Riley hugged the books to her chest, keeping them steady with her chin, and
carefully maneuvered her way to a comfy chair in the back of the store.
Barnes and Noble was almost empty except for the few late-night reading junkies who were busying themselves with fantasy novels and computer magazines. Riley set the books down on the table in front of her, and started to sort them out in order of importance. Most of them had to do with her schoolwork, but a few were for research of her own.
A book on scientific research sat on top of the pile, and she hesitated opening it. She felt like she was sixteen again, opening a Bop magazine to see which *Nsync member was the centerfold. She hated knowing more about people than what they told her themselves. But she opened it anyway.
His picture was a full-page spread. The article next to it went on for five pages. She took a deep breath. This was going to take awhile.
The hot coffee drink in front of her grew colder as she spent time going through each book and magazine, her eyes getting wider with information. She could hardly believe that the person she had met earlier that day was the same person in the interviews. She could hardly also believe what the articles were about. Aliens? In Ohio? Surely she would have heard something, even if she had been in California. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to converse with Casey, even if he did seem harmless. After awhile she became frustrated with the same questions in the interviews, and set down the magazines.
She would have to talk to him about it. But it wasn't exactly something you could bring up to someone you hardly knew. 'Excuse me, but I read all about you last night and how you saved the world from an alien invasion. Can you tell me more about it?' hardly seemed appropriate. She tried to empty her mind from thoughts of Casey and made a move towards the other books she had taken from the shelves.
Hazing. The idea had come to her as soon as she had left Kramer's class. It would be a great idea for her video. Hazing was still practically taboo, and with fraternities and sororities rushing soon, there would be plenty of information to get leads on. But she'd need to get an inside scoop. She had immediately thought of asking Casey, but no partners were allowed, and, besides, she still wasn't sure if he was going to start sprouting antennas and saying 'take me to your leader' to her. No, she'd have to find someone else to give her all access. The books she had her in lap had statistics and stories from hazing, but each one was more depressing than the first, and, resigning, she set the books back onto the table. She took a sip of her coffee and almost spit it out. Ice cold. She looked around, and then looked at her watch. It was late, and there was hardly anyone left except for the workers and one or two people still walking through the bookshelves. She stood up and stretched her legs for a moment before shoveling the books back into her arms. She wasn't going to buy any of the books, which would probably piss off the people working there, but she didn't really care.
She put back all of the books and magazines, and then, ignoring the glares from the people behind the cash registers, exited the building. Outside the air was warm and felt good on her exhausted face. It was dark out and the parking lot lamps hardly helped. She paused for a moment, trying to think of where she had parked her car, when she fell onto the ground. Then she felt the heat.
"Ow! Goddamn it!" She yelled, looking down at her shirt. It was covered in what smelled like coffee. She looked up and a boy about her age looked down at her, eyes wide in embarrassment.
"Walk much?" She asked him, pushing herself off of the ground.
He shook his head to realize what had happened, and held out his hand to her. She slapped it away and stood the rest of the way off. Her shirt was probably ruined. And he still hadn't said anything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." He stammered. He bent down and picked up her glasses, which were now broken. He handed them to her, and she hastily put them on, holding them up with one hand, and pointing at him accusingly with the other.
"You owe me money to get this dry cleaned."
"Yeah, sure." He fished into his pocket, and then handed her a twenty- dollar bill. "I really am sorry." He paused and raised his eyebrows.
"Riley," she said, pocketing the money.
He handed her a napkin from his other pocket, and she started to wipe her shirt.
"I'm Zeke."
She looked up quickly. Of course. How could she not have seen it before? He looked the same as he did from his picture.
"Oh, so you're Zeke."
His eyebrows lowered and he tilted his head. "Yeah."
"I heard about you from Casey."
Zeke smiled. Riley wasn't sure why, but it looked smug. "What?" She asked, sounding slightly bitter.
"I heard about you from Casey, too. The girl from the coffee shop, right?" He asked.
Even in the darkness he could see her blush, and she nodded. "He's in my class. What's it to you?"
"Well, you see," Zeke started, putting on his old smooth-talking voice. "Casey is a good friend of mine. And he seemed to be somewhat taken with you. I just don't want to see any friend of mine getting hurt."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Cut the crap, I only met him today. He wouldn't even be taken with Halle Berry in one day." She stopped wiping her shirt and handed the napkin back to him, which he held onto with the tips of his fingers.
"Thanks," she said.
He nodded and threw the napkin into a nearby trashcan. "I just don't want to see my boy get hurt. I'm going to be rushing, and I won't have time to watch him all the time. Very fragile, you know."
"Stop playing mother hen, he- wait, did you saying rushing?" She asked.
He nodded, and she grinned.
"This is perfect," she said, and started to talk quickly, with a lot of wide hand movements. Once she was done explaining her video to him, he nodded and smiled.
"Sounds cool. I don't have anything to write with, but Casey has my number. Ask him for it tomorrow, and then call me when you get it ready."
She nodded and held out her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Zeke."
"You too," he said, shaking her hand. "And it would be so much easier for me to leave now if I knew where I had parked."
She laughed, and walked with him through the rows of parked cars, both searching for their own.
Barnes and Noble was almost empty except for the few late-night reading junkies who were busying themselves with fantasy novels and computer magazines. Riley set the books down on the table in front of her, and started to sort them out in order of importance. Most of them had to do with her schoolwork, but a few were for research of her own.
A book on scientific research sat on top of the pile, and she hesitated opening it. She felt like she was sixteen again, opening a Bop magazine to see which *Nsync member was the centerfold. She hated knowing more about people than what they told her themselves. But she opened it anyway.
His picture was a full-page spread. The article next to it went on for five pages. She took a deep breath. This was going to take awhile.
The hot coffee drink in front of her grew colder as she spent time going through each book and magazine, her eyes getting wider with information. She could hardly believe that the person she had met earlier that day was the same person in the interviews. She could hardly also believe what the articles were about. Aliens? In Ohio? Surely she would have heard something, even if she had been in California. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to converse with Casey, even if he did seem harmless. After awhile she became frustrated with the same questions in the interviews, and set down the magazines.
She would have to talk to him about it. But it wasn't exactly something you could bring up to someone you hardly knew. 'Excuse me, but I read all about you last night and how you saved the world from an alien invasion. Can you tell me more about it?' hardly seemed appropriate. She tried to empty her mind from thoughts of Casey and made a move towards the other books she had taken from the shelves.
Hazing. The idea had come to her as soon as she had left Kramer's class. It would be a great idea for her video. Hazing was still practically taboo, and with fraternities and sororities rushing soon, there would be plenty of information to get leads on. But she'd need to get an inside scoop. She had immediately thought of asking Casey, but no partners were allowed, and, besides, she still wasn't sure if he was going to start sprouting antennas and saying 'take me to your leader' to her. No, she'd have to find someone else to give her all access. The books she had her in lap had statistics and stories from hazing, but each one was more depressing than the first, and, resigning, she set the books back onto the table. She took a sip of her coffee and almost spit it out. Ice cold. She looked around, and then looked at her watch. It was late, and there was hardly anyone left except for the workers and one or two people still walking through the bookshelves. She stood up and stretched her legs for a moment before shoveling the books back into her arms. She wasn't going to buy any of the books, which would probably piss off the people working there, but she didn't really care.
She put back all of the books and magazines, and then, ignoring the glares from the people behind the cash registers, exited the building. Outside the air was warm and felt good on her exhausted face. It was dark out and the parking lot lamps hardly helped. She paused for a moment, trying to think of where she had parked her car, when she fell onto the ground. Then she felt the heat.
"Ow! Goddamn it!" She yelled, looking down at her shirt. It was covered in what smelled like coffee. She looked up and a boy about her age looked down at her, eyes wide in embarrassment.
"Walk much?" She asked him, pushing herself off of the ground.
He shook his head to realize what had happened, and held out his hand to her. She slapped it away and stood the rest of the way off. Her shirt was probably ruined. And he still hadn't said anything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." He stammered. He bent down and picked up her glasses, which were now broken. He handed them to her, and she hastily put them on, holding them up with one hand, and pointing at him accusingly with the other.
"You owe me money to get this dry cleaned."
"Yeah, sure." He fished into his pocket, and then handed her a twenty- dollar bill. "I really am sorry." He paused and raised his eyebrows.
"Riley," she said, pocketing the money.
He handed her a napkin from his other pocket, and she started to wipe her shirt.
"I'm Zeke."
She looked up quickly. Of course. How could she not have seen it before? He looked the same as he did from his picture.
"Oh, so you're Zeke."
His eyebrows lowered and he tilted his head. "Yeah."
"I heard about you from Casey."
Zeke smiled. Riley wasn't sure why, but it looked smug. "What?" She asked, sounding slightly bitter.
"I heard about you from Casey, too. The girl from the coffee shop, right?" He asked.
Even in the darkness he could see her blush, and she nodded. "He's in my class. What's it to you?"
"Well, you see," Zeke started, putting on his old smooth-talking voice. "Casey is a good friend of mine. And he seemed to be somewhat taken with you. I just don't want to see any friend of mine getting hurt."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Cut the crap, I only met him today. He wouldn't even be taken with Halle Berry in one day." She stopped wiping her shirt and handed the napkin back to him, which he held onto with the tips of his fingers.
"Thanks," she said.
He nodded and threw the napkin into a nearby trashcan. "I just don't want to see my boy get hurt. I'm going to be rushing, and I won't have time to watch him all the time. Very fragile, you know."
"Stop playing mother hen, he- wait, did you saying rushing?" She asked.
He nodded, and she grinned.
"This is perfect," she said, and started to talk quickly, with a lot of wide hand movements. Once she was done explaining her video to him, he nodded and smiled.
"Sounds cool. I don't have anything to write with, but Casey has my number. Ask him for it tomorrow, and then call me when you get it ready."
She nodded and held out her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Zeke."
"You too," he said, shaking her hand. "And it would be so much easier for me to leave now if I knew where I had parked."
She laughed, and walked with him through the rows of parked cars, both searching for their own.
