Collab with [@sakurasan]
[hr]
Anthony walked down the street, spring in his step. He was happy. A date with a girl he had wanted to talk to for a while. Sophia Reese. What a wonderful woman. 

Sighing, Anthony reached his apartment complex, and made his way up the steps, silly look on his face. He hadn’t been this happy since…. freshman year of highschool. When he reached his apartment, he went to his room, and got undressed, getting ready for another shower. Picking out a black button-down and a fresh pair of slacks, he entered his shower, and with steam rolling out from behind the curtain, thought about what he was going to do. 

Certainly, he was going to work, and although he didn’t have any classes today, he had to get ready for Sophia and his’ date later. So it would be around…. Five o’clock when he had to go back to the apartment, and prepare. However, he should probably get a reservation at Gio’s around…. Noon. Should be enough time in advance. Finishing his shower, and getting dressed, Anthony picked up his phone, and was chilled to the core. 

There was no caller ID, but he didn’t need one to recognize [i]that[/i] number. How… how  had she gained his number? He had blocked her number multiple times, gotten new numbers, and even moved out of that damn town. Shaking his head, he aggressively tapped the screen, and without even reading the text, deleted it, and blocked the number. He had thought that she wouldn’t be able to get to his phone, now that he had changed the number… 

Heading out the door, and into the hall, he went downstairs, keys jangling in his pocket. He would have to use the car today, which meant gas money, which, on top of the date, meant today would be expensive. However, he didn’t mind. It was totally worth it. 

When he got down to the small, eight space parking lot in front of the building, he headed over to his car, a 1988 Crown Victoria. It was an old car, purchased secondhand, but it was a good car. The previous owner had replaced the radio, sound system, air conditioning, and roll-up windows, so it was equal to any modern sedan. He would have to thank Paul again, the next time he saw him. 

Driving through the town, to the University, Anthony listened to the radio, not really listening to the song being played. Why had [i]she[/i] texted him? How did she get his number? Anthony didn’t want to deal with this, much less think about it, this early in the day, and on the day he would be going on a date with Sophi, no less. 

Pulling into the University parking lot, Anthony turned off the car, and got out, locking it behind him. Shoving his keys deep into his left pocket, he walked along the sidewalk, up to the University library. 

 Ami had been reading the book for about 30 minutes before she turned back to her story, reading it over in order to see what she missed and what she could add. Sighing, she set the notebook over to the side a second time and looked around the library. 

 The people around her seemed to be immersed in their books but there was a girl that was flirting with the man that she was with, they were seemingly studying for a class that they had. She took notes, studying the subtle actions, the girl touching his shoulder and twisting her hair lightly with the other as she giggled sweetly. She then looked at the man who seemed to be uninterested and continued to teach her how to do the problem. He looked up, smiling at Ami who smiled back kindly before turning and noticing the girl that was next to him and now glaring at her. A “Don’t you fucking dare, bitch.” look on her face. Ami giggled a bit before turning back to her notebook. Hmmm… Does love make you cruel? Rude? 

  When she got up from her seat, she searched around the room, leaving her notebook open to one scene that she had been writing over and over, trying to improvise the way she would kill the character off. Not many people did this but she always wrote out her most memorable scenes over and over, finding a way to perfect them.

 [i] “Shhh…” Gasping for air as she grabbed onto the collar of his shirt with a smile. Tears that tasted like salt, continuing to fall down her face as the dirt that had once covered her face was being washed away like a gentle stream. The knife in her stomach, the blood spurting out, and the man in front of her holding the knife. The man that she loved. He was sobbing as he continued to tighten his grip on the knife and twist it inside of her. “I-I’m so sorry... Please don’t die. Please survive this.” This much was certain. He couldn’t understand the logic of the situation, nor did he want to. She laughed a bit, her voice trembling, her grip loosening, and her mind wondering why she was still alive at all. “I-I love you. I w-was already dead. The d-day y-you came into my life was m-my funeral. A-accept reality my love.” her voice shaking and her body warmth fleeing as she gently let go of his collar. Her speech was cut short by the abruptness of death. Finally.

 He held her in his arms, his heart throbbing as he lowered his head and continued to bawl on her stomach. She was gone. She was really gone. He had killed her and now he would have to live with that fact. [/i]

 Once again, a scene that was obviously going to be edited but was just a simply draft. In fact, she may not even use it and scrap the entire thing. At the end of the page she had written some more, simple writing that she had just gotten from the top of her head. Not proud of it but boredom could often make you write about some random things..

[i] Living with sins is worse than dying unblemished. However, everyone knows that that is simply not possible. We have all already become marionettes, dangling from side to side and doing what is socially acceptable, as if someone controled our actions. You should know that to be controlled, you must first have someone that wants to control you. Someone that feels for you so strongly that they feel the need, the urge to be able to dominate your entire existence. And you do not have such a thing. If you believe such a thing, it is merely but a simple delusion. Debris should not love. Should not feel that they are more than what they are. Trash. All you need to do is continue to be controlled. Controlled by your disgusting thoughts and your revolting actions as you throw around that smile of yours. You already know what you are anyways.[/i]

 The words didn’t quite match her outward appearance but nonetheless, who cared?

 She smiled as she looked around in the horror section, gently placing a finger on the books as she examined each one, trying to find a perfect match for her at the time. Usually, she was into these types of books but this time she felt off, knowing that she should be studying instead. So, she headed to the romance section and grabbed a book called “Atonement”.

 Ami had headed back over to the table and began to read the book. Soon, she was already through 10 chapters and one component of the story had gotten to her.

 [i] I’ve never had a moment’s doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearestone. My reason to life.[/i]

 Lies. All lies, were they not? A simple human being cannot be the sole reason for your existence… Why was this man lying? Ami’s eyelashes fluttered, batting her long eyelashes rapidly as she tried to stay awake along with the story. 

Anthony pushed the double doors open, and looked around the library for his bosses, but he could only see Ms. O’Niel, at the front desk. Walking down the short hallway, which was decorated with various photos, newspaper clippings, and quotes from books along the walls, he headed to the desk, and Ms. O’Niel. She was a young woman, around 25 years old, but she was second-in-command of the library, under the leadership of Mrs. Grady, a 79-year-old spinster who was one of the most awesome old ladies Anthony had met. 

As he approached the desk, Ms. O’Niel looked up at him and smiled, and said, “Ah, Anthony, Mrs. Grady was beginning to wonder where you were! We need you downstairs, in the fiction section. The cart has gotten full again, so if you could put the books back on the shelves, that’d be great!” Anthony nodded, and walked over to the extensive area in which fiction was contained. While other libraries might have a greater ratio of nonfiction to fiction, Millington University Library sported a large fiction collection, ranging from the classics to more modern novels. It was one of their badges of pride, and they maintained it well. 
  
Walking up to the cart, he had placed two books back on the shelf, before he noticed a particular strawberry-haired figure, sitting at a table, reading… [i]Atonement[/i], surrounded by several thrillers. An odd contrast.  Anthony hadn’t really liked that particular story, actually, he didn’t like romance novels in general, for the simple fact that they oversimplified things. Reality was always more complicated than those stories, and they never showed what happened after their so-called “happily ever after”. However, he did enjoy escapism, every once in awhile, and had found one or two which left an impact on him. Too bad that most romance novels didn’t do that.

Leaving the cart behind, and walking up to the girl, he knocked on the table with his knuckles, somewhat irritated with her running off. He was actually quite worried about her, before he had gotten distracted by Sophi, so he didn’t appreciate that. [color=Khaki]”So, miss Ami, where were you? I was about to run around town looking for you. Why’d you run off?”[/color]

 Ami nearly fell asleep before she heard a distinct noise towards her. Someone was knocking on the table she was sitting at. A bit nervously, she raised her head, looking at the man that she had recognized from the diner. She noticed that he looked rather irritated at her and slightly frowned. Why was he mad… It’s not like he actually did so what’s the problem…? She couldn’t comprehend why someone would be mad over a what-if situation but chuckled nervously as she responded. [color=#d96db5] “S-sorry… I-I didn’t mean to do that. I just… I got a little nervous and broke under pressure… I’m sorry.”[/color] 

Anthony sighed, and squeezed the bridge of his nose between his index and thumb. [color=Khaki]”Look. I’m sorry if you got nervous. But it’s fine. You are welcome in my apartment. We have an extra room that needs filling, so please, feel free to move in at any time.”[/color]

 Upon hearing this, Ami fwipped her head up, automatically smiling brightly. [color=#d96db5] “Really?? Thank you! Aha, sleeping outside isn’t fun, is it?”[/color] She said jokingly but knowingly. [color=#d96db5]“I’ll get my stuff over there right when I get out of here.”[/color] She looked over at her suitcase real quick before standing up and gathering her horror books in stack to put back in her suitcase, forgetting about the notebook. Ami would need to borrow the romance novel… Though examining real situations would most likely prove more useful. She remembered sleeping outside and the weather wasn’t very good to do so. It would obviously be getting colder later. 

Anthony, relieved, said, [color=Khaki]”Listen, you can put your stuff in my car. It’s a 1988 Crown Vic, here’s the keys,”[/color] Anthony pulled out his keys so she would be able to open the back, [color=Khaki]”I trust you to not steal my car. So I have work until about three, if you want to hang out here until then, or if you want to go to somewhere else on the university, then you can find me here, or if I’m not in the stacks, I’m probably at the front desk.”[/color]

 She was a bit stunned. Was he stupid? I hate to call people stupid but I suppose… naive then? Ami couldn’t help but feel a worried about him while she was extremely grateful. [color=#d96db5] “Thank you so much! I’ll put it in there and then come back and return the keys.” [/color] She had finally gathered nearly all of her stuff, brushing the notebook onto the floor on accident. Ami didn’t realize this though, taking the suitcase handle in her hand and grabbing the keys gently. [color=#d96db5] “I look forward to living with you.”[/color] 

Anthony nodded, and spotted her notebook fall. Picking it up, he said, [color=Khaki]”Ah, I think you dropped this!”[/color] The notebook seemed to be pretty hefty, and had a bunch of notes and papers sticking out of it, although, he didn’t pry. If Ami had wanted him to see it, she would’ve opened it for him. 

 She gasped, a fearful look on her face. [color=#d96db5] “That would have been horrible if I forgot this![/color] sighing as she took the notebook from his hands quickly. Practically caressing the notebook in her arms. The thought of losing this notebook was a thought that she didn’t want to think about. [color=#d96db5] “Thank you again.”[/color] chuckling a bit as she put the notebook inside of the satchel that she had with her.

Anthony smiled, and waved back at her as he walked back to the book cart. [color=Khaki]”No problem at all, Miss Ami. I’m glad to help out my roommate.”[/color] When he reached the push cart full of books, he took another book off, and placed the novel, [i]Accusations and Absolution,[/i] where it belonged on the shelf. He kept at it this way for several minutes, eventually working his way back two bookshelves. 
[hr]
 Ami had walked off before waving back to Anthony. Before leaving the building, she took her time, exploring the classes to see what classes were going on and to memorize all of the locations. 

 After a while, she came upon a class that had a familiar face inside. It was Nathan. The lecture seemed to be nearly over as she waved at him quickly, out of the teachers sight. Hmm… I am quite hungry.. With that thought, she mouthed some words to him after seemingly grabbing his attention. Putting a hand in front of one side of her mouth and carefully spacing out each word in order to make sure that he would understand, leaning forward a bit. [color=#d96db5]“Are. You. Nearly. Done. With. Class?”[/color] 

 It would be nice to grab a bite with someone that she knew rather than being alone after all. Before that, I really do need to put my stuff away… Am I even allowed to be carrying this around? She smiled at Nathan sweetly, awaiting his response. 
[@karamonnom]