Wattpad Pick: High School Hijinks - March 2, 2018 ||
After standing up to the popular crowd on her first day at Alcott High, Melody Reese's start at a new school becomes a very different one than she had hoped for. A second run-in later, she with th...
She gave me a small smile as she entered the car; one that reached her green eyes but was quick enough that I'd have missed it if I blinked. She brought a small black backpack into the car with her and set it by her feet as she sat.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," I replied, taking her all in. "You look beautiful." She wrinkled her nose in response and broke eye contact with me.
"Thanks. You look handsome," she said, motioning to my outfit and I. Dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a dark green dress shirt, opened up.
"Thank you," I said, chuckling at her deflection. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," she said. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise! But get comfy, it's a little bit of a drive."
***
It was more than a little bit of a drive, considering we drove all the way to Manhattan. I watched as Melody's face became coloured in confusion as the signs pointed us to the city, and the skyline came into view.
"Are we going to Manhattan?" Melody asked. I nodded with a smirk. "Why? What are we doing here?"
"You'll see," I said, laughing when she gave me a playful pout in response.
"I love Manhattan.... It's so dreamy," she said softly.
"It is," I agreed, feeling warm as I took in her smile.
As we drove for a bit longer, I glanced over at her occasionally, watching her smile get even wider and brighter as we got close enough to the MoMA that she could see it.
"Are we–" she started as got within full view of it. "Are we going to go in?"
"Of course!" I said. "I know how much you love art, so I figured you might like the MoMA..."
"Like? Try love," she grinned. It was infectious, and I found my lips pulling up into a grin as well. I hadn't seen her look this happy in so long and I was grateful I could do this for her.
***
When we walked into the museum, I watched as Melody's eyes lit up. She was still the same Melody, but somehow different. She was more in her element. As we walked past various artworks, she pointed to some in amazement, or telling me some background about them.
We stopped in front of a familiar looking painting, and her eyes widened with recognition before she stopped and smiled. As she explained that this painting filled with blues and yellows was called "Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh. She told me how he was Ms. Foster's favourite artist, and about some of his story. And while I was paying attention to her as she spoke, I found myself trying to commit to memory the curve of the smile that she rarely wore. I loved the way her green eyes were dancing with amusement and the inspiration dancing on her face as she glanced between the painting and I.
As she turned back to the painting to stare at it longer, I snapped a picture of her on my phone. I could see half of her face and see some of the painting; an artsy and pretty picture sure, but one where she looked happy. Melody turned around quickly, her cheeks red.
"Did you just take a picture of me?" she asked. I gave her a sheepish grin. "Oh my gosh. I bet I look awful. Delete it!"
"You look beautiful. You're the masterpiece in this room full of art," I said. Her face turned a deep shade of pink. "And it's going to be my screen saver so... too late." She stuck her tongue out at me and linked her fingers between mine.
"You're lucky I love you," she said, and I chuckled.
And she was right. It was an honour to be loved by Melody Reese.
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Author's Note: hi friends! I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it took a while, things have been super busy! Hopefully I'll have a new chapter in less time than it took to get this one up!
