Arthur sat in his vacant apartment, bored out of his mind. He'd just moved in with his sister a few days ago, and he hadn't made any real friends. In all honesty, he didn't exactly want new friends. His old friends were perfectly fine. Almost every day, Arthur and his friends would do something productive: Composing amatuer pieces of music, starting clubs, painting murals. Sure, they weren't the most exciting teens, but eberyone enjoyed their time together. But all thoses times are long gone now,Arthur thought.
He was preparing for a band concert when he was told the news. Arthur's parents had gone over seas on a business meeting, and the plane crashed en route. Now he was an orphan, and was forced to move in with Alicia, his ever-so-bitter sister, in New York, New York.
Arthur stood up from his bed and looked out the window. Everything is so different here... He looked to his left and saw a man begging for change on the sidewalk. A few seconds later, the man removed his rags and put on a rather expensive-looking shirt, stepping into the back of a dark van. Arthur sighed. This place was a lot more scandolous than his old home. It seemed to him that around every street corner there was something in the shadows, just waiting to trip him. Arthur sighed and pulled on his wind-breaker. I just need a little fresh air, he thought, and strode out the door.
"Jade! Get away from that sketchbook and go outside!" Jade looked up slightly from her masterpiece, suppressing a sigh. She then gathered her art supplies and set them in her backpack. "Coming, Irene!" she yelled over the balustrade. Jade slung the backpack over her shoulder and skid down the stairs, stopping momentarily to wipe the paint off her brow. She found her friend at he bottom of the stairway with her arms crossed, tapping her toe impatiently. "Why do you always doodle in that stupid sketchbook of yours? Isn't it more fun being outside in the crowd?" Jade hopped off the last step and onto the ground, considering Irene's question. "Would you rather be like everyone else, or be an individual?" Jade countered. Irene chuckled and scratched her head. "Jade, you are one weird gal. Now come on, we gotta go. If I'm late, my dad will kill me."
Irene and Jade went to a business meeting concerning schoolboard issues, listening to their school's representative drone on and on about allowing texting in class. All the teachers and principals pretended to be engaged, though it was apparent they were dropping off like flies. One teacher was even caught trying to complete a sudoku puzzle behind their planner, claiming he was just "taking notes".
Jade's mind had wandered far far away from cell phone issues. She sighed and absentmindedly swirled circles on the top of the conference table. Having attended meetings with Irene before, she knew it would be very protracted and boring. I need some air, she thought, and abruptly stood from her chair. One of the prinicpals asked what she was doing. "Going to the restroom." Jade explained. With an approving nod from the board she left, sending Irene an apologetic look.
Arthur sat in the midst of a coffe shop/ art exhibition. It seemed that everyone and everything was art-themed. All of the cashiers were vocalists, reciting the menu in the key of B. The servers always spoke in haikus. The tables were canvases and the eating utensils were, well, art utensils. Arthur smiled a bit. "I could get use to this..." He murmured.
A young girl walked through the door, a small backpack hanging over her shoulder. It was obvious that she'd been there before, because she was greeted by all of the staff and a few faithful customers. Ordering a cup of green tea and a honeybun, she sat down at the table across from Arthur. She then proceeded to take a sketchpad and pencil from her bag, glancing around at some of the other works of art around her for inspiration. A certain view catching her eye, she began drawing at an agonizingly slow pace. Molasses could have moved faster. It looked to Arthur that she drew every single detail about the landscape. The curve of the glasses, the jovial expressions of the surrounding people. Everything around was captured perfectly in her sketchbook.
Suddenly, the girl noticed Arthur's stare. Quickly shoving all her materials into her bag, she stood to leave. Flustered, Arthur said a quick "Wait!", making him a rather large spectacle. The girl quirked her brow in suspiscion. "What do you want?" Ahe asked, casting a glance at the crowd around her. Arthur was fishing for answers. What do I want? "U-Um, I just really liked your art work is all. May I?" He stuttered, extending his hand. The girl looked at him intently, wary to hand him her skethbook. Deciding he looked honest enough, she passed over her drawings, sitting back in her seat.
Arthur sat across from her, leafing through the stranger's book. Each drawing was either very explicit or very abstract, with her signature in the bottom right corner. "Jade." He said under his breath. Alert, the girl looked up at him. "What was that?" Arthur rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh nothing, I just noticedyour name was Jade... Or is it an alias?" Jade blinked. No one had ever asked if it wasn't her real name. "No, you were correct the first time, it is Jade. Jade Walsh." Jade offered Arthur her hand. "How rude of me. My name is Arthur Kirklsnd. It's a pleasure to meet you." Instead of shaking her hand like a normal New Yorker, Arthur kissed it. Jade chuckled. "Well, you're definitely not from around here. I'm guessing you're English?" Arthur nodded. Was it really that obvious? "I must say, I love your art work." Arthur began. "I've never seen drawings completed with such care and consideration." Jade smiled and thanked him. It wasn't often she got her drawings complimented, especially with masterpieces much more famous around her.
"If you like, I could give you lessons." Arthur's eyes brightened. He loved to draw, but was never particularly good at it. Plus he needed something to keep him occupied. "Alright! Same time, same place?" Jade was about to nod when she glanced at her watch. 1:45. "Oh crap! Irene is going to murder me! See you tomorrow, same time, same place. Bye!" Cramming all her stuff in her backpack and throwing away her food wrappers, she waved goodbye to Arthur. Great, Arthur thought.
Something to look forward to.
(A/N) Hey! So, um, this is my first story...Tell me if it sucks~! (Anybody that flames will be fed to the flying mint bunny...:D) By the way, should I continue this? *Strikes thinker pose* You tell me!