Blake loved books. Nothing was more comforting to her than being in the college library. She found peace in the scent of paper, the rustling of pages, the murmurs of study groups, the clicking of computer mouses. She loved not having to talk to anyone, except a few people in small doses. That's why she came here everyday, rain or shine.
Most of the librarians here knew Blake, but she didn't talk to very many of them. Her favorite was a cute boy with green glasses. He had a way with his words, as he was very charismatic. He had that type of smirk that worried you that he might be too sarcastic, but she could see in his eyes that deep down, he meant every word he said. Blake was interested in a lot of the same games he was, and they talked about those sometimes when the library was not as busy, but their friendship did not go further than that. Blake thinks he has some mysterious and far away girlfriend anyways. Besides that boy, Blake didn't really talk to very many people. They made her nervous.
One particularly rainy afternoon, Blake was skimming the spines of books in the romance section, when she found a familiar title, Ninjas of Love. It was a favorite book of hers in high school, but she let her sister, Ruby, borrow it one time, and she hasn't seen it since. Blake took the black book off the shelf and opened it. Flipping through a few pages, she thought she saw writing on one of them. Turning back to the page, Blake was horrified to see a phone number scrabbled on the bottom of a page. Angrily, without even thinking, she pulled out her phone and punch the same number in.
Blake: You know, you're not supposed to write in library books. Don't be disrespectful!
Blake hit send, and it wasn't until after that she realized that she just yelled at a random stranger. It could even not be the same person as the one who wrote on this book. Blake started to feel guilty.
(689)420-6783 is typing...
Blake's heart was pounding.
(689)420-6783: im sorry? but who is this?
There was no turning back for Blake now. She snapped a picture of the poorly written phone number and sent it.
Blake: Someone who cares deeply for books and our library.
The unknown number responded almost immediately.
(689)420-6783: oh lol... that was almost a year ago! i was studying while drunk and it wasnt a very good combo... if it makes you feel better, i failed that test and then the class :(
(689)420-6783: the name's Yang btw
Blake was comforted by the karma of the situation, but she still believed that books deserved better.
Blake: Well you probably deserved that!
Yang: youre right... im sorry
Yang: wait are you still at the library because im actually headed there now
Blake wasn't sure if she wanted to meet someone so disrespectful. She didn't want Yang to ever come back to the library again. But Blake couldn't lie. She needed to look Yang in the eye and make sure wouldn't ruin another book. Maybe point her out to that nice library assistant so he would keep an eye on her.
Blake: I will be here for another hour. I am in the romance section.
Yang: cool
Blake slumped to the floor. She leaned on the side of the bookshelf and opened Ninjas of Love again, this time to the first page, and she began reading.
She almost jumped when a tall blonde with a lot of attitude walked up to her, almost yelling (in a library!) "You're actually reading it?!"
Blake peered up from the pages of her book.
"Shhhhhh"
Yang laughed.
"Oh right, rules, sorry" she whispered, "I brought you an apology."
Yang handed Blake half a cookie.
"You're not supposed eat in a library." Blake muttered.
Yang blushed.
"Look, I am sorry," Yang continued, "I wasn't expecting you to be hot, and now I'm trying to flirt, but I can't just ask for your number."
Blake stared at her and slowly closed the book. She took a good look at Yang. She has blond, curly hair, and lilac eyes. She wore a brown jacket that barely fitted over her curvaceous and well endowed figure, but (almost) covered the fact that she had one robotic arm. Blake continued to stare.
"Does that mean we are going on a date?"
Blake rolled her eyes, but inside she panicked. If this was the only way to keep her precious library safe from this rambunctious blonde, then everyone else better thank her later. Socializing was hard. Blake stood up.
"Cool!" Yang exclaimed as Blake gave her a dirty look, "Oh, right. Library."
Blake and Yang ended up going to the Starbucks on campus, as it was the closet food nearby and liked by both girls. Yang ordered a super fancy frappe drink with three different special orders, and Blake ordered a simple espresso and added her own sugar. Then they both sat at a table by the window.
"So.." Yang started, "I didn't expect to get this far... um, what's your major?"
Blake was annoyed by the stereotypical small talk question but she answered anyways.
"I'm a junior in English, with a minor in creative writing."
Yang nodded.
"Figures as much," she smirked, "I'm majoring in biomedical engineering, and before you ask, no, I did not make this."
Yang shook her mechanical arm.
There was a long awkward silence. Blake was okay with that, but you could see that Yang was uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry about the book. I was drunk" Yang started, "You know how it is."
Blake shook her head.
"Are you shaking your head in disappointment or because you've never been drunk?"
"Yes"
Yang smiled.
"Well Blake, it's time to cut loose a bit."
Yang pulled a small flask out her purse and poured it into Blake's empty espresso cup, giving a quick smile.
"No."
Blake pushed away the cup. She began to feel dizzy. Yang was intimidating.
Yang grabbed the cup and drank it.
"Haha," I was just kidding, "Relax! I would never pressure you into anything."
Blake's sighed, relieved. She smiled, hoping that this would finally settle the blonde, so she can go home, and sleep off the experience of actual socialization. She wondered how much it as it went down. She wondered how people could handle this. Socializing. Anxiety. Talking. Dizzy. Say something. Yang stared at her with wide eyes. Blake rocked back and forth, visibly uncomfortable.
"Do you need help?" Yang asked, more serious now.
Blake was too nervous to do anything but nod, as she had no idea what to do. She was glad that Yang was going to try take care of her, but she hated that fact that she was going to have to spend more time with this rambunctious, loud partier with no regard for the rules. Blake needed to go home. Or to the library. She needed peace. Quiet. Safety.
Step out of your comfort zone, Blake!, she thought. But anxiety froze her will to act. She couldn't get out of the situation. She wasn't okay. She couldn't tell Yan-
Blake was dizzy again. She felt weak. She needed to leave. As she stood up, her knees buckled and she fell. Yang rushed pick her up. "I'm taking you to my room. You are sick!"
Blake could barely resist.
Blake was almost asleep by the time they made it to Yang's dorm, conveniently across campus. Blake fell onto the couch, and blacked out.
When she woke, Yang was only wearing a tank top and shorts, neither covering much. Blake smiled. She definitely was hot.
"Here," Yang handed Blake a cup of water, which she accepted graciously.
"What happened?" Yang asked.
Blake shook her head.
"I'm kinda nervous. I'm not good at talking to pretty gi-"
Blake stopped mid sentence, letting what she just said sink in.
"Pretty?" Yang laughed.
Blake sunk back into the couch, hoping it would pity her and suck her into it.
"Don't be shy, Blake," Yang smiled, "We're friends"
Friends.
Socialize. Parties. More dates. Blake was sick.
But there's something that was different. She wanted a friend. She wanted Yang.
She was jealous of the blonde's confidence. The way she didn't let the world blow her around. Although they have only known each other for a couple hours, Blake could already sense her free spirit.
And she wanted more.
"Yeah," Blake nodded, "We're friends."