maddie sturniolo: the triplets younger sister♡

55 - pink paint

(a week later - maddie's pov)
ok.
i'm not gonna lie, school has been getting worse and worse. but i haven't told anyone about how bad it's been getting. apart from macy ofc. but i haven't told anyone in my family anything, not even my brothers, not even matt. and that's a big thing for me, because i usually tell matt everything. but i cant have them worrying about me again.
that conversation me and matt had on the way to crumbl cookies a few weeks ago always replays in my head, reminding me of how worried they were about me before. i cant have that happening again. i can help myself.
the only reason school has been bad is because of those girls. they wont stop teasing me, and although they haven't directly insulted me, they make me uncomfortable as shit. they always invade my personal space, ask me weird questions, and play weird jokes on me. for example, the other day one of the stupid girls called ava, i think, as i was walking to leave my maths classroom, she could see i was headed to the door from the other side (THERE WAS A WINDOW ON THE DOOR AND IT WAS CRYSTAL FUCKING CLEAR) and she opened the door SO FAST that i hurt my nose very bad and had to get ice from the nurse. i just told them i walked into the wall. but the swelling went down and i wasn't questioned by my family.
i just want this all to be over. i need macy. i need summer.

(2:45pm - art class)
i had my airpods in, and my apron on, as i painted away at my canvas. mr jackson had tasked us with painting a beautiful view or something nature themed, and i was painting a nice pink sunset. i loved sunsets. and sunrises. they were so beautiful.
i couldn't really hear anything happening in the classroom, as i guess my music was very loud, but then someone started tapping on my shoulder. i unplugged my airpods and turned around. it was claire, who looked kind of mischievous.
"what?" i blurted out, confused.
"can i have the pink paint? there's no more" she asked, not even saying please. i looked at the bottle of pink paint.
but i need it.
"cant you just mix colours? like red and white?"
"no, i need pink. that shade is perfect."
i sighed, fed up. that shade was also perfect for my painting.
"can't you just pour some onto a paper plate then use that? i'm kind of using it, claire" i said
she didn't listen, as she leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of paint from my desk. i tried slapping her hand to get her to stop, but she was too quick, and was already walking back to her desk, smirking at me holding MY bottle of pink paint.
I FUCKING HATE THIS BITCH I WANT TO SLAP HER I WANT TO KILL HER I WANT TO POUR THAT PINK PAINT IN HER EYES.
i took a deep breath, watching her as she started painting all over again. i debated walking over to her and just squirting black paint all over that stupid painting, because i hate to admit it but her painting was a little bit better than mine, and i wanted to destroy it.
stop being so petty again, maddie. get back to work.
i plugged my airpods back in, and turned my music all the way up. now i had to mix red and white, but the shade looked nothing like how the pink colour was before. now my painting was gonna look shit.
someone was tapping me again, this time from my right. i looked over, it was some random boy. i took out my airpods again.
"what?"
"your music. it's very loud." he said.
i don't give a shit.
i'm listening to my music however loud i want to, kid.
i tutted, then put my airpods back in. but then guess what.
they're dead.
FUCK

it had been around 10 minutes now since all this mayhem, and i had calmed down a bit. i had managed to find a way to blend the colours slightly better, so it did work out in the end, but i could hear claire and anna talking about me with ava behind me. i tried my best to ignore it but it was really starting to bother me.
the bell for the end of the period rang.
"right everyone, please don't just leave all the tools and paint out, please help me clean up this classroom, and then you may leave. great work today!" mr jackson announced, as everyone started packing their things up and taking their paintbrushes and shit to the sink.
"maddie! come!" ava shouted from across the classroom. i pretended to not hear, and faced my painting and began to pack up my things as i took my apron off too. but she continued. "maddie!"
i could hear them giggling. i exhaled, then turned around and walked over to them, not saying a word.
"i think someone tampered with your painting" ava said, pointing to my painting which was behind me.
"where?" i asked, looking behind me, and as soon as i turned, i felt a wet and sticky sensation hit my arm and the side of my neck, and i turned around and saw that one of those bitches had squirted the pink paint on me. my mouth was wide open, i couldn't even talk because of how much shock i was in.
what the fuck? so now they're actually becoming physical with me?
and now i had pink paint on my white t shirt. the one chris got me for my birthday last year. why did i take my apron off. i felt my eyes well up with tears. and the pink paint was in my hair too which i had only washed and styled last night. they were all laughing away, and then i could see mr jackson walking up to us.
"girls, what's going on?? maddie why have you got paint all over you??" he demanded, as the girls still continued to laugh. i didn't answer, because i knew if i said what happened they would make fun of me even more, and i would probably start crying. so i just shook my head and walked back to my canvas, where i continued packing up my things. tears fell down my face but i wiped them and luckily i don't think anyone saw. i could hear mr jackson speaking to the girls, telling them to clean up because they have made a mess in their area. i tried getting the paint out of my hair with my hands but it had already dried.
shit.
most people had left now, including the girls, and i could hear someone approaching me.
please don't tell me off.
"maddie? is everything okay? what's going on today?" mr jackson asked me, standing behind me. i slowly turned around. he brought out a seat for me, which i slowly sat on, as he sat opposite me. he looked into my eyes. searching for answers.
i nodded.
"i'm fine. i'm just a bit tired." i lied.
he nodded, unconvinced.
"you sure? are those girls bothering you?"
i shook my head.
"how did the paint get in your hair? and on your shirt?" he asked.
"oh, i wasn't being careful and it squirted onto me. my mistake."
he looked VERY unconvinced.
"okay, maddie, you don't have to tell me what's bothering you, but i can tell that something is. and i know you're trying to hide it, but it's not working." he began. i stared at him, emotionless. "but i just want you to know, i am here, and i care. ok? please don't hesitate to reach out to me if something has happened in todays lesson, or just in general. i want to make sure this classroom is a safe space for everyone, and if anyone is breaking those rules, you can always just let me know. alright?"
best teacher ever.
i nodded, smiling weakly.
"thank you sir. of course i will."
"no worries, maddie. i hope the rest of your day goes slightly better than it currently is" he smiled, as we both stood up. "oh, and the dry paint will come out of your hair with soap and water, and try using a strong hairspray to get it out of your t shirt. that should do the trick."
i chuckled, keeping that in mind.
"have an amazing day sir"