The Art Room

Dirty Dishes

Dirty Dishes

The week had settled down. The teachers had picked out the favourite pupils and their enemies, and same went for the students. The bullies had zeroed in on their victims but a major part of the first week was still in process, The Lunch Tables. The Popular Crowd, The Drugies, the Emotional Unstable and The Party Animals; Sherlock Wood was just like any other school. Matt and Karla were one of the few people who didn’t come under a certain category, which meant they were the ‘quiet’ crowd. They were people no one really talked about, they just get by. But they didn’t care though, they were happy they had each other as a friend.

 “I’d like to think of ourselves as the... Inbetweeners!” yapped Matt, as him, Karla and May chucked their lunch on the table closest to the window. It was a chilly winter’s day, and England was doing its typical thing of pretending its warm outside, but really you could lose your toes to frost-bite out in the cold air.

“Are you serious? Why?” Karla remarked, not quite understanding where Matt was coming from.

 “You know, we’re completely different people,” his gaze settled over May, while she was fiddling with her hair and nails as he spoke “but we totally gel together, like the Inbetweeners.” His theory was correct; thought Karla, just minus the whole ‘massive sex drive’ and instead of 4 there was 3 of them.

 “In my opinion, I’d rather not be compared to a comedy about desperate boys and how they fail at everything they do or say.” May’s answer was cold and had an edge to it as she clicked the lid back on to her Rose red lipstick.

“What’s biting your bum hole?!” kidded Matt, forgetting to add the genuine concern into his question. Karla sat between them, cross-legged and not bothered with the argument that was soon to unfold. Matt tended to push May’s buttons, just for the fun of it, but sometimes he forgot she wasn’t like him. Sometimes the jokes just pissed her off.

“Oh! Just fuck off Matthew!” Pushing her tray to the side, May marched her way through the staving kids and exited the lunch hall. Mimicking her for a minute, he stopped and  wondering in dismay as the insult that had come from his best mate, just sunk in, it made him feel a little unwanted. He painted a look of pretend hurt on his face, just for the added effect.

“Oh, guess its someone’s time of month I see…” He wined as he shuffled around, calculating what to day next. Picking up his bags and tray, he too decided to leave. Knowing he was having a strop, Karla finished her food after he left and headed for the clearing rack. 

And that’s where she saw him. 

Bent over working, his rough body just managed to hide under the stained, slimy kitchen uniform. He didn’t look any older than she was, which left her wondering. Realising she was staring for too long, she diverted her gaze. Yet she was caught out, their eyes lock for mere seconds. Karla’s cheeks began to flush with colour; she could feel the embarrassment taking control of her face. His mouth quivered, as if he was to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. Remembering where she was, she slammed the tray on the table and trotted out of the lunch hall, roughly throwing out all the thoughts of him out of her head. She needed a clear mind, she told herself.

Walking into an art room that has had a massive make over was an immense shock to Karla. The display board that of late use to be cover with art work from maybe the dinosaur age, was now bursting with colour and much more recent art work. Looking through them Karla spotted hers and smiles at the fact her work was good enough to be put on display. 

“Right, before we get down to it, I’ve got a proposition for you lot. I’m starting up an Art club, and I want to find out how many of you guys are going to tag along.”