I must admit, I had it planned out well. I had just finished A Wrinkle in Time and had formed a reading plan. This was going to be great. I would go to the library and check out Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will, (I had to write an essay on it anyway) read 1 act a day until Friday, and then finally pick up the fourth installment of the Thirteenth Reality series. I would read it that following week and then the library would deliver up Farworld: Air Keep.
But things began to fall apart quickly.
I thought it would happen that I couldn't get those certain books from the library, that the person who had them previously wouldn't be done in time. But no... it was much, much worse.
First I read too many acts. This worried me up until around 2:00. Then that problem solved itself in order to make way for a much bigger problem.
I saw a friend of mine at a table and chose to sit by him (why would I not?). I put my stuff on the chair and he casually pulled out a book from his bag. I backed up quickly, dropping my stuff. "Put that away!" I told him. And then in a very Golem-like voice: "It burns! It burns me!"
"Why?" my friend asked. Then, as if to rub salt into an open wound, he dropped the cursed book on the table right in front of me.
I gasped pathetically and clutched my chair for assistance. "That's not funny!" I wheezed. "You put that away right now!"
My friend then had the nerve to laugh. He opened the book two chapters away from the ending and began to read. "I'm almost done with it."
I jerkily sat in my chair next to him. I was trying to get some homework done (yes, the same essay mentioned above) and my friend and his awful book were definitely not helping. I tried to ignore it, but my friend kept growling and laughing at random parts. He reached the epilogue and whimpered. That was when I could stand it no more.
My friend finished the book with my eyes on him the entire time. When he was done he glanced up at me and laughed. "You want to read the first chapter?"
He took me by surprise. He had recently bought this book and had begun reading it on Saturday. Was he offering it up to me so that I could... no. I mustn't get too hopeful.
"Uh-uh." I sighed.
"Oh, come on. I'll let you borrow it if you want."
I thought of my reading plan and again with a reluctant stubborness said, "No."
"It's just one chapter." Then he leaned in real close and whispered, "Peer-pressure!"
That did it.
"I'll read one chapter," I gave in. "But only one."
I read it swiftly and blissfully. I resented that the last page was looming near. When it was done I slid the book back toward it's owner. "I'm finished," I sniffed.
"You've gotta take it," he persisted.
"No," I said.
"Yes."
"No!"
"Fine, I won't force you if it will ruin your day. I'll just put it away now." Then he slid it into his backpack slowly.
"Fine!" I stopped him.
He handed the book back to me and I cradled it close. My friend looked thoroughly satisfied.
"You enjoy that," he said with a smile.
"Oh, I will," I replied.
So, completely out of order of my original plan, I am now reading Farworld: Air Keep. I know I'm a bit overly dramatic but, reading books has never been so much fun!
To make matters worse, the next day I finished Twelfth Night! I really underestimate my reading skills.
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