Bookcessive

I walked out of the bookstore, grinning at my newest purchase, and came face-to-face with my little sister. Four years my junior, she was waiting on a bench outside the store, arms crossed like an angry mother, locating her lost child.

I cursed under my breath.

“Riley!” I called to her. “What are you doing here?”

She said nothing as I approached but started tapping her foot impatiently at me.

Ugh.

I pressed the bag I was carrying behind my back, though she could easily see it.

"I thought I left you in Primark..." I trailed off, realising my mistake. "I mean, you were-"

Riley huffed at me.

“That’s where I was, before you abandoned me.” She angrily reached for my bag, and although I tried to swing it out of reach, she snatched it easily from my hand.

She weighed it, and glared at me. “I can’t believe you, Maddy. More? Really?”

I just shrugged sheepishly at her. She handed it back to me and sighed again.

“God, you’re so bookcessive. You’ve got like a hundred books at home you haven’t read yet, you don’t need more.”

“These aren’t for reading, obviously.” We took off through the mall.

“Then,” she sighed yet again, frustrated. “What are they for?”

“I don’t know, but I NEED them! Look how pretty they are!”