Chapter 6 - Late

*Sydney Roswell's POV*

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I run my left fingers on the rough surface of the canvas of the painting that I have been working on since last week. It's something that I cannot finish in a short period because of the number of details that I want to put on it, and I have to go to school and do some other things. I always find time to paint every time I feel sad and happy. But right now, I am miserable. I might as well work on this one.

A small sigh escaped my mouth as I thought of the girl on the incomplete painting I was facing. It was still her face that I have finished, and I have a perfect idea of what kind of dress I will supply the missing picture. It's going to look perfect as she has always been.

After sketching some details that would be my guide, I poured a few red, black, white, and brown paint on my palette and took a particular brush to begin doing my masterpiece.

It's my one hundred and ninety-sixth painting of OJ Hunters ever since I started with this hobby back in my fourth grade. And this is undoubtedly the countless times that I painted something. I usually paint landscapes, buildings, and animals when I have time. And the only moment I paint people are when I receive requests from my customers, or if I could see her changing her look or if whenever I want to paint her. Do you think I'm obsessed with her? Mmm, nope. She is just a perfect figure that I absolutely know every detail and curve. I could even sketch or paint her with my eyes closed. Well, I am... Fine.

I looked at the clock on the wall, and I didn't notice the time passed. It's three o'clock in the morning, and I haven't closed my eyes other than a blink. Damn, the sun is going to come out in a few hours from now. I need to sleep.

A wide smile was plastered on my face when I saw my work.

"You are just perfect as you should be. You're my favorite. Well, all of you are." I muttered in awe and chuckled softly as I finally wrote its number on the bottom right corner of the canvas.

Sleep might be a perfect thing to do next... In the next hour. I still need to sort my precious items in this attic. Well, I have asked my brother to give me this place solely for me to execute my weirdness, and thankfully, he let me have it. It's been my favorite place on earth, and no one else knows what I do up here. It's been my first love to paint what comes to my mind, and just the time we moved in here, I did a business out of it.

Being a not very known painter makes you earn less, especially if you won't use your name as the creator. My online store doesn't earn much, but it's enough to save up money for my college education. The ceramic piggy bank where I put my earnings can only be open if I break it, and I should not open it until I graduate high school next year. I can do it, and I know I will have enough money even if I won't work part-time while studying, so I could focus more on academics. Even if I don't graduate with the highest honor and earn full scholarships, I can still support my studies. I will chase my dreams, and I will never give up till I reach them.

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"Sydney!!! Syd! Are you up there?" I heard a voice calling my name, which made me flutter my eyes open as I had just woken up.

Where the heck am I? Oh, I slept on the couch in the attic again.

"Sydney! Young woman, don't make me climb up this rope ladder!" The voice called again, and I recognized it. Wendy. Climb up the ladder?

"As if you could, Wen!" I replied to the pregnant woman, yelling with my husky morning voice as I stood up and stretched my whole body.

"Oh, thank goodness, you are awake! My knuckles bled knocking on your door, and you're not answering. Only to find out that you are in your sanctuary. Your gang is right at the front yard and waiting for you since the last half hour." She let out, and I turned my head to look at the time on the clock.

"Holistic burger!" I cursed as I read the time and realized that I woke up late. And today is a damn school day. Fuck! Where the heck is my phone? And why didn't it ring the alarm an hour ago?

"Are you okay, Syd? Are you going to school?" My sis-in-law asked, and I hurriedly went to the exit of this place.

"Of course, I am! Damn it! My phone was shut down the fucking whole night." I answered while panicking as I climbed down the ladder to do the morning rituals faster than faster.

I only have ten minutes to do everything and another ten minutes to drive to school with the morons.

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After I did everything in a flash, I hurried down with my school stuff, and I guess I won't be eating another meal.

"Syd, here! You can eat while on the road. But I'm not sure if you could still eat something while being with your peeps. Have a good day at school!" Wendy said, handing me a pack of food, and I am never more grateful to have her as my homie.

"Okay, thanks a lot, Wen. Bye!" I bid her goodbye as I ran to the door and headed to my cousin's blue car.

I opened the car door shotgun, went in, sat down, and there was a deafening silence from them. They should be overreacting because I am never late, ever. Hmm. Something's not right.

"What? Step on the gas, Kev." I asked and ordered as I looked at them weirdly, and the gay guy just stared at me with blinking eyes, then he let out a deep sigh. What is the matter with these idiots?

"Well, it's better if you would be late." He replied, and I gave him a face of confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, puzzled, and he just shrugged his shoulders and stepped on the gas.

"Late coming to class." He answered while driving a bit slower when we should be going full speed to catch our first subjects.

"Why? I was never late for my classes before. Speed up, you jerk! No one wants to be late, or you will be punished. Detention! Emma and I have a rigorous English teacher, and you absolutely know that." I let out with a bit of anger, and I turned my head to the girls sitting in the backseat, and Emma smiled at me.

When I saw Vidia, I felt like she seemed to be ignoring me. Oh, we are in this little fight now? Okay. She started it after all. Or did I? No, she was the one who sounded evil because of being happy with the bad news about OJ.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, Syd. Like now. You are never late whenever I pick you, bitches, up. What happened to you? You didn't answer our calls last night, and you indeed turned off your phone." Kevin uttered while focusing his eyes on the road, and I let out a scoff in response.

"I just want peace. And, it's because my phone was dead the whole night that I woke up late." I admitted and opened the food pack that Wendy gave me, and they should be joyous and help me eating, but we seem to have this tension. And it's great.

"Peace? You will never have it if you go to school." I heard my best friend speak sternly, and I looked at her. What does she mean by that?

"Why? Of course, school is not a place for peace for me, nor do all of you." I said something with facts, and she finally turned her cold gaze on me. Oh, I could be colder and more intimidating. She is not even one-fifth of it.

"Ah! Yeah! Of course! But right now, if you'll show your face there, you surely won't recognize it after you'll get attacked by ignoramuses." She replied and took out her phone to scroll something on it.

"What? Attack? What do you mean, Vid?" I asked her in confusion, and Emma just showed me a sad smile when I tried to look for answers whether she knew something about what my best friend was saying.

Then I turned my gaze back to my brown-headed pal.

"You should have answered my calls last night so you could prepare yourself and not be shocked." She uttered and showed me her phone while there was a video playing.

My eyebrows met in turmoil as I watched myself and OJ arguing about something. Oh, damn, it was the scene at the restroom yesterday.

"What's with it?" I asked her casually.

And she just laughed sarcastically, then let out, "Oh, my goodness, Sydney! This is what you get if you don't give a shit about what has been happening on social media and about the academy. Do you know that everyone blames you for why Hunters got into an accident that almost took her life? I have been up all night replying to these bastards and explaining that you have nothing to do with that fucking scandal with her boyfriend. That you are innocent! There are many threats against you by some of the students, especially her fans club and admirers, who believe that you are to blame. They won't go easy on you, bitch. And, I suggest you better prepare yourself with a lot of bombardment coming your way. And I am not sure if we would always be there near you to fight for you and keep you safe. This is something serious, Sydney." She blurted out, and tears threatened to fall from her warm green eyes that I used to see happy. She is mad. And I have never seen her in this state.

Well, this is something... Outrageous.