Reading Is Hard Novels & Stories

They kept swimming around on the page, rearranging themselves into meaningless squiggles. I read the same paragraph five times. Then ten times. Then fifteen. Nothing was sticking. My brain had apparently given up entirely, deciding that food and sleep were more important than learning about cell division. My stomach growled again, louder this time. It sounded angry, like it was personally offended that I was depriving it of nutrition. Tears started building in my eyes. I was so frustrated I could scream. Why couldn’t I just be smart like Knox? Like Atlas? Why did learning have to be so impossibly hard for me?

The girls are giggling but focused. Her wavy brunette hair is pulled back into a singular braid. Suppressed amusement lurks beneath her patience demeaner. Seemingly the same as every afternoon these last few months. I walk in the room and situate myself behind Nan to face the girls. “How’s the homework coming?” I inquire. “Words are hard. Can’t Vera just read for me, and I can count for her?” Patti whines. “Sounds good to me!” Vera adds. I raise my eyebrow. “Does it?” I drawl out.

The real question is can I say it? I stop writing and turn to the sleeping Aubrey. I let out a long breath. She’s been very nice to me. No one has ever made that kind of effort to befriend me. In fact, nobody will. I guess she’s the only person in this world who would do that. Reading is tiring and some people find it boring. So, it’s not easy for her to go through all that books. I clench my grip on the pen. I look away from her. But I can’t give him up, I think to myself.

OLIVIA This is the first time ever that I’m seeing twinkling stars. I hate it but it does not look nor feel pretty. My head hurts like I’ve been crushed by a giant truck and left on the floor to die for good. It makes me remember when Jake had hit me with his car, which led to the beginning of our contract. I lay on the cold hard ground and let the exhaustion I feel weigh my bones further down. I was at a big disadvantage. It was one weak female against four boys that are mostly likely not sober.

Roric called down, "most people would take a break after reading for six hours straight." "Most people aren't trying to solve a mystery that could get them killed." "Fair point." I flipped another page. The text was old—really old—written in a dialect that was barely recognizable as the common tongue. But my mind had adapted over the years. My legs had stopped working, but my brain had compensated. I'd become a voracious reader, a sponge for information. I could absorb entire pages in seconds, retain details that would take normal people days to memorize.

My obsession with family - I had to let it go, too. Why was it so hard for me to have a stable life when I tried so hard? Maybe it was wrong from the start. I shouldn't have met Levi. I shouldn't have agreed to give it a try with Mr. Aiden Morgan when someone else already lived in Levi's heart. I shouldn't have believed the myth that a man would settle down once there's a child. Crash! The glass shattered on the floor. I froze, my arm suspended in mid-air, as if such crude behavior was something I'd never do. That feeling of trying to please others, wanting them to understand me, swept through my entire body.

"It is so good that I couldn't sleep yesterday and I'm about to do the same today if I don't finish it soon. Plus, I thought we agreed that you were going to read the book? It is a group project, Anisa. You have to read it so we can pass it." "That sounds like such a chore, or more like a punishment. Besides, you can answer all the questions next week. I won't have to." "It is fun, Anisa. You should try it. And it is an interactive class. Mrs. Grant won't pass us unless we both participate in the discussion." "Nah, I'll pass. Reading won't bring me money," I murmured, checking my phone again. Seven more minutes. "And anything that doesn't bring me money is useless. I'll try, though, just for

What the hell is she going on about now? She is hard to read and that is the easiest thing for me to do. I don’t like that I can’t read her, she could as well be a blank canvas. That spells out bad news for me because the last time I couldn’t read a person easily, I lost—I halted the thoughts, forcing myself to return back to the present. “I’m trying to decide if it is worth it,” Cassian says. I’m not sure if he is talking to her or me but he doesn’t elaborate or direct it at anyone.

Before you know it everything will fall into place as long as you're willing to simply sacrifice everything. SIMPLY. My father's favorite word. There's nothing so simple about being his son, yet this word barrages in our heads, making us think that things are all easy in this world. Easy to get, easy to kill, relating this to a six-year-old boy is not so simple but good for my brother, He had it simple.

You have to read. Get up. I groaned, sitting up and staring at nothing in particular. I was beyond exhausted. To the point where I could cry. I hadn’t had any food today. I picked up my books and began studying. An hour later and I was still at the starting point. I couldn’t understand a thing. I grabbed my hair in my hands and strained my eyes to look at the book, yet I couldn’t see a word on it. It was blurry. Why? I didn’t have time for this.