Survival Of The Fittest

Simon waved back to the retreating figure and picked up the metal box. Mrs. Collin's was probably going to want the money for the fair as soon as possible. He flipped through the bills in it to make sure that they fit the amount he had written down by scribbling down the price as each person bought their books. It seemed to be correct. Simon returned the bills to the box, shoved it under his arm and left the room. The book fair was over, and he had no more business here.

((Continued from "Aden Alone"))

Gloria rushed into the library, holding her bookbag close to her chest. Her eyes were wide, and there was the definite evidence of a blush on her face. She looked behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed, then slammed the door shut and leaned against it, panting heavily. She'd just run all the way from outside...After a few minutes of being with that boy, Gloria had lost any nerve she had left and bolted for it, mumbling some apology that she wasn't sure he heard. Oh well...she was safe now, in the library. Her safe haven.

The girl took a few deeps breaths to calm down, then replaced her bag onto her bag where it belonged. Oh, wasn't the book fair today? "Can't believe I didn't bring any money," she sighed to herself. Dang. She could really go for a book right now...Of course, simply checking one out would be fine, but she would much rather have had to buy one. If she bought one, though, she could have it any time. "Maybe it's still going on?" she wondered to herself.

Walking past a door, Gloria thought she caught some movement from inside. Backing up a few steps and poking her head inside the room, Gloria saw someone that looked very familiar to her..."Simon, is that you?"

Simon stood back from the doorway. Mrs. Collins was aware that the book fair was going on, and he was sure she wouldn't assume that he would take the money and leave. That would just be silly. Simon set the metal box back down on the table and waved to the newcomer. Gloria had been his friend since elementary school; he knew her rather well. At this point she looked out of breath.

"Heya Glory; yeah, it's me. You okay?" Simon tilted his head to the side. He sometimes worried too much about things; his grades, his future, his friends...At any rate, he always figured it was better to ask. The books filled with the books that he and Kevin filled were off to the side of the room.
"I can open some of those up for you if you want to look at books. There's a list of everything we have on the table." He added this last comment so that his friend could decline to answer the first question if she so desired. Simon was a quiet person and knew that Gloria was shy herself.

The girl swallowed and nodded a few times after Simon asked if she was okay. "Y-Yes...sorry...Was another guy out there, and I...got nervous." She straightened away from the door, one hand on her chest as she started to regain her breath. "I'm okay, though. Thanks," she smiled at Simon. He was such a good friend to her, even today. Gloria wasn't sure if many other people would have asked about her, just assume she'd been running late somewhere. Come to think of it, Gloria realized, just how many friends did she have left? There weren't many people who wanted to associate with "the quiet girl." Sure, she still knew most of their names, recognized those faces from years before, but how many of them were truly her friends now? Oh well, Gloria still liked them, in some other sort of way.

"I can open some of those up for you if you want to look at books. There's a list of everything we have on the table," Simon said to her, jerking her attention back down to Earth.

"Oh..yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, Simon," she smiled a bit, looking down at the list. Hmmm...oh, there were some more fantasy books in! The Last Unicorn, she remembered that one from middle school. A few Tolkien books, The Wizard of Oz... Well, so many to choose from. "Have you read anything here?" Gloria looked back up. Simon could be counted on for a good recommendation; rarely did he steer her wrong. "Something to keep me occupied all night?"

"Y-Yes...sorry...Was another guy out there, and I...got nervous." Gloria said, regaining her breath.

Simon nodded, just barely, to himself. He didn't know the full story about that guy, but Glory got nervous around people sometimes. When they were younger, he'd used to talk to her sporadically, only sometimes in front of her other friends. Even Simon had noticed when he stopped seeing the other girls that Gloria hung out with around, however. Despite this, the two of them still continued to talk, and Glory had helped him out multiple times. There were some days that Simon wondered how she could still trust him. Either way, it didn't matter to him: Gloria was one of his closest friends.

"Have you read anything here?" Gloria asked. "Something to keep me occupied all night?"

Simon nodded. "You know I'll always recommend a good Pratchett novel. And there are plenty of those to keep you reading for about a month of nights. Other then that, there's A Song of Ice and Fire. I always liked that one because it seems real, like history. Of course, you'd have to wait for the next books from that one. Neil Gaiman's a great author, and there's the Dresden Files too."

Simon stopped to take a breath. "Um, those were some of my fantasy recs." He added. Glory had always liked novels like those in middle school. Unlike with most people, he didn't real care if he rambled now; she never seemed to mind.

Gloria let a real smile cross her face this time, her whole self seeming to light up from within. She knew she could count on Simon, she just knew it! He'd been one of the few friends that Gloria had left after "the incident." She hadn't told anyone about it, most would already find out in the newspaper later. And...well, she'd felt so awkward around most of the others after that, but for some reason, Simon stayed the same. he didn't drift away from her, or get too nice, the fake kind. No, he had just been his usual self, and treated her as he always had. Gloria suspected that was why she didn't want him to leave like the others.

But this wasn't about the past anymore. Nope, today was a good day, and was all about finding some good bedtime reading.

"You know I'll always recommend a good Pratchett novel. And there are plenty of those to keep you reading for about a month of nights. Other then that, there's A Song of Ice and Fire. I always liked that one because it seems real, like history. Of course, you'd have to wait for the next books from that one. Neil Gaiman's a great author, and there's the Dresden Files too." Simon stopped to take a breath. "Um, those were some of my fantasy recs."

He didn't seem so quiet now, Gloria realized. But then she shouldn't have been surprised. Gloria heard him talk more around her than most other kids, she had realized. (Of course she wouldn't know if he spoke a lot around most other kids, because she didn't really associate with most of them on a personal level anymore.) And she liked that, the way he'd just talk. It helped her to relax a little more, and she liked hearing what Simon had to say. He was never boring when he spoke, at least not to her.

"Terry Pratchet," Gloria added, nodding her head and looking for his name down the list. "Wasn't he the one who said that multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of one who wears their underwear on their head?" she asked him, holding back a small laugh. Ah, she was already loosening up again. Wonderful! She went towards some of the books, scanning the covers and the titles, her smile growing a little bit larger at the sight. Then it quickly fell and she slouched a bit, sighing. "Ah, I forgot...My wallet's not with me today." Gloria bit her lower lip and looked at Simon desperately. "The Book Fair is still here tomorrow, isn't it? I can't remember..." She looked back at the books, lifting her arms and hugging herself.

"Terry Pratchet," Gloria added, nodding her head and looking for his name down the list. "Wasn't he the one who said that multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of one who wears their underwear on their head?" she asked him, holding back a small laugh.

Simon nodded. "Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind." he added, grinning. The statement Gloria had pointed out was from another novel, but SImon couldn't remember the whole quote. He watched Gloria look through the boxes of books, scanning the covers. She seemed happier here. Simon was aware that his friend felt her best when surrounded by books or outside. Despite knowing this, it made him feel a little bit better to see Glory so carefree.

"Ah, I forgot...My wallet's not with me today." Gloria bit her lower lip and looked at Simon desperately. "The Book Fair is still here tomorrow, isn't it? I can't remember..."

Simon came back to reality quickly. "Huh? Oh, it's not a problem." He reached down into his backpack and pulled out his wallet, a slim pocket bound with fake leather. "Just pick out some books and I'll pay. You can pay me back if you really want to, but it's no problem." Simon looked into the wallet. "Provided it's less than thirty dollars, that is."
He never thought about getting a part-time job; he could get a career when he finished college. Besides, working wouldn't get him as much money for college then he could get from scholarships if he spent his freetime studying. The time Simon used for reading was different, as he considered it the kind of luxury all students should have.

"Huh? Oh, it's not a problem."

"It's not?" Gloria looked up in time to see Simon pulling out his wallet, and her her widened. "N-No, you don't have to do that! I can pay myself, I just need-"

"Just pick out some books and I'll pay. You can pay me back if you really want to, but it's no problem." Simon looked into the wallet. "Provided it's less than thirty dollars, that is."

Gloria blushed a little in embarrassment. Oh, she hated borrowing money off her friends. But..well, just once wouldn't hurt, and she did have the money at home, she could pay him back tomorrow. And truthfully, there was only one book she wanted. Gloria put her hand on the back of her neck and looked back down into the box. Okay, make that two books, she told herself as she spotted a Dresden Files book. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and took out the books, a quick look a the price tags confirming that they came to a little over twenty dollars. "I'll take these then," she told him, handing them over.

"And don't worry, I'll pay you back tomorrow before class starts. Promise," she smiled reassuringly at him. As if he needed the "promise" and the smile...Gloria was pretty good about keeping her promises, no matter who they were made to. otherwise, she'd be in her own personal guilt-trip the entire day, and she didn't think either of them would want that. "Thanks again."

"I'll take these then."

Simon the novels from Gloria, rang them up, and handed them back to her. He handled all books with the upmost seriousness, as caring for them was important to him. Simon had large stacks of books at home that he'd had since he entered high school that looked to be in very good condition, despite being read over and over again throughout the years. He placed the 20.98 dollars into the metal box.

"And don't worry, I'll pay you back tomorrow before class starts. Promise. Thanks again." Gloria smiled at the end of this one. That was better; Simon felt extremely helpless when people-especially his friends-seemed down in the dumps. He knew that people couldn't be happy all the time, which was why he tried to interfear as little as possible, but still...At any rate, Simon did not think of the money again. If Glory said that she was going to pay him back before school started tomorrow, she would. She probably would even if he or herself weren't at school that day.

"There you go. You'll enjoy those." Simon gestured to the two books now returned to Gloria. "And I think you just may be my last customer today." He streatched his arms out, since sitting in the same position for most of the mourning could take a toll on the body.

"Anything new with you, Glory?" Simon asked.

Gloria took the books back, sticking her receipt between the two front pages of the top book. She'd use it as a bookmark later...maybe even laminate it to keep it as a real bookmark; nobody'd ever done that before, had they? They should, Gloria thought. They made interesting bookmarks; Gloria had several in her room. "Thanks," she said. "I think I'll enjoy these too."

As Simon stretched, Gloria took a seat nearby. She was already here, why not sit here and read? And it might be lonely in this side-room, what if Simon wanted company? "Anything new with you, Glory?" Simon asked.

"Not really," she answered softly, feeling a bit shyer now, for some reason. "I just drew and read. The usual." She paused for a long time, trying to think of something interesting to say. Something worthwhile had to have happened! "Oh, but I went out hiking again two days ago and found a snake," she remembered, glancing Simon's way. "I don't know if it's still in the general area...but I can show you sometime if you'd like." Wait...she could show him right now! Reaching into her bag, Gloria withdrew her sketchbook and flipped to the newest entry. "I just remembered...I drew a quick sketch of it--ah, here."

Gloria slid the book towards Simon, tapping the page with her nail. "He's right here...Never moved once," she told him.

The picture was drawn in lead pencil, the shadows made by cross-hatching. Nothing else was there, no pencil smudges, no background, just plain white space all around a thin, coiled-up snake, looking as if it was sleeping in snow.

"Not really. I just drew and read. The usual. Oh, but I went out hiking again two days ago and found a snake. I don't know if it's still in the general area...but I can show you sometime if you'd like. I just remembered...I drew a quick sketch of it--ah, here."

Simon looked down at the picture of the snake. It was very peaceful, minimalistic sketch. Drawing had always been one of Gloria's talents; one that he had never shared or atemped to share. The drawing was incredibly detailed, right down to where the shadows were. "It tooks like a Western Fox Snake. That's weird; they usually don't live anywhere near urban areas. And it's kind of scrawny too." The snake in Gloria's pircture seemd to be about 4 feet long.

"It's really good, though. The sketch." Simon generally was bad at talking. That was one of the reasons had tryed to avoid it in most cases. Now was a good example of that. He had no idea what words to use. The one he chose, "good", seemed silly and...well, lame. He could never understand why he could write well enough to succeed in AP English, be a decent member of debate team, and generally do well on English speeches, but have such a problem in this area.

He leaned back in the chair and blinked. "Ah, wait a second." Simon reached down into his backpack again and pulled out a brown paper bag. Inside the bag was what appeared to be small, cake-like pastries. "It's Nian gao, a Chinese rice cake that's usually eaten around New Year's. Try one." He offered Gloria a cake. "I was making these for cooking class. I thought it might be too rich..."

Simon seemed to be interested in the drawing, a fact that made Gloria feel happy. She liked it when anyone enjoyed her drawings, really. Especially friends. She knew that to truly improve as an artist, one had to endure the harshest criticism, but that didn't mean she couldn't be pleased when she heard praise, did it? "It looks like a Western Fox Snake. That's weird; they usually don't live anywhere near urban areas. And it's kind of scrawny too." Gloria looked at the drawing again, listening to Simon's words. Huh...she didn't remember reading about that particular snake. She'd have to look it up sometime, see if this truly was what he'd said. "It's really good, though. The sketch."

Gloria smiled again, shyly. "Thanks...Took a while to come out right..." She slid the book away, closing it gently. Part of her wondered if she should give this as a gift sometime, next Christmas, maybe. Normally she would set this in her portfolio folder, but if Simon liked it, which she hoped he did...Well, why not give it to him? Gloria liked giving her pictures to friends. Was a bit more meaningful than standard things, like things bought at a store.

"Ah, wait a second." Simon reached down into his backpack again and pulled out a brown paper bag. Gloria leaned over to see what he was taking out, moving upwards a little to peer inside. The inside of the bag was filled with what looked like tiny cakes. Simon took one out and offered it to her. "It's Nian gao, a Chinese rice cake that's usually eaten around New Year's. Try one."

"Oh, thank you," Gloria accepted the cake, turning it over in her hands a few times, seeing how it felt. It was pretty light, and when she brought it to her nose for a quick sniff, she found it smelled pretty good, too. Hmmm... Tentatively, she took a small bite, quickly followed by a bigger one, one hand held below the cake so she wouldn't drop crumbs on the table.

"I was making these for cooking class. I thought it might be too rich..." Simon began, but Gloria shook her head.

"Uhm...no..." she mumbled, the cake pushed to the side of her mouth. She swallowed, shaking her head at him and lowering the cake a little. "No, it's good...It tastes fine." She looked away suddenly, a little sheepish. She really wasn't the best person to be a food critic. Most people found little flaws with one's cooking, Gloria only cared if something tasted good or bad. Too sour, too hot, yes, but she didn't know anything about things such as "too rich." "It came out really good...I like it." She finished the cake off a few moments later, covering her mouth. "You did a great job."

(Dirk Intro)

Dirk rushed into the library, hoping desperately that he wasn't too late to get to the book fair before it closed. He needed a new book for the weekend, and he wanted one he hadn't read before. He slid into the room, backpack whipping around and he stopped abruptly. His laptop slammed into his back and he almost fell over on top of the girl he'd almost run over. What was her name again? Gloria? Glowy? Something with a G.

"Uh.. Hi. Is the book fair still open? Please tell me I wasn't too late." He looked at the stacks of books over her shoulder, still hoping it was open.

"Thanks...Took a while to come out right..." Gloria added shyly.

Simon nodded. The amount of effort put into even this simple sketch was astounding. He could concentrate for a good amount of time, but doing that while drawing was impossible to him. What was the saying- we admire only what we cannot achive? At any rate, he was sure he could reach Gloria's level only if he spent years focused on perfecting drawing. For now SImon was content to enjoy his friend's work.

Gloria took a bite of the Nian gao, being wary not to make it too big. She then proceeded to finish the rest of it more quickly. It was one of the things Simon enjoyed about cooking; it was rather simple for the majority of the time, it was interesting to do, and it made other people happy. Sure, he had been wary of taking the cooking classes at first (they were not weighted, after all), but ever time someone enjoyed something he made, it was worth the drop in grades.

"It came out really good...I like it." Gloria finished the cake off a few moments later, covering her mouth. "You did a great job." She added.

Simon went a little red in the ears. Even though it made him feel successful when his friends enjoyed his cooking, praise made him uncomfortable. He was never sure of what to say in return. "Ah, thanks." He grinned weakly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. It me-"

He was interrupted by another figure entering the room. It was another senior, one who Simon knew was somewhat new. The newcomer was much taller then him, with glasses and organe-tipped dark hair. Simon searched his brain; this guy had an unusual name. He noticed a small knife clamped to the boy's belt. Ah, that was right. Dirk. Simon was bad at names, but this semeed to be an easy one. The student with the knife on his belt had the name of one. Well, a short dagger. Simon had never been good with weapons.

"Um, it's fine." Simon gestured to the books. "They're kinda mostly in the boxes, but you're free to look around us much as you like. Thanks for stopped by; this book fair has seemd to be more active then the last." He turned to Gloria. "Are you alright, Glory?"

"Thank you, umm... What was your name again?" Dirk slipped past the girl, Gloria, and looked into the pile of books in the box, the one on top looked interesting. Maximum Ride? never heard of it. Oh well, Looks interesting.

Dirk picked up the book, "How much is this one?" he asked, holding the novel up to the other kid, "looks interesting. Kids with wings living on the brink of being imprisoned and killed."