Brush and Blush

Debut and Davis

Acrylic Williams

I walked through the school hallways while holding my sketchbook and pencil. I twirled a strand of my auburn hair in my pencil, even though most of it was in a low ponytail. I then walked to my locker, which was blue like the others. I opened it with my combination, 13 22 15.

I grabbed some books from my locker and then I heard them. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, that Acrylic girl still has that same sketchbook!"

"I got to the art room and she's painting something stupid. Also, who even wears berets to school these days?"

"Ew, she always has a white dress that doesn't LOOK like a dress and jeans under that. Who does that?"

I turned around and there was the trio. Yes, everyone calls them that. Brooks Anderson, Holly Matthews, and Palma Stewart. They were the most popular girls and the most stereotypical ones. They were all girly girls, they had variations of blonde hair, and they always picked on the outcasts like me. I actually had a casual dress that felt like a smock, so I don't call it a dress. All of them chose to be enemies with me for some reason but I have the worst relationship with Brooks. I remember it too well, and I forever will.

We were in kindergarten—our cute, before-puberty selves. I have always been an artist but I used crayons back then. Who hasn't? I still had my auburn hair but it was down. I wore a white shirt and a little rainbow skirt with black leggings. I was sitting at a kindergarten table while coloring a picture. Brooks looked adorable back then, like most little kids. She had her dirty blonde hair in two pigtails and a purple dress. It's such a shame that what you dress like doesn't always define how you are. She walked up behind me and grabbed my crayons from my hand. "My crayons!" She proclaimed. "I was finishing a drawing!" I shouted in response. "My crayons!" She shouted then pushed me into the table. Yeah, it was just a kindergarten argument, but since then, there's been worse reasons we don't get along.

Now Brooks has a friend trio that she's part of, and they're the most popular kids in the whole school. She has a teal skirt, a light pink shirt, and dirty blonde hair in a French braid. Every outfit she wears always manages to make her blue eyes shine. She also has a heart necklace. Apparently, something's inside it but no one knows, not even Holly and Palma. Her brother seems to know though. Holly had blonde hair, a purple casual dress, and pink glasses that she rarely wears. Palma looked like Regina George but with her hair in pigtails.

"Well, let's go girlies. We don't wanna waste our time on her" Brooks declared. Palma and Holly nodded as they walked to a different class with her. I just rolled my eyes as I grabbed a book. I then closed my locker before I started walking to my last class of the day.

Brooks Anderson

My friends and I walked away from Acrylic. Her name is a literal form of paint, how could anyone not be embarrassed by that?

"Well, she's been an embarrassment to the art team, even though we aren't part of it. But never mind that. Let's talk BOYS" Holly exclaimed. She's the major romantic out of us three. I looked away and stuck out my tongue for a second.

"Yeah! Girls, I think Andrew Seltzer really likes me! He winked at me so much during Social Studies!" Palma smiled.

"That's great!" I responded. But I wasn't willing to partake in this conversation. I'm not a girl who's attracted to boys, but I have to hide that. How would Holly and Palma respond to that?

"What about you Brooks? Samuel Jackson was watching you at lunch and he seemed into you! How do you feel about him?" Holly asked me. I snapped out of my thoughts since I didn't realize that Palma and Holly had been talking for a while and I was just walking along with them.

"Um, I'm not sure yet. He's the guy on the basketball team?" I asked as Palma nodded.

"Wait, we should go now, our classes are about to start!" Palma shouted and I sighed in relief. She and Holly had math next, and I had science. We speed-walked our way to our classes.

I sat down at my table in the front. Acrylic was in the same class. How lucky. At least she sat in the back of the class. She's probably drawing something instead of paying attention. I mean I do talk with the people around me a lot so I can't really argue with that.

"Alright everyone we'll be doing a project on elements! " Our science teacher, Mr. Davis, announced. "This is a review from sixth grade."

Everyone started shouting if they could be partners with someone. "No, no, I will assign your partners," Mr. Davis said. I froze. I don't wanna be assigned a partner.

"Okay now Samuel with Elliot, Dawn with Daisy, Gertrude with Maddie," Mr. Davis kept listing the pairs.

"And Acrylic with Brooks."