The Library War

by Cecily Wolfe

  Andrea appeared beside her a few moments later, and the woman she had assisted walked by with an apologetic smile, the little boy kicking in her arms as he grunted angrily. The automatic doors slid open and the pair left the building, the doors humming closed behind them.

  “Why don’t you help Connor with the adult shelves, and then you both can do some shelf reading in the children’s area. The picture books are a mess.”

  Maya nodded to let the librarian know she had heard, and walked away, taking a longer walk back to the row where Connor was working to avoid the elderly man and his disapproval. Connor didn’t see her approach as she turned the corner and moved slowly towards him, or if he did, he didn’t indicate it in any way.

  He was still, staring blankly at the shelves in front of him as if he didn’t know what to do.

  Of course he did. They had been shelving books for years together. Nothing was different today, except the together part. The best part.

  Connor knew Maya was watching him. She didn’t speak as she approached the cart, and he watched her take a book from the end of it and walk away, returning less than a minute later to take another.

  When she came back empty-handed a third time, he stood up straight and took a deep breath, sorry when she jumped a little as if she hadn’t expected him to move.

  “Why are you doing that?”

  She huffed.

  “Shelving books? Isn’t that what I’m here to do?”

  Stomping was Maya’s primary mode of walking tonight, and while it was childish, Connor kind of wanted to do it himself. He fought the urge to reach out and grab her arm the next time she reached in front of him for a book.

  “I’ll be happy to tell Lindsay that you just stood here while I shelved the entire cart.”

  Off she went, but as she worked, the books she put away belonged on shelves closer to where Connor stood. What would she do when she got to the beginning of the alphabet, which was right behind his back?

  “I’m not spending my summer doing this, you know.”

  Another book in hand, she hissed at him as she stomped off, a few steps away. There was misery in her frown, not merely disapproval, and he knew that she was as unhappy as he was.

  “I have to get to the shelf behind you. So move, please.”

  Her polite request didn’t match the tone of her voice. Connor took the book from her hand without thinking, and turned to slide it into its place between two other books on the shelf.

  Now she couldn’t tell the library manager that she had shelved all the books in the adult section today, he thought.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  Maya wasn’t whispering anymore, and her question, which rang loud in the silence of the building, was more of an accusation than anything else.

  “You two! I’ve had enough of this. I think we all have.”

  He watched Maya’s gaze turn towards Andrea’s voice, the sullen downturn of her lips shifting into a silent O of surprise, before he looked at the librarian as well.

  “Just leave. I’ll talk to Lindsay tomorrow, but if I had my way, you’d both be gone. For good.”

  Maya started to step around the cart, but Andrea held a hand up as if to bar her advance.

  “Leave the cart. Go out the back door. No talking. No more fighting. No anything.”

  They were volunteers, Connor considered. Would Lindsay fire them? Could volunteers even get fired?

  Andrea folded her arms across her chest, her face stony and expressionless, and Connor knew then that he had his answer.

  Chapter Thirty

  The purple dress made her look tired and sad, Maya realized, not glamorous or regal as Kaylie had insisted only a little over a week ago. It didn’t help that Maya had spent most of the night crying, first alone, struggling to stop the flow of tears before her mother came home but failing miserably.

  Her mother might have spent a lot of time working, but her time with Maya was focused on her daughter, and Maya knew that her mother had been suspicious about what was going on between her and Conner, although she had been subtle with her questions, as if she didn’t want to pry into anything Maya would consider too private.

  Last night there had been nothing subtle about their conversation, about Maya’s unloading of all the events and emotions that now overwhelmed her, and her mother, tired and hungry, had announced that dinner would be the last two ice cream cone sundaes in the freezer.

  Maya had cried harder at first, remembering Conner’s peace offering of ice cream sandwiches at the library, and explained everything as they bit into the icy sweetness, the cold making her lips numb.

  They both fell asleep on the couch, their feet tangled together, and when Maya woke, her mother was gone again.

  There was a note on the counter along with the empty ice cream cone box.

  Pick up more in case we need them after prom. Not being pessimistic, just prepared.

  Maya’s smile turned into an easy laugh, and she downed a glass of water as she went up to her bedroom, still unsure of what time it was. Her phone was in her purse, but she was afraid to look at it. Afraid of a text from Lindsay.

  Or Conner.

  She had left the library with her head hung, definitely in shame, and had no idea when Conner had followed. Had he tried to reason with Andrea at all?

  With her phone finally in hand and the empty glass on her bedside table, she swiped up and found several texts. Not one was from Conner.

  Can I come over and get ready with you? Is four okay?

  As if she could say no to the girl who had put up with her moods all this time. Besides, she considered as she tapped out a YES, it would be better than trying to get that dress zipper up all on her own.

  Looking forward to tonight. Wear your dancing shoes.

  Maya had to laugh at Jason’s text. Her mom’s silver heels were going to have to suffice, even if she didn’t feel like dancing.

  If you say so, was all she could come up with as a response. She hoped it didn’t sound snotty, because she didn’t mean it to be.

  After a long, hot shower, she sat in front of her window, where she had watched Conner walk up her driveway so many times. Her damp hair was wrapped in a fluffy kitten towel he had bought her for her sixteenth birthday.

  “I got one for myself, too. It wouldn’t be fair for you to have an extra kitten item than I do,” he had explained, petting the towel gently as if it was a real animal.

  She shook her head at the memory, careful not knock the towel from her head.

  When the doorbell rang, she was surprised, sleepy and disoriented, finding herself still in the chair in front of her window. The kitten towel had unwound from her mostly dry hair and was in a curled up heap on the floor. Much like how an actual cat would sleep, Maya thought.

  She took a photo with her phone, smiling as she thought of showing it to Conner. She could text it to him . . .

  But they weren’t talking anymore. How could she forget?

  The doorbell rang again, and Maya noticed the red light flashing at the top of her phone as she got up and headed down the stairs.

  Your help is no longer needed at the library. I wish you well.

  Lindsay’s text was succinct and to the point, just like the librarian herself, but the words made something in her chest tighten.

  “Hey, were you taking a nap? That’s a good idea.”

  Kaylie was carrying a plastic bag with her dress in it, a satiny number not unlike Maya’s, except with rhinestone embellishments, and a shoebox. A large tote bag was on her shoulder, and Maya reached out to take whatever Kaylie wanted to give her.

  As she backed into the house, Kaylie followed, making polite comments about the hallway and kitchen. Maya carried the shoe box, and headed up the stairs with Kaylie behind her.

  Kaylie didn’t seem to mind leading the conversation, and didn’t ask any personal questions as she helped Maya get into her dress after wrestling with Maya’s hair, setting them into hot rollers with poky li
ttle metal pins that dug into Maya’s head.

  She could barely follow Kaylie’s words about their plans for the night, which as far as Maya could tell were no more elaborate than dinner and the dance.

  Afterwards, she could come home and eat ice cream cones with her mom, and figure out where to start applying for jobs for the summer. There were several restaurants within walking distance from their house, so those would be a start. She could do that tomorrow, and then if there were other places her mother thought might have openings, she would visit them after graduation practice on Monday. The college kids were already out of school, so she wasn’t sure if they had already taken the open jobs.

  “I know you aren’t listening, but on the off chance that you are, I want you to know that I’m glad we’ve gotten to know each other better, and I would like to think that we’re friends now.”

  Kaylie’s voice rang loud and clear in Maya’s thoughts, and she turned to face her, ashamed and relieved at the same time.

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m glad we’re friends, too. I just have a lot on my mind right now, but I know that everyone does, so that’s not really an excuse.”

  When Kaylie shook her head with a forgiving smile, Maya continued so Kaylie couldn’t say something kind and dismissive.

  “I was the one who suggested that Conner ask you to prom. I thought the two of you would be a good fit, and I didn’t want him to go with someone lame like Trinity.”

  “You mean the girl who is having his baby? Oh, yeah. Do they make prom gowns in maternity sizes?”

  Kaylie’s wit was quick and Maya appreciated her more than she ever as she shifted the conversation back to the restaurant where the boys had made a reservation, a place Maya had never visited, and Maya relaxed into the easy way in which Kaylie continued to help her get ready for the event she did not look forward to attending.

  It wasn’t like Conner didn’t want to spend time with Kaylie. It had been made clear more than once that they were all going to the prom as friends, but Jason’s intentions weren’t as clear, except that he was aiming for something more romantic with Maya. Was he going to tell her tonight?

  What would she say if he did? The two of them had looked really comfortable together all week, and if Conner wasn’t mistaken, Maya had gone out of her way to meet up with Jason. Or maybe Jason had gone out of his way to meet with Maya.

  Either way, they were making an effort to hang out, at least in the hallways, when they normally wouldn’t run into each other. Conner knew exactly where Maya’s classes were, and they did not coincide with the path Jason took.

  Even in his head, Conner sounded like some sort of stalker.

  “Make sure you have pictures taken at the dance, so we can have one for ourselves. I know you don’t want us to follow you to Maya’s house and take any of our own, so we won’t embarrass you.”

  His mother interrupted his thoughts, as Conner stepped into the kitchen from the patio. He wasn’t sure how long he had been shooting baskets, but his mom looked nervous as she tried to keep his attention.

  “Your father and I want you to know that you can talk to us about anything. I know the last few weeks of high school can be stressful, but you seem like you’ve been having a tough time recently.”

  Sharing his worries with his parents was not Conner’s style, but he could see by the shine in his mother’s eyes that she was really concerned, and he thought of Danielle. Someday he might be a parent, and what would it be like to lose a child? It wasn’t the way the world was supposed to work.

  Parents weren’t supposed to outlive their children.

  “Everything is going to be fine. I just have some, uh, issues to sort out, and then summer will be great. I’m sorry if I’ve worried you at all.”

  He reached out and pulled her into a hug, surprising them both. She held him tight, and he didn’t let go until she did first.

  “I have to start getting ready, but I promise there will be pictures, okay?”

  He hoped his smile was convincing, and that the photos, part of the ticket package, would be the same. Kaylie would be gorgeous, with her winning smile and sparkly gown. He, on the other hand, might look distracted, annoyed, or sad, depending on how Maya was acting at the time.

  Letting Maya’s mood dictate his behavior was ridiculous, and while he was well aware of that, he also knew that it was going to affect him. His love for her was somehow unchanged by her very clear dislike of him, a direct opposite of how she had treated him before.

  Before the library job became a possibility, she had always wanted to be with him. Always held hands with him, always laughed at his stupid comments. Always reassured him, always had his back.

  Was it at all possible that, before all of this library job mess, he could have had a chance with her, a chance for their friendship to become something more?

  When he had kissed her, she had kissed him back; he was sure of it. She had also slapped him right afterwards.

  He touched his hand to his cheek with the memory of that sting, which was nothing compared to the blow to his ego, and his hope.

  As he dressed quietly in his room, his tux a bit stiff as he tugged it on and around him, he tried to stop the flow of thoughts that kept moving towards images of Maya dancing with Jason, Jason’s arms around her and Maya’s head on Jason’s shoulder.

  What the heck was wrong with him, other than the obvious? Jason might convince her to dance a couple of times, but there wouldn’t be anything romantic about it. At least he hoped there wouldn’t be. When Lindsay’s blunt text arrived, he barely gave it a second thought as his concerns about the two of them overtook his thoughts.

  Jason’s grandfather had a wicked Lincoln Town Car from the eighties, if Conner remembered correctly. It was midnight black with matching leather seats, and Jason had the keys to it tonight. Conner thought it was much more elegant than a limo, which a lot of guys had either rented or tried to rent, depending on how long they had waited to make the call.

  Luck had followed him these past six years, Conner knew. Before Maya, he had been ignored or teased alternately as his classmates wished, hiding in stories to console himself. Long before his height became an asset and everyone was his biggest fan, Maya had shared her own story with him, a story in which he shared a small spotlight with her, and their shared stardom became a story of its own.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Conner didn’t mean to step on her dress, or at least Maya thought he didn’t. After it happened three times and they had only just arrived at the restaurant, though, she was starting to wonder.

  Was this payback for what happened, or what had been happening, at the library? If it was, it was pretty juvenile and lame as far as she was concerned. Not only that, but it wasn’t like Conner at all.

  “Honestly, I don’t know why I can’t keep my foot off your gown.”

  He was trying to make light of it, although the tension between them from the moment the boys arrived at her house to pick them up had practically been visible in the air.

  Jason and Kaylie looked at each other, as if they were commenting wordlessly about Conner and Maya’s ongoing awkwardness. Or rather, his awkwardness. She wasn’t really trying all that hard not to be hostile, so she knew it must be obvious.

  Both boys had pulled out chairs at the restaurant, which was dimly lit, so the girls could sit before they did. Conner was sitting at a diagonal across from Maya, but she was sure that underneath the table, his foot was probably on her dress. Again.