Chapter Two: The Book
916 Words
The double doors of the library clanged shut behind Klay as she strode inside, weaving her way through the hallways toward the librarian's section. What was it she needed to check again? Various literary works from Homer’s time, a bit of light reading on Afro-Asian literature, and, of course, fiction—she wouldn’t forget that.
She joined the short queue leading to one of the librarian office’s accommodation windows. As she waited, her thoughts drifted to Jeanna Parsons, her French friend who used to accompany her every time she visited the library. Where was she now? Earlier in Literature 103, she had looked for her but found Zian instead—the salutatorian of their batch. That woman had always held some grudge against her, calling her names for reasons Klay never quite understood. Perhaps it was the academic competition. Klay had graduated as valedictorian, after all.
When she reached the counter, she found Tara scribbling in a notebook.
“What can I do for you?” Tara asked without looking up.
“Tara,” Klay said, making the girl pause mid-scribble.
Tara’s head snapped up. “Oh my god, Klay Harren!” she gasped as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.
“Yep, that’s me.” Klay pulled a face and grinned.
“So… have you decided yet?” Tara asked, not bothering to clarify what she meant. But Klay already knew.
“Still thinking about it,” she replied.
Tara had been nagging her to join the school paper since the first term. She wanted Klay as a staff writer, but Klay wasn’t sure if she could handle the same pressure she’d faced in high school. Tara, a senior feature editor, seemed convinced that she’d make a great apprentice—or at least, she made Klay feel that way.
“So…” Klay started, noticing the impatient glances from the students lined up behind her. “I’m here for this week’s ration.”
“Alright, fire away,” Tara said, finally backing off from the subject.
Klay listed the books she needed, and Tara gave her their locations. After picking them out, she returned to the counter.
“Is this all of it?” Tara asked, checking the books one by one.
“Yes.”
“Student ID?”
Klay handed it over, and once everything was processed, she turned to leave.
“Klay, wait.”
She paused and turned back. From across the distance, she saw Tara waving a book in the air.
Klay walked back to her. “What?”
Tara cleared her throat, trying to sound casual. “You need to read this book. I highly recommend it.”
Klay raised a brow. Though surprised, she took the book. Tara smiled, but when Klay noticed something odd in her expression, her own face twisted in suspicion.
---
It was past six, and Jace’s room was still as dark as night. Probably out with his women again. That d**k of a man.
How many times had she been forced to deal with his endless string of girlfriends? Four different girls in a month—fact to tell, her best friend was a full-fledged womanizer.
Frustrated, Klay paced around her room. She still needed to interview Jace for her athletics assignment.
And it was due tomorrow. For god’s sake.
She glanced toward the room parallel to hers. No sign of him.
With a defeated sigh, she slumped onto the chair at her computer desk, resting her chin on its edge. Would she wait for him? He’d have to come home for dinner at some point.
Her gaze flickered to the stack of books she had borrowed. Might as well check them out. She sifted through them one by one until she spotted a particular one that stood out.
A rectangular pocketbook, the cover drowned in all shades of pink, with slanted cursive writing etched across the top.
Five Ways to Fall by EC Ward.
The surname felt oddly familiar. Maybe she’d seen it on a billboard, or heard it on TV. Didn’t matter.
Curious, she flipped through the pages, scanning quickly. Page five. As she skimmed the sentences, something felt… off. Her eyes darted back to the fourth line, then the fifth.
She stopped breathing.
Klay Harren Jules.
Her name.
Right there.
Her heart pounded as she blinked, narrowing her eyes. Maybe she’d misread it. But no—it was still there, printed in black ink against the rough paper.
Coincidence. It had to be.
She flipped through more pages, her stomach tightening with each word she found.
Downlake, South Carolina.
Downlake State University.
Freshman.
God. These were details about her. Her address. Her college.
Was this some kind of prank?
Her fingers tightened around the book. Who the hell had written about her?
EC Ward. The name—it was familiar. Where had she seen it? At school?
Then it clicked.
Tara.
Was that why she had insisted Klay read this book? The way she smiled awkwardly earlier—it wasn’t casual at all.
Was this revenge? A petty attempt to blackmail her for rejecting the school paper offer?
But there were no secrets to expose. Nothing scandalous about her life.
Sure, she had one tiny little lie—she had lost her father’s badge.
Or maybe two—she had a mole on top of her left n****e.
But Jace was the only person who knew about those.
Her pulse hammered. She had to talk to Tara. First thing tomorrow.
- Writer
