Close As Strangers // Calum Hood

Chapter 14 - Art exhibition

Ivy's Point of View

Yesterday was a living hell for me. I had barely eaten anything all day because of how I was feeling. My head had been hurting all day and I don't know how many times I puked yesterday. I guess I partied a little too hard with Theo, Jenna and Kenny. But like I had wanted to, I had gotten my mind off things and I had a fun night, even though I felt like crap the day after. And since that night I have barely thought about Calum at all, which actually makes me glad. It's almost three months since Calum left and I never thought that me not thinking about him and being glad about it, would make me feel this relieved. Yesterday was also the day when I decided to sell my ticket to the Sydney show. I don't need it anymore and a much happier fan get to appreciate it instead.

I'm standing in the middle of my art exhibition room with Ms Palmer beside me. It's monday Mach 11th and the clock has just become 8.57 am, which means that in three minutes, the doors to this room will finally open and I can show all my works to the world.

"You've done a really great job Ivy. You've put it all up very nice and your drawings and photos are beautiful." Ms Palmer said and locked her hands together.

"Thank you Ms Palmer." I smiled big.

Ms Palmer nodded towards the double doors. "I think we can open now."

I nodded and walked towards the doors. I took a firm grip around the door handles and pushed up the double doors. There were already some people waiting outside. I recognized some students from the school but the rest of the people I didn't know who they were.

"Hi and welcome." I said when people started to walk in. My job was to stand by the doors and welcome everyone and if someone had questions, I would answer them. I was going to stand here a few days the first two weeks just to, I don't know, show off and answer people's questions.

Just a few minutes past opening time Leah jumped onto me and gave me a big hug. "I'm so, so proud of you, this looks amazing!" She almost scream into my ear.

I laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks!"

"Well, I shall leave you to your welcoming and I'm excited to see everything up close." Leah said when she had let me go.

She turned around to walk away but I took her hand and stopped her. "Wait! Can you come with me after school?"

Leah frowned. "To what?"

"It's a surprise." I said quietly.

"Okay..." She said a bit hesitantly and then she nodded to herself. "I'll come with you." Then she walked away to look at my artworks.

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I was about to lock the door to my exhibition but there was a woman who still circled around to look at my works. I couldn't just kick her out so I sat down by the doors and took up my phone. After a few minutes, the woman walked up to me and I didn't understand how I hadn't recognized her.

I looked up at the woman with her dirty blonde hair and frowned. "Mom?"

"Hi Ivy." She said quietly. She seemed quite nervous.

"What are you doing here?" I know that I told her about my art exhibition but I never thought that she would remember it, much less actually come to the exhibition.

"I wanted to see your works." She was fumbling with her purse. "You're very talented honey."

My mouth fell open. She hadn't called me honey since my dad got sick.

"I see were you got your talent from. Your father would be very proud of you." She continued.

I walked up to her and squeezed her hand. "Thank you mom."

She just smiled at me, told me that she was going to see me at home and then she walked away.

My mom hadn't paid this much attention to me and my art since I was twelve and dad got sick.

When I finally could pull myself together after this "got punched in the face" scenario, I locked the room and walked towards my car. I had to wait a few minutes until I saw Leah come out the school entrance.

The first thing she said to me when she approached me was, "Lucky you, who didn't need to be in school today. Ugh, I hate math with Mr Donovan."

I laughed. "Yeah, he's not so fun. By the way, how did you make it to my exhibition? I thought your first class began at like 8.45."

"It did, but it's okay. I just came a little bit late." She smiled at me.

We had made our way inside my car and the rain had just started to fall.

I turned on the engine. "For me? Awwe, thanks!"

"No problem! But now, tell me where we are going."

"It's still a surprise." I winked at Leah. "But one thing I have to tell you is..." While I drove to the secret place I had in mind, I told Leah all about my mother coming to my exhibition. She also asked me where I had been last saturday when she was meant to help me set up the rest of my stuff for the art exhibition. But I just said that I had gotten help from Theo instead. However I didn't say anything about our party that night.

Finally I parked the car outside my "secret spot." Leah glanced up at the shop's sign and then glared at me.

"No, no and no. Ivy Elisabeth Tailleur, you're not making me get a tattoo."

I laughed. "No I'm not. I'm getting a tattoo and you will help me get through it."

Leah took my hand. "Are you sure about this?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've wanted a tattoo for a while now and I've been thinking this through for a long time. I'm sure."

Leah nodded and then we hurried out of the car and inside the tattoo shop so we wouldn't get too wet by the rain.

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Even though the incident between me and my mom actually happened today at my art exhibition, it was still the same awkward tension between us when I came home. As usual, my mom sat in the kitchen, staring out our big windows with a glass of wine in her hand when I came home. We said hi to each other and then I went to my room and shut the door.

I sat down on my bed and uncovered my newly made tattoo. It was placed on the inside of my upper arm and the motive was a paintbrush. Even though I don't paint, I draw with ordinary pencils, I've always liked how paintbrushes look. They are beautiful in a way.

Around the paint brush on my arm was a ribbon with the words, I'm a paintbrush in a way, I'm just an artist on a shelf.

I was really happy with my tattoo. And maybe in some way, I got it just to have my own tattoo to look at and not Calum's anymore.

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Author's note:

Well, this is what I call a filler chapter xD Hope you enjoyed it anyways!

The picture above shows Ivy's tattoo.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING, YOU ARE AWESOME! Don't forget to vote or comment something nice if you like what I'm writing! xoxo