Chapter Text
Jessica Lozano had spent a lot of her life in the local library. At first, it was a way to give tía Rosa a little peace of mind: she could let her kids, which had suddenly included her then-two-year-old niece, sit and listen to a handful of stories while she ran some quick errands at the nearby stores. As Jessica grew up, it became clear to everyone how much she genuinely loved reading, despite her less-than-stellar grades (an argument that never ceased in the Morales household). Once they’d figured that out, whenever Jessica got rowdy, tía Rosa or tío Javier would bring her to the library and let her bury herself in stacks of books.
By the time she got to high school, Jessica was pretty much a fixture in the library. She knew all the staff by name: she could tell you how Karen’s wedding planning was going, or how Marcus’ mother’s hip replacement had gone, and spent lots of time cooing over pictures of Daya’s new dog. She could point someone looking for a book in the right direction just as well as, if not better than, the computers. Marcus kept joking that they should carve her name into her usual table near the back.
So, when her cousin Carmen asked Jessica to drive her to the library to pick up some books for a history project, Jessica didn’t mind at all.
"What’s this project on, anyway?" she asked as they entered, taking a moment to wave to Raven behind the counter.
"The Louisiana Purchase," Carmen answered, squinting at the signs above the shelves.
"Are you not wearing your contacts?" Jessica asked as she steered her cousin to the right section. "The books are in chronological order," she explained, after watching Carmen tilt her head sideways to look at entirely the wrong shelf.
"I ran out," Carmen admitted as she made her way to the right section. "My glasses were giving me a headache, though."
"You need a stronger prescription," Jessica said, and tried not to give any more hints. Carmen was very independent, and as much as Jessica wanted to pull out books to suggest, she knew Carmen wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead, she let herself observe the other people wandering the shelves.
There was a middle-aged guy at the other end of the aisle. He was bundled up in a jacket and cap, but he was also wearing old-fashioned trousers and boots that looked like they belonged in an episode of Drunk History. They did not look comfortable. Jessica frowned at him for a second, and turned away so he wouldn’t catch her staring. He looked really familiar, but she couldn’t place his face. Maybe he was another regular at the library.
She glanced back one more time and hissed.
"What?" Carmen asked, distracted, not looking up from the book she was flipping through.
"That guy just pulled out the worst Lafayette biography this library’s got," Jessica said, nose scrunching up in distaste.
"Mierda," Carmen groaned, with her best bratty teen expression on. Jessica couldn’t help but be a little proud, because Carmen definitely learned that eyeroll from her. "I can’t believe you’re a biography snob."
"You’re surprised? Sorry, have we met?" Jessica asked, genuinely confused. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Watch your language."
"That’s rich, coming from you," Carmen said, going back to her search. From the corner of her eye, Jessica watch the man disappear around another shelf. Seeing her opportunity, she slunk to the end of the shelf and pulled out her favorite biography of Lafayette.
"Jessie, no," Carmen said as she watched her older cousin peek around the corner.
"Jessie, yes," she shot back. The guy was standing in front of one of the tables tucked away near the back. As she watched, he added a few more books to the stacks already littering the table before walking away. Jessica knew the library's circulation statistics would appreciate it, but doubted this guy knew about that, or was giving any thought to the pages who would have to put them all back.
As casually as she could, Jessica walked over to the table. She grabbed the offending book, and slipped her recommendation in its place.
When she made her way back, trophy in hand, Carmen was leaning against the shelf and giving her a capital-L Look.
"What?" Jessica demanded as she slipped the book back into place, where it couldn’t trouble anyone with its incredibly dry prose and questionable research.
"You’re hopeless," Carmen sighed. She gathered up her armful of books, and headed for the checkout.
"Hey," Jessica said. Carmen wasn’t wrong or anything, but still. Had to at least protect her image. "Don’t think I won’t leave your ass here."
"Mama wouldn’t let you use the car anymore," Carmen reminded her as she started checking out her books.
Jessica couldn’t argue with that, so she just ruffled her cousin’s hair while her hands were busy, and then went to see if any of her holds were in.