Paper Thin

• 16: Spray Paint •

Melody

At lunch, I headed to the art room, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Ms. Foster sitting at her desk. I knocked softly on the door and when she looked up at me, she smiled.

"Hi Melody! How are you?" She asked.

"Good," I replied. It was a half lie, as the dizziness hadn't worn off, but I was okay enough. In history class, we watched a movie, so the lights were off which made the classroom much cooler. I leaned on the doorpost. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too! I went to a leadership conference with the art club and got sick, so I ended up staying away longer! I hope the class wasn't too crazy..." Ms. Foster said as she motioned for me to come inside the room.

I walked into the room and sat down. "They were the first day... I got hit with a ball. Then the second day one of the VPs subbed so we were quiet, and on the third day, I didn't come to class."

"Oh no! Well, hopefully the VP dealt with whoever was out of line," Ms. Foster said. "I didn't see any notes left for me, so I'm at a loss in terms of discipline."

"It's okay," I responded.

"Well, today's going to be a fun day! We'll open the windows, and spray paint!" Ms. Foster told me with a smile. She then launched into what we were going to do excitedly. After she finished explaining she decided to eat her lunch, and I drew in my sketchbook a bit.

When I glanced up at the clock and realized it was almost time for class. I decided to help Ms. Foster set up the room. It was definitely taxing, especially since I was already not feeling the greatest, but I felt obligated to help out once in a while, as she was letting me seek refuge in her classroom.

By the time we finished setting up, the dizzy feeling was growing again, so I sat down. Ms. Foster looked at me curiously, like she was about to ask, so I quickly changed the subject before it could get to me.

"Who's your favourite artist?" I inquired. Ms. Foster's eyes narrowed slightly, suspiciously, but she answered the question anyways.

"This sounds cliché, but Van Gogh. His works are so amazing, right down to the brushstrokes and his use of colour. But I also love his quotes in the letters he wrote to his brother, and his story in general!"

"Wow, it seems like I should check him out more," I said quietly. I liked watching the enthusiasm colour her face as she spoke. It made me happy when other people were happy.

The bell then rang, and students began pouring into the classroom. The shock on their faces was bold as they saw the easels and stencils set up with cans of spray paint beside them.

Ms. Foster then explained what we had to do before the smell of paint fumes clouded the classroom. My picture was abstract and filled with cool colours. Standing combined with the heat of the room – despite the windows being open didn't help the dizziness I was feeling. The fumes made it all the worse and if I was honest with myself, I felt faint.

However, luckily for me, class ended before I knew it and I was okay for the day, despite the chaos my body felt.

***

After school, I walked a bit blindly through the hallways, still feeling fuzzy, but not horrible. Alani and Emma were in the hallway and waved at me. I walked up to them with a small smile.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey!" They replied. I leaned against the lockers as Alani spoke.

"Did you get all your work done at lunch?" she asked. I nodded in response.

"Yeah, it's hard for me to do art at home, because my stepmom is a super clean freak," I explained. It was mostly true. Margot didn't really want signs of living in our house.

"Cool, I get it," Alani replied. I smiled.

"Well, I'm going to head out," I said cheerily. I felt kind of like I had intruded, or like they didn't want to invite me to wherever they were going.

"See you!" Emma and Alani replied as I walked away. I didn't need to be included in whatever they were talking about, but it was hard to distinguish between whether or not they just pitied the new girl or actually wanted me as a friend.

***

When I got home, Mia was sitting in the living room on the couch, watching TV and eating grapes. She looked like something out of a stereotypical ancient Greek movie. She just needed someone to feed her the grapes, but it just sure as hell wouldn't be me. She glanced over at me when I closed the front door.

She turned her attention back to the screen, but called over her shoulder, "Did you seriously wear those shoes?"

"Yeah?" Was she really going to start in on me now? I just got home.

"Yeah, they're ugly," she snickered.

"Okay."

I wasn't going to fight her. The last time I stood up to her, I almost go into trouble.

"Family dinner is tonight," Mia added.

The second day in a row? I held back a sigh.

"Okay," I repeated monotonously, as I began retreating to my room. When I got there, I lied flat on my bed and took a deep breath, before deciding to wear a white baby doll dress. I curled my hair and sat down at my desk on my computer.

***

I glared down at my plate seeing steak and fries. I wasn't over the feeling of rejection and I really was planning to cut back on the foods I ate. I hated the fact that I had to sit there and force-feed myself because I didn't want to draw any attention to me.

Once I was finished, I sat and waited for the conversation to finish, before I got up and left. My usual routine followed after that meal, once it felt settled in my stomach. I found myself in jogging clothes and running in the basement until my legs gave out and I felt the cool tiles under my body.

When I stood up, I was extremely dizzy, and my legs shook uncontrollably. I let out a huff of air. I was satisfied. I had to have burned all the calories I just ate, and I was beginning to care less and less about the means I used to get what I wanted.

I dragged myself up the stairs and managed to get into the shower. When I lied down on my bed, I pulled the covers up to my chin and resisted the urge to pull them over my head. I felt like hiding from the world.

So, I did.

It was only 9:30pm, but it was time to sleep.

To disappear for a little while. 

__________

Author's Note: It's a short one but I just got a job so I've been a little scattered rather than focusing on writing! Plus I decided to change up where I was going with this so it took a little longer! But I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think in the comments!