Middle of the Week Motivation

Scoops of Ice Cream

"I will buy you a scoop of ice cream if you're quiet while I study." Jack promised his little sister, Izzy as they walked into the library.

"What flavor?" The six year old  asked.

"Whatever flavor you want."

They sat down at a table, Jack pulling out his textbooks, his sketchbook laying beside him on the table. He pulled out his laptop and plugged in his earbuds. "Remember Izzy-"

"A scoop of ice cream if I stay quiet, I know." She smiled.

He narrowed his ocean eyes playfully. "I'm still keeping one earbud out." She giggled and he ruffled her brown hair. She sat in the chair, watching her brother as he studied, his bright green hair falling in front of his face. She liked the bright green, it represented her brothers energetic personality very well.

Jack was generally a very animated person, but now he was boring. She hated days like these, when their mother had to work later than normal and Jack had to take care of her until mom got home.  While she liked hanging out with Jack, she hated the days that he had to study, though she got ice cream at the end so it wasn't that bad.

She tapped her fingers on the table with boredom, looking around the table to see what she could do. Textbook, textbook, laptop, text book... Bingo! She spotted Jack's sketchbook and reached towards it, dragging it closer to where she sat. Jack's hand slapped down on it, preventing it from going anywhere.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her older brother asked.

"I just wanna look through it." She explained, looking at him innocently with her blue eyes.

"Ok. But don't mess anything up. These count for a grade you know." Izzy nodded and Jack lifted his hand off the book, going back to his work. She settled in her seat, flipping through the pages. He brother was a very good artist or "drawer" as she would call it. The pages of assignments turned into blank ones, but she kept flipping. Blank page after blank page until.... near the back of the sketchbook she found pages upon pages of sketches of the same guy.

Some of them were colored. He had brown eyes, tan skin and black hair, though the top part was dyed red. This was her brothers crush. His name Mark. She looked up, scanning the library to see if Mark was in here. She smiled. There he sat, two tables behind Jack and a little to the right. They had history together. She wondered if he was studying for the test too.

She hopped off the chair, Jack raising an eyebrow at her, staring at her curiously. "Where are you going?"

"To walk around." He began to open his mouth but she cut him off.  "I know, I know. Stay quiet and don't be out of sight." Jack nodded, turning back to his work. He didn't notice her slip his sketchbook off the table and carry it with her as she walked over to Marks table. She figured if her brother was too shy to tell Mark, she'd find a way to tell him herself.

She walked up to where Mark sat and placed the sketchbook on his table, causing him to look up from what he was writing. She smiled, shoving the sketchbook closer to him. He looked between it and her and she smiled reassuringly. "The best ones are in the back." She whispered before walking back to where Jack sat.

Mark watched her curiously before setting down his pencil. He picked the notebook and began to flip through it. The first page was a "if found, please return to:" page and the owner had written their name in graffiti style handwriting "Jack McLoughlin." Mark looked at the green haired boy who sat across the room from him, wondering why this little girl had given it to him.

He decide to do the most sensible thing and flip through the pages. The first couple pages were stereotypical art class assignments, a still life, a perspective drawing, a self portrait. But these were really, really good drawings. Jack was not an amateur by any means. All of the assignments had an 90 or higher. Mark continued looking through the book. Good drawings but normal assignments. What did that little girl want him to see?

Then he remembered what she had said. "The best ones are in the back." So Mark flipped to the last couple pages and found drawing after drawing of... himself. He came to a page that he found the most interesting. There was a sketch of him covered in flames with the words "why is he so hot?" written above it and he was saying "I'm on fire, baby." Another sketch was a hand reaching out across a row of classroom seats the words "he's so close yet so far" written by it. A little farther down was a pair of hands holding and the words "one day."

Mark smirked as he looked over at Jack who was head deep in his notes. Mark had always thought Jack was pretty cute and liked his shy personality in public, though he was energetic with his friends. He grabbed his pencil off the table, flipping to the back of the page, which was blank, writing a little note.

You wanna be my boyfriend?
Call me ❤ (xxx) xxx-xxxx
         - Mark XOXO

He waved the little girl back over, showing her what he wrote. She smiled. "My brothers gonna be so happy." She whispered before scampering over to Jack excitedly.  Mark watched her shove the drawing in face and smiled as he read it. He saw the little girl point and Jack turn around to look. Mark gave a little wave and saw Jack's face turn red. Jack pulled out his phone and then Mark got a text.

"Yes."

Mark smiled. "Pick you up at 8." He sent back.

Jack read the text and looked at his sister. "What'd he say? What'd he say?" She asked.

"We're gonna go out tonight. At 8."

"Yay!" She exclaimed quietly. "I did it."

Jack chuckled. "I might get you two scoops of ice cream today."