Love's Never Too Late

Chapter 2

Shortly after I leave the classroom, the bell goes for our next subject. I try hurriedly to recall what it is, I managed to lose my timetable around a month ago, and it takes a second but I remember I have art and I smile in relief. This teacher actually gets me and I excel in art reasonably well.

I walk into the room and sit down next to someone called Shane, if we didn't have assigned seats I'd be on the other side of the room from him but hey, at least it's art. The titchy plastic chair sticks to my trousers and the tables are smeared with dry paint that previous students have been too lazy to clean up. The chairs are also pretty uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure they were meant to take these ones for the eight year olds in primary but I can put up with the cramping in my legs.

I get my folder out and proceed to work on a painting we started two weeks ago. I get all my water-colours out and my two fine brushes, one is just slightly thinner than the other, and last week I secretly put marks on specific paint pallets so I'd know which ones to use. I'm taking a while, but I need it to be absolutely perfect. We got free choice of what we wanted to create, so I decided to do a galaxy with all the stars and colours. I've always found the sky just mesmerising, all of it so far away yet so close and so beautiful. When I look at the sky I actually feel at peace and nothing else matters at all in those moments. I definitely won't be looking at the sky tonight though, with these grey clouds everywhere.

I start adding to the array of colours on my paper with a saffron the shade of newly grown daffodils in spring, a cyan as lush as an oasis, a magenta the colour of the sunset at night and so many others. All of them collectively makes me incredibly happy and light inside, and I smile to myself, which is an expression my facial muscles aren't used to performing.

And like everything else in my life, it quickly falls apart.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" I shout in anger. Shane spilt an entire cup of black acrylic paint all over my painting, it looks like it's being engulfed by a black hole.

"It was just really ugly," he retorts with a shrug, looking at my ruined painting with satisfaction. I look at him with hatred and desperately try and scrape off some of the paint before it completely ruins it, I could be able to recover some of it at least. I look around, but the teacher isn't in the room and I groan as it doesn't seem to be doing any good, I'm absolutely livid at him. I've never bothered him before; or even tried to talk to him for that matter, yet he still finds it fun to make my life even more hellish than it already is.

Realising that there's no point trying to fix it anymore, it's completely ruined, I sigh in despair. What was once a calming yet exciting mixture of hues, is now a black and brown chaos.

I look sideways at Shane and a payback idea forms inside my head. He's always been incredibly fond of his shiny blonde hair, so naturally I grab a cup of black acrylic paint and pour it over his head. It swirls down through his mop of hair and I smile with satisfaction as he screams in shock.

" HOW DARE YOU! " he stands up and glares at me with paint starting to drip down his forehead onto his even blonder eyebrows. Everyone in the room suddenly goes completely silent and they all turn to look at the scene unfolding before them.

" Sorry, I just thought your hair was ugly, " I smirk at him and stand up, grabbing my bag and leaving a livid Shane in the classroom.

It's only as I walk further away that I realise that was an immense mistake. Shane is the golden boy to all the teachers, always well behaved and very intelligent, but I know better. The real problem is I'll definitely get into trouble for that paint escapade and I wouldn't be surprised if they send a letter to my mum. She'll be absolutely mad and I can just hope she's sober so it won't be too bad, although I'm definitely coming in with several bruises when she finds out.

I can't keep walking, I'm too heavy to keep going. I lean against the wall on my side and fight an urge to let that salty liquid come out my eyes. What did I do to deserve this for a life?

As I lean there allowing myself to be engulfed by the heaviness in my chest, I start becoming attuned to the sounds around me. It's completely silent, except for a low mellow sound coming from a room shortly down the hallway. Naturally intrigued by the sound that is pleasingly sophisticated, I come away from the wall and begin to walk towards the sound. The sound stops for a second, and then starts up again but starts to play different notes with dynamics. It's an incredibly calming sound and I take it in happily, but I have a necessity now to know who's making the melody.

With all thoughts from my previous class gone, the instrument and who's playing it is all that matters right now. I get to the door and it's slightly ajar, and I gently push it further open cringing at the small groan it makes. Thankfully, the person making the music doesn't notice and I discover that that person is a tall skinny boy around my age playing a cello. I look at him in awe, he has his eyes closed and is completely encased in the beauty of the melody. It's a slow song, but evidently requires a lot of skill and his left hand vibrates subtly on the short notes and dramatically with every longer note.

I can't tear my eyes away and I watch as he plays with such delicacy but in contrary, so much power and control. I'm completely unaware of how long I spend there until the dreadful ringing of the bell pulls my out of my gaze. He hears it too and opens his eyes, stopping creating the beautiful harmonies and I sigh. He looks around quickly and I see he has large brown eyes, they look so gentle and kind and I smile slightly.

He gets off his chair and over to a silver case in the corner and fiddles about with the instrument to get it in and sit right. I know I shouldn't still be watching, but I'm not out of the mesmerisation this boy's ability has put me in, even if he isn't playing anymore. He looks up randomly, probably saw me in the corner of his eyes, and our eyes meet. A mixture of green eyes and gentle eyes looking straight at each other, and my heart feels like it's taking off.

" Crap, " I mutter and jump away from the door, I've been caught. I go to turn away and hurry down the hallway but I soon realise the boy has come out the small music room and he grabs my arm.

" Were you watching me? " he looks at me with a relatively neutral expression and I can't think of anything to say.

" I'm not mad, I just wanna know, " he smiles kindly, letting go of my arm.

" I-I maybe was but it was just so pretty I couldn't help myself, " I spit out and look at my feet with my face going a bright crimson and it feels like lava is poured down my face.

He chuckles slightly, " thank you, I'm Tommy, " he says and I just bring myself up to look at him, which is a lot of neck craning might I add.

" I-I... " I just can't get my name out, why do I have to be so awkward. I smile slightly at him as I come to notice a tight feeling in my stomach and I realise, this must be the butterflies people always talk about. I like this boy and I want to spend more time with him, there's absolutely no denying it.

" T-there's a new game place down town, w-wanna, well, w-would you like to go see a film? " I look at him in the eyes and immediately cringe, who on earth asks someone they've just met if they want go to the cinema?

He shrugs and to my relief says, " Sure, why not. I just have to put my cello away first, " he says with a grin and removes a lock of his mop of shaggy brown hair out his eyes.

I smile properly for the first time in forever, I have a friend. Maybe, just maybe, it could end up something more than that...

(( By the way, you're not gonna find out the name of the person who's point of view it's in until very close to the end so they're just N/A right now. ))