Four Years: The first year

08| Aly

I just finished my classes for today. So I decided to explore the campus today. And I mean really explore it.

So, I kept meandering on the college grounds when something hit me in the back of my head. I almost fell down. I clasped the back of my head and turned around to see the thing that hit me, it was a basketball. And then I saw George sprinting towards me. I stood there gawking, amazed at his nerve.

"Oh, good. It's you again." I raved with a leer smile.

"Right, I'm sorry about the ball," He snickered.

"No, you're not," I argued, in disbelief at his totally unapologetic face and his snickering on top of that.

"Yeah, I'm not," he admitted, "But if it makes you feel any better, I didn't hit you on purpose."

"Oh, how very kind of you. You didn't hit me on purpose. What, are you expecting a gift?" I scoffed.

"Somebody's cranky." He murmured to himself, scratching the back of his neck.

"Somebody needs to shut up." I hissed. Oh, how I wish I could slap that smug smile off his face. 

"Ooh, did that statement hurt?"

"No, it's the bloody basketball you threw at my head that hurt."

"Again, I'm sorry about that." He stated, raising his eyebrows and hands in defeat. 

"NO, YOU'RE NOT. YOU'RE VERY CLEARLY NOT." I finally erupted. This man is gonna get punched in the face from me someday.

"Good Lord, love, you need anger management."

"I don't need anger management. I need you to stop pissing me off."

"Are you sure? You have so many issues. Were you dropped on your head as a baby?"

"Were you grown in a petri dish of stupid?"

"Alright, listen, love." He laughed. "I really need to get back to my practice. So I'm gonna need you to hand over the basketball to me now." He retorted.

"Oh, please, go away. I don't want to look at your stupid face anyway."

He snatched the ball away from my hands and sauntered off.

...............................................

After an unnecessary incident with George, I decided to go to the campus library. At least, I can enjoy some extent of peace and quiet there. I took a private membership to the library on my first day itself. On top of that, I volunteer my hours at the library to help the staff and that earns me special privileges.

I casually strolled in front of the bookshelves to find a good read and I bumped into someone sideways. I turned to apologize and saw that it was George.

"What are you doing here?" I sputtered, caught slightly off guard.

"What do you mean? It's the college library. Every student practically lives here."He retorted, rolling his eyes at me.

I squinted my eyes at him, "Are you stalking me, Camere?" I questioned.

"Don't flatter yourself, love." He added nonchalantly while checking every other book on the shelf in front of us.

"Do you get paid to be an asshole?" I asked as I started to focus back on the books.

Both of our hands landed on the same book at the same time. I looked at him and he looked at me. I knew what was coming. I tugged at the book but it didn't budge.

"Leave- it," I grunted as I kept tugging at the book but he refused to let go.

"N-No." He said casually, narrowing his eyes at me as if it was a stupid thing to ask.

He yanked the book towards him and me along with it. I crash into him with the book between us. And both of our bodies slammed into a bookshelf. I accepted my fate but he managed to catch me, and despite that, eventually, we both plunged to the floor, as all the books from the bookshelves fell on top of us. He looked alarmed and slightly mortified. His usually dead eyes were very expressive of the panic he felt at the moment. Oh, this is the worst day of my life. I grouchily tried to get back up but slipped onto one of the books and fell into him again due to the weight of the books.

"Get off me." He miffed.
"I'm trying." I hollered at him, "I am not thrilled to be lying on top of you."
"Let's be honest, you are a little bit." He said with a painfully annoying smirk on his face and I just couldn't help but get astounded at his infuriating ability to be a jerk at all times.

I heard rushing footsteps coming towards us. Mrs. Shaine, the librarian stood there at the end of the hallway astonished, staring down at both of us with a look of disapproval on her face.

"Sorry," Both of us blurted out at the same time.

Before I realized it, we were standing at the front desk in front of Mrs. Shaine.

"Explain yourselves," She commanded, looking at us from under her glasses.

We stood there, apologetically, contemplating what to tell her.

"Well?" She grew impatient.

"Mrs. Shaine, it was an accident, we both reached for the same book, lost balance, and slammed into the bookshelf," I confessed.
"Is that it?" She turned to George.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Alright then, go find your seats and if anything like that happens again, I will suspend you from the library for two months."
"Yes, ma'am," We both muttered and left.

We both walked quietly to our table and sat down.
"You know it was your fault, right?" George whispered to me as soon as we sat down.
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah, I mean if you hadn't tried to snatch the book away from me none of it would have happened." He said it like it was obvious and valid.
"Are you seriously trying to pin all the blame on me? Nothing even happened until you pulled the book towards yourself and me along with it" I hissed, digging my finger into his chest. He glanced at my finger and swatted it away.
"Honestly, do you leave your brain at home when you go out?"
"You don't wanna piss me off, you know. I can have you kicked out of the library."
He huffed, "I'd like to see you try," in a way that challenged me. And I don't walk away from challenges.
"Okay," I said, steadily, grinning at him.

In the next moment, I was waving him goodbye at the front door of the library while he reluctantly walked away, throwing daggers at me with his eyes. Well, I warned him.