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The Complex Art of Rosie 7
The Library"Anthony Morelli?" Simon leaned forward across the library clerk desk. Rosie had told him about the art opening that she was going to with Anthony. "You're talking about the Anthony Morelli who's on the baseball team? That guy's a legend."Rosie pursed her lips as she stared down at her shoes. She knew Anthony was a social creature, a very friendly one with many acquaintances. She just didn't know entirely how big his presence was on campus.Rosie's silence was enough of an answer for Simon. He whistled out a breath of air, smirking as he leaned back in his chair behind the clerk table. He was impressed. "Hell of a guy to go on a date with, Rosie. Props."Rosie's head shot up to gape at Simon with wide eyes. "What? It's not a date."Simon scoffed. "What else would you call it?"Rosie shrugged her shoulders, going back to staring at her shoes.The rest of her shift at the library, she was riveted with anxiety. She couldn't stop pacing around, finding anything to keep hersel
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Night on the Town"You never take more than a minute to find an outfit. What's so important about this one?" Tamara stood leaning against Rosie's bedroom door frame, peering at her in amusement."Nothing." Rosie tossed her a dull expression.Tamara scoffed, a smirk playing on her lips. She knew Rosie was hiding something. "A big date?"Rosie rolled her eyes, turning to go back to digging through her closet. "There's an art opening."Tamara paused in thought. "Wait, you mean the one Aatalo is being featured at?"Rosie didn't look at her cousin as she nodded her head.Tamara narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Rosie's back. "Are you going with Anthony?"Rosie shrugged. "He'll be there, yes. He said he will take me since we're both going to the same place."Tamara's jaw dropped. She took a moment to compose herself before she let out a loud squeal and raced over to Rosie. "Holy shit, my cousin dearest is going on a date with Anthony Morelli! Solid catch, Rose."Rosie pushed Tamara off of h
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Spotted in PublicIt had been a few days since the art show. Since then, Rosie hadn't seen Anthony.She was noticing how often he was popping into her mind. She would be occupied doing something and out of nowhere, the thought of him would come into her mind. She tried to ignore it and not read further into it.Rosie fell back into her usual comfortable routine - keeping up with her school work, spending her evenings at work at the library, and spending any other free time busy with her artwork or just reading.In the middle of the week, the library had an electricity problem and all the power had gone out. While the maintenance was being worked on, the library was closed. Since Rosie would usually study at the library, she instead headed to the student centre on campus.She didn't like going to the student centre because it was always packed with many people and she preferred to be somewhere else, where she was more alone and comfortable. Since her next class was starting shortly, th
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Distance and ResistanceRosie had only been walking for a few minutes, going back to her apartment. She was a mess, her head all over the place and her body still trembling. She still hadn't fully caught her breath properly.Anthony raced out of the student centre, pushing past people as he glanced around the parking lot to see where she could have gone. He caught sight of her walking away. He was quick to run up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her."Sorry," he pulled his hand away when she turned to face him. He took only a second to catch his breath.Rosie blinked. She just looked at him blankly, waiting for him to speak. She knew she wasn't going to be able to avoid him. She wanted to melt into the pavement from how embarrassed and pathetic she was feeling but she bit her tongue and tried hard to ignore her unease.Anthony sighed, a frown on his face. His eyes were warm and flooded with sadness and concern. "Rosie, are you okay?"Rosie blinked a few times, pushing aw
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Lost InspirationAnthony had only recently become relevant in Rosie's life. The more she saw him, the more she enjoyed his company and missed him when she went a while without seeing him.Rosie kept telling herself that sooner or later he would see how difficult she is, how difficult it is to be her friend. It wouldn't be the first time that someone gave up on her because she was "different".She was afraid of getting more attached to him just to have him also eventually give up on her. The only thing she could think to do was distance herself and stop their connection from building further before he ultimately would decide to leave her life himself. Ruin things herself before they had a chance to potentially get ruined some other way. She thought it was the most rational thing to do to save herself from getting hurt and save Anthony from getting disappointed by her.Rosie spent her weekend staying busy in her room with her painting. She only left her room later in the evening to get
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Run-InsThe breeze pricked Rosie's cheeks as she walked through the campus with books in hand. Her head was ducked so she could stay under the radar and avoid running into anyone who may spark a conversation. Her attempt was useless. She looked up when she heard her name being called from behind her."Rosie! Hey."She shut her eyes as she recognized the voice. She wanted to pretend she hadn't heard so she could continue walking but it was too late. She was already spotted.She turned around, forcing a smile on her face as she slowly approached Anthony. He stood with two other guys. One of them was Aatalo who she met at the art gallery. The second boy she recognized from seeing him in the student centre the other day.Rosie looked between the guys, her stomach starting to twist with anxiety. "Hi," she mumbled in a quiet voice that was almost just a whisper.Anthony beamed a smile, glad to see her. He hardly ever spotted her on campus since she didn't hang around much, only going from c
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A Full HouseRosie had wanted to say something to Anthony about Blaze. She knew Blaze may have deserved it but she didn't like resorting to violence. Not to mention, it wasn't Anthony's battle to fight nor was it what Rosie wanted. She had dealt with people making fun of her and taunting her her whole life. She could deal with it. She didn't want to care enough about what other people said about her to react in such a way that Anthony did.But she didn't have the heart to say anything to him. She knew his intentions were well and she was grateful that no matter what the circumstances, Blaze was done tormenting her.She also didn't want the excuse to talk to Anthony. Although she felt bad for being a jerk to him and cutting him off like this, it was still the only thing she thought was a smart move for both their sakes."Hey Rosie, you don't mind if I invite some friends over, do you?" Rosie paused pouring herself some coffee, not turning to look at her cousin. "We usually hang out at
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You are SerenityWhen Anthony had returned from Rosie's room, Madison, one of three girls was quick to welcome him back. "There you are. What was so interesting in there?"The second girl alongside Tamara was named Josephine."When you said she was talented, I didn't know you meant that talented. She could give me a run for my money," Aatalo laughed lightly."She is," Tamara agreed. "I'm surprised she let you guys in. She's very protective of her art, doesn't like to show anyone."Anthony glanced up. Somehow hearing that made his heart feel full."Your cousin's kind of... weird." Madison rolled her eyes but kept her gaze trained on her nails that she picked up.Tamara narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Excuse me?"Madison shrugged nonchalantly. "What? She's kind of geeky." She glanced towards Anthony who also had his eyes narrowed at her. It was no secret to anyone that Madison had been crushing on Anthony for a long time. She didn't need to know Rosie to bash on her, purely out of jea
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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
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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
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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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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
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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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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
