And so the routine began. Rob would sit with Mari and watch her paint, getting occasional lessons. Nancy and Victoria were slowly getting Michelle and Jackson to warm to them as they came over at least once a week for dinner and some chit-chat. As the weeks progressed, Rob had gotten used to seeing Mari all the time. He'd even begun attending classes upon learning their schedules were somewhat similar. Sometimes the two of them would find a spot out in the woods and acctually do homework.
Things seemed pretty normal on the December morning even with the snow falling and semester exams only days away, Mari sat with her feet up on the table, sketching a mannequin. Rob was snoring gently in his seat. Ms. Z had finally given in and let the man stay through classes. He had never bothered anyone and Mari always had her projects done on time so she had no qualms with it. Mari was deciphering the position of her second mannequin and looked to Rob sleeping so hard. How the boy could sleep in school was beyond her but she chuckled when he murmured something about pancakes before falling flat onto the floor with a misjudged roll.
Rob scrambled back up onto the table and looked around, dazed. "Man, I was dreaming so good too..." he grumbled, settling back onto his arms. Mari smiled. Usually when he said this, he gave her spectacular inspiration and she picked up her sketch book, flipping to a clean page. "Tell Dochtor Freud zees dream?" she said, sharpening her pencil. Rob's eyelids fluttered and he fell asleep again before he could tell her. Leaning back in her chair, Mari couldn't wait for the school bell to ring. She wanted to go out in the snow. She wanted to go to the woods and go to Rob's tree house. So far, he'd never let her up the ladder and told her he didn't trust her enough to go up there with his friends on their wintery camp outs.
Deciding to only have one mannequin, Mari continued on the background of her person and began painting just as the bell rang. "Don't forget, projects are due TODAY!" Ms. Z emphasized. "I'll stay as late as is neccessary." Mari sighed and drug her finger nail through the semi-dried paint to give it an etched look in swirls and stars. Lately she'd become obsessed with the stars. Ever since she'd met Rob and given her own little speech that her mother had told her before she died, the stars had begun fascinating her again.
For the first time since she had moved here with Victoria and Nancy, Mari paused and thought of her mother. She remembered vaguely of a hospital bed and rushed midnight visits. The smell of the paper mask over her face was always imminent with these memories. She remembered feeling her mother's cold, clammy hand touch her cheek, a soft smile on her noble features. She looked so pale, Mari remembered and felt a tear fall down her cheek as she felt a hand land on her shoulder. "Mari? You okay?" Ms. Z asked, looking down.
Mari nodded, feigning a smile. "Yes, thank you." Ms. Z picked up the painting and Mari jumped, letting out a small noise. "Oh, ma'am, it's not done." Ms. Z looked between the two and gave a chuckle. "I think it is...." Turning the painting to face Mari, she was surprised to see that she had been working through her memories, writing 'Mommy, I miss you' over and over again amid the swirls and stars. Looking back over the painting, Ms. Z nodded. "The mannequin even looks like it's crying. Very heartfelt, Mari. I'll just put this on my desk, you can go."
Mari looked to the table and wiped her eyes feeling suddenly alone. Even with Rob's snores in her ears the room had gone cold and she buried her face in her arms and cried silently. Ms. Z, as she walked away from Mari, kicked the chair out from underneath Rob in hopes he'd realize his friend was in distress. Rob fell with a thud to the floor and muttered a curse to his chair, pulling it back to the table about to go back to sleep before he saw Mari. She wasn't sleeping, he knew, and she wasn't painting anymore. When she gave a gasp and a small whimper before her back began to shake, Rob found out she was crying.
Rob was taken aback and gulped dry sand in his throat. He'd never seen Mari cry before. Usually she's a bubble of giddiness that just won't go away. The initial shock wore off pretty quickly and Rob moved his chair up next to Mari's. "Hey...." he whispered. "What's wrong?" Mari shook her head furiously giving a hard sob. "Aw don't try to fool me..." Rob nudged her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Just---remembering..." Mari gasped, sitting up and wiping tears hurriedly from her eyes, accidentally leaving streaks of paint over her cheeks.
Taking her by the arm, Rob led Mari to the art sink and with a clean sponge began to clean the paint from her face. "What were you remembering?" Mari shook her head again. "Nothing important..." Rob let out a growl and rolled his eyes. "C'mon Mari, you can so tell me...We're like best friends, aren't we?" Mari sighed and nodded. "Well yes...but--I can't tell you here." Rob smiled and threw the sponge into the sink, going to put his jacket on. "Where're you going?" Mari asked, collecting her things unconciously. "We're going to the woods. You can tell me there."
Mari sighed and linked arms with Rob as they started out the door into the snow. As they walked, Mari noticed some of the girls in her math class standing by the entrance to the gate where all the walkers left. As she and Rob neared the entrance, Candace Christianson, a young girl with blond hair called to Mari sweetly. "Oh Maarrriannn...I'd like to have a word with you, if that's okay?" Her bright white teeth stunned even the snowflakes falling. "You go ahead, I'll catch up," she said to Rob and he nodded, going on through the gate, disappearing into the snowfall.
As Mari turned to face Candace she was immediately shoved down into the snow. "Just WHAT do you think you're doing??" Candace snipped. Mari blinked and stood up. "What do you mean?" Rolling her eyes Candace nodded to her group of friends and collectively they threw snowballs directly at Mari. Shielding her face Mari let out a yelp. "What the hell? What was that for?" "For going after Rob." Candace sneered looking at Mari with pure hatred. "I've been after that piece of hunkalicious for three years. He doesn't even know I exist!!!" Candace took slow measured steps toward Mari, her voice dripping with poison. "And then you come along and suddenly he's even more less interested in me."
Mari rubbed her arm where a particularly hard snowball had been thrown by the softball pitcher, Hannah Kilbourn. "If he wasn't interested before," Mari began tenatively. "What makes you think he'd be interested if I left him alone?" Allison Marshall, Candace's right hand, gasp for air as her jaw dropped. "NOT be interested in Candace? She's the ephiphany of school. Class president, cheerleading captain and she even reads to old people on the weekends." Mari shrugged, picking her backpack up off the ground. "Maybe that's not what Rob is interested in?" Brittany Withers threw another snowball, smacking Mari in the face.
"It's what every boy wants. Even Rob." Brittany snapped, rolling another snowball just in case. "Every boy at school daydreams about Candace." Allison sighed as if she herself were the one dreaming of her idol. Mari approached Candace, while Candace helped up a well manicured hand for all of them to back away. "If you can have any boy you want, why do you want Rob so badly?"
Candace paused for a moment, looking insanely lost before peering back towards Allison. Allison quickly fumbled through her pink, kitten- decorated backpack pulling out a matching notebook and thumbing through the pages. Upon finding her mark she let out a noise of distinction. "You want Rob because Mari has him." Candace turned back, her smirk returning to her face. "That's right. And I always get what I want. Whether it be jewelry or boys, I always get what I want. Especially from losers like you." Giving Mari the slightest push, she toppled having found Hannah on her hands and knees to knock her over.
As the girls filed out the gate each threw their own snowball, Candace taking the time to smash and rub it into Mari's face. After the sound of their footsteps disappeared, Mari smeared away the iciness from her face, looking off into the deadened school. Why did it matter to her that Candace wanted Rob? Why did she feel that sudden distinct rage building inside her? Her hands clamped around snow and she made a quick ball, planning to catch up with Candace and give her a taste of her own medicine before Rob appeared in front of her. "Playing in the snow are we?" he asked with a chuckle, his nose and cheeks bright red as he held out a hand.
Mari sighed and took his hand, hauling herself up and out of the snow. She didn't really care what Candace might do to her, if she can watch Rob smile, it was more then the torture could ever touch.
Things seemed pretty normal on the December morning even with the snow falling and semester exams only days away, Mari sat with her feet up on the table, sketching a mannequin. Rob was snoring gently in his seat. Ms. Z had finally given in and let the man stay through classes. He had never bothered anyone and Mari always had her projects done on time so she had no qualms with it. Mari was deciphering the position of her second mannequin and looked to Rob sleeping so hard. How the boy could sleep in school was beyond her but she chuckled when he murmured something about pancakes before falling flat onto the floor with a misjudged roll.
Rob scrambled back up onto the table and looked around, dazed. "Man, I was dreaming so good too..." he grumbled, settling back onto his arms. Mari smiled. Usually when he said this, he gave her spectacular inspiration and she picked up her sketch book, flipping to a clean page. "Tell Dochtor Freud zees dream?" she said, sharpening her pencil. Rob's eyelids fluttered and he fell asleep again before he could tell her. Leaning back in her chair, Mari couldn't wait for the school bell to ring. She wanted to go out in the snow. She wanted to go to the woods and go to Rob's tree house. So far, he'd never let her up the ladder and told her he didn't trust her enough to go up there with his friends on their wintery camp outs.
Deciding to only have one mannequin, Mari continued on the background of her person and began painting just as the bell rang. "Don't forget, projects are due TODAY!" Ms. Z emphasized. "I'll stay as late as is neccessary." Mari sighed and drug her finger nail through the semi-dried paint to give it an etched look in swirls and stars. Lately she'd become obsessed with the stars. Ever since she'd met Rob and given her own little speech that her mother had told her before she died, the stars had begun fascinating her again.
For the first time since she had moved here with Victoria and Nancy, Mari paused and thought of her mother. She remembered vaguely of a hospital bed and rushed midnight visits. The smell of the paper mask over her face was always imminent with these memories. She remembered feeling her mother's cold, clammy hand touch her cheek, a soft smile on her noble features. She looked so pale, Mari remembered and felt a tear fall down her cheek as she felt a hand land on her shoulder. "Mari? You okay?" Ms. Z asked, looking down.
Mari nodded, feigning a smile. "Yes, thank you." Ms. Z picked up the painting and Mari jumped, letting out a small noise. "Oh, ma'am, it's not done." Ms. Z looked between the two and gave a chuckle. "I think it is...." Turning the painting to face Mari, she was surprised to see that she had been working through her memories, writing 'Mommy, I miss you' over and over again amid the swirls and stars. Looking back over the painting, Ms. Z nodded. "The mannequin even looks like it's crying. Very heartfelt, Mari. I'll just put this on my desk, you can go."
Mari looked to the table and wiped her eyes feeling suddenly alone. Even with Rob's snores in her ears the room had gone cold and she buried her face in her arms and cried silently. Ms. Z, as she walked away from Mari, kicked the chair out from underneath Rob in hopes he'd realize his friend was in distress. Rob fell with a thud to the floor and muttered a curse to his chair, pulling it back to the table about to go back to sleep before he saw Mari. She wasn't sleeping, he knew, and she wasn't painting anymore. When she gave a gasp and a small whimper before her back began to shake, Rob found out she was crying.
Rob was taken aback and gulped dry sand in his throat. He'd never seen Mari cry before. Usually she's a bubble of giddiness that just won't go away. The initial shock wore off pretty quickly and Rob moved his chair up next to Mari's. "Hey...." he whispered. "What's wrong?" Mari shook her head furiously giving a hard sob. "Aw don't try to fool me..." Rob nudged her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Just---remembering..." Mari gasped, sitting up and wiping tears hurriedly from her eyes, accidentally leaving streaks of paint over her cheeks.
Taking her by the arm, Rob led Mari to the art sink and with a clean sponge began to clean the paint from her face. "What were you remembering?" Mari shook her head again. "Nothing important..." Rob let out a growl and rolled his eyes. "C'mon Mari, you can so tell me...We're like best friends, aren't we?" Mari sighed and nodded. "Well yes...but--I can't tell you here." Rob smiled and threw the sponge into the sink, going to put his jacket on. "Where're you going?" Mari asked, collecting her things unconciously. "We're going to the woods. You can tell me there."
Mari sighed and linked arms with Rob as they started out the door into the snow. As they walked, Mari noticed some of the girls in her math class standing by the entrance to the gate where all the walkers left. As she and Rob neared the entrance, Candace Christianson, a young girl with blond hair called to Mari sweetly. "Oh Maarrriannn...I'd like to have a word with you, if that's okay?" Her bright white teeth stunned even the snowflakes falling. "You go ahead, I'll catch up," she said to Rob and he nodded, going on through the gate, disappearing into the snowfall.
As Mari turned to face Candace she was immediately shoved down into the snow. "Just WHAT do you think you're doing??" Candace snipped. Mari blinked and stood up. "What do you mean?" Rolling her eyes Candace nodded to her group of friends and collectively they threw snowballs directly at Mari. Shielding her face Mari let out a yelp. "What the hell? What was that for?" "For going after Rob." Candace sneered looking at Mari with pure hatred. "I've been after that piece of hunkalicious for three years. He doesn't even know I exist!!!" Candace took slow measured steps toward Mari, her voice dripping with poison. "And then you come along and suddenly he's even more less interested in me."
Mari rubbed her arm where a particularly hard snowball had been thrown by the softball pitcher, Hannah Kilbourn. "If he wasn't interested before," Mari began tenatively. "What makes you think he'd be interested if I left him alone?" Allison Marshall, Candace's right hand, gasp for air as her jaw dropped. "NOT be interested in Candace? She's the ephiphany of school. Class president, cheerleading captain and she even reads to old people on the weekends." Mari shrugged, picking her backpack up off the ground. "Maybe that's not what Rob is interested in?" Brittany Withers threw another snowball, smacking Mari in the face.
"It's what every boy wants. Even Rob." Brittany snapped, rolling another snowball just in case. "Every boy at school daydreams about Candace." Allison sighed as if she herself were the one dreaming of her idol. Mari approached Candace, while Candace helped up a well manicured hand for all of them to back away. "If you can have any boy you want, why do you want Rob so badly?"
Candace paused for a moment, looking insanely lost before peering back towards Allison. Allison quickly fumbled through her pink, kitten- decorated backpack pulling out a matching notebook and thumbing through the pages. Upon finding her mark she let out a noise of distinction. "You want Rob because Mari has him." Candace turned back, her smirk returning to her face. "That's right. And I always get what I want. Whether it be jewelry or boys, I always get what I want. Especially from losers like you." Giving Mari the slightest push, she toppled having found Hannah on her hands and knees to knock her over.
As the girls filed out the gate each threw their own snowball, Candace taking the time to smash and rub it into Mari's face. After the sound of their footsteps disappeared, Mari smeared away the iciness from her face, looking off into the deadened school. Why did it matter to her that Candace wanted Rob? Why did she feel that sudden distinct rage building inside her? Her hands clamped around snow and she made a quick ball, planning to catch up with Candace and give her a taste of her own medicine before Rob appeared in front of her. "Playing in the snow are we?" he asked with a chuckle, his nose and cheeks bright red as he held out a hand.
Mari sighed and took his hand, hauling herself up and out of the snow. She didn't really care what Candace might do to her, if she can watch Rob smile, it was more then the torture could ever touch.