The Art Class (BL)

5. An unexpected return

Alex:

After searching the halls for around 20 minutes, I gave up. Despite my efforts, Zack remained missing. His whereabouts were a mystery, and I had no idea how he managed to get away so quickly. I reluctantly conceded defeat and decided to go home, not back to class. I didn't want to have to deal with Mr. Graham.

Ensuring I had all my belongings in my backpack, I made my way towards the gates of the college campus. As I walked along the footpath, my trusty headphones firmly in place, I started scrolling through my playlist and settled on the song Home by Good Neighbours. It was such an elegant song. I love Indie music; it makes me calm even when I'm stressed.

As I began my walk home, the realization that today was Friday made me feel a lot more excited about going home. The idea of two days of uninterrupted, free time almost gave me the urge to skip home like a schoolgirl, but I had to restrain myself.

I love the weekend. It was a rare opportunity to actually relax. The relation that I have gotten so old that weekends are the only thing that excited me did make me a little sad, however.

With the promise of a well-deserved rest on the horizon, I marched onwards with the energy I didn't know I had to embrace the weekend's offerings with open arms. Until the reality of my life hit me. I realised that my phone was missing, and it was probably Zack.

My misplaced phone most likely won't turn up, and a sense of despair washed over me. It was clear that its whereabouts would remain a mystery for now, even though I was sure Zack had it, leaving me with no choice but to use my trusty laptop for communication.

Lost in my thoughts, I stood before my doorstep sooner than expected. It's alarming how much I zone out. Subconsciously, I found my way home. I'm so weird.

A pang of guilt pierced me as I realised the consequence of my actions was that I had missed class. It wasn't a deliberate act of defiance but rather a by-product of the events that had unfolded throughout the day. If Zack hadn't run out of the classroom, I wouldn't have chased after him. It made him way more suspicious.

As I stepped inside, I was greeted with the fresh smell of laundry; my sister must have done some while I was gone. My sister's absence again greeted me, a familiar but unsurprising occurrence. I embraced the rare opportunity to unwind and indulge in some much-needed relaxation.

In the blink of an eye, I transformed into full-on relaxation mode, slipping into the cosy confines of my pyjamas. Then, I went to the kitchen to make some delicious buttery popcorn. The aroma of freshly popped popcorn wafted through the air, further heightening the anticipation for the leisurely evening ahead. I haven't been this riled up about relaxing in forever. I must have some severe burnout.

Getting on the couch, I grabbed my favourite blanket. Navigating the endless sea of entertainment options on Netflix, I was at a crossroads. Opting to leave it to chance, I surrendered to the whims of fate and selected a title at random: "Magic Mike." Having never seen it before, I just hope it's good

I could take my eyes off the screen and was embarrassed to say I was really enjoying the money. The movie really threw me for a loop! Honestly, I don't know what to make of it right now. And to clear the air, I did stick it out till the end because it definitely had my attention, but not necessarily for all the usual reasons.

Who could have predicted that rollercoaster of a storyline? It hooked me from start to finish, even if I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that went down.

The trance I was currently in was shattered within seconds after I heard the door creak. Ah, my sister's return. I was happy to see her until she yelled, "Magic Mike, ha?" with a knowing look. "It's not what it looks like. I didn't know what it was about", I said honestly.