A Book

"But, madam, I invested a great deal of effort into it."

"Despite that, there was no teamwork, resulting in a D grade for your contribution."

"But... but..."

"Next time, strive to cooperate with your team, group leader. Encourage active participation from your members."

"Alright, but can I at least receive an A for the time being?"

"Absolutely not," she said before leaving out of class. It was lunch time so quickly I made my way to the cafeteria.

There, I encountered Oliver, my friend and classmate. Oliver had larger eyes than mine and a cute face, appearing more like a 12-year-old but he was 16. We found a table for the two of us, when suddenly a group of bullies approached us.

There were three of them. The leader had a buzz cut and bulging muscles. Upon their arrival, Oliver promptly stood up from the table, attempting to distance himself. However, he was swiftly forced back into his seat.

"Oliver, can you share some of your food with me and the boys? We couldn't bring lunch from home today," he said.

"Just use the money you took from him," I replied.

"Shut up," he snapped, his voice sounding deeper than before. Feeling helpless, I just did as I was told, remembering the last time I fought back and I got beaten, badly. Oliver stayed quiet, avoiding eye contact with the bullies. Suddenly, a voice was heard from behind.

"Stop bothering the kid" someone said. The bullies immediately turned to find out who had spoken, thinking it might be a teacher. However, it was another student. This student was bigger and taller than the leader, and he was bald. It was Dave, a third year student.

"What are you gonna do, huh?" the leader taunted, staring at Dave. They stood there, neither of them making a move.

"Just as I thought," the leader scoffed. Then, he slammed the tray he was holding onto the ground. The food flew everywhere, causing a loud crash that drew everyone's attention. The bullies walked away, snatching Oliver's lunch box along.

A few hours later, it was time to leave school. Oliver and I gathered our belongings and headed to our lockers, discussing the assignments along the way.

"Oliver, Oliver!" a girl called out, approaching us.

She had blonde hair and adorable eyes. She was around the same height as Oliver. Her name was Mary.

"Where have you been? I've been searching for you everywhere!" Mary exclaimed.

"But we just closed school," Oliver replied.

She paused for a moment. "Never mind that. The driver is already at the entrance. I can't carry my books alone, they're heavy," Mary said.

"Why is it always me?" Oliver said.

"Clearly, boys are stronger than girls," Mary replied.

Without saying much more, they both walked away, and Oliver took Mary's books from her locker, leaving all alone.

Since I was by myself, I thought it would be a good idea to go check on someone. A girl, to be specific.

I made my way to the theater and just before reaching the door, I slid down the corridor. I peeked through the window on the door and saw exactly who I was looking for. It was a girl with short hair and nice glasses. She had a pretty face and was taller than Oliver but not as tall as me. Her name was Beatrice.

She was playing the violin with incredible skill. Her bow danced across the strings, producing a mesmerizing melody that could make anyone feel as if they were floating in the clouds. The music was so enchanting and beautiful that I felt as though I was melting away. My body grew slightly numb with the overwhelming emotions.

Lost in the moment, I didn't realize the door had opened, and I stumbled right in front of her. She suddenly stopped playing and we looked at each other briefly. Without saying anything, she quickly turned and ran away.

"Wait!" I called out, but she kept running. We knew each other, so I wondered why she was acting like that. Maybe she felt embarrassed. I decided to talk to her another time.

I made my way to the entrance of the school and waited for my mom to come pick me. While I waited, I looked around and watched as everyone left. Oliver hitched a ride with Mary in a large car. Dave rode away on his bicycle. Mary departed in a fancy car. The school population kept getting smaller and smaller. I didn't realize how much time had passed until that moment.

"Mom hasn't come to pick me up!" I said exclaimed in a panic. I swiftly grabbed my phone and noticed several messages.

"Sorry, honey, I can't come to pick you up. I've sent you some money, use it to get a ride," one of the messages read.

"What the..." I muttered to myself, feeling surprised and frustrated. Without wasting any time, I hurried to the main road and hailed a taxi. The taxi seemed smaller than the usual cars on the road, but I had to get home, so I didn't hesitate—I hopped right in.

The taxi driver was an elderly man, thin and wearing a sleeveless shirt. The seat felt uncomfortable, and I tried to adjust myself into a more comfortable position. In doing so, my leg accidentally hit the drawer, causing all the papers inside to fall onto the floor.

"Sorry, I'll pick them up," I apologized as I quickly collected the scattered papers. However, the driver didn't even bother to glance at me and continued driving without a care in the world.

As I gathered the papers, I noticed a book with a dark cover. Its pages had turned brown, and there was no title on it. But the picture on the front caught my eye. It showed a little girl looking at strange creature with six hands. The creature was much bigger than her, about eight times the size. The picture was raised, like a bump, but it didn't have any colors.

"Hey, sir, is this book yours?" I asked the driver. This time, he turned to me with an unhappy expression on his face.

"Where did you get that!?" he asked.

"It was in the drawer..."

"Give it to me. Didn't your parents teach you not to touch other people's belongings?"

"It was an accident!"

"Well, don't let it happen again!"

I let out a sigh and muttered, "What the hell!" as he placed the book beside him and resumed driving.

Finally, I arrived home and paid the driver his fare. He drove off and parked behind a building.

"Is that where he lives?" I said.

I didn't want to think too much about it so I just went into the house. It was locked, which means mom wasn't home yet but I had a spare key. I made my way up to my room and unpacked my stuff.

While I was unpacking, I noticed the driver's book in my backpack.

"How did this get here?" I remembered him placing it beside him, so how did it end up in my bag? "Did he put it in my bag?" I pondered the question, but I couldn't find an answer. I decided that I should return it to him, but before doing so, I couldn't resist the temptation to take a look inside.

I placed the book on my table and began reading

"In a distant time, there was a young girl named Elizabeth, with eyes like fluffy clouds. She wore a long white dress, and her name was a cherished gift from her aunt.

Elizabeth possessed a special book, its cover dark and sturdy, filled with rough brown pages and her name boldly written behind it. What made it extraordinary was its ability to speak. Though Elizabeth struggled to read it, she discovered a unique way to understand its tales.

Every day, she immersed herself in the book as new stories unfolded magically before her eyes. However, unbeknownst to her, the book hungered for her soul."

The booked description almost sound similar to the book I was reading, so I decided to check if the book matched its description. True to the tale, it had a thick, dark, and sturdy cover, with rough brown pages within. And there, at the end, I found the name "Elizabeth" beautifully written.

It made me pause for a moment, but I laughed it out.

"Haha, some people are really creative," I said with a smile. I kept on reading, getting lost in the fascinating stories within the book. Time flew by, and I started to feel tired. Without realizing it, I dozed off and the book slipped from my hands as I fell into a deep sleep.