Professor Mark Anderson was very excited to finally see some of my drawings. We talked and agreed I would start seeing him, so he could shape me into a diamond before I even started college, assuring me there wasn’t much to do because I really did breathe through my art.
I had some sweet red tea in old expensive china with the wrinkled bald man, as we discussed what I could do and what painting materials would fit better to my style. He showed me his favorite teaching art books and some painting techniques, I was eager to try as soon as I could.
I left his home feeling good about myself and proud of what I had in me without any special lessons. The professor was so kind and friendly, it made our meeting very pleasant. As soon as I had my life in line after the move, I was going to visit this old man and trust his skills to help me go to a great college.
I couldn’t help but gawk at her.What did I do to deserve that? This was our first time talking, after all.“I am not going to listen to your mean threats any longer. You better move away from my car and me.” I furrowed my brows at the demon in front of me and reached for my keys.“Stop right there, Alice! This should be enough. Do not unlock or enter the car!” Thomas ordered me, hastily approaching us with a worried expression.I took a step away from my Honda and smiled at him.Yeah, we had enough!“Hi there, stalker.” He said to the surprised girl, gazing at his features like he was her God.
Author's thought: "If you don't open yourself to others, you are missing out on the good things too." Here I was, the crazy girl, sprawled out on her belly, covered with leaves in the schoolyard. No, I wasn't bullied. It wasn’t because I was showing off how popular I was, nor was I skilled in martial arts and training outside. The bullying - I had presumed they just hadn't decided to do it, yet. The thing was, I would have done anything for my art, regardless of what others might have thought, and the reason I was on the ground was my art. "Alice, maintain that pose, and let me just get that off.” Linda, my best friend, spoke as she bent forward to remove a leaf from my face. "Now it's perfect!" She exclaimed and resumed her work. She was amazing and very loyal, and I loved her for that. Linda was Korean, not that it mattered one bit. I would have loved her even if she had horns and a tail. If anything, it made her even more special. We became close in eighth grade when she had t
I was not the prettiest girl in my town or some skinny model, but I understood art when I saw it. I knew how to click my own pictures, so I posed in front of the mirror. My full lips stretched in a bright, charming smile. I maintained that pose and clicked a picture with my phone. I loved the blue in my eyes. But still, I loved it more when I make photos and paintings with no colors. Just black and white, which was strange considering the fact I usually worked with colors. Maybe, I had to just admit that I looked nice when I smiled.Satisfied with my look, I considered myself ready for the new day and went downstairs to wait in the living room for my siblings to come. I had my hair in a ponytail and light makeup. I was in a mood to wear my loose, black "Disturbed" T-shirt and gray tight jeans, so that's what I had gone with."Good morning, Alice," the sleepy, muffled voice reached my ears as my step-brother rubbed his eyes while descending the stairs."Good morning to you too, Steven,"
The bell rang, indicating that the history class was now over. I gathered my things, stuffed them in my backpack, and zipped it this time. When I got up from my desk, I saw the hot, new boy in school standing in front of me, as he patiently waited and also prevented me from moving."Um, you are making my personal space smaller," I stated, without looking up at his face, because I knew it was too close for my liking."Yes, but we had an understanding… sort of," he spoke softly, not moving one bit, as he put out his right hand, "Hi, I am Thomas Black."Oh, yeah? I didn't know that.I mentally rolled my eyes and thought about it for a moment. I guess he was really up to do this from the beginning. Let's get just this over with, so we can get on with our lives."Alice Stevens. Nice to meet you, Mr. I have two identities." I greeted him back sarcastically, and took a half step back, to make eye contact. That was the only space I had."Hey, we are starting over. Don't be the mean one now. A
The most exciting detention was over an hour later. I was both thankful and disappointed when Thomas went to help Daphne, the older girl, after he stated that ‘I painted his heart’. Whatever that was supposed to mean in his head."What a self-oriented, annoying...like he is made of confidence!" I bit out angrily as I climbed inside Linda's Chevrolet."Hi to you, too!" she teased, as a small giggle escaped her. I shot her a serious look which made her continue, "Ok. Who?""Like you have to ask. That… Thomas." My face scrunched up in annoyance when his name left my lips. Linda placed a hand on my shoulder and I sighed. A second later, someone unexpected appeared outside my window making me jump in my place.It was him, of-freaking-course!He knocked on the glass and bent down slightly to look at me with his perfect invading-my-space smile. I turned to Linda to send her This-is-what-I-was-talking-about look, and she just shrugged at me apologetically. Another knock on my window followed,
No lights were needed for me to know that Tina's eyes were throwing lightnings my way. Yet, she flipped open the switch and revealed her angry posture. Her eyebrows narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line.I gulped at the thought of what cruel revenge she could muster up for me being here… and she didn't even know that I read her message. Hell was coming my way."Your phone." I managed to say and pointed to the desk behind me, afraid to turn my back to the mean angry girl.A look of realization dawned on her face as she followed my pointer to the device, and she let out a sigh."I went to look for it. Where was it?" she asked with a calmer tone, but I could tell she was still on edge."In the bathroom." I simply answered.I was no coward, but I didn't want her wrath to spill on me. I didn't want to be complicated… but I made it anyway."I know your secret, but don't worry. I am not judging you or anything." I said, looking away for some unknown reason."What did you say? What
6. Shop me my style"Good morning, everyone!" I spoke, while looking in my phone’s camera and posed for a picture. ‘Day one of twin sis makeover (TSM)’ I captioned the photo I had just made, and posted it on social media.I had my ‘Stained’ T-shirt on, dressed like myself with hair down and only mascara on. I wondered how I would look at the end of the day, when Tina would have forced her fashion ideas on me.I went to the kitchen and grabbed a banana for the road. It was my favorite breakfast. Sweet, easy to eat when you are not in the mood and most importantly healthy. I liked to get one to-go and eat it in my car while I was driving to school. That's what I did today too. The only difference was that I spotted Tina in the yard when she was going to her car, and she actually said ‘hi’ to me with a very big not fake smile. That was a first!"I will see you by the lockers at half past two, okay?" she asked, and I nodded in reply.In the parking lot, I was making a list of things I c
As soon as we got back, we went to the Dean and delivered the painting supplies that we bought on our way out of the mall. I actually picked some pretty interesting stuff that would really make our paintings pop up from those old walls. After that, I went to my last class, which was Thomas free. The two classes I skipped were with him, so I hadn't seen him all day.After school, I went to paint with others, and they actually enjoyed the stuff we got at the mall. One used glitter to make a snow sparkle, another placed small gems, instead of painting them and made it look crazy realistic. Some electric colors that I bought made Daphne's northern lights look just amazing. I was glad about my purchase, and it gained me some respect from others in the project.My first idea was mostly in black, gray and white (no surprise there), a girl sitting on the ground somewhere in the school. Many crows above her head, attacking. She had her hands up, protecting herself from them. My imagination was
I couldn’t help but gawk at her.What did I do to deserve that? This was our first time talking, after all.“I am not going to listen to your mean threats any longer. You better move away from my car and me.” I furrowed my brows at the demon in front of me and reached for my keys.“Stop right there, Alice! This should be enough. Do not unlock or enter the car!” Thomas ordered me, hastily approaching us with a worried expression.I took a step away from my Honda and smiled at him.Yeah, we had enough!“Hi there, stalker.” He said to the surprised girl, gazing at his features like he was her God.
Professor Mark Anderson was very excited to finally see some of my drawings. We talked and agreed I would start seeing him, so he could shape me into a diamond before I even started college, assuring me there wasn’t much to do because I really did breathe through my art. I had some sweet red tea in old expensive china with the wrinkled bald man, as we discussed what I could do and what painting materials would fit better to my style. He showed me his favorite teaching art books and some painting techniques, I was eager to try as soon as I could. I left his home feeling good about myself and proud of what I had in me without any special lessons. The professor was so kind and friendly, it made our meeting very pleasant. As soon as I had my life in line after the move, I was going to visit this old man and trust his skills to help me go to a great college.
With widened eyes, our group listened at the offensive mad girl. I had a feeling this was the key to figuring out my problem. “Chill, Sarah! You can’t control everybody. You tried, maybe you just need to give up.” I recognized Olivia’s voice. “Chill?! Give up?! You are retarded, aren’t you!” The angry one screamed and there were some rustling sounds. “Don’t push me! It’s not my fault they got together.” Olivia complained. “Oh, God!” Linda exclaimed, but Steven placed his pointer finger on his lips to keep her from talking. "But I thought Sarah had a different surname..." “I don’t know why I keep you around. I will make her pay, I will separate them. How can I make him see she is not the girl for him?” Sarah kept on yelli
The place was decorated like a frozen forest, welcoming the season outside. Leafless trees were spread around us with crystallized branches. Snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling on invisible strings, some of them almost reaching our heads. Fake snow just hung at our feet, lifting a bit from the air when we walked near it. Dim blue and white lights were making me feel like I was really outside in the forest at night, but despite the cold decorations, I was warm and could enjoy my stay without my nose turning red. Tina and her people had made an amazing snow night dance atmosphere. She knew it and was proudly standing on one of the silver tables near the entrance. Linda looked stunning, laughing and proudly holding my step-sister’s hand. I complimented them on their look-alike dresses, and for the next twenty minutes, we just chilled while watching
“Get away from me, you bitches!” Jane yelled, as we pinned her like a butterfly, holding her hands up to her head before she could respond to Barbie's slap. “Do you think you can offend my sister in front of me and get away with it?” Tina growled, and I blinked at her, almost losing my rage from surprise. “Who do you think you are? You might be rich and pretty, but I don’t give a damn.” Jane spit, her eyes narrowed from hatred. “She is the most popular girl at the school where you are about to play tomorrow night. If I was you, I would think twice before messing with her. She is the frickin’ queen.” I hissed at her. “What queen, let go of me!” She struggled in a futile try to free herself. “What is going on here? Should
Afraid of the answer, I still asked Linda what had made her incapable of talking. “It’s amazing, Al. I have a girlfriend. Can you believe it?!” She yelled in my ear. I sighed in relief, allowing the air to enter my lungs again. “Lin, you almost gave me a heart attack,” I scolded her. “I thought the mental jealous fan of Thomas had done something again.” “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Um, and yeah! My girlfriend said your shoebox became very popular today--receiving messages every few hours.” Linda announced, clouding my mind. “Messages? Your girlfriend?” I gaped at her, adjusting a family portrait on the wall in front of me, but the answers came at the same time I figured them out. “Tina!” Linda and I said in unison.
The night was warm…even hot. Thomas’s skin was like the werewolf’s in the movies - like a cozy fire. When we went to sleep, there was some addictive tension between us. As we laid on our backs, I wondered if I should make a slight move to touch his hand or maybe trace his cheekbone with my fingers. He seemed to be deep in thought, too, seeming careful to not touch me without an invitation. It was a long naive game we played until he finally gave in to his desires and leaned over me to kiss me. We were making out for half an hour and I swear my lips felt swollen before I closed my eyes, giving in to the exhaustion of the day, resting my head on Thomas’s shoulder. I loved it when it was just the two of us. I was getting too attached to this boy, who now seemed to have become a lot more than some crush. I was deeply falling for him and no stalker or other force
“I believe you,” I said truthfully, and something lifted from my chest like I needed to say this for years. “I guess the signs were always there, but I just ignored them…refused to pay attention to them. It was easier this way. Father is a force that a kid could not go against.”By the way Annabeth looked at me, I could see the relief and joy my words created. She leaned forward from her place on the sofa and kneeled in front of me to hug me, squeezing tight, incapable of showing her deep emotions in any other way. I responded by snuggling in with her and trying not to become a crybaby.“Oh, Alice! My sweet girl…you have grown so wise. Of course, you could not fight Robert--even I couldn’t back then.” She cried again in the hair behind my shoulder.“Did h
The village was small and lush streets led us to the center; the shops from Annabeth’s photo present. The sun painted the buildings in yellow-orange, and even if it wasn’t hiding behind the clouds, it was pretty cold outside. Thomas and I got out of the car and walked a few meters to reach the main street. The pressure was eating me from the inside until my eyes landed on the shop line from the photo. “Yes!” I jumped on my place, glad I had found the right village. “Now let’s go and ask someone about her.” Impatiently, I started walking towards the local grocery store in front of us. When I didn’t hear Thomas’s steps following behind me, I turned to stare at him with confusion all over my face. “Why do you think they would know about her?” he scratched his head, look