poet or madman?

draft count: 7 (sos)

eden sat, unamused, as the boy tried to recollect himself, adding an eye roll at the end like it was glitter on a school craft. eden didn’t often interject in things like this publically, it would make her cold stony exterior look soft and that was a huge no go- but before she actually knew what she was doing, she was up and doing it. “be quiet-” her glare not softening up one bit as she made her way behind the desk hoping to find the screen still up and available for her to fiddle with. after a minute of looking, it was obvious to her that the only way to get rid of it all was to simply pay for it- quickly typing as if she wasn’t doing what she knew she was doing, she sighed and it was done. she refreshed the page and then quickly forced the screen to go to sleep before coming around to the other side of the desk and tapping the i need assistance bell, her eyes now not meeting the other’s. the librarian came back out as eden settled back into her chair– three, two, one. she watched as the librarian did a double take of her screen, finally shooing the boy away seeing that there wasn’t a thing on his account anymore.

he watched in confusion as the girl approached the help desk and snuck behind it. “i––” elliot began but stopped himself as she started to type away. her rapid typing echoed throughout the library and he wantedd to ask what she was ddoing but he had a feeling taht she wouldn’t answer him. so instead, he stood there in silence with an expression of confusion clear on his features. just as fast as she had arrived, the girl disappeared from the help desk. the librarian came back and stared at the screen in dismay but nevertheless, she waved him off and said it had been a mistake... it was already paid for. elliot took a few steps back from the help desk and let out a small laugh of disbelief. he approached the girl with the dark hair and the death glare cautiously. “how did you do that? what did you do?”

“Hey, bro, chill,” JD interjected, pulling his headphones out of his ear and dumping them on the seat he’d been planted in for the past few hours, half studying, half goofing around on social media. “Just cos you say pardon, doesn’t mean you’re cool to just say whatever you want- have some manners dude,” he insisted, “Do you have the book or not? If it’s your book, get it back where it belongs, you do the crime, you do the time. If you don’t have the book, you better figure out who put it under your name and who owes you that two-fifty,”

With an eyeroll, Elliot turned to face whoever decided to interject themselves into the conversation. “Chill?” He questioned with a small laugh. “You want me to chill? Alrighty, then you come up here and pay the 250 dollar fee then, yeah?” Sure, it was wrong of Elliot to curse in front of the librarian but he didn’t need a lesson from some douche. “Thank you for the unnecessary commentary. However, I don’t need an education in manners from someone who still wears Beats headphones. It’s 2020, dude. Grow up.”

“THAT’S CAPITALISM FOR YOU. ain’t it a fucking twat?” lips purse as she raises a finger, “except that’s not really fair to twats…so i retract that comparison. here let me try.” she handed him her bag before basically pushing him out of the way, tossing raven locks behind her shoulder as she leaned against the counter and offered the other a smile, “hi.” the librarian already looked frightened. let’s just say clara was well…known around campus. “so here’s the thing…cheryl. my brother was fucking murdered on YOUR campus’ grounds and not a shit damn thing has been done about it and now you have the audacity to ask my BOYFRIEND here to pay your library $250?” the boyfriend was added for dramatics, turning back to throw elliot a wink before turning back to the scared cheryl, who wasn’t getting paid enough to deal with this, “if anything, you all owe us all at least $250. and trust me, i’m not afraid to sue. and when i do, i’ll be sure to include your name in the ridiculous list of bullshit this school has put my family through. so you might want to check that computer again because i’m pretty sure you’ll find that my boyfriend’s overdue books are actually in your system and you just fucked up.”

 mali blinks , looking up . “  wait . wait . hold on a second . did you just say you get a FINE on your account for not returning books ? “ why had nobody ever told mali ? she’s had books sitting in her dorm since her first week here . she thought that surely they’d send around a book - debt - collector if they needed them so badly ( someone to square her up , and then maybe fall in love with her troublesome book habits ) . but she hadn’t realised that they’d just start accruing DEBT on her behalf . “ —  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ? DOLLARS ? US DOLLARS ? “ mali’s voice is loud , and abrupt , eyes flying wide open in alarm . she’s slapping her hands down on the table , almost sending her own books flying . “ how long have you had your books out for ? how fucked am i ? library person - how fucked am i ? answer me ! library person . .  please … answer me ! “

although he shouldn’t be amused by the situation at hand, he somehow is. perhaps its because he is relieved he’s not the only one to forget to turn in library books. elliot turns to face the person beside him and he’s slightly disappointed. he looked much older than them, so it was likely he had a much more hefty fee to pay than the other. “i don’t even know! i don’t even know when i checked that out or why. so if you’re fucked, i am definitely fucked!” 

Taking another long sip, Angelika listened as the other responded as she swirled around the ice in the cup. Set it down once more, they stared as the screen as they clicked to check the details. “Hmm, no. This looks like you’re paying to replace it. Have you returned it?” Clicking back, they clicked over to see what the return queue looked like. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything in the queue.”

Another’s voice radiated through the often silence space, yet no students seemed to stir from their head buried amongst their books. But as the blonde tracked back to the front, his hands carrying a few of the suggested readings and a new play to study, he couldn’t resist the temptation but to linger nearby the scene. Elbows rested against a half wall, he doesn’t make much of an effort to stifle a gentle laugh that raises to his lips at the other student’s outrage.

“Ever considering checking out the Bible? Or The Secret, even?” Elias asked, eyebrow quirked with the question. “I mean, they’re usually pretty forgiving. That’s a hefty fine, though. And you better convince them fast, because I have to poop.” 

“Hey,” she replied, laughing at the change in tune when he noticed it was her. “This is why I live in the library. No overdue books to worry about. Guess this means I’m paying for lunch since you’re about to go broke?”

“Sorry about that..” He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m already broke so, I’m about to be totally up the river without a fucking paddle in sight. But you know what, I am hungry.”

“elliot,” nick sighed, “it’s 2-point-50 you dingus. not 250.” he looked back down at the cart besides the front desk and continued his chore of organizing returned books. “why the hell did i agree to this assistantship…” he mumbled, hoping the guy would place the change on the counter and leave him to his work…

some would say the amount of caffeine spencer consumed was enough to kill any normal person. but of course spencer wasn’t normal in the slightest. she spent most of her time in the library, which of course meant she often saw people blowing up over library politics and money. she had no patience for it. she needed to borrow a reference book from behind the counter where the current drama was happening, so she inserted herself into a situation she had no business being in, “it happens when people don’t return things to the library, that’s how this whole thing works.” she crossed her arms, standing beside the desk.

NOT QUITE KEEN ON DRAWING ATTENTION TO HERSELF, she winces at the voice echoing throughout the library, peering up from the book of references she’s borrowed in order to fulfill this paper that’s due at midnight. she’s running on coffee and about an hour of sleep, and it’s clear through bleary eyes and unwashed hair. “means you’re shit at returning books,” she deadpans, elbows propping up on the table. “somewhere ‘long the way you lost their copy of everybody poops and they aren’t too happy about it.” she pauses. “though 250 big ones seems a little steep.”