MAVERICK DOESN’T KNOW WHAT FEELS normal anymore. ‘ normal ’, in the sense of his old self, the one he had spent seventeen years trying to grow out of ? the one that gives, and gives, and gives, never to take ? or perhaps his newfound self, the one that was more self-assured. the one that now liked indulging in small arguments in class to stimulate his interest in the objectivity of beauty, or something or other—instead of fearing being labeled as the contentious PRICK. he knows that covington’s grounds feel anything but normal—empty sidewalks just aren’t as thrilling to skateboard on when there exist no obstacles to overcome. funny: with the amount of obstacles he’d faced in his childhood, he should have been glad to see empty roads. instead, the opposite: it exudes something eerie, a reality he would rather not face.
it’s the reason he never reads the ends of novels: picture-perfect endings are never realistic, and the few books that do get it right are in the minority ( or so he’s told ). fingers trace worn spines of covington’s bookshelves, searching for another adventure to dive into, one to help him escape this HELLISH reality. he had been early to meet lot, anyway—aimless wandering had led his feet to the library, figuring that finding something to read would be a better way to pass his time than staring at his ceiling. “ hey—i know i’m flaky, but invitations to the library these days are few and far between, ” he jokes; maverick actually does want to be here. if anything, the quiet of the library lays a safe blanket around him to those who wish to question him. “ you read anything good lately ? ” maverick asks as he takes a spot on the floor, reaching for the volumes closest to his hand. “ it’s a shame these guys don’t get as much love, ” he notes, referring to the books on the bottommost shelf. “ it’s not their fault they got the SHIT end of the dewey decimal system. ”
maverick & lot didn’t exactly have similar childhoods growing up . the raven - haired boy knew that much . in fact , the differences were practically night & day . however , maverick was strangely one of the few people on campus that lot could really level with on many things . not many people could probably guess that much , but lot believed that was how he & his friend liked to keep it . the second year delivered maverick a warm smile at the joke , flipping the book around in his palms . " you know me , mav . super BUSY guy . i’m having a really hard time fitting you into my intense schedule , " he teased back , knowing that couldn’t be further from the truth . yes , there was an investigation going on that took up much of his thoughts , but his interrogation had been over in forty minutes TOPS . past that , all lot had to do was roam campus , nap , play video games , and read , read , read . so , when maverick questioned him about his latest books , he was more than happy to list off his recent finds . " i … uh , yeah ! just finished watermelon sugar by richard brautigan . WEIRD shit , that one . been reading dickinson some more , " lot began to list off , chewing the inside of his cheek as he thought .
after a pause , he ultimately gave up on the list , deciding to unload a little instead . " god , i could go on forever . i’ve had nothing but time recently & books are the only thing keeping me sane , " lot griped , rolling his dark eyes . the boy knew he was not alone in this GNAWING restlessness in his bones . he couldn’t be . however , maverick’s comments distracted him momentarily . lot’s eyes softened at the bottom shelf of books , lowering himself to view them . " i … i’ve never thought of it like that . they probably do get so much less attention just because they’re not in plain sight . that’s kind of … " a pause for a bit of thought . " heartbreaking , honestly . "