The clock on the wall ticked loudly, the sound reverberating off the rows of bookshelves. Emma sat, curled up in an armchair in the corner, reading a new book. She studied in this exact spot, between 11 and 1, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She had a lunch break between her two classes, and what better way to spend it than avoiding the mass of people crowded in the food court. She was stuck at an out of state college, sharing a room with three strange girls. Any time she could find alone, she would take it.
As it rapidly approached 1 pm, she stretched, getting ready for the rest of her classes. She drained the rest of her, now cold, coffee and stood up. The book she'd been reading dropped off her knees, spilling open to a page Emma hadn't yet reached. Scrawled on the bottom of the page was a small note:
"Tell me what you think"
followed by a 10 digit number.
She read over the beautiful handwriting several times, considering if she should take it to the librarian, or just ignore it. Usually Emma was rather offended by library book vandals, but this tiny note felt different. Somehow, it felt more personal. She opted for a third choice, and went through the trouble to rent it and take it with her.
Once she found that note, she couldn't stop reading the book. She read during her Religions lecture, ignored the English teacher, and downright ditched her Math class. This book had suddenly occupied her entire life; she even forgot to eat. Lucky enough, she was a strong reader and she was done by nightfall.
Emma had a lot to think about this book, and she thought, and thought, and thought. She had really enjoyed the familial dynamic, between the estranged sisters, but she found the protagonist's love interest to be rather boring and unutilized. The antagonist was terrifying, granted, but the relation to the story was awkward and unsettled. Overall, she thought the book needed a sequel, though it was still very good on its own.
Her roommates woke her up early the next day, as revenge for keeping them up all night. She, Ruby, and Mary Margaret ate at the café, trying to get ready for classes.
"What were you even doing that kept you up that late?" Mary Margaret said, tearing off pieces of a scone.
"Reading."
Emma's eyes were half-open, and she tried to drown the feeling of exhaustion with a third cup of coffee.
"Whatever, I hope it was good." Ruby rolled her eyes as she spoke, biting into an apple.
Emma sighed and dropped her head onto the table. "I feel hung-over," she quipped, earning laughter from her two roommates.