Work of Art

Chapter 15

"Sleep well?" Maggie asked as her friend sat down at the cafeteria table.

"I would've slept better if you had woken me up right after I fell asleep," Nick grumbled and she plopped her bag down beside her seat.

"Not enough beauty rest?" Henry teased.

"More than you at least," Nick jabbed back.

Henry dramatically clutched his chest in reply, "Ouch, I'm wounded."

Maggie chuckled at his dramatics. "With those acting skills, you should try out for the musical."

"ACT, remember?"

Nora scoffed at the boy. "You and your studies, how you're friends with us all I'll never know."

Henry really pulled the group along with his studies. While the other four tried in school, none of them really possessed the drive, or interest for that matter, to take higher level stem courses. While they all maintained relatively good grades, the seniors and sophomore focused more on their artistic endeavors.

"Just be like me," Nick shrugged, "and don't apply for college. Just like that, poof, no need to study for the ACT."

Maggie groaned at her friend's reminder. "I still can't believe you're making me go off into the real world all alone."

"Yes, because the real world is just four hours away," Jonah joined in as he came back to the table from grabbing his lunch.

Maggie had been admitted early decision to a private art college a few hours away in Seattle, a fact that Jonah never ceased to complain about. Maggie was set and Nick was opting to gain knowledge through experience in a studio and work, but he was stuck in the common app process. Nora had even begrudgingly edited some of his essays. Even though she was only a sophomore, she knew she wanted to become a journalist, which was more than the rest of the group could say.

"Enough college talk," Nora complained. "Don't forget that the three of you are leaving us," she pointed to herself and Henry. "How am I going to put up with just him for a whole year," she fake pouted.

Henry flicked the back of her ear, causing her fake annoyance to fade and a grin to spread across her face.

Maggie, Nick, and Jonah shared a look. "I think the two of you will be just fine," Nick smirked.

"More than fine," Jonah tagged on, causing Nick and Maggie to loudly laugh.

The younger pair of students were both awkwardly shifting in their seats with all the attention directed towards them.

"Speaking of being just fine..." Maggie continued, "...our dear friend Nicky here has a bit of a crush."

Nick gaped at Maggie, "I do not!" she exclaimed.

Maggie gave her a look that screamed 'oh really' before she turned to the rest of the group. "This bitch started knocking on my window at five last night and was all like 'there's something wrong with me'," Maggie pitched up her voice as she playfully mocked Nick. "Then she just fucking flops down onto my bed and is all like 'my chest flutters'," Maggie made a butterfly with her hands, flapping them up above her head to exaggerate her words. The rest of the table watched in amusement while Nick sat flabbergasted.

"I did not say that!"

Maggie smirked at her friend and continued on, ignoring her complaints. "'He's just sooo dreamy'," she mocked as she pretended to faint. "'Doctor, doctor help-'"

Nick quickly shut the purple haired girl up by placing a hand over her mouth, an action which attracted a few stares from around the room. She could feel Maggie grinning beneath her hand. Nick hesitantly let her go and wiped her hand on her pant leg before returning to her lunch to retrieve a bag of chips.

Johan raised an eyebrow as Nick sat ignoring her friends. Maggie leaned over to whisper to him. "I think I touched a nerve," she teased out of ear-shot.

"Someone's definitely got a crush," Jonah whispered back.

The pair of seniors pulled away and grinned at each other, a glint in their eyes that screamed mischief.

Nick, who had been pulled into conversation with Nora and Henry, missed the entire interaction, completely unaware of whatever her other friends were plotting.

"When do you find out what the play is?" Henry suddenly asked, diverting the group's attention to Nick's role as lead set designer.

"At twelve," Nick grinned.

There had been quite a delay with finding out what the play was. Whatever the school had initially chosen had to be reconsidered due to some copyright issue that Nick didn't care to investigate. Instead of auditions being two weeks ago for some broadway type show, they were instead the following Monday.

The clock currently read eleven forty-six, so the group, minus an uninterested Henry, were left in anxious anticipation for the next fourteen minutes. The eyes of their fellow classmates no longer lingered on them, suddenly uninterested in the table's conversation without Maggie and Nick's dramatic motions.

Looking around the room, Nick could see a few other excited clusters of students. There wasn't really much that happened at Forks, the annual fall play being the most exciting extracurricular for many. During Nick's scan of the room, she locked eyes with Rosalie. The blond sent her a sarcastic smile before tapping Alice's shoulder and pointing in Nick's direction. Alice greeted her with a much friendlier smile. "Nine minutes," she mouthed.

"Nine minutes," Nick mouthed back, excited that the new girl was sharing her enthusiasm.

The clock ticked slowly, seconds seeming to last for longer. Finally, with only five minutes left before noon, Nick tossed her backpack on her back and grabbed Maggie's hand, pulling her up from the table and along through the cafeteria. A few people looked their way as Nick passed with Maggie in tow. It was mainly the freshman who watched confused, most of the returning students had grown used to Nick and her friend's behaviors. The high school was small, so most people had crossed paths with her at least once before, so they mostly ignored the pair as they made their way to the lounge area outside of the cafeteria. Although, her excitement was quite contagious and a variety of people found themselves following the girls out for the grand reveal. A few moments later, Jonah, Nora, and Henry made their presence known by Nick's side.

"I think you got the entire student body interested in this reveal," he jested, "hell, you even got me to come out."

Nick grinned over at the boy, knowing that he cared more than he'd ever admit. She was about to tease him back for the fact, but was immediately distracted when she saw Alice walk out the cafeteria doors towards the forming crowd. Nick waved her over and Alice had barely reached the group of five as Mr. Doulton stepped up towards the wall in front of the excited students.

With a dramatic flourish fit the upcoming play, he taped a poster to the wall, showcasing a graphic design and a singular word in bold print letters:

Dracula.