Roya didn't talk to Damien the next day. Or the next. Or the next.Not for an entire week. He would walk past his house, and he would look at it, but hen he would keep moving.

Don't waste your time.
He would tell himself. And he would walk away.

He began to immerse himself in his classes, studying harder, and taking notes. Mrs.Smith was impressed, and congratulated him on finally realizing his duty to the school. Roya ignored her.

Roya visited the library during his lunch hour, having given up on his "walks" past Damien's house. He checked out the longest, most complicated books, and finished them in a matter of days, for he had nothing better to do.

It was on one Saturday afternoon that he finally burst.

Roya had been scanning the library shelves for a new book, growing ever frustrated that all the books on the shelf were rather boring, or ones that he had already read. Angrily, he stormed up to the librarian's desk and looked at him.

The librarian looked at Roya over the rim of his glasses.

"May I help you?"
He asked, as he stamped the inside of a book.

Thinking fast, Roya blurted our the first book that came to mind.
"Do you have War and Peace?"

The librarian looked surprised.
"Mmm... unfortunately not."
He said, flipping through the W section of a large catalogue.

Roya sighed, tapping his foot against the floor impaitently.

The librarian returned to his work.
"You would be best to find it at the Public Library in town."
He said.

Roya nodded, already making his way towards the door.

❖ ❖ ❖

Even though he ran most of he way, it still took Roya 20 minutes to reach the Public Library. He trotted up the marble steps and pulled open the door, immediately engulfing himself in a maze of shelves. He began scanning the History section, searching for the title he sought.

After several minutes of pointless searching, he began to roam the library halls, looking for something that at least looked somewhat interesting. Within minutes he was across the library, looking through the poetry shelves.

It was then that he heard a familiar voice.

"Roya?"

Roya whipped around to see Charlotte, standing at the other end of the hall. She held a book in her hand, and she had a look of worry on her face.

Roya glared at her and turned back to the book he had been leafing through. For a few moment he though she had walked away.

"Roya?"
She was standing next to him now, her eyes portraying courage. She had brought herself up to her full height, and she looked at Roya with a stern gaze.

"What do you want?"
Roya said angrily, shutting his book with aggression.

Charlotte's gaze softened.
"He really misses you, you know."
She whispered, taking the book from his hand.

"I don't care."
Roya said, scoffing.

"Roya!"
Charlotte exclaimed, startled.

"I stopped caring when he told me to 'get out'."

Charlotte looked hurt.
"Roya. You mean so much to him. If you could jus-"

Roya laughed.
"If he wanted me to come back, he shouldn't have kicked me out in the first place."

Charlotte sighed in frustration.
"Be like that then."
She stormed away, her heeled shoes clopping noisily against the library floor.

Deep, deep inside, Roya felt guilty.