Author's Note: This is only my second story on here. Sorry about the length of chapters, I started writing the story and then separated it into the chapters, so they're kinda short. Flames will be used to bake cookies for the good reviewers!
Ugh. Daniel thought as he entered the backroom of the Village Art Gallery and School. He dreaded coming in here, but now that the class age groups were being changed around, he had to be in Henry's class. Don't get him wrong, Daniel had nothing against Henry; he was probably one of the coolest teacher's there, but the students in his class were… he shivered at the thought of the people he'd have to be spending his Saturdays from one to four with.
First there was Jeanette, or as she had recently renamed herself, Dusk. She had piercings covering the majority of her face, not to mention the huge gages in her ears (there's nothing wrong with a few piercings, but she over did it). Then there was Terri, who was a nice girl, but looked like her grandmother dressed her, always wearing shorts and dresses with pink cats or strawberries on them. Third was Alfred, a bug-eyed, pale kid, who never spoke to anyone but Henry. Fourth, fifth and sixth were, as everyone called them, The Ashlies, who didn't even care about art, just came in to ogle Henry for four hours.
And finally, there was him, Daniel, a normal kid who just wanted to make his art and get out of there as soon as possible. He sighed and set his brushes and paints on an easel. "Morning, Daniel." Henry said in his slight Scottish accent. "Hey, Henry." Daniel replied halfheartedly. Without another word, Daniel put his headphones in his ears and started working. It was an oil painting of a cat he had started a few weeks ago for his five year old sister, Annabelle. Though he was twelve years her senior, Daniel felt like she was his best friend, and loved her to death.
He worked silently for an hour and a half, taking Henry's occasional suggestions to "shade here" or "give more texture there." "Alright, guys. Break for fifteen minutes." Henry said, leaning back in his chair. Daniel removed his headphones and stood, stretching his stiff limbs. He was never really one for long breaks, so he bought a can of Coke from the vending machine and sat right back down to his piece.
Henry was the only other person in the room, so Daniel didn't bother putting his iPod back on. It was then that he heard a hurried shuffling approaching the room. Daniel looked up and was greeted by the sight of a girl with a long, black braid trailing down her back, arms filled with art supplies. Her even blacker eyes sparkled like polished orbs of onyx as she greeted Henry. "Hey, Henry, sorry I'm so late. Grandma Georgina had me running errands all morning." She said, letting her items fall to the table in a clatter. "It's all good, Clio. You can stay after class to catch up; I'll be here 'till five-thirty." Henry replied. Daniel hadn't seen this girl in Henry's class before. The rest of the students suddenly flooded back into the room.
She sat at the easel next to Daniel, and Alfred walked up to her. "Hey, Al. How are you?" Clio asked, brushing her hair out of her face and pushing her glasses up onto her head. Alfred shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "That's a nice picture you've got there." He said, gesturing to the canvas in front of her. "Thank you. It's a gift for Grandma Georgina's birthday; these are her favorite flowers." Alfred nodded then rushed back to his drawing horse.
What a noob. Daniel thought as he saw how nervous Alfred was talking to the girl. "So, are you new?" Clio asked. Daniel didn't realize she was talking to him, and stumbled over his own response. "I, uh, no. I was in Trevor's class, but when they changed the age groups, I got moved in here." Daniel said, running his hands through his honey-colored hair, making it messier than it was before. He could see the tip of her pink tongue peek out from between her strawberry-red lips as she focused on the picture.
"That's odd; I've never seen you around before." Clio said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What's your name?" She turned fully towards him now, and Daniel was stunned by how long and thick her eyelashes were. "Daniel." He replied, swallowing. His lips suddenly felt very dry. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Clio." She stuck her hand out for a shake. Daniel sensed a strange fluttering behind his ribs as he felt her warm grasp in his hand.
"You too." He mumbled. The rest of the lesson was pretty quiet, except for the one time Alfred squealed when one of the Ashlies got pastel on his charcoal. As the students were packing up to leave, Henry told them about his plans for next week. "Bring any salvageable scrap wood and cheap paints you have. We're starting a group project and I'm bringing the blow torch." He said, rubbing his hands together. Daniel scooped his paints and brushes into his box, resettling in a chair at the end of the table. He bounced his leg up and down, waiting for no one, just savoring the quiet in the musty room.
Clio came back in. Daniel had forgotten that she was staying late. Her face almost sparkled as she continued work on her painting. "Whatcha workin' on?" Daniel asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. She smiled, keeping her eyes on the picture. "They're blue hydrangeas for Grandma Georgina's birthday." Her voice sounded light and happy and Daniel felt that strange feeling in his chest again.
"Why are you still here? Not that you don't have the right, I'm just curious. You don't have anything to do after this?" Clio asked. Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like going home just yet." She was quiet. Daniel was starting to feel a little unwelcome. "Am I making you uncomfortable? 'Cause I can leave." Daniel said, getting out of his chair. Clio waved her hands frantically. "No, no! Stay; you're entitled to do what you like." She said. Daniel lowered himself back into the seat.
Daniel hadn't realized that he'd been sitting there staring at her for an hour and a half until he looked at the clock and saw it was almost five-thirty. Clio was on the shorter side, so she was struggling to put her picture into her locker. Daniel reached up and slid it in for her. "Thank you. I was unfortunately cursed with shortness, so that was a big favor." She said, giving his cheek a little pinch. She was moving around quickly, and he guessed that she was late for something.
Daniel walked out behind her, intending to go to the parking lot and drive home until he noticed her behavior. "God damn it!" Clio pulled her hair and swore. Daniel came up behind her and saw a bus pulling away. "Wow, I've never seen anyone actually pull their hair when they're mad." She jumped and turned around, startled by his sudden presence. "My bus just left and the next one won't come for another hour! Grandma is going to wring my neck!" Clio said in despair. An idea blossomed in Daniel's mind.
"You want a ride?" he offered. Clio considered her options. She could get a ride home with a boy she's only known for four hours and could possibly be a rapist or something, or wait for the next bus, get home an hour late, and face the wrath of Grandma Georgina. "Alright. Thanks, you're a real lifesaver." Clio followed Daniel to the parking lot, but her heart sank when she saw its contents. There were only two vehicles: a rusty, old short-bus with the word "SHALOM" printed across the front in blue letters (obviously not the first choice of a seventeen year-old boy), and a sleek, black motorcycle. She gulped.
"Where's your car?' Clio asked, dreading the answer she was about to hear. Daniel laughed. "Who said anything about a car?" Daniel slipped his jacket on (leather, Clio noticed) and handed Clio the full-face helmet. "Is it safe?" Clio asked, slipping the helmet on and buckling it securely under her chin. "As safe as a motorcycle can really be." Danny patted the space on the seat behind him encouragingly. Clio sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. Daniel suppressed a shiver as her delicate hands clasped over his stomach. As he revved the engine and pulled onto the street, Clio realized something. Daniel was toned. Not disgustingly muscular, but there was evidence of a six pack there, if only a slight one.
Please Read & Review! Remember the potential cookies!
MuseOfLife
