chapter 2: the painting
a loud thump jolted me awake. only i wasn't in my bed. mr. fawks, my art teacher looked down at me with a disapproving look. he said nothing as he walked away from my table to return to teaching the class. a class i don't understand. i love art and all, but what exactly are we learning here? it's supposed to be creative, spontaneous; art isn't something you teach. it's something you just do. an expression of human imagination. not a lesson.
"everyone listen up," he began using his announcement voice. "today is free day."
thank god.
"you can draw or paint what you choose, just don't over use any supplies as we are running low, and i'm not sure when more are coming in," he warns.
it really is a shame how much funds are used for sports and not arts and music. i thought tickets and stuff for games are supposed to go towards the school? yet as i look at my surroundings i see old wooden tables with dried out paint, and a limited amount of supplies scattered effortlessly around. schools don't care about us. just two more years. two years and i'm out of this bottomless pit of hell.
"mr. wolfhard?" fawks spoke regaining my attention. "get drawing."
fifteen minutes had rolled by and nothing. i stared directly at my blank canvas, hoping that maybe it would paint itself. it didn't. i sighed, slouching down in my squeaky old chair. what could i possibly paint about? my dog?
no, too plain. this might be harder than i thought. think finn. my mind began swarming with pointless ideas until it landed on one, like that spinny wheel on those game shows. i picked up my paintbrush and began looking through the sorts of colors that lay in front of me. i began picking at colors, swiping them across my canvas, being messy here delicate there. my arm was fueled with inspiration that i hadn't felt in a long time.
"finn," a familiar voice spoke behind me. i continued to paint, not taking my eye off of the work in front of me.
"hmm?" i barely replied.
"this is...something," mr. fawks figure appeared next to my right side.
"is that good?" i asked after a couple moments, adding the last few details.
"oh, yes, it's very creative. what's your inspiration for this?" he asked pointing to it. i placed my brush back into its bucket, following his gaze back towards the painting.
i shrugged. "i don't know," i said honestly.
it was just a blob. a black blob. well, more like a silhouette, of the girl i saw last night. there were many bright colors leaping from the figure; yellow, purple, red. i'm not completely sure what it meant. she looked so dark, yet in the moment something came off to me as radiant. i don't know why that's what i thought of, but when creativity strikes, i guess you have to act on it.
"well you did a good job regardless. nice to see you have your inspiration back," he complimented.
"thank you," i smiled slightly, stretching my arms from the amount of work i had just poured into the painting. i stood from my seat, stepping back to admire my work. it wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad at all. i hadn't had an inspiration for weeks now. and for once in a long time, i was proud of myself.
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"can i ask you something?"
"yeah," i said after a moment, too deep in my thought to notice the boy talking to me.
"are you...are you gay or?" the brunette asked. i looked into his hazel eyes, filled with honesty and curiosity.
"no, w-what the hell is that what you think?" i questioned.
"well i mean, i mean yeah kind of. like you don't even talk about girls."
he wasn't wrong. but not because i was gay or anything, which is what people at school think. i've been asked that question so many times i had even started to question it myself. i just don't talk to girls like that. or anyone for that matter. noah was one of my only friends. my best friend.
i looked down at my friend, who was about 6 inches shorter than me, "no, noah i'm straight. can't people just keep to themselves? i thought you'd understand that more than anyone," i said, feeling a bit hurt.
maybe i'm being overly sensitive, i've been doing that a lot lately. yet, my point still stands.
"sorry finn..like it'd be okay if you were or-"
"i'm not," i said lowly, starting to pick up my pace.
he nodded, "okay..well did you wanna go to the movies this weekend or something?" he tried to change the subject while keeping up with my waking tempo.
i shrugged, "i don't know, i'll have to ask my mom," i say as we round the corner to my street. i know how my mom gets about my social life. she always has to know where, when, why, what and who.
"okay well," he stopped in his tracks, turning to face the other direction towards his house. noah didn't live too far from me, just down a block or so, about a 5 minute walk, 2 1/2 minute jog if i'm eager to get out of my house for whatever reason. "text me!"
"okay," i replied, nodding in his direction though he couldn't see it.
it was a chilly november afternoon, though the part of indiana i lived in was a bit colder than others. i zipped up my thin jacket more, cursing under my breath that i hadn't brought better protection. i reached my street, my house being three doors down. i sped up a bit, wanting nothing more than to get in the comfort of my own home. though that quickly changed the closer i got to my house.
the girl.
well, i think. she was at the same house again, this time sitting on the porch steps. as i came more into view, i could make out a face. she was white and pale, short brown hair, shoulder length. she was wearing light ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, along with a plaid flannel. the girl didn't move, if it weren't for the wind blowing her hair i would've mistaken her as a statue.
my feet stopped once i realized i had reached the front of my house. looking back up, the girl was now staring at me. not with any emotion; anger or happiness, just blank. normally i would take that as a sign to fuck off, but my feet began moving themselves in her direction as every spec of logic in my body was being flushed away.
i watched her as i rounded the corner of her home. she didn't take her eyes off of me, holding a constant stoic gaze. before i knew it i was right in front of her. my mind went a bit blank; i didn't think i'd get this far. what am i doing?
"hey," i breathed out, looking down at the petite girl. she looked up into my eyes, that looked as if they were filled with pain and confusion.
"hi," the girl said softly.
"are you the girl i saw last night?" i ask. she nodded.
"oh, i've never seen you in the neighborhood before. where do you live?"
she turned and pointed at the vacant, run-down house behind her.
"there?" i gestured at the house. surely she couldn't be living in that shit hole. she nodded again.
"w-well don't you have any parents?" i asked concerned.
she looked up at me with glossy eyes. her face softened, and for a second she looked, sad. she returned to a hard stare as she answered, "yes."
"oh," i replied nonchalantly. she's definitely fucking with me. no one but a homeless person could be living here, and i haven't seen a 'sold' sign ever. judging by her looks, she wasn't homeless.
"you know you don't have to tell me, i'm not gonna stalk you or anything," i continued.
she furrowed her eyebrows at me in confusion. the girl opened her mouth to speak, only to close her lips a few seconds later. then she did something something unexpected, something i almost thought she wasn't capable of doing. she smiled, a genuine smile. i guess it was contagious as i found the corner of my lips rising to my cheeks.
she still said nothing, i'm assuming she's not much of a talker.
"well," i threw my backpack straps more securely onto my shoulders, "i just live two doors down so, if you ever need something, wherever you live.." i trailed off, noticing her gaze was back on the ground. she batted her eyelashes quickly. she seemed so out of it.
"well i'm gonna go, bye!" i waved.
she looked back up at me quickly. "bye!" she said waving aggressively.
i smiled again. i began strutting back towards my house, a few leaves blowing in my way. i stopped in my tracks, as another question popped into my head. i turned around.
"hey! wait what's your name?!" i yelled.
"millie!" she yelled back.
"finn!" i replied.
millie. what a weirdo. something was definitely off about her, but then again everyone's a little weird. she just so happens to be weirder than others.
i want to get to know her better, and i intend to do so.
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1585 words
thoughts so far?
kay xoxo