English period seems to be a total blur. I neither want to listen nor concentrate on what Ms. Williams is teaching right now. The flashback of Caleb punching his hand on the wall is all that comes in my mind. The blood dripping from his left hand, his friends trying to stop him from doing it over again, and the... blood.
Oh god! Why did he do that? I have never seen someone do this before. I had heard that he was a badboy and was very aggressive with anger issues. But is this one of the reasons why everyone is so afraid of Caleb? Is he really that dangerous? I wish Nina was here today. I miss her. She is such a support for me, and whatever I witnessed today, I don't think I want to have anything to do with all this anymore.
English period soon ended leaving me with only one last class to go to. My favourite class- Art.
I enter the classroom where Mrs. Bloomwood, my art teacher, was already present. The art class mostly remains unoccupied, as few students opt for it. I look around the large room; it is a large room to accomodate 40 student or more, but hardly 10 people show up to the class.
I choose my seat beside the window as usual and start taking out all that I need for my art. I don't want to boast, but I am fairly good at painting, even Mrs. Bloomwood admits that. Art class is somewhere, where I can find peace within me. I forget everything else, and just concentrate on the thing I would paint. Mrs. Bloomwood is still busy with paintings submitted from previous class, so we all just sit there doing nothing and waiting for her instructions.
Mike comes and sits to the bench on my right side in the adjusent row. He gives me a polite smile and starts taking out his belongings from his bag. Each bench is quite big enough for two people to sit together but still as the whole class is more or less empty, we always sit alone, so that we get more space for painting.
"Long time Bella, how are you?" Mike asks after keeping his drawing sheet on the table. Mike and I are friends since I had started my art classes. Well that was a long time ago. He seems like a very decent boy, and genuinely kind hearted.
Well, I have seen very few people like him at school, not to mention whom I am hanging out with recently. Okay! I just went out with him only once, just once. And we were in a group, not alone like a date!
Stop talking to yourself so much!!!
"Hello? Are you okay?" Mike asks again and breaks my untrailed thoughts. Stop talking inside my mind, you stupid brain...!!!
"Yes" I smile hesitantly, "I am fine, what about you? Haven't seen you around for quite some time"
"I was with my grandparents at there hometown; it was like a family holiday" Mike replies with his charming smile once again.
He really has a very cute smile though..
And as I am trying to keep my gaze fixed at Mike to compliment his smile some more, my gaze betrays me like always and stares at the figure entering the class at far. The long musculine figure, ruffled brown hair and specially the black jacket confirms my fear of seeing the boy I have the unfortunate luck of kissing twice. Yes! Caleb was here. But what the hell is he doing in art class? I have never seen him before. He enters the classroom and straight-up goes to Mrs. Bloomwood and hands her a paper and turns towards the class in search of something.
In search of me..
Our eyes meet as soon as he finds me sitting beside the window. But I soon avert my gaze and look down to his left hand, he has bandaged the bruised hand before coming here. Thank god it's alright now. Is it? I hope it is.
Shut up Bella! why do you care?
Sorry.!
"Hey, do you have a pencil? I forgot to bring mine" I hear Mike ask from beside me. I divert my gaze to him while it takes me few seconds to register what he is actually asking.
"Oh yes, sure" Finally I respond while smiling and giving him one of my pencils, "Here take this".
"Thanks" he replies with the same old cute smile but now I am more interested in knowing what the hell that guy, that bully, is doing here. I look up again to see his cold stares towards me, his jaw clenched as he looks straight at me.
"Okay, you may join, though I don't understand why a boy like you would want to join something like art in the middle of the semester" Mrs. Bloomwood says while giving a confused stare at Caleb, "Take your seat Mr. Ryder"
As soon as Mrs. Bloomwood orders him, he walks straight to where I am sitting. I feel my blood drain again as an unknown fear creeps within me. He comes across to where Mike is sitting and with low angry voice speaks up, "Get up!"
Both Mike and I turn towards him in shock.
"What?" Mike replies.
"I said get up! Sit somewhere else" Caleb voice still cold and stern.
"Dude, there's lots of empty places, so you go & sit somewhere else. This seat is taken" Mike replies laughing slightly, though his voice indicates that he is slightly angry on how Caleb's arrogance.
"Dude" Caleb mimicks and continues "If you know who I am, you will move from here right now without uttering another word" Caleb's voice raging a little bit, but not so much as to be heard by Mrs. Bloomwood or others at far. Mike and Caleb have a stare down for long four-five seconds before Mike looks away in defeat. Their stare down session looked like they could start a fight right here if it was possible enough.
Mike takes all his belongings and goes past me to sit somewhere at the back of the classroom. I didn't look back, maybe because I feel somewhat guilty for what just happened with him. Caleb sits himself at Mike's former place and starts taking out his drawingsheet and pencils and colors. Now where the hell did he get all this from?
He doesn't look at me anymore. Woah! That's very smooth Mr. Ryder! You move a guy from his place just to sit here, and then you pretend like you don't know me. Great! Jerk!
Mrs.Bloomwood cleared her throat, "So today you can paint anything. I mean anything that made a remarkable impression upon you in the last week. It can be something that made you very happy, or something quite depressing, or something that you didn't understand at all. Just put your emotions on that blank paper and let it speak for itself. So paint away everyone!" and with that she goes to sit back in her chair and starts doing some work.
Okay! What to paint? I turn to my right to see Caleb has already started drawing something on his paper, and so have the rest of the students. I turn to my left to see outside the window. The sky looks dark and cloudy, it may rain soon. I love when it rains, I have always loved when it rained. I again avert my eyes back at the blank paper to stare at it cluelessly. Nothing comes to my mind. Okay Bella! You can do it! Think! Think hard. What did you do last week that had any impact on you?
I close my eyes and concentrate to find any important thing that happened to me in the past week. All I could think about is Caleb kissing me twice. Nothing else seems to be in my mind. Even yesterday, in the tunnel, the way he turns me towads him, the way his lips touches mine, the soft touch and those sensational electrics that run through my body. Oh god! I am going to go mad!
I instantly open my eyes and turn to see Caleb. His brown hair falling over his grey eyes, those eyes which make him so perfect. I have never before sat with Caleb in the same class in so close a proximity. His jacket is not zipped and the white shirt inside is visible, also I can picture his perfect abs within the shirt. He looks so peacefull while drawing, I have never seen him like this before. Something about him draws me towards him everytime. I don't know what or why, but I cannot force myself to stay away from him.
I don't know for how long I keep staring at him, but maybe he realises it soon enough and looks up from his painting to fix his eyes with mine. His gray eyes concentrating on mine slowly, intensly and then like a predator finally capturing in a place. He doesnt say anything, and neither do I. We keep staring at each other until I hear someone clear her throat near us.
"Well that's a beautifull drawing Mr.Ryder, I didn't know you could draw so well" Mrs.Bloomwood says while walking in between our rows and blocking our stare.
What? What the hell was I doing right now? Was I looking at Caleb? But I hate him. Oh god! What's happening to me. And what the hell was I thinking? Bella pull yourself together girl, otherwise you are a gone case!
And wait a minute! Caleb has finished his drawing? And he can draw? I haven't yet started. Kill me!
I quickly think about what I want to draw, and start with it. I am going to draw the amusement park, as it is the only good memory I could come up with at this moment. I draw some rides, the stalls infront, people moving in various directions or riding some rides, some kids having candyfloss and running around. I draw whatever I can think of at that moment. I am so distracted by the person sitting to the left of me that it is hard to concentrate on any happy memories right now.
Mrs.Bloomwood roams the whole classroom peeking in everyone's work and commenting good or any suggestions accordingly. She again comes to where Caleb and I are sitting. Standing between our rows, she first peeks into my sketch, "Wow, thats a happy picture, Bella" She compliments.
"Thanks Mrs.Bloomwood" I smile broadly at her.
Then she turns to Caleb and peeks into his sketch. I wish I could do the same.
"Wow, wonderful! Keep it up Mr.Ryder."
Oh god! How I wish I can see what he is drawing that made the teacher compliment him twice.
I hear Caleb mutter a low "Thanks" without looking at her.
After so much hard work, I happily smile at my pencil sketch when it's finally done. It really looks nice and I am proud of the work I did. I look around to see everyone has more or less completed their work and are now sitting quitely or chatting with others. I turn to look at Caleb, am I supposed to talk to this jerk to pass the time? I mean I can ask how's his hand now.. Nope, no way!
"Okay everyone, settle down! Each one of you have drawn really wonderful drawings but today I am surprised by what a certain gentlemen their drew" Mrs. Bloomwood says while looking at Caleb. Caleb shifts in his chair a bit, may be feeling uneasy at the sudden attention and compliment.
"Please Mr.Ryder, bring your drawing for the whole class to see" Mrs. Bloomwood requests.
"It's fine, Mrs.Bloomwood, no need for that" Caleb says lowering his head. Is he for real? Is he really this much shy?
"I insist Mr.Ryder, please bring it here" Mrs. Bloomwood says in a more stern voice. Well not everyone can be boasted by Caleb. Good to know!
Caleb stands up against his wish, and walks to the teacher to hand her his painting. Everyone including me is excited to see his painting. Mrs. Bloomwood, walks closer to lift up the painting for all of us to see.
I am speechless at what I see infront of me. It is a water painting, a rather dark one. A beautiful dark painting. The surrounding is covered in small trees upon which were wrapped twinkling lights, some laterns were floating everywhere and in the center was a boat floating on a small stream of water; a boat that was carrying two people. Since the picture is dark, nothing specifically is visible, but the dark figures are looking like a boy and a girl sitting on the small boat and... kissing..!!
I look at Caleb, his intense eyes are upon me, maybe looking for a reaction. But I have no words to say. What he has drawn are us, he drew us. The moment when we had kissed in the Love Tunnel. And he has captured it so beautifully in his painting. I didn't even remember how the inside of the tunnel looked as I was so busy fighting with him then, but he has remebered every little detail and it is so breathtaking...
"So, you guys see how wonderful the drawing is? Though I would say it's rather a personal emotion that you shared, but it's really wonderful, Mr. Ryder" Mrs. Bloomwood says turning to Caleb, "I hope its a happy emotion"
I look again at Caleb for him to reply, but he doesn't answer. Taking the picture from Mrs. Bloomwood's hand, he comes back to his seat. If only Mrs. Bloomwood knew the true motive behind that kiss.. If only..
Some of the other classmates goes upto Mrs.Bloomwood with their paintings to consult with her. I start packing up my stuffs from the desk when I realise that somebody has sat beside me. I look up to see Caleb sitting and looking at me, no expression in his face, just staring at me quietly. I instantly turn to what I was doing, but with much extra speed now.
"I need to talk to you" he says in low husky voice.
"I don't" I reply back. That's good Bella! Keep it short and simple.
"Bella, stop doing this" Caleb says again.
"You stop doing whatever you are doing" And instantly my eyes goes to his left hand resting over our table, which is now covered in bandages.
He sees where I am looking and quickly puts his hand down. He holds my left hand with his other hand tightly and whispers, "Bella please!"
I try to free my wrist from his grip, but it is too tight. At that very moment by God's grace, the bell rings making everyone stand up and start to leave. We still sit there, his hand still holding mine under the desk. Caleb is sitting right beside me and he is holding my hand. When did everything turn out to be this way?!
"You two, will I have to give you special invitition to leave the class?" Mrs. Bloomwood says from her desk, "Hurry up and leave!"
"Yes Ma'am" I reply back. I was just waiting for this oppurtunity. I stand up and with much force, free myself from him and walk out of the class. But Caleb is right behind me, making me walk faster.
As we come to the crowded corridor, I feel a little bit relaxed. But my happiness is of little duration as a hand grabs my waist and pulls me to a nearby room.
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This is a long chapter.. Hope you like it..
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