[ completed; unedited ] When Rylie Henderson starts her dreaded senior year of high school, all she wants to do is hide herself from the rest of the world and read, her favorite hobby. She finds it as her distraction from what happened to her in the...
BY THE END of the school day on September twenty-fourth, the corridors of Crews were filled with posters that promoted the art competition. The bulletin board near the art hallway was a perfect example of this. There were at least two posters that contained all the information about TCVA. I stopped dead in my tracks to take a peek at them.
It's only been a day since the contest has started. I haven't succeeded in finding something I want to paint for it. Since I like to paint buildings, outdoor scenery, and everything related to that, I kind of already have an idea of what things I'm going to paint, but I still don't know exactly what to paint.
According to the posters, the judges want something that reflects off of the real world, whether it would be emotions, actions, or whatever. I have to admit that this is the part that stumped me most. It led me to be even more hesitant on what to paint. Art is my way of expressing how I feel at times, so why can't I figure out what to paint?
"I'll meet you at my house in about twenty-five, buttercup," a familiar, masculine voice hummed from meters behind me.
"That sounds great, Axel. Love you," a feminine voice gleamed.
My head spun around to whoever was behind me. From the sound of their voices, I already knew that it was Axel and his girlfriend, Adrienne. I was correct. The two exchanged a quick kiss before Adrienne sauntered down the broad corridor, heading towards the nearest stairwell. Axel, however, strutted closer to me.
"Looks like you've been looking at all this, Eli," Axel said, glimpsing at the prizes poster that was fastened to the board.
"Yeah," I planted my hands on my hips.
"Have you seen the prizes you can get by winning? They're great," He questioned, interest enchanting in his voice.
"I'll take a look at them," I answered, turning to the poster that contained the prize information.
For the entire day, my mind has been caught up on the contest, not the prizes. My face focused on the poster that listed all of the prizes, scanning every word I could see. The poster listed that the first place winner could win tickets to Italy, an art scholarship to Laurier University, and a one-thousand dollar cash prize.
My mouth dropped open in awe as a pang of determination rushed my veins. The prize is perfect. A vacation to Italy sounds relaxing. I'm dying to try out some Italian food and visit various monuments there. A one-thousand dollar cash prize also sounds great too, considering that I'm basically broke, besides the money I make at work.
What caught my eye most for some reason was the scholarship. Getting the scholarship would be enough to convince my parents that I have potential to become an artist. If I don't win first place in this contest, I don't know what I'll do. I'm already having a difficult time figuring out what I'm going to paint for the contest, and if I don't figure it out, first place may end up being awarded to Axel. The competition is for high school students in our city, so I have many people to compete with, but then again, Axel won TCVA for the past two years.
I need ideas. I need to understand what the judges want for the contest. I need answers. There's only one person I know that could answer them.
I abandoned the bulletin board and made a sharp turn to the art corridor, heading straight to the end to Ms. Edwards' classroom. Before I entered, I peeked my head into the doorframe to make sure the classroom wasn't abandoned. Ms. Edwards was at the sink area of the classroom, organizing paint brushes into buckets while humming a melodious tune to herself.
I felt the bottom of my shoes squeak against the tiled floor as I strutted to where she was. Her head shot up from the package she was looking into and flashed a warm smile to me.
"Hi, Ms. Edwards. May I ask you a question?" I questioned, my hands planted to the table I was in front of.
"Ask away, Mr. Greene," Ms. Edwards gleamed before setting a box on the floor.
"I read the information about TCVA and I'm a bit confused about the contest's theme. The description said that the judges are looking for artwork that reflects off of the real world physically and emotionally," I said. "I don't know what to paint that would match what they want."
Ms. Edwards paused for a minute to process everything I stated and planted her finger on her chin. "Since the judges want artwork that reflects off of the world in that way, think of something that would represent something that expresses an emotion. You'll figure it out."
"Yeah, but the thing is, I don't know what to do. It's like everything I think of isn't right for the contest," I reasoned, glimpsing down at my classic, black and white Vans.
"I see. Since you like scenery, surround yourself around it. Sit somewhere outdoors and ponder about what you're going to do. Feel free to get inspired by other paintings," Ms. Edwards hauled an unopened package from the floor to the countertop. "When you figure it out, you're more than welcome to stay here in my classroom to work on your painting if you wish." Her eyes darted to the door, focusing on Axel who curiously stood there. "Same for you, Axel."
"That sounds great. Thank you, Ms. Edwards," Axel combed a finger through his shaggy, raven hair that covered his olive green eyes.
"Yeah, thank you," I acknowledged before making a zig-zag through the art tables to the door.
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The howl of the wind blowing against the leaves of trees and the bristles of grass felt relaxing. I crouched down under a pine tree, gaining a glimpse of the large lake ahead of me. This spot is my relaxation hangout spot. There are no blaring noises of cars on trucks, or the foggy smell of them. There's only the calm sound of birds chirping and the natural scent of the pine trees and grass.
I reached towards my backpack that was tossed on the ground and pulled out my sketchpad, my back leaned on a rough tree trunk of an aged oak tree. My eyelids shut as I breathed in, pondering about what I'll paint for the contest. All I thought about was the woods and that only, which didn't fit the theme for the contest in a way.
I reached for my phone, which was stuffed in my back pocket and pulled out my awfully tangled earbuds, tied up in knots and twists. I plugged in the jack and stuffed them in, my fingers pressed on the Spotify icon that led me to the app. I played a random study music playlist and slouched back. I may not be studying, but it might still help me focus on seeking ideas.
No matter how much time I brainstormed, nothing came to mind. Nothing that would be suitable for the contest, at least.
"Clouds . . . too plain. Skyscrapers . . . that won't match the contest's theme," I mused before groaning at a random advertisement that blasted through my earbuds. "Drats."
I tossed my backpack on my shoulder and stood up, my feet brushed against the pine tree leaves scattered against the ground. I sauntered towards the wooden dock of the lake, plopping myself at the rim, my fingers planted against it. The rush of the water was soothing. This place was a location where people could fish and hang out, but fewer people started to come, so it became a quiet place where hardly anyone went to. At least, I never saw anyone stop by here.
But I guess I said that too soon.
"Hey," a voice mused from a distance. "Do you mind me staying here for a bit?"
