While today wasn't a particularly good day weather-wise, at least it had stopped raining for long enough for Ava to walk to town. 

When she'd just left the estate she tried her best to avoid all the puddles in an attempt at keeping her shoes dry, which was an uphill battle with the state of them. Eventually, water came through the holes anyway and she stopped caring about the puddles altogether.

She had to hoist the bag filled with books from her previous visit back up on her shoulder a few times but she knew it'd be worth it. Every step she took made her even more excited about what book she'd find this time, which motivated her to pick up her pace.

As soon as she reached the outskirts of town she checked her watch. Less than an hour and a half, not bad.

Passing the bakery made her catch a whiff of the freshly-baked goodies inside and she had to remind herself that she'd already had breakfast and that she couldn't afford these kinds of indulgences. So, she picked up her pace again and walked past as fast as she could.

For some reason, the town seemed livelier than it had seemed when she arrived. People were going in and out of shops and stopped on the sidewalk to make conversation. Maybe it was the hour at which she arrived that day, when everyone was inside having their dinner.

Soon, the library came into sight and Ava knew the long trek had been worth it. She carefully opened the door in an attempt to make the ringing of the little bell less obnoxious but to no avail, it rang the same way it always did.

The same librarian sat at the large desk and threw her a smile. "Good morning. Miss Romero, was it?"

While Ava had always been bad with names she respected the librarian for remembering hers. And lucky for her, the librarian's name was engraved on the plaque in front of the desk as well.

"That's right. And good morning to you too, Miss Jones," Ava replied back while reflecting the same kind smile as the librarian. "I'd like to return these," she continued as she took the books from her bag and set them down.

"Already?" Miss Jones inquired, "Didn't you check these out last week?"

Ava looked down at the stack of books and felt a little embarrassed. She didn't have any other hobbies besides reading and she didn't have a tv in her small room either. So, she'd read during her breaks as well as the entire evening after her shift.

"Um, yes. But I didn't finish all of them, I have to admit," she lied. She did read all of them, but the last thing she needed was to have the librarian think she was a loser with no life. Even if she were one.

"Ah, I see," Miss Jones replied. "Alright. Well, let me put these away for you then," the woman said as she took the books and walked over to the cart behind her, allowing Ava to make her swift escape towards the 'thriller' section.

She browsed the section for a bit but felt like she wasn't in the mood for these kinds of books at the moment, so she moved on to the next section. Classic literature had always been a favorite of hers.

Growing up in an orphanage run by nuns, she didn't have much choice in modern literature. All the books were old and 'proper' so that's what she grew to love. After scanning one of the rows for a little bit her eyes fell onto an all-time favorite of hers, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

She hadn't read it in a while now, so maybe it was time she did. After grabbing it from the shelf she tucked it away under her arm, allowing her to continue her browsing.  She grabbed an interesting-sounding book but put it back after reading the blurb she quickly put it back. This was definitely not a book for her, she thought to herself.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw a girl about her age enter the same aisle as she was in to check out the books. Her short curly hair fell over her eyes, making her reach up to brush it away every few seconds. Ava quickly scanned the rest of the books before turning to walk away in order to give the girl more space to look around. It was time she headed over to the romance section, anyway.

Just as she was about to turn the corner a voice stopped her. "Hey, you!"

Cautiously, Ava turned around to see the girl walk up to her. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here before. No, I'm absolutely sure I've never seen you before. There aren't that many people who visit this library, you know."

"Err- no. I'm new here?"

"Where do you live, then?" the girl asked confusedly. "I don't remember anyone moving out."

"I live in the Chastain estate. I work there," Ava explained.

"Ah, you must be replacing Rebeccah, then? Tell me, is the mansion really as big on the inside as it looks? I mean, it looks huge! Wait, no, I forgot to introduce myself," she said while smacking the top of her head. "I'm Everly. I've been so used to living in this town I just forgot that people had to introduce themselves to get each other's names," she laughed, making Ava laugh with her.

"I'm Ava, nice to meet you. And yes, it's a really big place. Very easy to get lost," she replied in an attempt at making good conversation. Everly was easy to like, she could see that. She just hoped Everly would like her too, even if she was a little socially awkward.

"O, Ava? That's a pretty name," Everly replied, seemingly oblivious to Ava's internal awkwardness. "Hey, is that Pride and Prejudice? Don't tell me you like classic literature or I might actually scream."

"It's my favorite book," Ava replied weakly, hoping that Everly wouldn't actually start screaming in the middle of a library.

"I  think I'm in love. In a friend way, of course," she corrected herself sheepishly. "Wait, have you read these?" she asked while reaching behind her to grab a few books. Some Ava had already read but others were completely new to her.

"I haven't read those yet," she replied while pointing at the new ones, making Everly gasp.

"You have to read these," she pressed while shoving them into Ava's hands. "They're amazing and I think right up your alley."

While Everly turned to put the remainder of the books back on their appropriate places on the shelves Ava quickly read the back covers of the books. Much to her delight, they actually seemed fun. How had she missed these?

"Maybe we should start a book club," Everly stated offhandedly. "Like, meet up every week to talk about books and stuff. We could take turns on the books because there's only one copy of each one," she laughed.

Ava thought it over for a bit. A book club? She did like books. And Everly seemed fun to hang around with. Maybe a book club was exactly what she needed.

"A book club sounds fun," she replied after a few moments of consideration. "I'm free around this time every week?"

"Great! Me too, I work at the restaurant a few streets over. You should stop by someday, I'll give you an extra drink. But I'm free this time every week as well so what do you say? Same time next week?"

"Same time next week," Ava confirmed with a smile. "Wait, should I pick out a book for you too, then?"

"Please do," Everly replied, prompting Ava to scan the shelves for another one of her favorites. After a few seconds, she found what she was looking for and handed it to Everly.

"Have you read this one yet?"

"No, I haven't," Everly replied while turning the book around. "Okay, I'll read this and you'll read one of those, then?"

"It's a deal," Ava replied, not wanting to admit that by next week she'd probably finished reading all of them.

"It's a deal!" Everly squealed excitedly. "I'll see you next week, then. Take care, Ava!" With a small wave and a smile, she left the library, leaving Ava alone to process what had just happened.

Did she actually manage to make a friend?

-------------------------

A new friend has entered the chat.

So what is y'alls favorite book genre? Mine is fantasy!

Did you like this chapter? I know Mr. Chastain wasn't in it but every girl needs a little character development time, right?

xx May