As Pete and I walk into the art studio I get death stares because a basketball player has an arm around my shoulder but I don't care though because I am focused on only one thing:
Getting an A in this class.
Art class was one class I found difficult, not because I wasn't good at art but because I suck at expressing myself and this affected my grades.
Some minutes later, Miss Thandi walks in she has many piercings and some henna on her skin, she wore so much jewelry mostly African beads and her outfit was ripped blue jeans with a black crop top with the inscription "Young again"
"Okay artists", she says enthusiastically while walking around
"Today, we will be answering the question, What? is. expression?" She asks scanning our faces
"Go!" she says pointing at a random girl who was sitting next to me
"Expression is illustrating your emotions through art...?" She says sounding unsure
"Am mi fi tell yu Bella", she says in patois, giving her a fist bump.
"Expression is using art to portray your innermost thoughts and feelings. Art isn't just painting and sketching...it's putting your feelings out there for someone else to relate to...Expressing yourself through art is a way to take control of your emotions and feelings. Whether you're feeling happy, sad, angry, or even in love, many different types of art can help you get out what's inside, and for you to do that, you must become one with the art tools. You must be the art" she says illustrating by putting her fingers slowly together
"Art isn't just what you put on the canvas or draw in the sketchbook. Everything you create should always have a story to tell, every detail should be a word unspoken, let it be able to pass a message," she says looking at us all
"With that, I will be assigning partners for a presentation which you will turn over when the week ends, The project is meant to be an artwork expressing the character of your partner, try knowing your partner before making the theme for your artwork"
She says before calling names and who they are partnered with.
"Shayna, Shayla will be your partner..."
"I rather work alone," I say cutting her off
"Miss Idris, it's called a group project for a reason, now if you want a good grade this semester, you have to work hand in hand with Shayla"
After she says that I start cursing myself for my insane amount of bad luck
"Can you not?" I say to her before she utters any words to me
Shayla Ndombele was my best friend from Congo, underline the word was. She was a bit taller than me and had a curvy body like black women were supposed to. She was good at a lot of things that related to art. Her deep love for music is one of the first things you notice about her. Although she wasn't good at singing, She had this obsession with Chris Brown. Shayla has every album, knows all the lyrics to his songs, and has countless posters of him adorning her bedroom walls. If she could she would attend every single Chris Brown concert. Shayla and I were two different people: She was the life of the party, energetic, expressive, always happy to help, and believed in love more than anyone I knew, while I was the gloomy, uptight, and antisocial one who rather stayed alone that mingle with her peers.
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Shayla and I were best friends until tenth grade:
I can hear the echo of my footsteps as I walk down the deserted hallway. My mind is racing, my thoughts a tangled mess. I can't believe this is happening. I take a deep breath and push open the door to the empty classroom where I know she'll be waiting.
YOU ARE READING
6 Years Ago
Romance6 years ago follows the lives of two teenagers; Shayna Idris, a driven art student who carries the weight of an unresolved past that has shaped her present, and Arian Mansour an aspiring basketball player who works in her favorite coffee shop. Arian...
