Draw Me In

Chapter 3: Turn of Events

When it came for school on Monday, my first order of business was to go right to Mason to straighten out this rumor. I wasn't sure how many people heard it, but I needed to make sure that if/when he did, he did not think it came from me.

I went to class earlier than I normally do just to make sure that I would catch him in enough time. He walks in and goes straight to his seat as I start to walk behind him.

"Hey cupcake." He says with a smile.

"No, no. None of that." I say annoyed.

"I don't know who started this little dumb rumor but I do not have a crush on you. And don't ever think that I will. Stop calling me cupcake, baby, or whatever. Stop winking at me, stop showing up everywhere I go. As a matter fact, just like disappear." I say frustrated as I walk away and sit down in my seat.

I don't know when everyone got in the classroom but they were all staring at me. I'm not sure if it was pity for him or shock from me but it was very uncomfortable.

The classroom was dead silent until our teacher came in and started teaching. Even she noticed that something was off in the air.

The rest of the day was very odd for me. Everywhere I looked, someone was always looking at me and I could never read their expression. When I would look at them, they would instantly look away. However lunch was the most awkward of them all.

"I heard you cussed Mason out today." Says Juliana, a girl that sits at our table.

"Is that why everyone keeps looking at me?" I say hoping to get the answer I'm looking for.

"I think so. I mean, it's not surprising that someone would cuss him out. I think it's just surprising that it came from you." She says while chewing on a fry.

"I just got so annoyed. He won't leave me alone and then this rumor comes along. I just want to be unbothered." I say defeated.

" I don't think that's possible. Especially not now." She says while looking around the cafeteria.

I join her and I see people peeking to look at me and quickly putting their heads down once I make eye contact with them. I don't know what people are saying about me, but I don't think I feel good about it. I know Mason is annoying but maybe I was a little too harsh on him. He hasn't seemed like I was too hard on him. Then again, I actually haven't seen him since this morning.

I felt uneasy about just sitting there but I'll deal with Mason later. Mason can handle himself and if he really had a problem with what I said, he would have come to me. That thought made me feel a little better, but not good enough.

For the past two days, it has been nothing but weird. Mason has basically been avoiding me and people look at me so different. I didn't think what I said was that harsh but here it is, Wednesday, and I'm still being treated like I slapped his mother.

"Hey meanie." Juliana says as she sits down across from me.

"I'm not mean!" I groan as I put my head down.

"Yeah, try telling that to everyone else." She says as she twirls her fry in her hand.

"I'm not going to sit here and do this with you. I get enough of that in the hallway and during class. Bye." I say as I get up and leave.

I don't even see why this was a big deal. All I told him was to leave me alone. I start to get a headache and finally can't wait for the weekend.

It's the end of the day Friday and I brought my art supplies with me because a day at the park is definitely needed. When the bell rings, I head straight for my spot near the tree. I need a break from my own mind.

Since it's Friday, the park is a little crowded so I have to sit in a different spot, which I don't mind.

I sit down at a place that is near a pond and the grass is a bit taller than what I'm used to, but I don't mind. It's actually a nice change from what I'm used to, especially after the week I've had. I need as much change as possible. Maybe my feng shui is messed up and I need to re-position my life or something.

I lay on my back and let the sunshine hit my face. I close my eyes and relax.

I was slowly falling asleep until I heard a voice that I've barely heard all week.

"Yeah buddy, find a bench you want to go to."

"I want to go to that one over there." The little boy says as she runs with a plastic bag in his hand.

"Hold on, you can't leave without me. I want to feed the little guys too."

I turn around and I see Mason running after the little boy with a smile on his face.

That has to be his brother because this is the second time that I have seen them here together. Seeing Mason makes me feel better about this week. He obviously isn't depressed enough to stay in the house. He still has enough energy to take his little brother out to the park.

Over the next few hours, I watch from afar as Mason interacts with the boy, feeding birds. They are both glowing with happiness. This a different side of Mason that I think he should show more. I don't think people would think he was annoying if he showed he had a least a little heart.

I start to draw now that I'm not so tense and I instantly feel a weight lifted off my shoulder. Often times when I feel like this, I just let the pencil take over. I try not to plan out too much and let it be pure emotion.

When I am finally done, I am shocked at what I see.

In the lower left side of the sketch, there is the pond and birds swimming in it. Right outside the pond is the mother birds keeping watch on her young. To the upper right of that is bird food on the ground and birds eating the seeds. But what I see next is something that even I am surprised that I drew. There is the park bench, with Mason and his brother sitting there. The boy is smiling while throwing food to the birds. Mason is nothing but all smiles, his dimples showing more than they ever have, and pure joy is on his face. I look up and see that there is actually no one at the bench.

This scares me though. Not because I didn't notice that they left, but it's the fact that I don't know how long ago they left. Which means, that I drew this from my memory. 

Smiling Mason is engraved in my memory, and I think I don't mind.

Boy, oh boy. Why is this happening to me?