Brush and Blush

Chats and Coming Out

Acrylic Williams

I was in my room, painting something. I wasn't planning to keep this forever, I just painted it because I was bored. After this, I might be doing a room cleanout, getting rid of the paintings I don't want anymore, and then I will head downstairs for dinner. But right now, I have to focus on painting.

Then, suddenly I heard my door open. I groaned a bit as I looked over to my doorway. Alex and Sam were standing there.

"Um, hi, we don't mean to interrupt your painting, but..." Alex started

"We made a drawing!" Sam exclaimed proudly.

Alex pulled out a sheet of paper from their pocket. I walked over to both of them. Sam tugged on the paper from Alex and snatched it out of their hands. She then shoves the drawing into my face. I gripped it with both of my hands. I studied the drawing they handed to me, it was a typical art style an eleven-year-old and a seven-year-old would draw in. I then froze for a second.

It was a drawing of one of my paintings. But not just any painting, it was the one I painted of Brooks.

"W-When did you find that painting?" I asked.

"Edith told us about it and when you were at the art club today, we snuck into your room to see it" Sam responded. Alex just put a hand on their arm. I sighed.

"You cannot just sneak into my room" I mumbled. "And why did you draw that?"

"Because she's pretty," Alex smiled.

"Yeah and she's a mean person" I muttered.

"Then why did you paint her?" Sam asked.

"Because I needed someone to paint!" I shouted.

"Oh.. okay. You don't need to snap" Alex muttered. Sam just grunted as she walked out. Alex followed her.

I took a deep breath when they left my room and closed the door. I then glanced at my wall, where the painting of Brooks was. Every day, I wonder why I painted her.

After I finished painting, I put my canvas on the drying rack in the corner of my room. I looked around my room and at the walls covered with canvases. I started taking down some paintings I made when I was around eight, nine, etc. I glanced at paintings I made of people. I began to take down some since they were based on real people and I didn't want them thinking I was being a creep and stalking them, which I would never do. I then looked at the one I painted of Brooks. My mind told me not to take it down, but I did anyway.

I finally finished cleaning out my bedroom. I put the taken-down paintings in a trash bag and walked downstairs. I then walked out of the front door and to the trash bin. I threw the bag in and ran back inside.

"Dinner's ready!" Mom shouted to the whole house. Everyone started running to the dining room, I was last to reach it. Viola grabbed my hand and shoved me into a seat.

"Ow!" I shouted.

"Haha! Should've sat before I had to do that!" Viola laughed

"You're so lucky I see you as my best friend in the family" I mumbled. Viola just rolled her eyes as she sat down next to me. I looked around and saw the younger kids arguing over something stupid. I just started eating my mashed potatoes while tapping my foot under the table.

"Come on, can't you just drive me to the mall this weekend?" Viola whined to Mom and Dad.

"Honey, we can't because we're fixing something in the house," Mom told Viola.

"Novella?" Viola looked over at Novella.

"Sorry, I have a tennis competition" Novella mumbled.

"Jason?" Viola asked, looking at him now.

"Sorry, my girlfriend and I are going to our school dance" He responded.

"I thought you were single!" Alex shouted.

"I'm not," Jason told them while looking at them with his dark eyes that would send everyone outside of our family shivers. I still don't understand why.

"No one else here has a license!" Viola whined.

"Take the city bus?" Sam suggested.

"But people are stupid on there" Viola groaned. She complains a lot typically.

"Take it or don't go to the mall" Edmund shrugged.

"Fine" Viola mumbled. Why was she whining about the mall? Out of all things?

"Hey, Acrylic, you look like you wanna say something," Jason told me. I looked up from my plate.

"Oh, um, I'm fine" I mumbled.

"No, sweetie, tell us" Mom smiled softly.

"Yeah, come on!" Alex said loudly. I shook my head.

"Sissy, tell us" James whispered in his toddler-like voice. I sighed. I looked around at everyone. They all were looking at me. I took a deep breath and told them what I hadn't told them yet.

"I'm bi."

Brooks Anderson

I scrolled through Instagram while sitting on the couch in the living room. My moms were making dinner in the kitchen. Asher was sitting next to me, watching TV. Asher glanced at me.

"Hey bud" I mumbled to him. He just gave me a wave.

"Does anyone else know what's in your necklace?" Asher asked. I shook my head.

"Only you, mom, and mum" I responded. He nodded and went back to watching TV. I glanced down at my necklace and fiddled with it in my hands. I sighed before looking up at the TV.

"Hey, sweeties! Dinner's ready!" Mom shouted and we got up. Asher paused his show and we ran to the dining room.

I sat down and looked at my plate. It was fish with a side of salad. I just started eating it up.

"How's your project going along?" Mom asked me.

"Which one?" I asked in response.

"The one with Acrylic" Mum responded.

"Oh, well, it's fine I guess" I mumbled. "If only she didn't get us detention"

"True, true" Mom nodded as she ate her food. This dinnertime was pretty chill for us.