Sunlight filtered through the windows of the art room landing on the blank canvas. Rin glared at the canvas, half hoping that the harder she stared, the more likely inspiration would finally hit. After what seemed like forever, she finally gave up and collapsed into the chair behind her.
"This is hopeless," Rin sighed. How was she supposed to get into art school if she couldn't even put together a portfolio? For the past couple weeks, Rin had been going through her old art to find pieces to include in her application, but not much of them stuck out. That meant she had to paint something new, but it was easier said than done. Art block had been consuming the young third year and she struggled to find ways to cure herself of it.
Rin glanced around the room for ideas. There were mostly empty easels, except for one in the corner of the classroom occupied by another student. Looking between the student and his canvas, Rin guessed he was painting a self-portrait. Rin contemplated doing the same thing but ended up leaning back into her chair annoyed, concluding that a painting of herself would be too boring for her portfolio. She had plain black hair and grey eyes; nothing about her stuck out at all.
The girl was about to pack up for the day and leave when a thought came into her head.
Oh! She thought excitedly. Rin pulled out her phone and sent a text.
Ten minutes later, a tall boy walked into the room with an exhausted expression on his face. Rin waved to her friend and motioned him to come to her. The boy made his way to her area of the room and then plopped into the chair beside her.
"What did you call me here for? I can't stay too long."
"Why do you look so tired, Chihiro? Classes ended only an hour ago."
"The volleyball club has practice right now. You made it sound like you had an emergency so I ran across campus from the gym to get here. But you're clearly okay so-" Chihiro puts his hands on his thighs, getting ready to stand up. Rin couldn't risk losing this opportunity.
"Wait! It is an emergency! Sort of."
"Sort of?" Chihiro looked at Rin exasperatedly. She had the decency to be sheepish.
"I need a model to paint." Rin finally explained, and when she looked at him suggestively, Chihiro's eyes widened. Before he had time to protest, Rin pleaded. "It's important! This painting is for my portfolio which will make or break my application into art school. My entire future is in your hands, Chihiro!"
"Hey! That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?" Chihiro rolled his eyes. "Besides, why are you asking me?"
Rin examined him before answering. Chihiro was very slender, and had an angular face. With hazel eyes and a sharp hairstyle, he had a unique look about him.
"You're super tall! And you're also the only guy I'm friends with. Of course I'd ask you."
Chihiro laughed. "If you think I'm tall, you should see some of the guys on the team. Besides," he gave her a sneaky look. "What do I get out of this?"
Rin slapped his arm. "Why should you get something out of this? Shouldn't you do this for me because we're friends?"
Chihiro pouted as he rubbed the spot on his arm where she had hit him. "What? We're in our third year and getting ready to graduate. I don't have time to do free labor."
"You'd just be sitting in a chair!" Rin rubbed her temples. "Fine. If you want, I can do something for you, in exchange."
Her friend grinned. "Well, why don't we keep it an open favor for now. You can owe me and pay me back later!"
"Ugh". Rin was disgusted with how proud her friend looked while bargaining.
"But I can't do it now. I have to head back to help with practice. Let's set a time for another day." Chihiro fixed the strap of his bag onto his shoulder and got up to leave. Rin didn't want to wait any longer to work on her painting, but figured she was lucky he agreed to it at all.
"Hold on, I'll leave with you." She knew she wouldn't make any progress if she just stayed in the art room. Quickly collecting her art supplies and shoving them into her book bag, Rin lightly skipped to catch up with her friend who had already made his way to the exit.
They started heading away from the art room and towards the gym. Now that the two friends were walking side by side, Rin became more aware of their height difference. Her mind replayed what Chihiro had said moments ago.
How much taller could those players be? She thought doubtfully. Rin had known Chihiro since middle school and he had always been too modest. When they entered Aobajohsai, she was surprised when he applied to become the manager for the boy's volleyball club. 'Since when did he start caring about sports?' Rin had wondered when he first told her.
The whistling sound pulled Rin away from her thoughts. She could hear sneakers screeching against the floor and balls being hit back and forth. The two students stopped walking.
"Want to come and watch?" Chihiro stood in front of the gym and motioned behind him invitingly.
Rin looked at the building disinterestedly then above it at the sky beginning to turn orange.
"It's getting late, I should head back home." She said as an excuse. "I walked this way because my bus stop is nearby."
"Too bad," Chihiro replied with a smile. "You're missing out."
"Hah." Rin said without humor. "Watching sweaty boys toss a ball back and forth. Sounds fascinating."
Chihiro laughed like he knew something she didn't, and they said their goodbyes before parting ways. The girl stopped herself from thinking anything of it, knowing he was probably just trying to tease her into coming so he would have company.
Rin reached her stop a few minutes later. Looking down at her watch, she realized there was some time until the next bus would arrive. 'That's fine,' She thought to herself. As she had done many times before, the girl sat down and pulled out her drawing pad and a pencil to practice sketching the scene in front of her. Her stop was right next to a small bridge, under which was a seemingly gentle river. At a single glance, the water below seemed calm. But Rin had observed and drawn this river since she had started at Seijoh three years ago, and she knew the moving water would eventually merge with the Natori River and powerfully fill into the ocean.
"How pretty," Rin hummed appreciatively.
Hi! This is an extremely short chapter, but I haven't written in such a long time, so please excuse me while I try to get back into the groove of it. I know none of the canon characters have appeared yet, but don't worry, you'll see them soon! To generalize, this is a romance between OCx? (I don't want to say who it is for now, though you can probably guess by the hints I've dropped in the chapter), but I do hope to explore different arcs in this story. I don't know if it will turn into a love triangle or not yet, I guess we'll see as this continues. Thanks for sticking around this long!