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 Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:08 pm
Carlisle was just about ready to throw this book across the room. It was a basic book- well, sort of, anyway. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sounded interesting, and it had appeared to be going well until about two sentences in, when he ran into one of his mortal enemies. The word 'strange', no matter how many times he saw it, bothered him. Even at that moment, he didn't recognize it; the way the letters were put together seemed to evade him, so even though he had read the word before with minimal problems, now it defied him and made his life pure, unadulterated suck. He got stuck on the second syllable, all the time.
"Shter- stray-" He had been stuck on this stupid word for what, five minutes? Finally he did slam the cover closed- it was hardcover, so it made quite a loud noise that had the librarians looking at him in a stern fashion, but the normally quiet boy was beyond caring. Instead of persevering, as someone might have expected, he just shoved the book across the table- but not off- and folded up his arms under his head. Why did he suck so much?
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:41 pm
"You know," said a quiet, slightly musical voice, "that sort of thing will get you banned from the library." He looked up to see a teenage girl studying him with a cocked head. Her bright hair was caught up in a haphazard bun, tendrils escaping, and the large pink flower pinned to the side was clearly performing a miracle in staying put. She laced her hands behind her and raised one teal eyebrow. "And the books don't really like it either. Are you alright?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:41 pm
He looked up, and upon seeing the lady, sat up straight. "Yes ma'am, I'm sorry," said Carlisle immediately upon her saying it could get him banned from the library. Even if it was populated by his greatest enemy (books) he didn't want to be not allowed inside. It was quiet, and that was a rarity.
"I'm fine," he muttered, and reached out to pull the book back to him. Clearly, however, from the bright red tint of his ears and the way he was trying to studiously ignore her, he wasn't. In fact, every action seemed tempered with resentment- not at her, but at the book, which he had flipped back to the first page of the first chapter; it seemed like if looks could kill, Harry Potter would have not made it to seven books.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:13 pm
"Ma'am?" she repeated. Then she giggled and shook her head. A piece of hair slipped loose and she had to quickly untangle her hands to reach up and tuck it behind her ear. "My name is Delilah. I'm not old enough for ma'am."
She waited a moment as if expecting him to invite her to sit but, when nothing more was said, she moved closer and pulled out a chair for herself at his side. She sat delicately, carefully smoothing her skirts before she leaned in to look at his book. "Do you recommend that one?" she asked, very seriously.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:30 pm
"It's nice to meet you, Delilah," he ground out, clenching his own hands in his hair. "I'm sorry for offending you." Actually, he really wasn't. She was really bothering him, which wasn't really her fault so much as the situation's fault. Even just sitting next to him was getting... really, really annoying.
Well, he didn't know her so no harm would be done if he said it: "I can't read," he said, in a tone that definitely echoed with the sentiment I am a moron. He dropped his head to the table again with an audible thunk. "So I don't know."
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:45 pm
"Oh." Delilah processed this in silence. In fact, she was so quiet for so long that she seemed to almost leave. When her hand just barely touched his shoulder, though, she proved that idea wrong. She drew her hand back almost as quickly and set it back in her lap, lady-like. "Reading is a skill," she announced quietly. "It's not a gift. No one knows it right away." Then she wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Some people never bother knowing it."
She was quiet again for a moment and then, carefully, asked, "How long have you been reading?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:44 pm
He startled easily, wincing a little when she tapped his shoulder. "Sure seems like it," he muttered, thinking resentfully of Merroth. The other boy didn't know lots of basic stuff, but things like math and reading... It wasn't fair. "I've been trying since May. I should be able to read. It's been six whole months." But he couldn't, and it galled: Staring at the word that currently frustrated him, he shut the book again. This time, though, respectful of Delilah's words before, he didn't slam it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:28 pm
"I see." Delilah considered his words. Then she drew her chair closer so she could more easily reach out and take the book from him. She studied the cover thoughtfully before flipping it over and peering at the back. Then she glanced at the young boy. Carefully, she set the book down again. "Has anyone been helping you try?" she asked.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:41 pm
Maybe she was taking away the book to put it away. He hoped so. Practicing didn't interest him anymore. "Teachers," he said flatly when it was clear she wasn't going away. "Sometimes. There's other kids than me and they have to learn, also." Carlisle suspected there might be a certain degree of well he hasn't learned yet and he's been in for a while in there, too. With nothing else to really say, he fell silent and wondered why he hadn't been sent to special education yet.
...Was there even a special ed class in the Liberty Center?
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:12 pm
"Hm. Then maybe they've been doing it wrong." Delilah glanced again at the book. "I think this is for someone a little older, anyway. What sort of books do you want to be able to read?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:29 pm
He blinked, the fact that books were separated into age groups having completely missed him at some point. "They're teachers," he said, trying to hide his own (rather complete) confusion by changing the subject. "They can't be wrong." As for what books, "I just want to be able to read. Everyone else can."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:24 pm
She apparently decided not to argue the point again and instead tilted her head to one side. She smiled faintly, a bit distractedly. Finally, she shrugged and drew her mind back to the young boy opposite her. "I'm sure you'll be able to read eventually. Mama says that hard work always makes a difference."
The teal-haired girl propped her arm on the table and leaned against her lifted hand. "Do you think a tutor might help?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:28 pm
He thought that it might just be a futile effort- surely someone like him was beyond help, even by a teacher or another student, but if there was hope, he'd go for it. "I guess," said Carlisle, with a touch of gloom in his voice. How could he say no, anyway? (Was she offering?) Either way, it was sort of a good thing, he thought.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:40 pm
"I hear that tutors usually help. I know that Ignacio Garcia gets tutoring on math." She straightened a bit and added quickly as if Carlisle would accuse her of spreading tales, "He told me once. He said he hates math. Personally, I just think it's boring but it's useful so..." She sank again and shrugged lazily.
Delilah considered him for another few moments. Then, quietly, she asked, "Would you like help?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:18 pm
With a fervent look at the table grain, he said, "Math sucks." School sucked. Everything, at that point, sucked. But if someone else got tutoring it wasn't so bad...
"Yes, please," he muttered, picking at the fabric of his trousers. "That would be nice."
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