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The Complex Art of Rosie 40
Fogged MemoryRosie woke up the next morning with the worst headache she had ever experienced. She couldn't open her eyes because of the sunlight that seeped through the window and blinded her vision.She groaned as she rolled over, when she noticed a glass of water and some aspirin sitting on her bedside table.She smiled weakly as she grabbed her phone and shot Blaze a text.Thanks for babysitting me. Appreciate the hangover help.A few minutes later, she was completely bewildered by Blaze's response.Darling, I didn't make it through the front door.Thank your lover boy. Fucking asshole.Rosie shot up straight in her bed. Lover boy? She didn't have to think long before understanding that Blaze was referring to Anthony. She laid in her bed for a long time and desperately tried to remember anything from the night before but everything an hour into the party was a giant blank. Not even a blur, just a blank."Have you talked to Anthony?"Tamara groaned into the phone. "You're calling m
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Sober Feelings, Drunken ConfessionsAnthony leaned back into Tamara's couch, slowly sipping on a beer. "She's not going to come over, right?"Tamara opened a bag of chips as she plopped down on the couch beside him. "No. She had a bunch of meetings with Michael and clients today."Anthony nodded his head slowly before exhaling a long sigh. "She's different. She's changed."Tamara laughed lightly, cocking her head to the side. "Paris changed her, Anth. For the best, I think. She's more confident and sure of herself, not as afraid to speak what's on her mind.""That's for sure," Anthony mumbled quietly, staring down at the coffee table as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "It's... good. I'm glad she's become stronger. Sometimes I just feel like I can't recognize her anymore, like I don't know who she is anymore.""Because you don't."Anthony turned to look at Tamara. His eyes swirling with many conflicting emotions. "I don't."Tamara sighed, shrugging softly. "She's no
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What's Already Been DamagedAnthony woke the next morning and was ambushed by all the world's regret and guilt crashing down on him. He had silently wished that he wouldn't remember the previous night but he recalled every brutal second of it. He messed up and he couldn't take it back. All he saw when he closed his eyes was the hurt on Rosie's face. He thought he couldn't hate himself more than he did when he let Rosie leave for Paris but he hated himself more right now.Rosie was woken by the sound of frantic knocking on her front door. She groaned loudly as she pulled herself out of bed and went to open the door, her eyes still half shut and mind foggy."Tama-" Rosie stopped speaking before she started. She blinked her eyes rapidly, pinching her arm as if she were making sure she was really awake. All her haziness was stripped away when she locked eyes with Anthony. "What are you doing here?"Anthony sucked in his lips, a sheepish and guilt-ridden expression on his face. "Can we ple
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Mourning DayDays had passed since Rosie and Anthony's big falling out. They hadn't seen or spoken to one other. Rosie would be very cautious every time she left her apartment, acting like a spy or ninja to make sure she wouldn't run into Anthony in the hallway or elevator.Aatalo walked into one of the local bars, walking over to the counter to see Tamara sitting on a stool. "Where is he?"Tamara jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards Anthony who was sitting in a booth all by himself. His head was drunk as he sipped on a cocktail, a few empty glasses and beer bottles already sitting on the table."I don't know what to do. His depression is depressing me."Aatalo sighed as he motioned for the bartender to pour him the same thing Tamara was drinking. "Have you talked to Rosie?""Not at all. She's keeping herself locked away in her apartment, working on her art.""Wish me luck," Aatalo grimaced as he walked over to the booth and slid in across from Anthony. Anthony didn't
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All We've Lost"Maybe I should just find a rebound. Although I don't know if it counts as a rebound since Rosie and I never dated."Ryder narrowed his eyes, his face scrunching in distaste. "That sounds like a horrible idea. You'd hate every second of it."Anthony rolled his eyes. He poured himself some coffee and popped toast into the toaster. He knew he'd hate everyone second of it. He didn't even like the sound of it and knew very well he most likely wouldn't be able to go through with it. He just needed any sort of help in stopping feeling so sad."It will temporarily help me stop thinking about her.""No," Aatalo spoke firmly, not looking at the boys. He sat in Ryder and Anthony's living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table and a book in his hands.Anthony quirked an eyebrow. "Why not?""No," Aatalo repeated, tone straight. "No rebounding." Of course Aatalo had ulterior motives for keeping Anthony away from the idea of rebounding and finding a new girl. He just couldn't
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Schemed Evening"This is such a ridiculously terrible idea. He's not even going to show up." Rosie paced back and fourth in Aatalo's loft, shaking her head frantically.Aatalo walked to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Rosie, my dear, look at me. Take a deep breath."Rosie listened, staring at him intently as she inhaled deeply.Aatalo nodded slowly. "You have to exhale too."Rosie exhaled. "Right.""Tonight is your first exhibition back home. You're going to win over the cities heart the same way you won over Paris."Rosie wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. "I created a whole new set of paintings in a week. They're not even good."Aatalo sighed, smiling faintly. "They are perfect."Rosie heaved out a heavy breath, walking backwards until she plopped down onto the couch. Panic and concern was flashing through her eyes like a lightning storm. "I don't even care about the exhibit itself. Are you sure Anthony will show up? He hates me, why would h
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ForeverOne Year Later Rosie and Anthony walked down the bustling busy street, hand in hand. The grey clouds filled the sky, the light sound of thundering notifying them that it would rain soon. Anthony smiled down at her. "Maybe I should have stopped at the Louvre or at least the Eiffel Tower last time I was here. Instead, I ran away like a lost puppy." Rosie cocked her head to the side, humming. "a lost puppy would be wandering, not running away. More like a... crab." Anthony laughed. "A crab?" Rosie shrugged, leaning into his side. "A crab would run away if you scared it, right? Or do crabs attack. I don't know." Anthony kissed the top of her head. The two of them stopped when they reached an art gallery. "Here we are." Rosie sighed dreamily as she stared up at the building. "My art is already in there. Tomorrow night, it will be up on the walls for everyone to see." Anthony took both her hands, turning to face her. "Would you ever move back here?" Rosie's eyebrows raised.
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Rosie was sitting at the kitchen island, eating her cereal with one hand and holding a book to read in her other hand.Tamara leaned against the counter across from Rosie, smiling sneakily at her. Rosie placed the book down to look at her cousin. She quirked an eyebrow in a questioning manner, growing suspicious at the look on Tamara's face."So..." Tamara drawled slowly, a nervous smile tugging on her lips. "You want to come out tonight?"Rosie shook her head firmly, swallowing her cereal before speaking. "No."Tamara sighed, her smile falling. "Please come out with me tonight. It'll just be me, Anthony, and one other friend."Rosie's face remained completely straight and blank. "They are your friends. Why do I have to come?"Tamara shrugged, standing straight. She tugged on her fingers nervously, knowing very well that it would be hard to convince Rosie to tag along. "My friends like you, you know that."Rosie narrowed her eyes, scoffing quietly. "Anthony tolerates me when necessary
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The Complex Art of Rosie 53
Rosie was in the kitchen eating cereal the next morning, like she would every day. She held the book she was reading in her left hand while she used her right hand to pop spoons filled with cereal into her mouth.The front door of the apartment opening sounded and Rosie knew it was Anthony. He was around a lot, since he was best friends with Tamara. Rosie expected him to show up whenever he wanted, like he always did. She didn't think much of it. She usually did her own thing, staying in her room, not talking to Anthony much.Anthony walked into the kitchen, smiling when he saw Rosie. "Morning, early bird."Rosie looked over her shoulder to see Anthony walking further into the kitchen. He usually greeted her but there was never much more than that. She offered a smile before turning back to her book."Is Tam awake yet?"Rosie shook her head in response, her eyes staying glued on her book.Anthony sighed, not being surprised that his best friend was still sleeping. He hopped up onto th
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Tamara raced into the emergency room that was completely packed. With the weather being this bad and the conditions of the roads, it was no surprise that the hospital was filling with patients by the second.Anthony followed behind Tamara as she ran over to the reception desk.Anthony was at their apartment when the power went out so he had stayed there. All night, Tamara was panicking while Anthony also remained silently concerned. She had been texting and calling Rosie all night but had never gotten a response since Rosie didn't have any cell reception so she didn't receive a single message.A few hours later, Tamara had gotten a phone call from first responders. She was Rosie's emergency contact.Her and Anthony raced to the hospital, taking longer than usual because of the terrible road conditions."Ma'am, I need you to wait in the waiting room. She hasn't woken up yet. They're running some tests so it may take some time."Tamara gaped at the nurse with wide eyes. "What tests? Whe
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Tamara raced into the emergency room that was completely packed. With the weather being this bad and the conditions of the roads, it was no surprise that the hospital was filling with patients by the second.Anthony followed behind Tamara as she ran over to the reception desk.Anthony was at their apartment when the power went out so he had stayed there. All night, Tamara was panicking while Anthony also remained silently concerned. She had been texting and calling Rosie all night but had never gotten a response since Rosie didn't have any cell reception so she didn't receive a single message.A few hours later, Tamara had gotten a phone call from first responders. She was Rosie's emergency contact.Her and Anthony raced to the hospital, taking longer than usual because of the terrible road conditions."Ma'am, I need you to wait in the waiting room. She hasn't woken up yet. They're running some tests so it may take some time."Tamara gaped at the nurse with wide eyes. "What tests? Whe
The Complex Art of Rosie 50
Later in the week, the weather had started to get worse and worse. It was snowing heavily all the time, the wind being so cool it felt like it was pricking at your skin. Rosie had started taking her car to work, it being too difficult to walk in the inches and inches of snow that was piling up.Lately, the library had been more vacant than usual. With the weather this terrible, classes were starting to get cancelled. With it being hard enough to manage the cold and the swirling snow, the library hardly got half a dozen visitors in a day.Rosie slipped off her sweater, grateful for the bubbling heat inside the library building. She leaned back, sitting behind the clerk desk as she read a book to pass time.It was nearing the end of her shift at night when the lights started to flicker. She glanced up, waiting for the flickering to stop.After a few minutes, they did stop.She sighed in relief and turned her gaze back to the book she was reading. But it wasn't before the flickering star
The Complex Art of Rosie 49
Tamara raced into the emergency room that was completely packed. With the weather being this bad and the conditions of the roads, it was no surprise that the hospital was filling with patients by the second.Anthony followed behind Tamara as she ran over to the reception desk.Anthony was at their apartment when the power went out so he had stayed there. All night, Tamara was panicking while Anthony also remained silently concerned. She had been texting and calling Rosie all night but had never gotten a response since Rosie didn't have any cell reception so she didn't receive a single message.A few hours later, Tamara had gotten a phone call from first responders. She was Rosie's emergency contact.Her and Anthony raced to the hospital, taking longer than usual because of the terrible road conditions."Ma'am, I need you to wait in the waiting room. She hasn't woken up yet. They're running some tests so it may take some time."Tamara gaped at the nurse with wide eyes. "What tests? Whe
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Watch it, mute. You are just mute, right. Not blind too?" Blaze Winters shoved Rosie's shoulder with his own, causing her to stumble and nearly drop all of her books. She was walking through the campus to get to one of her lectures when she had crossed paths with another one of the rude people who loved to make fun of her for being the quiet, non-talkative person she is.Rosie bit down on her lip, hard, to stop herself from croaking out any sob-like noise. She was used to be treating this way but it didn't make it easy.Blaze looked at his friend, Andrew, both of them laughing when Rosie hadn't said anything. She tried to move past them and keep walking."Come on," Blaze sighed deeply, dramatizing the sigh. "Give me something, Rosebud. One little comeback or comment. A little spar."Rosie clutched her books to her chest, keeping her gaze on the ground as she stood frozen in spot. She knew walking away would only make them continue to holler at her. If she stood here silently and let t
The Complex Art of Rosie 47
Rosie was sitting at the kitchen island, eating her cereal with one hand and holding a book to read in her other hand.Tamara leaned against the counter across from Rosie, smiling sneakily at her. Rosie placed the book down to look at her cousin. She quirked an eyebrow in a questioning manner, growing suspicious at the look on Tamara's face."So..." Tamara drawled slowly, a nervous smile tugging on her lips. "You want to come out tonight?"Rosie shook her head firmly, swallowing her cereal before speaking. "No."Tamara sighed, her smile falling. "Please come out with me tonight. It'll just be me, Anthony, and one other friend."Rosie's face remained completely straight and blank. "They are your friends. Why do I have to come?"Tamara shrugged, standing straight. She tugged on her fingers nervously, knowing very well that it would be hard to convince Rosie to tag along. "My friends like you, you know that."Rosie narrowed her eyes, scoffing quietly. "Anthony tolerates me when necessary
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ForeverOne Year Later Rosie and Anthony walked down the bustling busy street, hand in hand. The grey clouds filled the sky, the light sound of thundering notifying them that it would rain soon. Anthony smiled down at her. "Maybe I should have stopped at the Louvre or at least the Eiffel Tower last time I was here. Instead, I ran away like a lost puppy." Rosie cocked her head to the side, humming. "a lost puppy would be wandering, not running away. More like a... crab." Anthony laughed. "A crab?" Rosie shrugged, leaning into his side. "A crab would run away if you scared it, right? Or do crabs attack. I don't know." Anthony kissed the top of her head. The two of them stopped when they reached an art gallery. "Here we are." Rosie sighed dreamily as she stared up at the building. "My art is already in there. Tomorrow night, it will be up on the walls for everyone to see." Anthony took both her hands, turning to face her. "Would you ever move back here?" Rosie's eyebrows raised.
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Schemed Evening"This is such a ridiculously terrible idea. He's not even going to show up." Rosie paced back and fourth in Aatalo's loft, shaking her head frantically.Aatalo walked to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Rosie, my dear, look at me. Take a deep breath."Rosie listened, staring at him intently as she inhaled deeply.Aatalo nodded slowly. "You have to exhale too."Rosie exhaled. "Right.""Tonight is your first exhibition back home. You're going to win over the cities heart the same way you won over Paris."Rosie wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. "I created a whole new set of paintings in a week. They're not even good."Aatalo sighed, smiling faintly. "They are perfect."Rosie heaved out a heavy breath, walking backwards until she plopped down onto the couch. Panic and concern was flashing through her eyes like a lightning storm. "I don't even care about the exhibit itself. Are you sure Anthony will show up? He hates me, why would h
