She Needs Love

Chapter Two

Song: Angela by The Lumineers

His heart rose fast as he ran across the hallway with an aggravated football player at his heels. They ran down the long, crowded halls of the Academy. Bumping into intrigued students who paid close attention to Daniel being hunted by someone twice his size. They were whispering eagerly, betting their dollars on who they thought would win.

He was used to it by now. Dealing with the consequences of his actions was a part of his daily routine. This time; sleeping with the football player's kid sister. There was a low probability that he would get out of this one unharmed.

He didn't lower his speed, but continued to run even faster. This part of the building was empty. The halls let out an echo of their footsteps rapidly hitting the floor.

"Come here, you son of a bitch!" He called out to Daniel, panting heavily as he struggled to keep up the pace. He was at least five years older than him, repeating his senior year for what seemed to be the third time. He was strong, but Daniel was quick on his feet.

As they reached a corner, Daniel made a run for it. He jumped behind the staircase before the raging senior could catch sight of him. Daniel chuckled quietly when he saw the confused look on the football player's face. He obliviously continued his manhunt.

Daniel huffed and slammed his back against the wall in relief. Unexpectedly, a sharp pain tore its way through his upper body when something hard crashed into his back. He turned around in confusion and realized that what had hit him was an old doorknob, attached to a door he had never seen before. His curiosity struck him and without thinking twice, he reached for the knob and opened the unlocked door.

When the creaking door swung open he was forced to take two steps back in an attempt to take in the sight in front of him. It was as if he had entered a whole other universe. He had never seen anything like it before. Overgrown plants hung from the roof in every corner. Big canvases covered in colorful paint were leaning against the wall. Overspilling shelves and drawers, filled with paint tubes and jumbled rolls of paper. The parquet was stained with paint in all the colors of the spectrum.

He was used to plain white walls and spotless floors. For a second or two, Daniel was completely mesmerized by the sight before his eyes. It was like his feet had been cemented and chained to the floor. For the first time in a very long time, he was intrigued.

After attending Redding Academy for more than two years, he could map out the building in his sleep. He roamed the halls of the school five days a week and had a very perceptive eye for details. Nevertheless, he had never heard of, let alone been in the strange room he was now standing in.

There was a big, blank canvas standing on an easel in the very middle of the room. He could swear he caught a glimpse of a petite figure sitting behind the canvas. What seemed like a girl, unaware of his presence in the room. Right then and there he couldn't care less who that person was. He was completely captivated by everything around him. The intricate posters on the walls and the abstract paintings that made no sense to him. This entire room left him in a state of shock and confusion, two emotions he rarely ever encountered.

He knew very well that if the football player were to catch him, it wouldn't end well for either one of them. So when he heard heavy footsteps approaching, he had no choice but to snap back to his unfortunate reality. As he turned around to exit the room, he couldn't help but notice a worn out sketchbook by the door. It was wide open, on the top shelf. Without thinking twice, he grabbed it and exited the secret room.