(School has started.)

Your doing it wrong!" Linda cried and Matt resisted the urge to snap her neck.

"How am I doing it wrong?" Matt gritted his teeth "It's not that hard to draw a circle!"

"It looks like an oval!"

"Your face looks like an oval." Matt muttered to low for Linda to hear.

"What?"

"Nothing," Matt said louder, getting an eraser from a blue labeled bin "go hover over someone else!"

Linda sniffed hotly but didn't response. She instead turned back to her own perfect circle drawn in a peach pink color pencil.

Gee, someone was confident.

Matt inwardly snorted and started erasing his oval. Indeed it was an oval. But Matt wasn't going to give Linda the satisfaction of hearing him admit it.

"Is everyone done?" Mr. Lee, the art teacher, asked. His voice boomed around the classroom and meaningless chatter stopped. There was a chorus of yeses with the expectation of Pavel who had drawn something resembling a pineapple.

Matt leaned over to watch the Russian sweat as he hurriedly erased the deformed circle and start again. The poor guy's hand was shaking so badly Matt was surprised that the shape Pavel drew somewhat resembled a circle.

"You okay?" Matt asked quietly as Mr. Lee began explaining the next step in their assignment. Pavel wiped his brow and glanced at Mr. Lee.

"I am not so good." Pavel whispered. Matt followed the russian's gaze and blinked "Do you know Mr. Lee or something?"

"Sorta. He's also my wood shop instructor."

"And?"

"And he is not liking me very much." Pavel muttered.

"Pavel. Do you have something to share with the class?" Mr. Lee asked, glancing over from the front of the room.

"N-no sir!"

"Then please keep silent."

"Yes sir! I'm wery sorry!" Pavel cried, his accent making his words almost impossible to understand as he rushed. Matt sent the blonde a sympathetic look before he leaned back in his chair. Linda was glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. He glared right back, daring her to make a comment.

"Your circle is off center." She muttered.

"YOUR CIRCLE IS OFF CENTER!" Matt shouted. The whole room fell silent, including Linda who looked shocked. Mr. Lee raised an eyebrow and walked over to Matt's table. He leaned in and Matt thought he was about to get a butt-kicking but Mr. Lee made his day by saying "He's right Linda. It is off center, try harder next time please."

Matt laughed, so did the rest of the class. Only Mr. Lee and Linda didn't laugh. Linda looked down at the table and didn't speak as Mr. Lee retreated back to the waiting white board "As I was saying..."

…

"That's blue."

"It's black!"

"It's blue."

"It's black! Are you color blind?"

"It's dark blue!" Linda glared at Matt and Matt glared right back "It's black!"

"It is blue now shut up!" Pavel snapped and Linda grinned "Told you so."

Matt took the colored pencil and snapped it in half before he took a black from a clear jar and began to draw. Linda stared, open mouthed, at her destroyed pencil "Matt!"

"Yes?"

"You broke the pencil!"

"I know that."

Linda kicked him.

"MR. LEE! LINDA KICKED ME!"

"Mr. LEE! MATT BROKE MY COLRED PENCIL!"

Mr. Lee sighed. Would those two ever stop fighting?

"Okay children." Mr. Lee glared at the two "behave."

"She started it." Matt pointed at Linda.

Thump!

"SHE KICKED ME AGAIN!"

"Linda stop kicking Matt."

"Yes sir." Linda said sweetly.

"OW!" Pavel cried "THAT WAS MY FOOT!"

Mr. Lee threw some chalk at the young russian "Quiet down Pavel! Detention!"

Pavel mouthed wordlessly before he slumped down in his seat "Sorry sir."

"Now. With your chosen colors drew ears on your circles."

Matt carefully drew two ears on the circle, his tongue peeking out between his lips. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Linda had barely started her first one. She was being extremely careful as she made the curve of the ear perfect. Matt smirked as he 'accidentally' knocked her arm and her pencil made a straight line away from the circle.

"Oh! My apolo-" Matt stated with a grin but Linda just leaned over and scribbled all over his paper.

"Hey!" He cried, doing the same to her picture. Linda kicked him and he cried out in pain and reached for the nearest thing.

Which turned out to be a paint can.

Red paint splattered Linda's smock, mixing into her hair and leaving flicks of red on her already freckle covered face. Matt froze "Linda I didn't-"

But he was once again cut off was a solid line of purple paint hit him. Luckily his goggles blocked the paint that would have hit his eyes. But his nose and mouth weren't spared.

"Blah!" Matt spat out a purple glob of spit and reached for a can of green. He dumped it over Linda's head and she retaliated by dosing him in orange paint.

"Matt! Linda!" Mr. Lee ran followed and got a face full of blue paint. Linda launched some yellow paint at Matt and he threw some pink back.

Most of the other children had ducked under their tables to avoid getting hit.

Some brown,grey, black, and white paint were added to the mix. Matt began throwing bits of erasers at Linda that got mixed in with the paint and stuck to her. Linda was to busy looking for something however to notice and Matt grew a bit worried as she straightened up holding a bowl of something.

It was that stuff people dipped news paper in to make paper mache stuff.

"Linda-"

Splat!

Matt got a face full of the disgusting stuff.

"Eck!" Matt wiped as much of the grossness from his face as he could. But his hands were covered with paint so it didn't help much. He flew at Linda and together they rolled, wiping whatever they had on their hands on each other and throwing anything they could still reach at each other.

Mr. Lee dove out from below a table and seized the scruff of each of their shirts. They flailed their fists at each other as Matt and Linda were dragged apart.

"Enough!" Mr. Lee growled.

"She started it!"

Thump!

Linda's foot could still reach him.

"Linda!" Mr. Lee snapped and the paint covered girl scowled.

"Both are you staying after to clean up!" Mr. Lee glared at both of them "And if anymore fighting happens there will be worse punishment. As for the rest of you, class is over!"

The rest of the children carefully rose from their hiding spots, warily of the paint everywhere. They filed out, shooting glances back at Matt and Linda.

"I want this place spotless." Mr. Lee rubbed his temples "By tomorrow. I will notify your teachers that you are here."

Matt scowled but took the mop thrown at him. Linda started wordlessly picking up scattered papers as Mr. Lee turned to leave, her face hiding by a wall of multi colored hair. Matt began to scrub at the paint that had spilled onto the floor. Only when he head the snuffling sound did he realize Linda was crying.

"Linda?" Matt knelt down next to her.

"Go away Matt." Linda whipped at her eyes, sniffing.

"I'm sorry. I need mean for all this to happen."

"Yeah but it did."

"Here." Matt ran to Mr. Lee's desk and back. He handed Linda the tissue he had grabbed and watched her wipe her eyes "I'm pathetic."

"No your not." Matt rubbed her back. He didn't know why he was comforting her, but unlike Song or Mich he didn't hate Linda. She was different. She had passion which Mich lacked and Song threw only into running after Mello.

"I think your a great artist."

"T-thanks." Linda took a shaky breath "It's just, Mr. Lee is a tough teacher and I just have to do everything perfectly to even get his attention and I want to impress him! He's a great artist and I want to be like him some day..."

"So you have no interest in become L?"

"No I don't. And I have a feeling you don't want to succeed L either." Linda wiped her eyes again, the tissue was now covered in paint smudges. Matt shrugged "I'm more of a hacker."

"You know how to hack?"

"There's not much I don't now about computers."

"Why are you even talking to me?" Linda asked, balling up the tissue "I mean, we just did have a paint war."

"Because it was fun."

"I guess your right. It was kinda fun." Linda giggled "The clean up... not so much."

"I guess we should get to work." Matt frowned around at the mess "If only we had more help...I could... well..."

"What?"

"Well, Mello doesn't have classes right now, his teacher is sick I heard. Maybe he would help us." Matt shifted nervously "If that's okay with you."

"Sure."

Matt blinked "Really?"

"Yeah." Linda shrugged "Mello's never really done anything to me."

"I'll go get him."

…

"Mello come back!"

"No."

"Come on Mels!" Matt wined as Mello walked away from the art room.

"What did you say to him?" Linda asked. Matt grinned sheepishly "I told him there was chocolate. Mello please!"

"No."

"Please Mello!"

"I'm not going to clean up your mess." The blonde refused. Matt's lip turned up in a pout "Pleeeeeeeease?"

"No."

"I'll give you a hug!"

"I don't want a hug."

"I won't hug you if you help!"

"No a chance."

"So you want a hug!"

"No but not getting a hug is not worth cleaning up such a mess."

Linda stepped forward "Please Mello?"

Mello stopped. Matt blinked as Mello turned, eyebrows raised. Linda didn't look him in the eye as she continued, even she was a tad scared of his intimidating manner "We would really appreciate it."

"I'll make you some chocolate!" Matt added, grinning at Linda.

Mello sighed "Fine, but only till my next class starts."

"Yay!" Matt cheered and ran to give the blonde a hug.

"You do it. I leave." Mello's statement stopped Matt dead in his tracks. Linda laughed before she retreated back into the art room with Mello and Matt following.

"And I thought you two were a mess. Look at this place." Mello glanced around the paint covered art room "I'd give this an A if I were an art teacher."

Matt laughed "Thanks!"

Linda began washing down all the furniture that had been hit with paint while Mello and Matt cleaned the floor and walls. The paper that had been drenched in paint were in a pile by the door so Linda could take them with her. Matt scrubbed the white bored till the paint finally came off. But his arm ached for hours afterward. Mello got a ladder and cleaned any paint off the ceiling.

"How did you even get it up here?" Mello grumbled as he cleaned a patch of red off. Matt laughed and gave a shrug "I guess were just that amazing."

After an hour of this Mello bid the two goodbye and left for class. That left Matt to finish up the ceiling and Linda to take over on the walls. The two were both still covered in paint and the heat outside wasn't helping. Matt was glad he had decided not to wear his striped shirts that day.

"I don't think this will come out." Matt stated the obvious when him and Linda took a break to rehydrate and to rest their tired arms. Linda rolled her eyes "Gee, what gives you that idea?"

"At least we're about halfway done and it's only been about." Matt checked the large ticking clock on the wall "Two hours."

"Ugh really? Only two hours?" Lily groaned "My arms feel like their about to fall off."

"Fooooood." Matt muttered.

"Here."

Mello's voice made both of the paint clad children jump. The blonde threw them both a sandwich wrapped in paper and juice box.

"Your class is over?"

"It's been an hour."

"Oh right," Matt sucked down his juice and took a large chuck out of his sandwich "Thanks!"

"You guys are doing pretty well." Mello looked around at the half clean room. Matt let out a tired laugh "Yeah well, tired."

"It's lunch break so I'll stay to help."

"Your the best Mels!" Matt grinned, punching the blonde's shoulder. For the second time that day Mello didn't react negatively to the nickname which made Matt smile wider "Let's get to work!"

"I'm not done yet." Linda pointed out but Matt just shrugged "We'll just start without you. Shame huh?"

"Yeah, shame." Linda muttered through her sandwich. Matt grinned and dived into the remaining mess with Mello.

"OH MY GOD IT'S A TINY BRUSH!" Matt held up a miniature brush he had found "IT'S SO ADOREBLE!"

Mello rolled his eyes and glanced at Linda who was chuckling and crumbling up her sandwich wrapper. Linda toss it into the trash and pushed her hair back "Mello can you hand me that broom?"

"So, how did Mr. Lee feel about you destroying his classroom?" Mello asked, throwing the broom to Linda. Matt chuckled "He didn't love it. Did you already take art?"

"Yeah, I took it my first year here." Mello nodded and scooped up a handful of colored pencils and dropped it into a container " Mr. Lee is like... the mutant spawn of a vulgar."

Linda snorted, almost inhaling some chalk dust as she did so "Mutant spawn of a vulgar? I never imagined you saying that Mello!"

Mello smirked but didn't answer. Matt grinned and slid across the floor on the mop, leaving a trail of water behind him "Mello when does your lunch break end?"

"In about two minutes"

"Aww." Matt stumbled and grabbed the blonde to keep his balance "You should skip class!"

"Not happening."

"Please?"

"No."

"Chocolate?"

"Not happening."

Linda laughed at Matt's expression of defeat. She walked over and smiled at Mello "Thanks Mello, you've been a great help. I'm sure we'll be done by the time you get back."

Mello inclined his head "I'll see you two later then."

"Bye Mels!" Matt waved wildy as the blonde disappeared out of the doorway. Linda smiled and hit Matt lightly with her broom "Get to work."

"You look like a witch when you have that." Matt eyed the broom and scampered toward the still paint covered sinks.

Linda only laughed.

….

"Ugh it took me like, an hour to get all of that paint and stuff off my skin." Matt wined as he and Pavel entered the now spotless artroom for their second day of art. The Russian looked around "It looks good. How long did it take?"

"Roughly five hours. My arms still feel like led."

Matt sat down next to Linda with Pavel on his other side. Linda's hair was brushed free of paint and her skin was normal again but Matt saw that flecks of paint still covered her shoes as they did his.

"Morning class." Mr. Lee greeted "Please get a scrap of paper and a pencil."

Their was a scraping of chairs as everyone hurried to obey. They were then told to draw a line directly in the middle of the paper then fold it. Without rulers. Matt simply folded his first then drew the line, as did most people.

"Your fold is off center!" Linda hissed.

"No." Matt glanced at her's "It's in the center!"

"It's off!"

"NO IT'S NOT!"

Author's Note: Ugh school. Anyway, this wasn't an overly important chapter I just had fun writing it. I know this one and my last chapter weren't very long but I will try to make the next one longer. Thank you reviewers!

Please R&R!