A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter 4: The Internet was the Shiny New Thing

Most people would say that sleep would make you feel better. In a lot of cases, that was true, but not for me today.

I woke up drooling over my laptop, heavy-brained from last night's internet information overload, which wasn't helpful at all. I sat up, squinting at the screen. Google search results gave me a did-not-match-any-documents for nalsfkanf;b;lbdfbaksbdf;bfkbk;sabfkbka.

I humphed. "Looks like Google doesn't have all the answers after all." I touched my face, feeling the imprint of the keyboard on my forehead--deep grooves like wrinkles, cavernous enough to define my worries.

"Elsy!" my mother called from downstairs. "Gumising kana. You're going to be late!"

Gumising kana were words I heard every morning. They meant wake up.

"Elsy!" my mother called with a louder voice this time.

"I'm awake!" I shouted back, annoyed. Why was my mother hounding me like I hadn't been crying last night? It was like an ordinary school morning. Couldn't I get a little sympathy around here?

My life was so typical, except for the part where I was the only half-Filipino in Littleton. Out of over five thousand residencies, my mother and I were the only two of Filipino descent. Well, one point five--the half being for my part. Sometimes, it made me feel unique, but a lot of times, it only made me feel like I didn't belong.

New York was different. The Big Apple had a more diverse population, making me feel like I was truly a part of the community. It's weird because I thought I would be more at home in the Philippines, but when we traveled there to visit family, I would feel as alien as I did here now. Not truly one of them but something in between. Yet in New York, there were people like me--those who were products of love between continents. And even when we were a small group compared to the millions, it gave me the knowledge that I wasn't alone. I missed it. New York, I mean. But Littleton was my home now. And the townsfolks had been nothing but welcoming to us since we moved, especially Lotty's family. So, I couldn't complain.

I took a shower without washing my hair before going down to eat for breakfast. My mother sat at the table with me, typing on her cell phone and enjoying a hot cup of coffee. I could see her eyes glancing at me every now and then but never saying a word. I knew she was itching to ask how I was doing, but she held in the question and kept it to herself... for now. It was what I loved about her--so patiently waiting for me to be ready to talk about the problem.

"Thanks, Mom," I said after finishing my eggs and bacon, grateful not only for the food but for the silence.

I prepared my things for the day, leaving the books I borrowed from the library, including the red leather-bound book, in my room.

I went to school and tried to look for Lotty before the first period, but my friend was nowhere to be found. Lotty didn't show up until the second period, and I didn't get the chance to talk to her.

I entered my morning classes like on an average day, trying to focus. But the news of the library's closure by the end of the month distracted me too much. Today, October one marked the countdown.

When the lunch bell rang, I went into the hallway to look for Lotty and found her talking to Catherine Brown under the stairwell.

"Lotty," I called before I realized they were having a private conversation.

Lotty jerked and turned to me as if surprised, wavy brown hair falling behind her shoulder.

"Sorry," I said like I intruded.

Lotty shook her head. "We were done talking," she said.

Catherine, a five-foot-seven-tall girl with fiery hair, peered at me, squinting as if annoyed. "I'll see you around," she said to Lotty, walking out from under the stairwell. She passed me and gave me a simple nod.