A/N: Okay, wow. Do you remember when I said I was going to try and update once, maybe twice a week. Yeah, that was short lived. Actually, it wasn't even lived at all...Sorry. But, to make up for it I wrote a long chapter, well, longer then my normal. Again, sorry I didn't update, like, all of July, I had Harry Potter on my mind-constantly! And with the end of the Deathly Hallows and of that beautiful Potter-generation I am so thankful I grew up in this time period, where it was okay to believe in magic. If you havn't seen the movie, you HAVE to, I cried through that whole thing. And yeah, just remembering that this is not a Harry Potter fanfiction and you guys probably don't even read the books and I will be making myself seem very odd right about now. Kai, ONWARDS!
I set off a bell as I entered the book store. I smiled, thinking back on those nostalgic days as a kid, when I would beg mom to take me to the store to get a new book. The days I spent in this store reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ramona and Beezus, Ronald Dahl, and coming here at midnight for the releases of Harry Potter.
Everything had stayed the same; I remembered where all the different sections were as I walked down the middle aisle of the store, a toothless grin plastered on my face. I walked over to the history section, taking out a large book on the Civil War, opening up to a random page and just smelling the contents. I sighed happily. I'd missed that smell, that wonderful woody-gluey-pulpy smell that all books had. I closed the book, hugging it tightly to my chest before putting it back on the shelf and gazing around the store again.
I passed the history section and went right, going behind two shelves before arriving at the teen section. It had been awhile since I had read anything, unless you count the books on pregnancy I had to read two years ago.
I wasn't a cheerio anymore, it's not as if I had that big of a reputation to hold now that this would be my third year in New Directions. I didn't have a boyfriend anymore, let alone close friends who I could rely on. So, it's not like it would hurt to become the book worm I had been as a child, would it?
I checked my right side, nothing. I checked my left, a twenty-something year old man was sitting in a chair, a stack of what looked to be around fifteen or twenty books next to him. I eyed him, had he read all of those or was he about to? He was hunched over the book he held in his hands now, flipping a page every 5 seconds. I rolled my eyes, as if someone could actually read that fast.
I went back to looking through the teen section, pulling out a book every so often and scanning the synopsis before putting it back on the shelf. I sighed; every book had something to do with love, a girl missing a boy, a girl finding her soul mate. Couldn't people ever be creative! I rolled my eyes as I passed the Twilight saga, as if I needed to read a series where a girl tries to commit suicide because her boyfriend moves away.
When I had been through half the shelf, I had concluded that every teen book was about fantasy, or it was about girls falling in love. Sometimes both, I peeked behind the teen's section. The children's shelf was right behind it, I glanced back at the man, he was reading a different book now, and the one he had been reading before was now underneath several other books. I quickly walked over to the children's section, smiling as memories came flooding back to me.
There was a whole shelf for Harry Potter; I glanced back at the stranger who was still entranced by his book. I grabbed Goblet of Fire off the shelf and flipped open to a random page and started reading.
'At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects- books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the summoning charm.'
I slid down the shelf, onto the floor.
"That's better, Harry, that's loads better," Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased.
"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Hermione, so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon. Right…" He raised his wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!" The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it.
"Harry, I really think you've got it!" said Hermione delightedly.
"Just as long as it works tomorrow," Harry said. "The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds…"
"Harry Potter" said an approving voice.
I looked up. It was the man who had been immersed in his novels. He seemed to be balancing about five books in each hand.
"Err-yeah." I said
He smiled, "Great book" he said more to himself than to me.
I nodded. He turned his back on me, placing the books back on the different shelves. I took the opportunity to check him out. He was tall, probably six feet. He had short, dark hair that had that just rolled out of bed look, that I-don't-care-but-really-I-do look, that sexy look. He wore nice clothes, and had rather pale skin. Not to mention a great Callipygian.
I turned back to my book. But couldn't help but glance up at him every few lines. He seemed determined to try and take as long as possible with placing all of his books back in the correct spot he had retracted them from.
I kept staring. He must have felt my eyes on him because he chose right then to turn around. I quickly glanced back at Goblet of Fire, but knew it was too late. The damage had been done, he had seen me looking. And now I could feel him stare at me. I felt my cheeks growing hot as I tried to concentrate on the book held between my hands.
I could still feel it. Why was he staring, and more importantly, why wouldn't he stop? I looked up, prepared to tell him off if I had to, but he wasn't staring at me at all. He was turned back to the bookshelf and was withdrawing a cell phone from his pocket. I watched as he replied to a text message and then, replacing his phone, stalked off without a backwards glance.
I frowned, then mentally slapped myself. Was I really that cocky that I thought I could get any guy I wanted? Then I mentally slapped myself twice more because 1) I 'm too depressed and angry about Finn that I shouldn't even be checking out other guys and 2) Definitely not guys who are probably thirty years old.
God, what is wrong with me?
"Quinn?"
I looked behind me at one of the least likeliest people to ever be seen in a book store.
"What do you want, Puck?" I said, standing up and replacing Harry Potter on its shelf.
"Harry Potter, are you serious?" He scoffed.
I rolled my eyes, "What do you want?" I repeated "And what the hell are you doing here, anyways?"
"Is it so weird to think that I don`t like to read?" he asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.
I raised one of my eyebrows.
"That hurts Quinn. That really hurts that you try to just stereotype me like that, you know, I expected better of you." I raised my other eyebrow. "Okay fine, there were some guys tailing me so I ran in here to get away from them."
"What did you do now, criminal?"
"Nothin'" he said, leaning against a book shelf.
I just stared, "Really?"
"Well, nothing wrong"
"Of course, right, I forgot, Puck: Always the innocent one."
"Look, all I did was punch him in the face and then he went all ballistic on me"
"And that's doing nothing wrong?"
"He was mocking Rachel; I gotta stick up for my fellow Jews."
"Ugh" I groaned, turning away, "Don't talk to me about her"
"Oh, what's wrong? Now that everything's not going your way for once, you have to go into a state of depression?"
I spun on my heel and walked right up to him, my face just mere inches from his smug one.
"Don't" I said, "Just don't"
"Or you'll what?" he challenged
I said nothing.
"Who was that guy?"
"What guy?" I asked, honestly confused
"You know, the guy that was just here, left talking on his cell phone."
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about" I said, taking a few steps back now
"Oh please, you were practically fucking him with your eyes"
Again, I didn't respond.
"What, you think that being in a relationship with a thirty year old is going to make you popular again, 'cause it won't."
"Fuck off, Puck; I don't need you telling me what to do!"
I stormed back to the teen section and scanned for a book that looked at least mildly interesting and could maybe help me cope. I picked out two, both science fiction and fantasy and read the backs. Puck had followed me and was next to me by now. I promptly ignored him and made my way through the towers of shelves, up to the cashier.
There were three people ahead of us and only one person working the cash register. I waited patiently, staring up at the television on the wall.
"Quinn" I jumped and dropped my books, I had no idea Puck was still behind me.
He and I bent down to pick up my fallen books and though there were only two of them, we stayed crouched.
"What?" I hissed at him
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do"
"Oh, yeah, right because telling me who I want to be in a relationship with is not telling me what to do"
"I'm just looking out for you"
"What?" I said, taken aback "Why?"
"I'm worried about you-they're worried about you...We're all worried about you. Ever since school started you haven't been the same. You're quiet and keep to yourself, even in glee. You never volunteer to do songs anymore."
"So? I'm growing up, maturing" I said matter-of-factly, even though I knew I was lying straight through my teeth "And 'looking out for me' or not, I don't need it, I'm not some stupid charity case that all of you guys can pity."
"Fine, then I won't bother in the future"
"Good!"
"Good...here's your stupid book" he said thrusting the paperback into my hands
We stood up, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as he walked off, slouched, hands in pockets, the typical teenage boy walk.
"Next!" called the girl, managing the front
I walked up to the counter, and placed my books on top of it for her to scan through, I looked over at the flat screen attached to the wall, the five o'clock news was just starting. The two anchormen seemed to be giving a briefing before switching to a manly looking police officer. The caption beneath read 'ANOTHER DEAD AT LIMA PUBLIC SCHOOL'
"Excuse me" I said to the cashier
She looked up from checking in my books, "Yes?"
"Can you turn that up, please?" I said pointing at the television. She whirled around to face the television and reached up to turn the volume button up.
"Yes, we are sad to say that another has been killed at a Lima school" said the police officer. "A different school this time, but we are positive it was the same killer"
"How can you be sure?" asked the off screen reporter
"Well," started the officer, readjusting his hat, "They were both females, both seventeen and both blond, I know it's not much to go on right now, but that's all we've got"
"And do you have any idea how you will capture this criminal?" said the reporter
"He seems to be headed west, going on to different schools after only one kill, so, by my guess, the next school should be William McKinley High"
"Ma'am!" shouted the cashier
"huh?" i shook my dazed head,
"Your books" she said unkindly, holding them out at arm's length for me to take
"Oh, right, yeah." I said grabbing them "Thanks"
I quickly walked out of the store, more than just books on my mind.
A/N: Just remembered, I read this book called Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins-which may I just say is amazing and way better than twilight (though that's not hard), and in the book they used the word Callipygian, which actually means: Having well-shaped buttocks. And as soon as I read it, I knew I had to use it, sorry if there was any confusion.
