Worlds Apart

Six

Chapter 6 - You Blew Me Away

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My hand lightly brushes over the canvas on the easel in front of me, my fingers grasping on a pencil. I lean back from my stool and tilt my head, lightly nibbling on my lip as I stare in uncertainty at my art.

"It looks good. I mean, come on, look at Helen's."

I glance over at Helen sitting beside me and shift my gaze at her drawing on the canvas. My eyes widen at the sight and I can't help but chuckle at her lesser art skills.

"It's a little abstract, don't you think?"

Some of the class goers look over at me as I almost choke on my own salvia at his remark. A small snort accidentally escapes me and I lower my head behind the easel, focusing back on drawing the model in front of me.

"Hey, I gotta go darling."

"Okay, I'll see you." I softly whisper back, gently stroking the pencil across the lines of my picture.

I begin to really concentrate on the work in front of me and chew on my lip as I look back and forth between the model and my drawing.

The class comes to an end and everyone begins to pack up their things and start to exit the classroom. I slowly pick my stuff up and put it away, scanning over at the image I drew.

Footsteps approach me and as I look over I see Helen coming to a halt ahead of me.

"Lillian, I'm your friend." She smiles at me in a condescending manner.

"Yes, of course you are." Internally I was screaming but on the outside I kept calm.

"You can tell me, you know. You really should." She places her jacket across her arm and brushes the small amount of dirt from its collar.

"Honey, I honestly have no clue what you're talking about." I shrug at her and awkwardly laugh.

"Not one clue?" Her brow raises in disbelief, "Everyone's concerned about you. Is something going on with you? You can talk to me." Helen keeps persisting at me, which makes me slightly annoyed.

"There's nothing to talk about." I force a smile at her, despite wanting to rip her head off.

"Are you seeing someone?" She draws her brows together, her tone shifting a little more serious.

"No! Oh god, no. No! I'm married, I would never." I show my ring and fumble with it for a second, a quick flash of the other night entering my head.

"I- I meant a therapist. Oh god, you're having an affair?" She exclaims loudly, the last words hanging in the air for a moment.

My eyes dart around as I watch the last few people leave the room, "No! Helen, I am not having an affair!" I grab her by the shoulders and look straight into her eyes.

"Oh and we never had this conversation dear." She shakes her head and clicks her tongue twice, "Poor Derek. Oh, don't mind me. You don't have to tell me who but this explains a lot."

I stand in front of her for a minute and pull my hands back, placing them within each other. My head cocks to the side and I narrow my eyes at her.

"Explains what?" I now fold my arms over my chest.

"Well I suppose I don't mind telling you, now that I know you're not insane, but everyone's talking! You must know that surely." She shrugs her shoulders and raises a brow.

I lightly scoff and grab my jacket, putting it over myself. I grab the rest of my things in my arm and turn to face Helen, "Why is everyone talking about me, don't they have lives to live?"