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“Really?”
I try to hide my frustration at Charlie’s alarm. Of course, this will definitely be different, maybe a bit too different, but it’s better than drawing anything related to fashion. And, I believe this will be more valuable.
I smile, my head bobbing up and down. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Charlie claps her hands together, all eyes turning to us as she squeals, “Yes!”
I flinch, my gaze turning to Ms. Weaver, who is looking between us curiously. At least she’s not annoyed. Her lips seem to be tugging into a smile, yet her eyes remain narrowed. I guess we will just have to see what she thinks of our project. Hopefully, I don’t get an F. I would really like to pass this class.
After class ends, I follow Charlie out into the hall and toward the art studio, open all day every day for any art students needing a place to finish their projects. I rarely use this place, usually deciding that I would rather work at home, surrounded by people I love, than remain at school. Besides, usually Lucas will offer me tea if he sees me working late, and Seth is always great to have a laugh with when I need a break.
Charlie kicks open the door, making the two people inside jump. Their eyes, blood shot and surrounded by dark circles, scowl at us as we enter, finding an empty table in the back. I wrinkle my nose at the musty smell drowning my senses. Yep, being at home with the bros is better than spending all night here. The windows are dark and covered with ice and snow from the outside. A chill makes a shiver crawl up my spine. The heater seems to be broken. There are cracks in the yellowing walls and the tables are tilted. One even has a little book underneath it. I frown at the book, discarded and used only to keep a table stable. Poor book. They really should fix this place up a bit more, especially since it looks like some people spend all night here. Maybe working at the library would be better? It would at least be warmer.
“Alright,” starts Charlie while throwing her bag onto the table, making it creak with the extra weight. “Let me see your portfolio.”
I carefully lower myself onto my seat, grimacing at the cold seeping through my leggings. I grab my coat, shoving my arms into the sleeves and pulling the collar closer to my chin. We really should have gone to the library, but trekking through snow and ice didn’t seem like an option at the time.
“You’re more into caricatures, right?” I ask while looking through my bag, finding my sketchbook quickly and handing it off to Charlie. I ignore the worry tugging at my stomach as she takes my book, feeling as if she’s taking a part of me away.
“Well, more like illustrations. It might be a bit difficult copying my style, since most my emphasis goes into the clothes rather than the face.”
I clench my jaw as I flip through her pages, finding drawing after drawing of different styles of clothes. Her drawing is neat. The lines are thin and crisp. But she’s right, all the intricate details go into the clothes rather than the face. The bodies remind me of mannequins—faceless, stilted, thin. However, it only makes the clothes stand out even more.
I chuckle. “It looks like I will be doing something fashion-y either way.”
“Are you okay with that?” Charlie asks, concern making her brows tent. “Do you think it will be too difficult?”
I shake my head, already feeling inspiration twitching at my fingers, making me giddy with renewed life. “No, not at all. I think this will be really great. It will be different. Ms. Weaver won’t be expecting this.”
Charlie smiles brightly. “I think we should—”
Charlie jumps, and I gasp as I hear a loud bang. I turn toward the sound, frowning as I watch Lauren and Josh stalk inside. Josh frowns, his gaze landing on me and narrowing. His hand tightens on his bag, his legs halt in their movement forward.
“Josh, what’s wrong?” Lauren asks from behind him, peaking over his shoulder.
“Nothing,” he says gruffly, turning away from me and stalking toward a table on the other side of the room.
Charlie and I share a look. We really should have gone to the library. I try to focus on Charlie’s portfolio, my fingers flipping through the pages. Whatever Charlie was about to say was lost to the wind. I know we should come up with a game plan, however, I can’t stop myself from eavesdropping into Josh and Lauren’s conversation.
“We can go to the library,” Lauren says, her voice overly cheerful, as if she’s trying to mask something. The sound of her voice makes me wince. Something is wrong.
“No, it’s fine. It’s freaking cold outside. Let’s just get this done.”
Silence.
I flip to another page, nodding in appreciation at a red gown Charlie drew. It looks a bit like Marilyn Monroe’s white dress, with the skirt billowing out, but the neckline is high necked and the skirt is longer.
“Why don’t we try doing something on life?” Lauren asks. “Like the circle of life and death and how they tie into each other.”
My hands fist at Josh’s scoff. “Everyone is going to be doing that, Lauren. Can’t you think of anything less basic?”
“Sorry,” Lauren murmurs. “What are your ideas?”
“Ugh, I don’t know!” Josh shouts.
I jump as I hear something slam, my eyes sliding to the pair, finding that Josh kicked the table. Why is he being such a jerk toward her? Weren’t they all happy and giggling like less than an hour ago?
“What the fuck is his problem?” Charlie whispers.
