FLOWER | Winrina

Chapter 4

Jimin didn't run into her best friend on her way to the fifth period - which was art, her favorite class. She was slightly relieved because even though she knew that she needed to sit down and talk to Jeno, she really didn't want to. She knew that she was changing, and she knew that Jeno could tell, and she didn't want to face him about it. That, and she didn't want to ask him if he was into her, because she was pretty sure he would say yes.

As she arrived at her art class, she let herself relax as she sat down on one of the smooth stools, waiting for her art teacher to arrive. When he did, he instructed his students to take out their drawing pad and to just draw something.

Jimin loved this class because she never felt obligated to try something new, but she always did. Her teacher, Dr. Wright, would emphasize something new every week, and the more he talked about it, the more fascinating it sounded. By the second day of the topic, she usually found herself completely immersed in the new kind of drawing. The class made her fall more and more into love each day.

The previous day, he had begun the Art III class by discussing nature. Jimin didn't feel that she was completely absorbed into the theme yet, but she attempted a loose sketch. Dr. Wright spent the class stopping at each student and discussing their drawing. Jimin looked up attentively when he arrived where she was sitting.

He examined what she had drawn so far, which really could only be described as a simple leaf. Jimin wasn't much into the details of nature. She preferred to use charcoal for nature scenes, giving them a dark look, but nothing of the detail that she was trying in her drawing now.

"Is something bothering you lately?" Dr. Wright questioned, looking over her drawing and not making eye contact with her.

"A few things," she stated, wondering if her confusion about her feelings regarding her new friends and her friendship with Jeno was somehow showing up in her artwork. Dr. Wright must have been able to feel her worry because he gave her a gentle smile.

"There's a thing that I learned in college - and it's that emotion makes beautiful art. Not always meaningful or important, but beautiful. I can tell that something is bothering you, Miss Yu, but if you let it peck at you, you will peck at the paper. If you embrace it and allow yourself to feel what is behind it, you will create beautiful artwork. You may also begin to feel better about whatever it is." Giving her another thin smile, he walked off, leaving her no time to ask questions.

Jimin scanned over her rough sketch. He was right- she knew. She could picture the charcoal outline of her father's jaw sitting in her bedroom, and she knew he was right about emotion creating beautiful art.

She made a mental note of that as the bell to dismiss the fifth period rang, and she gently slid her sketchbook into her bag and started out of the classroom. She felt slightly refreshed, which was nice.

Entering her sixth period, she found herself suddenly in conversation with Aeri. "Hey, Jimin! Are you busy on Friday?"

Just as she was about to answer with a negative, she recalled that she was hanging out with Jeno on Friday, and she bit her tongue. "Um, yeah."

Aeri frowned. "How about Saturday?"

"No, I'm not," Jimin answered, giving the brunette a half smile. "Why?"

"We're having a hang out at mine and Yuuto's place, and you should come! So far, everyone likes you, but we don't really know you that well. Figured that if you're going to be friends with us, there's no point in not inviting you, you know?" Aeri said, smiling widely.

"Yeah, sure," Jimin agreed, feeling something warm inside her chest. She hadn't felt it since before her dad got in his car accident - it was a feeling of happiness. She had never really gotten along with her mom, but her dad, she had always been so incredibly close with him. His best friend had been Jeno's dad, which is how she and Jeno had always been so close. With his death, though, it was like her life had slowly been falling apart all summer, and now, it was like a few of her pieces were being picked back up. Like the broken parts were getting healed by something entirely different that she never thought she would ever need.