On Mute

Chapter 3: Thinking...

Chapter 3

My mind buzzed with questions; my Biology class did not revolve around the kingdoms of classification or the inner workings of the common ancestor of the mammalian race. No, it was filled with my tortured thoughts.

"Do you think Mr. Rupert will kill me for leaving his room a mess?" Brie swiped a glance at me.

"Well, he is the ass who pretty much made you tear out all the books from the shelves and reorganize them before class started." I twirled my sketch pencil and sighed.

"I might have been able to finish if Marc wasn't there."

"Marc was there? Are you kidding me?!" Leaning back in my chair I explained that he had History first and how he was forced to help me... and also how I snapped at him.

"I don't know what got into me, I just lost it?" recollecting, I realized Marc never at once acted smug, he didn't seem to be trying to piss me off until the end with his smark about my sketching... but even then he didn't seem to be acting sarcastic, I just jumped to that conclusion selfishly. I swallowed hard then I ran this by Brie.

"Then, what are you saying Abby?" I rubbed my temples.

"I don't know." She shook her head then went back to taking notes. I didn't blame her.

On my free I sat at my locker, I commenced sketching the infinite rows of metal doors then began to shade in their magnificent hues as a deep 3B. Why did I throw all my temper at Marc... yeah he was an arrogant jerk but it didn't seem that he did anything wrong to me. Yes, he gave me a few stares now and again but nothing that should have given me a hate towards him. I sunk down. His eyes, they were so cold and intrusive, I felt like instead of listening to me he was analysing my every movement, ever twitch, every blink. Rubbing the goose bumps from my arms I returned to my sketch just to find... I couldn't.

"Abby, that's just like you to be sketching on your free." Said a deep voice, I looked up.

"M-Mr. Rupert!" I jumped to my feet; stammering "I-I wanted t-to apologize_!"

"Apologize, apologize for what? You did an excellent job!" I did? I felt my shoulders slouch. "Yes, Marc said he barely needed to help. The place is wonderful! Come by my room sometime and I'll give you something in exchange for your hard work. I'll get my wife to whip up a batch of her famous chocolate biscotti, how does that sound?" I felt like I needed to pound my chest to restart my heart.

"Uh-yeah, sure!" I blurted before I could process my thoughts. Mr. Rupert flashed me his genuinely kind smile then went on his way. I held that fake happy pose until he turned the corner, then I fell against my locker and slid down until I was sitting with my butt on the floor. I picked up my sketchbook and looked at my sorry excuse for artwork. "You sketch pretty good you know?"I stabbed the paper with a thousand coarse jagged lines. Marc... how can you act like a saint after being so rude and creepy to me, why are you messing with my head? I tore the page free and crumpled it into a ball then three pointer-ed it into the waste bin.

Who needs a sketch of some dumb lockers anyway...

~x~

After school I sat at the edge of the trail, the lake was beautiful and glistened with the hues of the apple blossoms and willow trees. I could hear ducks quacking far off in the distance, and the splashing of the water as it hit the boardwalk just in front of me. I pulled my shoes and socks off after some serious contemplation and rolled up my jeans, I then manoeuvred myself onto the boardwalk and stuck my feet into the still warm water of a fading summer. If only sketches could be that colourful... that alive. I never got the handle of coloured pencils so all my feelings only came across in the infinite shades of graphite. The water after some time became colder and I knew I had to head home.

I walked back on the paved section exclusively used by bikes. I don't know if it was legal or not but a man my mom knew nearby slabbed it down one summer morning about two months ago so that kids wouldn't have to bike on the rocky uneven gravel. No cops that I know of got on his ass about it, nor has it been torn up by the city. All I knew was that my feet were soaked as well as my pant legs and I wasn't gonna risk ruining my converse sneakers just because the bottoms of my feet weren't rough. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw him, the mountain, and he was trying to catch up to me. What should I do?

"Hey!" he called. WHAT SHOULD I DO?! He was coming up the hill and was almost upon me. I made like I didn't hear him and kept walking, but this time a little faster. My heart was racing and soon my house came into view. I shot glance back, I saw the whites of his eyes; he was way too close! I booked it to my safe haven.

"Hey! Abigail, your sketchbook!" I felt my toes claw into the dirt and I froze, as I looked back I realized he did also. "Your... sketchbook." He held out the familiar pallet with his brows furrowing at the awkward atmosphere. "You-uh, forgot it back at the lake." I went out to grab it, and it slid from his grasp gently.

"Um," I swallowed. "Thank you."

"Abby! About time you got home, supper is_." Mom was up on the deck and when I finally looked up to her I realised her face changed from authority to something... else?

"Mom?" I called up.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell me you had a friend coming over?" I jumped back from Marc.

"My what?!"

"Please, please!" mom raced down from the porch and put an arm around the mountain. I saw him flinch. "Come in come in, like I said to my daughter supper is ready. Why don't you join us?" was she kidding me?

"Mom, I don't really think Marc Alders would want to_."

"What do you mean?"

"He just wanted to return my pallet." I lifted up the sketchbook. "See?"

"Your daughter is a very good artist ma'am." He rumbled politely. She giggled and suddenly Marc became a whole different person, he put on a bright handsome smile and played the gentleman. I looked away. What a phoney... you're lucky my mom's gullible.

Before I knew it mom shoved him in the house, he really didn't fit well, he was tall and broad and just squeezed past the cluttered front closet. He was like an unneeded coat rack, he didn't belong.

"You have a very nice home Ma'am." He recited with ease. Mom was tickled pink then said something about going to shut off the oven. I grabbed him by the collar and thrust him into the next room.

"Alright bub, mind telling me what's going on here?" looking down to me his expression changed, he morphed back to his usual uninterested self then let out a long sigh.

"I guess somehow I got invited over for dinner?"

"Not that! I meant why did you have my sketchbook?! There was no one at the lake when I was there, where were you and what were you doing?" freaky lurk...

"I was walking home from detention."

"Walking home? There are no houses down by the trail!"

"Yes there is! My dad is the new park manager. Look, I was just trying to give your stupid thing back, why are you giving me so much flack about it?" he demanded.

"Ooh, since when have you been such a prince huh?"

"Who do you think I am, you make me out like some kind of prick!?" I dodged his gaze. He huffed. "My job here is done; send my apologies to your mother. I'm heading home."

"Bye." I uttered to the back of his head, and he walked out of the room like he never even heard it.