A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter 15: The Brain was a Funny Thing

It was funny how the mind worked. People thought we controlled it, but it was the other way around. It had power over us. At least mine did to me because, on the next day of school, no matter how much I told it to listen in class because my grades were dropping in Computer Science, its attention was elsewhere--far away from today's lesson. So, instead of algorithms and coding, my mind drifted off, consumed by that elusive red leather-bound book.

As if absentminded, I tapped my fingers on the keyboard, the rhythmic clicking a testament to my distracted state. Opening a new tab in the browser, I typed 'red bound book' into the search bar. I pressed enter, hopeful. But search results in the images showed only red books with no titles.

I tried again, clearing the search bar, typing in 'How to fall in love book,' and hitting enter. Results gave me a blue book by Cecila Ahern. My eyes widened. Could it be? As I checked the book's revisions, I allowed hope to curve my lips into a small smile. But as I scrolled, my short-lived smile died.

I sighed in frustration, starting to believe the red leather-bound book might not be a book at all. It had a mind of its own.

"How to fall in love?" a voice read behind me.

Startled, I turned and found Finn. He had swiveled his chair there. He flashed me an annoying, dimpled smile.

Sheepish, I returned to my laptop to close the browser window.

Finn chuckled, leaning closer. "Hey. I don't judge, Watson."

"What do you want?" I whispered over my shoulder.

"Nothing. You're just the closest person to me that I can talk to while the teacher is out," Finn said.

I glanced toward the front of the class, realizing the teacher was gone. I turned my gaze to the door, catching a glimpse of the teacher with someone outside.

Everyone else in the class had either swiveled their chairs to each other and started whispering or pulled out their phones to check their notifications.

When I returned to Finn, I saw Dave with a pocketbook over his shoulder. It was still strange to see him reading. It was even more odd that Finn came to me for a conversation instead of Dave sitting next to him.

"So, you figured out how to save the library yet?" Finn asked, pulling my attention back to him. The notion seemed like a joke. How could I save the library on my own, no matter how much I wanted to? And yet, I was trying so hard as if I believed I could actually make a difference. Finn's genuine concern even fueled my fire.

"Lotty and Cathy told me to host a seminar on...How to fall in love with books." I hesitated, telling him what the seminar would be about.

Finn nodded. "That's a great idea," he said, and I felt a weight on my shoulder come off as if I was relieved that he didn't think the suggestion was a joke.

"Thanks," I said. "I mean, I'll let Lotty and Cathy know you think so."

Finn nodded again. "How about the petition?" he asked as if following up on my action item.

"I already put it up. I think I sent it to you by email."

"Really?" He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "I don't check my emails often. But I'll make sure to sign it."

My brows rose. When I first asked Finn if he would sign it, he said he was more of an internet guy. But now he seemed willing to help me. One vote would definitely make a difference- some hundred thousand more to go.

I sighed. "Thanks."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Well, I checked the rate of success for online petitions. We'd need ten thousand for it to become searchable and one hundred thousand for the government to notice it."