I thought they were cool, and they said they met you and liked you, so please don’t be mad.’
I looked up at Pearl who was laughing. “Guess we really are friends now.” I laughed and she did too.
“Seems that way.”
I texted back ‘I’m not mad at you, Lauren, and Kat if you are still offering a ride, that would be awesome.’
‘The offer is still good. Pearl want to come with us girls for dinner?’
Since my Aunt was gone, and I had made some friends, I did something I have never done before: ‘We can do pizza at my place if you guys want.’
- Writer
