Novel & Cerita Read A Little Life

To stay away from everyone, to keep them all in the dark about how fucked up my life is right now. I look at my bookshelf and smile when I find my favorite childhood book. Little prince. I grab it and cuddle up on my bed with the book. I pull the blanket up to my waist and open the book on the first page. I can’t remember the last time I read this book, but I know it will bring me back to memories from when I was a kid because I remember reading it to Layla.

She gets to what looks like the smallest book in the session and she hears a whisper. As she brings her finger back to the book she hears, “Yes!” She grabs it and she opens it. It's so small she reads it within a few hours. She goes at it in awe. She retreads it and is still shocked and blown away by how much valuable information this tiny book contains. She's about to put it away when she hears, “Memorize it!” Jolene repeats, “Memorize?” The voice repeats, “Learn it, live it, love it!”

Hours later, I was still there, pouring over my latest interest, open books everywhere on the floor around me. Funny enough, I’d never really been a fan of reading, but concentrating very hard on the words of the pages kept me from thinking of, or worse, going to look for Ivan. It was enough to keep me dedicated till now. Footsteps pried my attention from the book about animals and I looked up to see Archer walk in. Ignoring him, I returned my attention back to my book.

Luca looked amused but followed without protest. Inside, the air smelled of old paper and dust. Stacks of books filled every corner, and a sleepy cat dozed on the counter beside an elderly woman who greeted us with a kind smile. I wandered between the shelves, fingers brushing against spines — romance, poetry, mystery — stories that once felt too far away from the life I’d been living. I picked up a worn copy of The Little Prince and smiled faintly. “I used to read this when I was a kid.”

Ava pushed open the door to her dorm room, letting Noah follow her inside. She kicked off her sneakers, tossed her keys onto the desk, and turned to face him with a small, tired smile. “God, today was long,” she said, pulling her hair out of its ponytail so it fell loose around her shoulders. “I swear my last lecture went on forever.” Noah closed the door and leaned against it, hands in his pockets, watching her. “You look cute when you’re complaining.”

“You’re not.” The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. He asked questions about my life — my work at the library, my mother’s condition, my father’s stupidity. I answered curtly, refusing to give him anything soft. But he listened. Really listened. That unnerved me more than his threats. By the time we finished eating, my nerves were pulled tight as violin strings. Lucien stood and offered his hand. “Come, Aurora. It’s time.” My stomach flipped. I ignored his hand and walked past him, chin high.

There were neat, small sticky notes poking out from almost every single chapter. I opened to the first marked page. In Maverick’s handwriting, there was a note that read: “Does page 14 mean the data moves faster if you shorten the string? Let me know if I got that right.” I stared at the note, my heart feeling so light that I felt like a teenager again. I looked up at him, completely stunned. "Maverick... did you buy a coding textbook?"

_Barely_ _Just finished a book_ The three dots appear instantly. He was waiting. _Which one_ Elma looks at the paperback on her bed. The spine is cracked wrong from how fast she read it. _The God of Small Things_. She bought it last week because the cover was blue and she was tired of grey. _The one I bought last week_ _Took me one day_ Another pause. Longer this time. Then: _That is a record for you_ _You used to read one chapter a month_

With a gesture she invites me to sit down and I do it again when I put the chair back in its place. “It's normal the exaltation you just had. But I want to explain something to you, can I,” she asks a little cautiously and I nod, “perfect. Allie, you won't always have the power to decide what will happen to you, sometimes life can be cruel and decide for you but what you do decide is how to face the situation” I look at my hands in my lap with my eyes fixed on my feet, while I play with a small thread hanging from my blouse.