Work Text:
Working at the library was not something Uzi planned to stick.
Her parents had only wanted her out of the house for the summer because apparently all she does is lounge around at home. So she signed up for volunteer work at the library since it was right by her house. She only expected to do it for one summer.
She did not expect to actually like working there to the point that she came back during the school year.
Now she was three years into the game and loving every second of it. The staff was kind and didn’t mind if she read while she shelved. They let her listen to her music when she shelved as well. It was almost therapeutic, working there. It allowed her to gather her thoughts and relax. Hell, even the nightmare that was the graphic novel/manga section was fun to shelve. Though that might just be because she was the only one brave enough to shelve it perfectly.
But being a regular volunteer meant that she had a lot more responsibilities than most of the others. That included teaching some of the newbies on shift when the librarians were too busy.
And it was…fine. A bit annoying since a lot of the newbies were only there for volunteer credits and never really seemed to understand why she liked to stop and read while she shelved. And they always messed up her hard work with the graphic novel/manga section.
Idiots.
They could bite her and preferably get a volunteer gig elsewhere.
It was the first day of her new Wednesday shift for her junior year winter semester. Today was also going to be one of those times where she had to teach a newbie and Uzi was kind of dreading it as soon as she got the email.
Ivy had been the librarian to ask her. She liked Ivy, she was really cool. Her first year as librarian was Uzi’s first year as a volunteer so they both had learned the ropes together. She had gotten to know her pretty well over the years in the short time they had while she signed in and out. Ivy even wrote her a letter of rec two years ago to help her get into the multimedia program at her school.
And it was going to be a busy day as they had just gotten a shit ton of new books and Ivy had to file them in the system. So the least Uzi could do was help her out. From what she gathered in the email, the new volunteer was named Cynthia and they had apparently been really excited to volunteer. She wasn’t sure how true that was considering that the other person was ten minutes late.
Uzi felt a bit weird standing around the children section’s front desk, listening to Ivy clickclacking away on the computer and muttering to herself as she stamped the books with “Property of Copper-9 Main Library". How was she supposed to do her job if the other person wasn’t even going to show?
Ivy looked up and smiled awkwardly at her. “If Cynthia isn’t here in three minutes, you can just head to the back,” She said, her fingers tapping nervously on the desk. Uzi nodded, giving Ivy what she hoped was a comforting smile. It must have worked because the older woman smiled back at her and seemed to be much more relaxed as she went back to her stamping.
While she waited, Uzi decided to start thinking about the film she, Doll, Thad, and Lizzy were working on for their video production class, Cinderella’s Promotion. It was a retelling of Cinderella involving a diner, and Uzi was going to be the evil stepmother. Which meant she just got to be unhinged. They weren’t filming yet, she still had to make the storyboards with Thad while Doll had to finish up the script and Lizzy finished casting. She couldn't wait to get started and to have everyone see the creative genius of her group. Especially No-
Nope. Nope. Nope. She had to stop that line of thinking. She was at what technically her job, now was not the time to think about dumb stupid pretty blonde boys in her multimedia program.
Suddenly, Ivy let out a quiet “Oh thank god.” Which made Uzi look back up to see a blonde girl running to the front desk with a frantic look on her face.
“Running. Rushing. Stops. Gasps. I am so sorry I’m late!” The girl–Cynthia, Uzi assumed–whispered hurriedly. She frantically pulled her phone out of her pocket and scanned the code. Huh someone had been paying attention in orientation. Points for her, most people didn’t.
“It’s okay, stuff happens. Just make sure to warn us next time if you can,” Ivy said, handing Cynthia a lanyard for her nametag. “You must be Cynthia."
Cynthia grimaced at her name, “Wince. Just Cyn please. Cynthia is too formal and stuffy,” She said, fiddling with her name tag.
“Cyn then. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ivy, the librarian you’re probably going to see the most of. And this Uzi, she’s been a volunteer here as long as I have worked here,” Ivy said, gesturing to Uzi who nodded in greeting. Cyn smiled and waved at her. “Things are a bit busy today ‘cause we just got a new shipment of books, so she’s going to help you learn the ropes today.”
“Nods. Okay, it’s nice to meet you,” The blonde girl said cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you too,” Uzi said, sidestepping away from the desk. “Follow me.”
Cyn did as she was told and marched after Uzi as she led her through the library. Cyn stopped when they got to the check out desk as Uzi undid the rope to go into the back room.
“We can’t go in there,” Cyn whispered, looking nervous. “It’s not allowed.”
“Normally, yes. But we’re volunteers so it’s fine for us to go back here for the next two hours. Now come on, let’s get this done,” Uzi said, trying not to sound annoyed. Thankfully Cyn seemed to believe her and scurried to join her on the other side.
When they got to the back room, Uzi couldn’t help but smile as she shoved a cart towards Cyn. The cart where they kept the manga and graphic novels was packed and ready for her take to shelving. She just had to get Cyn to know the basic information of shelving and she was free to shelve and read as many graphic novels as she wanted.
“You’ve been in the teen section before?” Uzi asked and Cyn nodded. Good, then she knew they were sorted into sections via genre. “Ok great. I’ll take the manga and graphic novels and you can take the teen books. Here’s what you’re gonna do. Take the books off the shelf and put as many as you think you can handle for the next two hours onto your cart. Check the genre sticker to organize them by genre and then put each genre section in alphabetical order. Once you do that, you’re good to go back out there and shelve. Don’t pick up any of the nonfiction books, we’re not allowed to shelve them due to the numbering system they have being too confusing, Or at least that’s what they want us to think, real reason is that it turns messier than the graphic novel/manga section when they let the volunteers shelve it. ‘Cause people are stupid.” She added that last part without thinking.
Cyn laughed slightly. “Giggle. You’re funny.”
She groaned internally, that girl probably hadn’t heard a word she just said. “Not really. Just honest.”
“Shrugs. I think you’re funny.”
“Bite me.”
“I have one question.”
Uzi nodded, glad that this girl was done saying she was funny, “Sure what is it?”
“What’s the order for the genre shelves?”
Oh, so she had been paying attention. Maybe this kid really did want to work here. “First, science fiction. Second, romance. Third, contemporary, Fourth and fifth, they share the shelf, adventure and sports. Sixth, mystery. Seventh, historical. Eighth, horror. The final one is fantasy and it’s the biggest shelf, so save those for last.” She explained, turning back to her cart.
Cyn didn’t seem to have any more questions so Uzi slipped on an earbud and pressed play on her music. Halsey, the only pop girl she liked, blasted through her ears. She and Cyn worked side by side in peace as they organized. They also seemed to be going at the same pace because they both finished up alphabetizing at the same time.
The blonde girl followed her out of the back room to the teen section. Uzi felt a little weird having a shadow. Usually when she helped with the newbies they didn’t trail her in the way Cyn was. They just took her instructions and left her alone. Cyn was doing the complete opposite. She parked her cart next to Uzi's, watching her go to the mystery genre shelf and grabbing the book she had found last week and hid in the shelves so that no one would check it out it.
“Cocks head. Whispers. What are you doing?” Cyn asked as Uzi placed the book on the bottom part of the cart.
“Chosing a book to read,” Uzi said, picking up a small pile of graphic novels. A through C, when she was done shelving she would then spend five minutes reading Sadie–The book she picked out–before gathering D through F and repeating the cycle all over again.
“We can do that?” Cyn asked, shocked. She seemed pleased at the idea though.
“Yeah, I do it all the time. Even when I just have to organize the graphic novel/manga section. It gives me a break,” Uzi explained, turning away from Cyn to give said section a once over.
It was messy but not too messy. No one had pulled out the letter separators again, so that was good. It was just a little lopsided, especially when it came to graphic novels but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. The manga looked pretty well organized as well, which was nice.
“Picks up book. Grins. I’m going to read Time After Time,” Cyn informed her.
Uzi nodded in approval, “Good choice.”
“Thanks.”
And with that, she and Cyn sort of went their separate ways. Cyn did her shelving and Uzi did hers. But during the five minutes of reading they both did, they would sit next to each other in Uzi's favorite corner to read in. It was nice, Uzi found herself actually liking having company.
If their shifts were always like this, she was sure that for once she would like a newbie.
Having Cyn as the other person on shift with her turned out to be great.
Cyn was good at her job. She clearly was there because she liked books. She agreed with Uzi about the graphic novel/manga section needing to be treated better. She didn’t think how she shelved was stupid or complicated. She gave Uzi really good book recs and didn’t make her feel stupid for wanting to read in a corner during shift. Hell, she would join her.
There was only one problem. Cyn’s older brother was Noah Elliot and he had decided to start his homework at the library while she did her shift. Specifically in the teen section. Where she and Uzi were.
Uzi nearly collapsed on the ground with jelly legs when she saw him storyboarding in the study area during her second shift of the semester. Cyn had gasped loudly when she saw her brother and tapped Uzi on the shoulder.
“Taps shoulder. Can I talk to my brother?” She asked, jerking her head towards Noah. Uzi had blinked in surprise. Cyn being related to Noah was not on Uzi’s 2024 bingo card, even if it was only her second time working with the girl.
“Uh, yeah sure. It’s allowed,” Uzi responded, knowing she sounded dazed as fuck. Cyn had skipped off after that and chatted with her brother for a few minutes. She doesn’t know what they talked about or if Noah told Cyn that he and Uzi shared half of their classes together. He probably didn’t tell her because Cyn had no questions about that. Whatever they had talked about, Uzi didn’t care honestly. Because she didn’t care about Noah Elliot.
Didn’t care that he was there. Didn’t care that he was storyboarding, something that she had to do when she got home. Didn’t care that each time she was reading or shelving, he seemed to be staring at her. It was all fine, as long as it was just a one time thing. She thought it would be.
But it wasn’t a one time thing. Noah kept showing up. So now Uzi had to spend every shift with the guy sitting at the teen section tables, eyeing her as she talked to his sister. Thankfully Cyn was a good enough shift buddy that him being there was worth it.
Now you’re probably wondering, who the fuck is Noah Elliot and why is he getting brought up now?
Noah Elliot—N to his friends which Uzi was definitely not, even if Thad was— was this stupid, annoying, pretty blonde boy in her multimedia program. Uzi first noticed him sophomore year when they made their music videos as one of their first assignments for their multimedia class. He had taken the dramatic orchestral from one of the audio options and used a bunch of the clips they were given to create an experimental music video of sorts. Anytime the song sounded tense and angry, Noah had clips that were soft, gentle, and almost whimsical. But when the song sounded gentle and careful, he used clips of destruction and danger.
Sure, the concept wasn’t exactly original, but it put Noah on her radar because of how deliberate it was. And once he was on her radar, Uzi couldn’t STOP noticing him. The photos he took for their photography assignments, how clean his cuts for the special effects assignments were, the color grading he did for his videos, it just wouldn’t leave her alone. She couldn’t help but notice him and it sucked.
Noah was really creative and had way more talent than he actually needed for a guy with his looks. Don’t get her started on his looks. A guy who looked like him should have done the business program instead of the multimedia one.
With his stupid tall height. His stupidly cute smile. His annoying soft squishy sweet cheeks with dumb dimples. His pretty, irritating, soft looking, clear, and pale skin, unmarred by freckles and scars. His fluffy blonde hair that he always crammed under that damn pilot's hat. And his eyes…those soft brown almost golden eyes that had no right to be as gorgeous as they were. They had no right to make her weak in the knees when she saw them.
Noah Elliot bugged her on a personal level because of all this. He had no right being talented, creative, and attractive. No right to befriend her friends (And constantly ask about her, according to Thad). No right to be such a good brother to stay where his sister was while he did homework. To make sure she was able to get home safe.
No right to make Uzi feel weird everytime she looked at him or his projects.
And yet, he still did.
Her friends say she feels like that because he had a crush on him. Which, first off, her friends could bite her. She did not have a crush on that stupid cute blonde boy. Secondly, she knows exactly why she felt this way. He’s too perfect. Especially when it came to their assignments. He did everything by himself to the point that he should be looking more sleep deprived. Uzi herself was pretty independent but she knew that it was always better to ask for help with filming. That’s why she made a mini production company with Thad, Lizzy, and Doll.
But Noah did everything alone and pretty much perfectly. Even when there were issues outside of his control, he was good. She once witnessed him have all his files be corrupted on the computer and he just shrugged like it was no big deal. By the end of the period, the situation was fixed and he had a pleased smile on his face.
Uzi on the other hand, was constantly losing her shit at the computer, cussing out their editing software, and having meltdowns over technical errors.
How she acted in their classes was very different from how she is in the library. Like a stark contrast. Thad once visited her on shift and was shocked to find how calm she was with the madness of the shelves.
Maybe that’s why Noah kept coming back. Maybe he only meant to come one time but saw that Uzi was Cyn’s shift buddy so he decided to keep coming to throw her off her game at work. To make her lose her shit like she did at school.
Cyn thankfully didn’t seem to notice at first. Because of how standoffish Uzi had kind of been during their first shift together, she seemed to have gotten it in her head that Uzi just didn’t like new people all that much. She clearly had no idea that Noah was not a new person to her, even if they never talked.
At least until their sixth shift.
By that point, Uzi and Cyn had ended up getting pretty close. Cyn talked a lot more than Uzi did but the purple-haired girl actually listened to what the blonde girl had to say. Like she learned that the girl was a fan of horror, specifically classic horror. She loved books, like a lot. Could be rivaled with Uzi with how much she loved them. She liked theater, especially crew stuff. Her dream was to become a makeup artist on Broadway or do special effects makeup in Hollywood. Stuff like that.
Uzi told her about herself too. Like how she loved sci fi movies, especially ones made from the 80s because they were just such a trip to watch. She ranted about her favorite books. Told Cyn about her friends. That she loved cartoons and used to want to be an animator until she realized how she’d probably get regulated to a storyboarder if she did. Admitted that she considered the graphic novel/manga her favorite place to shelve and gets a little excited when it’s messed up because that means that she gets to fix it.
She did not tell Cyn about how much she loved making movies because she had a feeling that it would lead to her talking to Noah.
But when their sixth shift rolled around, Cinderella’s Promotion had premiered to her video production class. Her cut of the film was the one that was used. Noah was in that class and had enjoyed the film so much that he apparently showed the damn thing to Cyn. Who also loved it and was mad that Uzi didn’t tell her she was in the same class as Noah.
“Uzi! You need to make movies with Big Brother N.” Was the first thing out of Cyn's mouth when she saw her.
“Uhhh, what are you talking about?” Uzi asked nervously as she piled her books onto the cart.
“Groans. I saw your movie Cinderella’s Promotion and it’s really good. Big Brother N is in your class, you should work together,” Cyn explained, piling her own books into a cart.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Uzi said carefully. She didn’t want to get Cyn’s hopes up.
“Shakes head. No, it's a great idea! You would make so many good movies with him,” Cyn insisted.
She wasn’t exactly wrong. Uzi wasn’t going to lie and say she hadn’t thought about what would happen if her production company had Noah in it. Probably really good. Thad had actually asked Noah last year if he wanted to join them. Noah said maybe and then nothing came out of it.
“It’s okay, I have a group I make movies with already,” Uzi said, hoping that would be enough for her to let the topic be dropped. It was not.
“So? He can join you,” Cyn said, waving her hand. “Waves hand. Actually you should talk to him today. He’ll be in the teen section anyway so now he’ll have a real reason to stare at you while you work.”
Oh so Cyn had noticed the staring too. Maybe that would convince him to stop staring at her. “Okay, I’ll do it later when we get off shift,” Uzi said finally.
“No. You will do it when we get out of the back room,” Cyn declared.
And somehow, from her tone alone, Uzi knew she was not getting out of this. And neither was Noah.
Well, at least at the end of this she might have more talent in her group so that wasn’t too horrible.
Okay time to go through the movie editing check list.
Editing notes? Check.
Storyboards? Check.
Script? Check.
Headphones on so that he can listen to his audio while he edits? Check.
Personal editing laptop that J made him get because she thought it would have people talking to make him use communal computers? Check!
Well, guess that’s a sign to lock in and get his work done. No time like the present since the teen section was basically dead right now. N was the only one sitting at the tables and there was only one girl at the graphic novel section. So no distractions to be seen.
At least until Uzi would show up.
Studying at the library was not something N planned to stick.
It was supposed to be a one time thing, to make sure Cyn was happy and comfortable during her new volunteer gig. She had mentioned after her first shift that the girl she was with was kind of stand offish but nice in a weird way. That set off some alarm bells in head so he decided to do his homework at the library for her next shift. He had some story boards that needed to get done anyway, so the timing was perfect. He had assumed that Cyn’s shift buddy was someone around her own age.
He didn’t think it would be Uzi Doorman.
Uzi Doorman, the girl who—according to V—he had basically been obsessed with since sophomore year. The moment she stood up to announce her song for the class playlist he knew he was a goner. The determination in her stance just did something to him. And then she opened her mouth and announced her song pick.
“Easier Than Lying by Halsey. If you don’t like it you can bite me.” She had declared before sitting back down. Most of the people in their class laughed at that but she didn’t look phased. She just seemed so cool in a way he could never achieve. N didn’t know how to approach her though, instead he kept his eye on everything Uzi did in class.
She had two best friends, Thad and Lizzy, whom she sat with every day for each class they had together. He befriended the two of them in hopes that Uzi would want to talk to him. It did not work but he did get some new friends out of it so that was nice. She also sat with Doll, Lizzy’s girlfriend and apparently Uzi’s cousin. She was definitely alternative, a goth and emo combination from what he could tell, and liking Halsey seemed to be an outlier for her. She was constantly wearing chunky platform boots because she’s short. From the jokes and conversations he had overheard from her, N knew she was funny and really snarky as well as blunt. She gets frustrated easily and has been known to get mad at the computers regularly. When they did projects, she did an heavy emphasis on sci-fi and experimental stuff.
Like her photography assignments always had some sort of sci-fi thing happening with the subject. For special effect pieces, she always used lasers as the cause of the explosions. Her editing and writing style was incredibly experimental, making wildly unique videos. Watching them was colorful, strange, cryptic, and confusing but you always came out of it feeling like you learned something new about yourself.
Uzi was gorgeous, that was also one of the things he noticed about her. One of the first things, actually.
It was an objective fact. With her pretty, spiky, dark purple hair cut short and held back by a beanie. Her beautiful light brown skin, dotted with freckles and faint acne scars. Her mischievous, proud, sometimes black sometimes purple smile that seemed to brighten his mood every time he looked at her. Her height, even if she herself hated it, was adorable. Oh and her eyes. Biscuits, he loved her eyes. Those beautiful electric purple eyes that said so much while saying nothing at all.
For a while, N thought his obsession with her was just because he thought she was cool. Over time though, he grew to realize that his need to be constantly staring at her was because he had a crush on her. Which made a lot of sense, Uzi was talented, cool, and beautiful. How could he not fall for her?
All of that was part of the reason why N decided to keep coming back to the library. It was a great set up. He knew Cyn would be safe, he got to see Uzi, and his homework was done a lot faster than before! Wins all around. He just hoped he wasn’t making Uzi uncomfortable, she kept hiding from him when he stared for too long.
A cough from the girl in the graphic novel section snapped N from his thoughts. Dang it. He had spent the past five minutes zoning out and thinking about Uzi. His screen was black in front of him, not even unlocked yet. This was not the time to be fooling around, he had to finish editing his movie by Friday so that he could get started on the next project. He was already behind with this one. Working solo will do that.
With a sigh, he unlocked his computer and opened his editing software. His project was a lot more basic in comparison to Uzi’s group. It was just a music video for Saint Bernard by Lincoln, a suggestion from V. The clips from filming were put in order and had the “action” and “cut” parts removed. Right now he had to color grade it into a more darker palette. The audio for the song would need some tweaking too, to pair with the footage. But that was mostly done already and a problem for tomorrow N.
For the next 40 minutes, he color graded in peace. Cyn told him that she and Uzi always shelved in the back first to stay out of the way. Which was nice because it made him do the harder parts of his homework first so that he could have more time to look at Uzi.
Though he had to note that it was longer than usual. N assumed it was because Cyn was questioning Uzi about Cinderella's Promotion. He hadn’t told his sister that he actually went to school with Uzi. Or that he had the same classes with her.
Or that he went to school with her at all…
When she found out his sister had been…Quiet. A scheming type of quiet. Which, to be fair, is her normal type of quiet. But still, not good. He had a feeling she was going to insist that he work in Uzi's group for the next project. That was something he had thought about a few times. Thad had even invited him to a few times last year when they started planning the production company. N had said he’d think about and then never said anything. If he had said yes, maybe he would have an easier time with filming and editing and getting things in on time.
He’s fine though.
A muffled noise cut through his headphones.
“Okay, okay. Cyn, stop pushing me. I’ll ask him.”
N looked up and removed his headphones, confused as to what was happening with Uzi and Cyn. In front of him stood Uzi, looking unsure about whatever she’s about to ask or say. Behind her was Cyn who was casually shoving the carts to the corner she and Uzi liked to read in. She grinned over at him with a mischievous smile.
“Can I sit here?” Uzi asked, shuffling her feet around nervously.
“Oh yes, of course!” N said cheerfully, his heart was beating really hard.
“So,” Uzi said, sliding into the chair across from him. “You showed Cyn Cinderella’s Promotion?”
“Yeah, I just thought it was really good and it fit her sense of humor,” N said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Was he dreaming? He had to be dreaming.
“Well she seems to like it to the point that she wants us to work together on the next project,” She said, a guarded expression on her face. Oh biscuits, he was making her uncomfortable. He had to pull it together. He used to dream of times like this.
“That sounds like Cyn. It’s okay, I don’t have to if you don’t want me to. I still have to finish my current project so I wouldn’t want to slow you down,” N rambled, gesturing to his computer.
For whatever reason, this made Uzi smirk and relax slightly. “You’d slow us down?” She asked, sounding amused.
“I struggle with deadlines,” N admitted because it was true, he did. He was good at what he did but sometimes it was hard to get into the mindset where he could get everything done. That’s part of why he didn’t really want to join a group. He didn’t want to be the reason for their downfall. That and he was particular about his work sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. He told her as much.
“But you’re good at what you do. Clearly you being particular works,” Uzi said, “Let me look at what you’re working on now.”
“...You want to see it?” He asked, his mouth dropping open slightly.
“Ugh, bite me. Yeah, I wanna see. I said so, didn't I? Give me the early access," She insisted, making grabby hands at his computer. He laughed slightly before sliding his computer over to her and handing her his headphones. She took them gracefully and hit play on the video. N watched anxiously at her reaction which was pretty blank. Oh biscuits, she hated it! He should have known showing her the video was a bad idea, but no he had to get too proud of himself.
“It’s good. I like it. Thad has your number right?” Uzi said when the video was done.
“Uh, yes, he does. You like it?” N was surprised. He was starting to think his video was the worst thing in existence but Uzi sounded genuine in her compliment.
She nodded, “Yes I like it. The color grading is great, it makes it feel more ominous. And using an actual saint bernard for the final shots on the driveway in replacement for yourself was a very experimental choice. And well, everyone in school knows that I love it when a movie gets experimental.”
N smiled, “That’s true…”
“So what do you say, Noah? You’ll join my group for the next project.”
“I guess so.”
“Great, text Thad to add you into the group chat and tell him you’ve decided on yes for his offer from last year. We’ll start planning next week. See ya Noah.”
“Wait, Uzi!”
“Hm?”
“Call me N.”
“I-Okay. N then.”
Wednesday Oct 9 6:54 pm
N- Uzi Doorman just asked me to join her production group.
Twin- damn thats crazy
Twin- what did you say
N- I said yes.
Twin- isnt thad in that group
Twin- and didnt thad ask you already
N- Yeah and I never gave him an answer.
Twin- ah i see
Twin- it has to be a pretty girl asking you to say yes
N- NO!
N- That’s not why I said yes.
Twin- uh huh sure
Twin- did she give you her number
N- No.
N- She said to text Thad.
Twin- well what are you texting me for, go text thad
N- Aye aye!
Wednesday Oct 9 7:01 pm
N- Hey Thad!
N- How are you doing?
Thad😄🏈- hey n!
Thad😄🏈- im doing good
Thad😄🏈- hbu
N- I’m doing good!
Thad😄🏈- so whats up dude
N- So you remember when you asked me if I wanted to join your production group last year?
Thad😄🏈- yea you said maybe
N- Well I’ve decided on an answer!
Thad😄🏈- oh shit man that great!
Thad😄🏈- what is it?
N- Yes, I will join your group.
Thad😄🏈- sick, starting next project then?
N- Yep!
Thad😄🏈- ill add you to our group chat
Thad😄🏈- man with you and uzi in our group, this production crew is unstoppable
Wednesday Oct 9 7:07 pm
Glitch Productions
Football has added an unknown number to the group chat
Football- n has agreed to be in our group for the next project!
Football- so everyone be nice
Doll stop changing your contact name- i am never nice.
Knock off Barbie- ur nice to me tho
Doll stop changing your contact name- that’s different. you are lizzy, my person.
Knock off Barbie- aww babe
Unknown Number- Nice to meet all you!
Unknown Number- I’m assuming the person talking to Lizzy is Doll?
Unknown Number- Because Uzi’s working right now and she’s not on her phone.
Knock off Barbie- how do u know that zis working right now?
Doll stop changing your contact name- are you a stalker?
Football- guys knock it off, ns not a stalker
Football- at least i dont think he is
Unknown Number- I promise I’m not a stalker. Uzi is my sister’s shift buddy at the library and I just get my work done here while they work.
Knock off Barbie- hmmm
Knock off Barbie- u pass judgement for now
Doll stop changing your contact name- you are lucky you are talented.
Unknown Number- Thank you?
Create new contact?
Yes or no
Yes
Name- N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)
New contact created: N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)
Wednesday Oct 9 8:17 pm
Glitch Productions
Uzi- im back bitches
Uzi- glad to have you here n
Uzi- monday production meeting
Uzi- bring movie ideas
Doll stop changing your contact name- who made you the boss.
Uzi- whos edit was used for premiere today
Doll stop changing your contact- …yours.
Uzi- i rest my case
Football- n, the new number is uzi btw
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- I guessed as much!
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Hi Uzi!
Uzi- hey
Knock off Barbie- lets do smth with the mushroom person
Uzi- we are not doing that
Football- no no no
Football- let her talk i wanna hear the idea
Doll stop changing your contact name- speak my love.
Knock off Barbie- we could have them appear on doorstep during a bad moment
Knock off Barbie- maybe bring back good morning reaper?
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- What’s the mushroom person?
Uzi- no one you need to worry about
Football- a person who appears in her dreams and asks if she wants to talk to god through mushrooms
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Oh.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- I get something like that.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Except it’s a talking dog who wants me to make a deal with the devil.
Doll stop changing your contact name- mine is a falcon that tells me to be gay, do drugs, and hail satan.
Knock off Barbie- like the song
Football- doll you do all those things
Football- great song tho
Uzi- so we’re all in agreement, dont use mushroom person
Uzi- great
Knock off Barbie- no one said that
Uzi- damn it
Football- lizzys on the right path for suggesting we revisit good morning reaper
Football- thats an old script that we couldnt make work, n
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Oh okay!
Uzi- wait until monday before we make a decision
Football- kk
Knock off Barbie- whatever
Doll stop changing your contact name- hm.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- I still need to finish my current project so that’s fine.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- I should be done by monday though, so we’re good in that regard.
Create new contact?
Yes or no
Yes
Name- 💜😈Uzi💜😈
New contact created: 💜😈Uzi💜😈
“So I have some notes,” N said on the first Wednesday since joining Uzi’s group. She was shelving with Cyn when he approached her with the printed out script for Good Morning Reaper.
“N, can it wait? I’m shelving,” Uzi huffed, counting the Attack on Titan collections.
“Crams book on shelf. You can talk while we shelve,” Cyn suggested, “There are two of us after all.”
“I guess that’s true.” Uzi reluctantly looked away from the books she was shelving and back at N. “What’s wrong with it?”
N’s eyes widened. “Nothing’s wrong with it. It’s just that…” He trailed off, unsure how to put it into words.
It was a fine script. But that was the problem, it was just fine. The story was basically about a girl going about her morning and getting stuff ready for her and her partner while the grim reaper stands behind her. She doesn’t seem to notice them until the end, after the mushroom person shows up and disturbs the peace of the house, when she says “Good morning Reaper.” And it’s all revealed that the grim reaper is her partner. The concept is interesting enough but there was something in it that was more interesting than the plot.
“The phone call June has with Zoey, on the phone. About Zoey’s cheating ex and the card games and asking Zoey to be their third player. I want to know more about that story. And the friendship between girls seems really good. What if we made the movie around those two?” N suggested.
Uzi seemed intrigued by the idea. “How would we do that?” She asked, grabbing some Spy x Family manga and walking over to the S section. N trailed after her.
“We throw out Reaper entirely and have the story be the phone call. Zoey recounts her night to June. Basically her side of the phone call stays the same. While June tells Zoey about a run in with the mushroom person.” He explained, his hands gripping the script tightly.
Uzi was silent for a few moments as she took in his words. “That actually might have just saved the script. Holy shit,” She murmured as she rearranged the manga order.
“So I can start a rough draft to give to Doll?”
“Go for it.”
Friday Oct 18 9:37 pm
N- So what’s the story behind you working at the library?
N- Cyn says you’ve been doing it for years.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- oh thats an easy answer
💜😈Uzi💜😈- the summer before high school my parents wanted me out of the house
💜😈Uzi💜😈- library has the summer reading program and a need for teen volunteers
💜😈Uzi💜😈- and i live like three blocks away from there
💜😈Uzi💜😈- so it was a no brainer
N- And you just kept doing it because you really like it?
💜😈Uzi💜😈- mhm
💜😈Uzi💜😈- although i switched over to school year only cuz i volunteer at a summer camp in the summer now
N- Oh that’s really cool!
N- I don’t have anything like that.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- im sure you can find something
💜😈Uzi💜😈- and if not the library has a place for you
💜😈Uzi💜😈- they could always use more volunteers
N- Really?
💜😈Uzi💜😈- yep
💜😈Uzi💜😈- more volunteers means more young people have an interest in this place which means more money for the budget
💜😈Uzi💜😈- dont wanna have the place shut done
N- Is that a real issue?
💜😈Uzi💜😈- unfortunately, yeah it is
💜😈Uzi💜😈- did you know it used to have full hours on saturday?
💜😈Uzi💜😈- and that it used be open on sunday, but it just closed early
N- I didn’t.
N- I just asked Cyn if did(because she’s always loved going to the library) and she said she does remember.
N- I guess it’s a me problem.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- not really, most people our age dont
💜😈Uzi💜😈- im surprised cyn does
N- Sounds like there’s a lot people don’t know about the library.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- oh you have no idea
N- Cyn knows a lot more than me.
N- Can you tell me more?
💜😈Uzi💜😈- really?
N- Really.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- okay
💜😈Uzi💜😈- they have craft kits for the little kids, i used to set them up
💜😈Uzi💜😈- they have a bunch of little artsy competitions, like the bookmark competition
💜😈Uzi💜😈- that’s where kids can make a bookmark design and the most popular three are then photocopied for bookmarks and the kids are given a small reward
💜😈Uzi💜😈- they dont just have the summer reading program, they have the winter reading program
💜😈Uzi💜😈- both arent just for kids btw, they have them for adults too
💜😈Uzi💜😈- the kids section isnt just a great place to find books, its perfect to just have your kid play in
💜😈Uzi💜😈- they have a shit ton of toys that kids love, i mean would know ive had to clean them hundred of times
💜😈Uzi💜😈- story time is so underrated
💜😈Uzi💜😈- the kids are a loud to run around
💜😈Uzi💜😈- your kids get their energy out and you get to relax
💜😈Uzi💜😈- most people dont know that tho
💜😈Uzi💜😈- and the themed movies nights!
💜😈Uzi💜😈- those are my favorite thing that the library does
💜😈Uzi💜😈- each month they have two movie nights, one for teens/adults and one for kids
💜😈Uzi💜😈- this months theme is horror(for the teens/adults)
💜😈Uzi💜😈- god, the movie nights are the best
💜😈Uzi💜😈- you get to bring your own food and your friends
💜😈Uzi💜😈- and just enjoy a ton of good movies
💜😈Uzi💜😈- i love it so much
💜😈Uzi💜😈- it combines two of my favorite things, movies and the library
N- That sounds so cool!
N- I wish I knew about this before.
N- I’m glad I do now.
N- The library might have just gained a regular!
💜😈Uzi💜😈- hehehe
💜😈Uzi💜😈- yes
💜😈Uzi💜😈- incredible
💜😈Uzi💜😈- can i ask you a question now
N- Yes, of course!
💜😈Uzi💜😈- why do you always work alone for projects
N- I told you.
N- So that I don't slow people down and because I have a really specific vision in my head.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- theres more to it tho, isnt there
N- Sort of. It's a bit personal though.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- you dont have to tell me if you dont want to
💜😈Uzi💜😈- but its cool if you just need to dump it on me
💜😈Uzi💜😈- ill listen
N- Okay.
N- I uh normally use making movies as a way to get my emotions out.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- makes sense, that is how art is made
N- I wouldn't exactly compare my work to art but thanks.
N- But I don't like asking most people for help with that.
N- Most of the time, when people realize that's what I'm doing, they I'm working like this because I have no proper coping skill.
N- But movie making IS my coping skill. I have so many unreleased finished projects because of this
N- But a lot of people think that this is something to be concerned about when it's not.
N- So I work alone, to avoid that awkward situation.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- i get that
💜😈Uzi💜😈- people should mind their business more often
N- I hate to be rude, but yeah they should.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- well
💜😈Uzi💜😈- just so you know, glitch productions minds our own business
💜😈Uzi💜😈- so if you ever need help filming a scene for some introspective shit, just tell us
💜😈Uzi💜😈- we wont ask stupid questions, we'll just help you film.
N- Aw! Thanks Uzi!
N- I might just have to take you up on that offer.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- good
“Let’s do a head on shot with the mushroom person.”
N jerked back slightly at Uzi’s sudden appearance behind him. She was holding a stack of books and looked dead serious.
“Huh?” N asked, unsure what she was talking about.
“You’re making notes on the shots,” She said, putting the stack of books on the table. “Having a head on shot of the mushroom person is the best decision for their scenes.”
She leaned forward, her shoulder brushing against his. N could feel the blood rushing towards his face at the action. Uzi picked up a stray pencil and added a note to the storyboard.
“The more normal and basic the shots of the mushroom person are, the more uncanny the mushroom person themself is.” She tapped the pencil against the paper, “I made a note of it for future reference.”
N gulped. She had gotten closer to him while writing down the note, her back was practically against his chest.
“Th-Thank you,” He stuttered out. Uzi seemed to notice their position and pulled away so fast that N thought she got whiplash for a moment.
“Y-Yeah no problem,” She said, her face bright red.
“Ugh. Rolls eyes. Stop flirting, you two!” Cyn called from whatever corner she was in.
“We’re not flirting!”
Wednesday Oct 23, 8:45 pm
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- So we’re filming mushroom person at school, right?
Uzi- yeah but after school
Uzi- they require makeup that looks unhinged and i refuse to have anyone walk around with that at school
Uzi- even you
Uzi- gonna give our program a bad name
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Like when you walked around school with a bag filled with stuffed animals?
Uzi- bite me
Uzi- that was last year
Uzi- and i wasnt thinking about mr fairly’s class being my first period
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- The movie you made from it was good though.
Uzi- thanks
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- You’re really talented.
Uzi- so are you
Uzi- i still think about that music video you did last year
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Oh yeah!
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- That was one of our first projects.
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- You still think about it?
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Really?
Uzi- really
Uzi- idk man it just stuck in my brain
Uzi- the visuals were cool
Uzi- youve always been good that
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Thank you.
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- You’re really good at doing experimental stuff.
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Like that movie you did with the stuffed animals.
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- I love how they were stop motion when they weren’t attacking you.
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- It gave the vibe that you were playing a game with them.
Uzi- that actually is what i was going for…
Uzi- no ones ever noticed that
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Really?
Uzi- really
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- Cool.
Uzi- cool
N(annoying pretty blonde boy)- <3
Uzi- <3
Thursday Oct 24 5:34 pm
Glitch Productions
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Idea for the costumes if you don’t mind me sharing?
Knock off Barbie- oh thats my jam
Knock off Barbie- whats ur idea
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- June and Zoey are meant to be polar opposites, right?
Football- polar opposite best friends yeah
Doll stop changing your contact name- mostly in personality.
Uzi- and their ideas of fun
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Let’s have them give the same opposite vibe.
Knock off Barbie- wdym
Knock off Barbie- they have to be dressed differently cuz ones in pjs and the others in party clothes
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Yeah I know.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- But let’s make Zoey look a lot more wild. Messed up hair, messed up makeup, like she just stepped back from a wild party. But just for the shots when she’s on the phone with June. When she’s at the club, she’s pristine.
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- While June looks disheveled during her night but when she’s on the phone with Zoey, she’s well rested.
Doll stop changing your contact name- like their nights are both wild in their own way, but the results are different for each of them?
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Yeah.
Knock off Barbie- i think i see the vision
Football- i dont but i trust yall
Uzi- subtle details
Uzi- i like it
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Really?
Uzi- really
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Cool! :)
Uzi- cool
Doll stop changing your contact name- are you two aware there are other people in this chat?
Doll stop changing your contact name- because i do not think you do.
Knock off Barbie- srsly
Football- oh knock it off you two, you guys are always flirting in the chat
Football- if zi and n want to flirt they can do that
Uzi- BITE ME
Uzi- WE ARE NOT FLIRTING
N(stupid annoying pretty blonde boy)- Yeah, we’re just appreciating each other’s work.
Thursday Oct 24 5:57 pm
N sent a screenshot
N- V is this really flirting?
Twin- depends on what your definition of flirting is
Twin- if this happened to me, i wouldnt call it flirting
Twin- but since it happened to you with uzi, then yes n
Twin- that was flirting
N- Really?
Twin- yeah dummy
Twin- youre both nerds who make movies
Twin- ofc she flirts with you through compliments on your movie ideas
Twin- especially ones about subtle details
N- Oh.
N- That makes me happy.
Twin- i would hope so
Twin- youve liked her for like ever
Twin- its getting annoying hearing you talk about her
N- It’s nice to have a confirmation though.
N- That she might like me back.
Twin- im happy for you
N- Thanks.
Thursday Oct 24 8:08 pm
Thad’s Terrible At Naming Group Chats
Uzi- so
Uzi- if i told you guys you were right about the crush on n
Uzi- what would you say
Uzi- hypothetically
Football- i would say
Football- yay uzi! youre finally getting in touch with your feelings
Knock off Barbie- id say, yea no shit bitch
Knock off Barbie- no one compliments a person while complaining about them without having a crush
Knock off Barbie- or too perfect
Knock off Barbie- which u did all the time before he joined our group
Doll stop changing your contact name- i told you so.
Doll stop changing your contact name- that is what i would say.
Uzi- bite me
Uzi- congratulations, you guys were right then
Uzi- now you dont have to say it twice
Uzi- fuck
Uzi- what should i do
Football- halloween is next week
Football- you love halloween
Football- and you love the way the library celebrates halloween, even if its a bit late
Uzi- i do…
Doll stop changing your contact name- you keep talking about the library doing an 80s horror and movie marathon next friday.
Doll stop changing your contact name- it’s giving me a head ache honestly.
Doll stop changing your contact name- why they’re even doing october’s theme in november is beyond me.
Uzi- bite me
Uzi- kaitlyn thought halloween was a friday so she planned around that
Football- wait whose kaitlyn
Uzi- librarian on planning the adult events
Uzi- she used be in charge of the kid events so thats how i know her
Uzi- we’re getting off topic
Uzi- anyway, by the time she realized it was too late
Uzi- what does the movie night have to do with anything
Knock off Barbie- dummy
Knock off Barbie- purple freak
Knock off Barbie- use ur brain
Uzi- are you telling me to ask him out the movie marathon
Football- yes, she is and you should
Football- if he likes movies just as much as you, then he’ll love this
Football- and he gets a great date out of it
Uzi- okay
Uzi- i can do this
Uzi- i will do this
Uzi- next week
Uzi- i will do it next week
Knock off Barbie- u know what thats better than i thought
Doll stop changing your contact name- yes, uzi you can do it.
Doll stop changing your contact name- i have some faith with you.
Football- i have tons of faith in you zi!
Uzi- bite me
Uzi- but thank you thad
Wednesday Oct 30 5:01 pm
N- Cyn’s sick today.
N- She can’t go to her shift.
N- I’m still gonna go to the library.
💜😈Uzi💜😈- sounds good
💜😈Uzi💜😈- to go over film stuff
N- Yep!
💜😈Uzi💜😈- cool
N- cool
N- <3
💜😈Uzi💜😈- <3
“Cyn’s sick today.”
Uzi nodded at Ivy as she signed in. “I know, her brother told me.”
Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Oh right, the boy who keeps showing up in the teen section. You two are friends?”
Uzi blushed. “It’s a new thing, we’re working on a project together,” She admitted. “That’s why he’s here today, just to clean up some loose ends.”
Ivy’s face softened for a moment and she gave Uzi an apologetic look. “Shoot, if I had known that I wouldn’t have set aside a paper cutter project and craft set up for you. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve done one of those so I assumed you missed it.” She twiddled with her thumbs. “If I had known you were doing homework with him, I would have just had you on shelving.”
Uzi’s heart sank. She really did love using the paper cutter, she got to zone out and listen to video essays while she did it. Same goes for the craft kits. But now, doing those were the sounded like the worst thing in the world. The moment she stepped into the back room, she knew was going to lose all her nerve that she had to ask N out today. It was easier when he was near her and talking to her because then she felt crazy for thinking that her feelings were not being reciprocated.
“Could-Could he maybe come in the back with me? Like he wouldn’t do anything. He’d just sit in the back and we would talk about project stuff,” She pleaded.
Ivy bit her lip, thinking about it. “He hasn’t signed a waiver.”
“I know he hasn’t signed a waiver but he wouldn’t do anything at all! I promise. Please Ivy, this project is really important.”
Ivy let out a world weary sigh and started flipping through the name tags. She pulled out Cyn’s and handed it to Uzi. “Give that to him, it’ll be his pass.”
Uzi’s eyes widened as she took the name tag from the librarian. “Really?”
“Yes, really. This is a one time thing though, kid. Don’t go blabbing about it. Now go grab that boy so that I can explain to you what your task is and I can make sure he doesn’t touch the paper cutter at all, ” Ivy grumbled but there was a fond smile on her face.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Uzi exclaimed before bolting over to the teen section where N was reviewing the footage for A Quick Catch Up.
“N pack up your shit, you’re coming into the back with me,” She said, shoving Cyn’s name tag towards him. He looked up at her in surprise but still took the name tag from her. He put it on with a questioning glint in his eyes.
“Is that allowed?” He asked, already closing his computer and shoving his papers into his backpack.
“Not usually but because we have a project, she’s bending the rules. Cyn’s nametag is your pass. Don’t touch anything when we go back there,” Uzi explained, grabbing his wrist and practically dragging him towards the desk.
It was comical for people nearby, to see a 5 '1 purple haired menace dragging a 6' 3 blonde dork with all the strength she had. Ivy even seemed to be holding back a laugh when they arrived at the desk.
“I see the resemblance to Cyn,” She said, nodding at N. “C’mon let’s get to the back.”
Uzi’s hand was still wrapped around N’s wrist as they walked towards the back room. She couldn’t help but notice that she could reposition her grip to hold his hand. Slowly, she moved her fingers towards his palm, watching his reaction. N’s jaw twitched slightly but he didn’t pull his hand away. She took that as an opportunity to interlock their fingers and squeezed gently before loosening her grip slightly. A quick way to say “Hey, is this okay? You can pull away if you want.”
N did not pull away. Instead, he squeezed back and tightened his grip.
The next few minutes were a blur as Ivy walked them to the back. They got a few strange looks from the librarians behind the checkout desks but no one said anything. When they got to the back room, Ivy broke off to grab supplies from her for the assignment. Uzi helped maneuver N through the maze of book carts to the table. The table doubles as a break room table and a work table. It was surrounded by office chairs and had a vase of fake flowers in the center of it. A tray of cookies sat on one end next to a small sign that read, “Staff Birthdays” with a list of birthdays and names for October. The paper cutter sat on the other, a stack of lamented paper next to it and a shredder on the floor below.
Uzi gestured at N to sit down in a chair near the cutter, a spot with enough room for his computer and notes. “Sit here. You’ll be next to me and be able to work on your edit for the movie.”
N nodded and did what she asked, watching her as she pulled up a chair in front of the cutter. “You do this sort of thing often?” N asked, pulling out his computer.
“This is where I used to set up craft kits,” Uzi said with a shrug, leaning back in her chair. “It’s a big part of Ivy's job, ‘cuz the craft kits are for story time and she’s in charge of set up.”
“That’s cool,” He said with a smile.
Uzi nodded and picked at a hang nail anxiously. When was Ivy going to get back here? She felt so stupid sitting at the table with nothing to do.
“Got you a cart full of stuff!” Ivy suddenly appeared, making both N and Uzi jump in surprise. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. So, Uzi, you are going to be making goodie bags for the Halloween story time tomorrow. That stack of paper next to the cutter are bookmarks that you need to cut for the goodie bags. Each one gets a little skeleton, a spider ring, a bookmark, three pieces of candy, a sticker sheet, a puffy sticker, and a small pamphlet of November library events. Blonde kid, don’t touch anything and just do your work. Got it?”
Both N and Uzi nodded.
“Good! You know where to go if you need me.” And with that, Ivy walked off.
Uzi sighed and unlocked the paper cutter. She grabbed three pieces of paper and started cutting. N took that as his cue to start editing. The two worked in silence for about 45 minutes, the only sounds in the back was the kachunk from the paper cutter and the soft clicks of someone working on a computer.
Uzi was the one to break the silence.
“So,” She started, neatly arranging a stack of bookmarks before grabbing more paper. She had about 55 bookmarks and probably only had to do this five more times till she was done with the stack. “How’s Cyn doing?”
N didn’t look up from his computer but Uzi did see him grimace slightly. “She’s okay. No hospitalizations this time,” He said carefully. What was that supposed to mean?
“Hospitalizations?” Uzi asked, the word feeling gross on her tongue. So gross that she messed up the nine strips of bookmarks she was working on. The corners were uneven compared to the other ones.
“Yeah. But this time around, she’s fine. Just a bad cold.”
“That doesn’t sound fine.”
“Trust me, for her it is.”
“What classifies as not fine?
“She gets sick sometimes to the point that she can’t keep anything down. So we have to take her to the hospital because she’s dehydrated.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Uzi didn’t know what to say after that. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut, you don’t talk to the guy you like about his sister getting hospitalized. N probably thinks she’s nosy now. Which she kinda is, but she’s working on it! She’s better than Lizzy who always seemed to be in everybody’s business.
Suddenly, N flipped his computer towards her. “Does the split screen look okay?” He asked, gesturing to the scene. It was Zoey, played by Uzi, and June, played by Lizzy, doing their phone call. The phone conversation had been filmed on different days and in different places. Zoey in the school bathroom, set up to look like it had just survived the party of a lifetime. June in a corner of the auditorium, set up to look like a bedroom. N had managed to split screen the shots to still show off the sets really well while still having the perfect overlap.
“It’s perfect,” Uzi said, giving him an approving nod.
N blushed. “Thanks!”
“I like that you kept the sets still pretty visible and it’s not just zoomed in on their faces," She added.
“Of course, we spent way too long making them realistic to not have them still be seen,” He said, shuddering slightly at the memory of throwing toilet paper around the bathroom and splashing water on the floor.
“Fair,” She said with a smile.
N looked over the cart and nodded at it. “Do the adults and teens not get a Halloween story time?” He asked, though Uzi knew he was just being silly.
“Nah, this is just for the kids,” She said, cutting the last of the bookmark strips.
“So everyone else gets neglected,” He teased, picking up a bookmark. It was of a pumpkin patch with a little sheet ghost in it. “This is cute, I’m keeping it for Cyn.”
“Go for it. I’ll just add an extra spider ring for that goodie bag,” Uzi said, grabbing five empty goodie bags. Bookmark, sticker sheet, pamphlet, puffy sticker, tiny skeleton, spider ring, and three pieces of candy. That was going to be the order of filling the bag, done in groups of five. “And the teens and adults will not be neglected.”
“How so?” N asked.
“Teens have the haunted scavenger hunt in the town records. They get a bag of candy, a bunch of coupons to local businesses, and a raffle ticket for something I don’t remember. Adults, I think, have an escape room in the presentation halls. They basically get what the teens get, just with more coupons,” She explained, tossing pieces of candy into five bags. Ten down, fifty more to go.
“No movie night?” N asked, sounding surprised. Uzi looked over at him, at first confused but then she remembered that she told him about the movie nights the library did. She also blushed because she remembered her plan involving said movie night on Friday.
“They do have the movie night,” She corrected him, not meeting his eyes. She could not take looking at those stupid pretty brown almost golden eyes. “It’s just not in October.”
“But Halloween is?” N sounded so confused, it was adorable.
“The librarian who’s in charge of planning the events, thought that Halloween was on a Friday this year so she put the night down as Friday the last week of October.” She explained. Fifteen done. “But Halloween is actually tomorrow so the teen and adult horror movie night is the first of November.”
N nodded like everything she said made sense. “Ah, I get it. Well, at least they still get some sort of event.”
Uzi nodded, “Yeah at least there’s that.” She paused, looking back at him. He was smiling at her, making her stomach swarm in butterflies. Twenty done. It was now or never.
“N…Do you maybe want to go to horror movie night with me on Friday?” She asked, chewing the inside of her cheek. N’s eyes widened and his face broke out into a bigger grin.
‘Yes I would love to! I like hanging out with you, you’re a fun friend to be around,” N said excitedly.
Uzi’s heart dropped after that. Damn it, she didn’t specify that she wanted to go with N as a date. She should probably specify that. “Bite me. I meant it as a date. BUT only if you want to, we can just go as friends if you would like that.”
N blinked at her in surprise. “Oh. Well I would like to go as your friend.” Oh fuck it to hell, she was being friendzoned. And this was why she didn’t put herself out there. Back to the bags then, she had forty more to finish though there was no way she’d get it done by 8.
“But I would absolutely LOVE to go as your date.”
Did…Did Uzi just hear that right? He wants to go as her date?
“Really?” She asked, trying and failing to hide the excitement in her voice.
“Really?” He said, somehow sounding more excited than her.
“Cool.”
“Cool.”
They stared at each other with matching dopey expressions on their faces. Uzi felt like she was on cloud nine right now. She had a date! On Friday! With a guy who was stupidly cute and liked movies in the way she did!
“I feel like something really important just happened but I’m not gonna ask what.” Ivy’s voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. Uzi snapped her head up to glare at the red head.
“Oh don’t give me that look, Uzi. I’m being nice and letting you out of your shift early,” Ivy said, unbothered by the purple haired girl’s glare.
“Gee thanks but the goodie bags aren’t done,” Uzi said, gesturing to the amount of goodie bag supplies that were still there.
Ivy waved her off. “It’s fine, kid. I’ll handle it. Now get out, both of you.” Then she walked away over to her desk.
“Bite me! Ugh c’mon N. Save the edit,” Uzi said, rolling her eyes.
“Five steps ahead of you!” N said, shoving his computer into his bag. He stood and held his hand out towards her. She stared at it for a moment and then took his hand. He helped her up and then loosened his grip as if he was waiting for her to let go. Uzi didn’t though, she just gripped his hand tighter.
“I have to sign out and turn in my name tag. You need to put Cyn’s back too,” She said, leading him out the back to the children’s section.
“Okay, I’m fine with whatever you want to do,” He said cheerfully. Uzi took her phone out of her pocket and then quickly signed out. She took off her name tag and put it back in the name tag holder. She did the same for N, who still had Cyn’s name tag around his neck.
“Let’s get out of here,” Uzi said, smiling at him. He smiled back and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture was very sweet but it was a bit overwhelming. It made her want to kiss him. To the point where Uzi couldn’t help but exclaim, “Bite me!” In a panic.
N pulled his hand back, surprised. “Sorry, I thought-“
Uzi cut him off, “No I’m sorry. I’m not used to someone doing something like that for me.”
“I’m not used to doing something like that to someone,” N said with a shrug and a smile as they started walking out of the library. “But Uzi, it’s okay.”
“Really?” Uzi asked, skeptical.
“Really, ‘cause we’ll learn together,” N said and he sounded so genuine that it made her stomach ache. They walked the rest of the way out of the library in silence, their hands still interlocked. When they got outside, the cool October air brushed against her face. It emboldened her a little. Maybe now would be the time to kiss him.
“Hey N?”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna learn something new together?”
“Sure, what you want to-“
Uzi grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down to her eye level. “Wanna kiss me?” She asked, in what she hoped sounded like a flirty teasing tone. It must have worked because N blushed a bright red.
“Yes,” He said, almost breathlessly. .
“Then do it.”
She watched as he gulped slightly before leaning in closer. Uzi tilted her back and closed her eyes. Soft lips pressed against hers, gentle and cautious. Like he was testing the limits. But she wanted more so she kissed back firmly to show that he could be a bit rougher. He listened, gripping her arms tightly as he pressed his lips harder against hers. It felt incredible. It felt perfect. It felt right. She might be addicted to kissing after this. Or maybe she might be addicted to kissing N.
When they pulled away for air, Uzi watched as N’s eyes dilated.
“Wow.” was all he said.
Uzi couldn’t have agreed more.