Before He was Rosy Cheeks

when a change happens for the good

(unedited -- make sure you didn't miss the previous chapter :-) x)
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Soon the boy started opening up to his mother, to the therapist. Bright colors alongisde the dark ones appeared on the canvas during sessions. Drawings littered his room, their kitchen, his mother's desk at home and at work (which she'd recently started up again).

The more days that past, the more they grew together. It wasn't easy for either of them. Especially when their loved ones lingered around every corner of their house.

"This is no longer our home." The boy had said softly one day over breakfast. "It's just a place were we sleep and eat, it isn't welcoming anymore."

His mother's eyes had swelled with tears that didn't fall, but she nodded.
"You're right, sweetie." She replied. "It feels surreal walking around. Like it's  just a dream and they're going to walk through the door any moment."

That was all it took for them to decide that it was time to pack up and leave. His mother replied for a transfer request at work, to a new town. One that was two states away and near where she grew up. It was on the east coast, where the ocean wasn't far away, something they'd both always hoped for.

The school the boy was going to held a high standard for art, one of the reasons his mother had chosen that city in particular. She wanted him to let out everything trapped deep inside him in the best way possible. With brushes and pencils instead of razor blades.

The boy's old friends came to help them pack for the journey and he made ammends with them. Specifically Jeremiah, who ended up hugging him. He had apologized profoundly to his friend, and Jeremiah had hushed him when he tried to explain the state he was in. Jeremiah and his other friends even threw them a surprise send away party. He was going to miss him, miss his old life. But he knew it was for the best.

After one last drive around his town, one last walk down his old school's hallways, and one last visit to their three damily members, the two were off in their SUV and tiny moving trailer. They'd brought with them enough to keep their legacy alive, enough to remember the most important things about them. They could never forget, but they could get past the tradgedy. 

With the windows down and the sea breeze hitting their cheeks, they entered their new town. It was quaint and full of life, just what the two needed. And as they pulled up to the small house that was to become their home, everything felt right.

They spent the next two weeks unpacking and making everything just right, as well as aquanting themselves with their new neighbors. The boy hadn't seen his mother so free since the accident, and his mother thought the same about him.

She'd given him a special room in the house, just for his art. It was small, yet perfect for its use. They'd painted the walls white, leaving a blank canvas if he even wanted to make murals, put up an easal and a whole art station that slowly accumulated art supplies over the weeks until school. It didn't take long for him to hang new pieces on the wall or gift to his mother. Her favorite was hanging on the mantle, one that had a beeming family of five that brought more warmth to the room than a fire ever would.

Things felt so right to them, though some days they fell off track again. But together they helped lift each other up once more.

One of the worst days since they'd moved was the night before school, as he finally realized how nervous he was. Nervous that people would ask why he moved, or why he had puffy scars on his arms. Where his dad was. He'd never been asked those kinds of questions before, there hadn't been the need to.

It took a lot of reassurance from his mother in the morning that everything was going to go wonderfully. That people were going to love him. That he wasn't a monster, but a boy who had pink cheeks and a kind demeanor.

Shaky hands (which clutched a slightly bent schedule) and feet got him from his mother's car to the front door of his new high school, and with a deep breath he made his way inside. Not wanting to bother anyone,  he manged to figure out the numbering of the classrooms and found his way to his first class period:

Introduction to Painting and Drawing.

The welcoming atmosphere of the art classroom was apparent as he crossed the threshold, with its uniquely painted ceiling tiles and art plastered on the walls (only what he would assume as student made). He couldn't  wait to explore each piece and figure out what they meant.

Slowly he made his way to a seat, after reading "Welcome and wherever is fine!" in bright chalk letters on the board, and plopped his backpack on the ground. He slid onto the stool and glanced around as the classroom filled quickly. The faces were all foreign to him, as he'd expected, and no one seemed to notice the new kid. All were too busy catching up with friends.

He searched around the room until he settled on a pretty, dark haired girl who nudged her way through a cluster of teens and to a desk on the other side of the room from his. With wide, pale eyes, she took in faces, her shoulders falling when she didn't seem to recognize anyone.

Maybe she's new too.

He hadn't taken his eyes away from her, and didnt realize that she eas gazing at him until too late. Quickly he snapped his gaze away, his cheeks feeling hot. He felt on edge about it, as he'd never been good around girls.

He snuck a look at her again, he found her flushed pink, with her pencil swirling in her hand. And when her gaze met his briefly again, something about her eyes felt so welcoming, so familar.

In that moment, he decided that this year might not be so bad after all.

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Bella's note: So Before He is finally finished! I have to say this was my favorite chapter. (This took forever for me to complete, I apologize for this a thousand times over!! Junior year is a little intense, especially with my class load.) I'm hoping to finish Before She soon and put a few updates in Afterwords. Im also going to be working on a few new book projects so if youd like, keep your eyes out for them! (Oh, Im also going to do some editing to Rosy Cheeks, change little bits around!)

I'd just like to thank you all so much for keeping with me through all my crappy, long waited for updates, especially since so many of you have been around since Rosy Cheeks. I never expected any of the reponses Ive gotten from my works and it's just astounding to me! If this is where you stop with my stuff (and this goes to my continuous readers!!), I wish you the best of luck in life, and remember that you can get through anything that's happened or happening to you. I know it might be hard, but I believe in you. And if you need someone, I promise I am always here to talk to.

So much love to you all,
-xx

(P.s. if you have any questions feel free to message me or comment below!)