Stroked

-Chapter 2-

 

-Chapter 2-


~Oliver~




I know this girl, she is so familiar to me. Every glance I get at her makes me want to look further and discover who she could be and what she means to my head full of cloudy images. She is full of strange beauty, something kind of obvious, but her hideous black glasses hide some of it. Her blonde wisps of hair flow all around her shoulders.

"So, how's the new year going?" I ask and then re-think my words over and over in my head, that sounded very stupid. I didn't really word my words right.

I'm not very good with communicating with my words; my art is much better at explaining things. I guess it's like my voice, but with paint and ink instead of words.

She turns her head and we both stop near a group of wooden men statues on podiums. I've always appreciated the time and effort put into statues. It's amazing what human hands can do.

"I'm not really sure yet, so far it's been okay." She says and looks away, dragging herself over to a statue. She bends a little to inspect it and I stand in my spot feeling like there's nothing much to say.

We don't know each other.

Do we?

I feel like we do.

I shake away the thoughts, I don't know this woman at all, but my stomach aches like it's telling me I really do. Maybe that's why I want to walk around with her.

"How about you?" She pipes back in the conversation and bends back up, but doesn't face me yet, she still faces the ivory and marble statues.

I think on her question a little. I'm not so sure. The new year didn't exactly turn out so well. Matt was drunk like always, partying with strays. One even tried to make a move on me, but I wasn't drunk enough for that. I had a few drinks and spent most of my night in bed sketching random things while I tried to drown out the moans coming from the other room. I couldn't let my brother drive himself home so I demanded he stop by, but he brought a friend.

"It was fine. I watched the ball drop on tv the other day and now I'm here."

I lie and try to throw in some enthusiasm. I don't know if she bought it or not, but it's a pretty normal thing to do on New Year's Eve.

"Oh, really?" She says and it makes me wonder if she either not listening or she's judging me in a way or another.

"Well, yeah." I mutter, not really sure what to say. I make my way over to her and the statues. She turns her head. Her gray eyes search me.

"Me too, it's kind of sad that we don't go downtown and watch the performances, don't you think?" She scratches at her head of curls. I sway my arms back and forth with my hands in my jean pockets.

"I guess, but it's so loud down there, too many people. Besides, television is in high definiton, nothing like being up close." I say and she echoes a laugh. It's a sweet mix of a child's voice but with a cracking end.

"Yeah. You've got a point, besides I've never really been the type of person to party a lot or take part in things like that." She turns her head back to the statues, I wonder if her confession made her nervous.

"Really? Me either."

Amy turns her head back.

"I mean, what's the fun in getting trampled by thousands of drunk people? That's not my idea of fun."

If I wanted to get trampled like that I'd call my brother and his friends over for lunch.

I look at Amy and notice a few things I didn't before while her sister kept her busy. She seemed like a handful. Amy isn't wearing something slutty or super expensive to an event, which proves she doesn't give a damn, and that's saying a lot when you live in New York. I look at her with pride in that factor. Plus, ever second I spend gawking at her I feel like I've known her before, maybe she was in one of my dreams, I don't get a minute to think of that.