Book 1: Valentina

Chapter 13

I cleared my throat, looking between the two boys, one had his eyes on me trying to figure out my next move and the other was still staring at the ground.

Trying to register every word that had just fallen out of Marco's mouth was like trying to pay a bill with counterfeit money.

I'd been betrayed. Lead on for almost three months.

I had to admit this was clever on Marco's part, an elaborate scheme and Cole was quite the actor.

"You guys can leave now." I sighed.

Cole's head snapped up like he was surprised by my calm demeanor, he tried approaching me but I put my hand up and he stopped where he was, staring at me.

"Artura, Im-"

"No, its fine I understand, the jokes on me. Marco you did an outstanding job, I mean who would've thought right and Cole you should be a performing artist instead of visual because your performance was impeccable.

You fully committed to your part as a love struck teenage artist, I mean you even paid 150 bucks for that tattoo and everything." I said clapping.

Cole looked down at the inked bandage on his forearm and sighed. I looked towards Marco who looked like he may have actually cared.

"Look I-

"What's going on here?" Eric interrupted Marco.

"Tura, are you ok ?" Maggie asked looking between Cole and Marco.

"Yeah everything is fine they were just leaving." I said pinching the brim of my nose.

I was starting to feel a headache coming on, so I fled from the door and sped up my stairs with everyone calling my name. When I closed my door I heard Eric telling Marco and Cole to leave and soon after, the front door closing.

The only thing I could do was lie down and pull my blanket over my head, I never closed the window, so there was a draft chilling my room.

After a while someone came in and started rubbing my back, they didn't speak just rubbed my back until I drifted into a deep sleep.

My blanket was tangled around me when I woke up Sunday, I didn't want to get out of bed but I had to do something about the temperature. It was freezing. I used my feet and pushed the window closed, settling myself back into the fetal positioned.

"You can't stay like this all day." I said to myself

"You gotta get up. You can't just wallow in self pity all day."

I laid there for another fifteen minutes and got up walking into the restroom and stripping off my clothes. I pulled the hair tie out of my hair and stood under the running water.

"Oh my dear you're drowning in blue." I whispered.

I stood on a chair to reach the top shelf of my closet to retrieve the biggest canvas that I had, adjusting it onto my easel. Cleaned my paint brushes and sat them in a tin can of water before I picked all the colors that I needed to complete this piece.

Usually, I had to think long and hard about big paintings but this one was feeding itself into my mind color by color. I grabbed my phone and ear buds, selecting the longest playlist on my Spotify and began to work.

I was careful with every stroke, being sure to transition the brush sizes so that every line was perfect. Mixing carefully so that every shade was accurate.

White and  brown.

Pink and white.

Black and white.