it was 7pm and i was still stuck in school whilst everyone else was at home.

i stayed behind everyday because i was failing math and mr gordon was more than willing to help me out.

he promised to give me as many after school lessons as i needed. but only on one condition; i did whatever he wanted me to do.

i absolutely hated the things that we did together and constantly wished that there was some sort of magical spell that could erase my memory.

however, as disgusting as i felt, i needed the extra help so i had to put up with it.

"i'll see you tomorrow, miss hart" said mr gordon, winking at me.

i wanted to vomit.

"see you, sir" i said, forcing a smile before hurrying out of the building as fast as i could.

instead of taking my usual route home, i decided to head to the library. today i was feeling even worse than i did on other days and reading a book was one of the only things that calmed me down.

by the time i got to the library, it was 8pm and the sky had gradually become darker.

this particular library was open all day and all night, which is why i always relied on it whenever i needed to escape.

no one else was in the library apart from the librarian and a boy who was curled up in the corner with his nose stuck in a thick, purple book.

"good evening, evelyn" said janet the librarian, smiling warmly at me.

she was one of the loveliest people i had ever met and sometimes we would spend hours talking about different books.

but she could sense when i wasn't in the mood and then would let me read a book in peace.

i carefully ran my fingers along the spines of the books, scanning through them all until my hand stopped on my favourite one of all time; the hobbit.

i took my usual spot on a comfy, blue beanbag and got lost in the book.

i always found it amazing that no matter how lost or hopeless you felt about life, you could always lose yourself in the different worlds that books contain, and for a few hours you could escape from reality.

half an hour later, i could feel my eyes starting to get heavy.

looking up, i realised that the boy was still in the same position with the same book.

he was quite slim, and had his knees tucked into his chest and his chin resting on one of his bony hands. the paleness of his skin glimmered in the moonlight that was sinking in through the windows and lit up the scar on his face. the long scar went from his forehead, across his nose and then down to his freckled cheek. he also had a smaller one that started from his jawline and ended on his neck. his light brown hair was messy but it looked soft and it suited him. his hazel eyes were slightly scrunched as he read the lines of his book, and somehow it warmed my heart.

no one would probably understand, but something about the presence of this boy who was draped in a knitted sweater made me feel safe, and that night i was able to sleep with ease.