And here you are living despite it all.

-Rupi Kaur

A/N

I briefly mentioned writing a series of one shots earlier and I've decided that it's probably only going to be updated when I am suffering my way through writer's block like I have been for a while. I'm also kind of sick beyond making the words go in the way you all deserve. This is a continuation/prequel/etc. of Fix. I'd like this to be very interactive so ideas are, as always, welcome.

The First day (1996)

Ruthie snaps her gum and flips another page in whatever zoology book she can get her grubby little nine-year-old hands on. Ruthie wants to go places; Borneo, Uganda, Nigeria. She wants to study animals. I don't tell her how unlikely it is that any of us will ever go anywhere outside of Nevada or Massachusetts. She hasn't realized it yet and telling her would be cruel. Not a single woman in our family has ever been to college. Not ever. Unfortunately most jobs that take you to other countries require higher education.

But who knows, maybe Ruthie will accomplish the impossible.

Maybe I will.

I roll my neck slowly from left to right, setting down my pencil. As much as I dig my man William Shakespeare he sucks to translate from old english to new english, which makes it even harder to understand in Italian.

"Ruthie," I say, shoving the book at her "What does this word mean?"

Ruth Emilia Romano is a bonafide American citizen, the only one of us to be born in the United States, so she is the assigned translator of the family. And I mean all of the family. Every aunt, uncle, cousin, and sibling born before 1987 goes to her for anything American we can't figure out ourselves.

She pulls her nose out of her book and takes a quick glance at mine.

"How should I know? I'm in the fourth grade."

She goes back to staring at a picture of a tiger looking thing, popping her gum again.

"Monello." I snap back at her angrily.

"I'm telling Mom!" She wails angrily at me as though Mom will actually care when we get back home. Baby Ruthie's whinging is the whole reason Mom made me take her with me to the library in the first place. I was trying to escape Anthony's colicy angry baby to begin with and I somehow got stuck with an even bigger more annoying one. My nephew, Teddy, might be adorable and his father might be my favorite sibling, but that does not mean our house isn't a war zone of baby cries and seething disappointment.

I roll my eyes at her.

"You can walk home yourself and do that right now then."

She grumbles and mumbles but doesn't throw a fit again. She's afraid to go anywhere alone. Mostly because she knows Mom will break out the wooden spoon.

"That's what I thought." I say, pushing out my chair and getting up.

When Ruthie doesn't know something and I don't know something, that leads us to one of two options; I guess, or I have to hunt down an english to Italian dictionary. I'm trying to claw my way through summer school, I can't afford to guess. The computers are down, according to the sign I saw on the way in. That means no card catalog. That also means that I have to hunt down an employee.

Wonderful.

"Do you see anyone who works here?"

Ruthie sighs in annoyance and points towards the nonfiction section.

"I think that guy does. Will you leave me alone now? I'm trying to read."

I swing my head to where she's pointing, not bothering to respond to her question. There is only one male in the vicinity of where she is pointing. He's tall, wearing a sweater, with longish, slicked back, brown hair. He's dressed like a teacher's assistant. Not that I can really talk. My poor sneakers are held together with duct tape.

"Um… excuse me."

He does not respond, flipping through a book so old it is practically disintegrating in his hand. He flips the pages so fast that there is absolutely no way that he is taking any of it in.

"Sir?" I tap him hesitantly on the shoulder, causing him to jump up and slam the book shut which causes me to jump.

He stares at me like a deer in the headlights, brown eyes blown crazy wide behind thick glasses. It takes me a second to realise that he is my age, if not younger. His eyes make him look like a child. He also might be a little bit cute, if I am admitting to the truth.

"Uh… do you know where I can find an english to italian dictionary?"

He stares at me in fear for a moment longer before blinking and opening his mouth.

"I- uh- I don't exactly work here."

His voice is also childish, soft and shy.

And then it hits me.

Ruthie!

I am going to kill her!

All of the blood in my body makes a mad dash for my face.

"Oh, oh, I am so sorry! My sister said you were working here. I will just be going now, I am so sorry to be bothering you-" My accent sits in my tongue, thick and heavy, my 'i's' coming out like my sister's 'e's'. My face gets even hotter.

Flustered. That is what my teacher would say.

I turn quickly on my heel ready to flee. Ready to pound Ruthie into the floor.

"Oh, wait!" The boy says "Do you still need the book? I know where it is."

I hesitate, turning back around. I really need that book.

"You do?"

He nods at me earnestly.

"I can show you, I mean, if you want. There are 59,862 books in this library."

He says it like he is reciting it off a piece of paper.

"I would like that."

Very short. Might be continued might not. Please r and r :).