❝I'm trying, I really am. But, I feel so.. let down. It's like I'm falling, and there's no way to get back up.❞
Oceana Bloom, a writer and an artist, can't seem to put her pain into words and her sadness into art. It's not that everything hurts, but...
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Mrs. Harp kept her smile as she read through the syllabus for this elective. Many of us had already started losing ours, and in 15 minutes she finished.
"I know that was pretty boring, my apologies. But, it's necessary, and it's good that we've got that out of the way. So, before we head into this semester, I just want to get to know all of you a bit better. Let's go around and introduce ourselves, and throw in 2 facts about yourself that you would like us to know."
My heart sped up a bit, and I didn't want to do this. As I tried to calm myself, I racked my brain trying to find anything interesting about myself that I could share with everyone.
When Mrs. Harp realized that nobody wanted to go first, she announced that she'd go first. She took a moment, and said,"Well, hey! My name is Amber Roselle Harp. You may call me Mrs. Harp or Mrs. H, whatever floats your boat. First of all, I'm a hardcore BTS fan. I'm going to go ahead and establish the fact that Jimin and I are soulmates, so ladies (and guys) backoff!" Laughing slightly, her face glowed which spread a happy vibe throughout the room. "And secondly, I'm very passionate about anything art related. Which is why I'm teaching this elective. Who's next?"
Her dark, blue eyes looked around, as she waited for one of us to start speaking. When nobody said anything, she looked at me and nodded.
"Oceana, how about you go?" And, in a matter of one question, all eyes were on me. A wave of anxiety hit me, and my heart started to beat a bit faster. Afraid couldn't even describe how I felt right now. Once I realized there was no way I could get out of this, I let out an uncertain smile and started to talk.
"S-sure. Hi, m-my name is Oceana Bloom. The f-first thing is .. that I like to write." My voice was shaking a bit, and my eyes met Cameron's. He nodded encouragingly as everyone waited to hear more, and I continued. "S-second .. umm.. m-my favorite color is b-blue. T-that's it."
The words that spilled out of my mouth were quickly forgotten, as other people started taking their turns. Each one introduced themselves and said a couple of interesting facts. Many people just spoke about their favorite colors or favorite foods, and the entire time, my attention was upon Cameron.
He fidgeted with his jacket, and his black hair shone in the light. When it was his turn, he gave a small smile and proceeded to laugh a little. "Uh, hey. My name is Cameron. I have a dog named Palladium. Dia for short. My mom named her after one of her favorite elements from the periodic table of elements. Also, umm.. I've been playing piano ever since I was 10. That's it."
By the end of our introductions, the period was almost over. It was the last period of the school day, and I couldn't wait to go home and sleep. My head was slightly hurting, and it seemed like the pain would only increase. Putting my head in my hands, I only hoped for things to get better. Mrs. Harp was talking a little more about the different things we'd learn this semester, and she ended it by apologizing for wasting our time. She seemed quite sincere, knowing that we had just spent about 50 minutes just getting to know each other. Everybody seemed to understand, nodding and smiling every few seconds.
As Mrs. Harp continued to speak, a blonde-haired girl raised her hand. She looked down and nodded in her direction,"Yes, Gemma?"
Gesturing towards the canvas in front of her, Gemma asked,"Um, after school ends, do you need any help putting away the canvases?" With an expected response, Mrs. Harp smiled and said,"No, thank you. A nice request, but I don't mind putting them away myself." And, as the last word left her mouth, the bell rang, indicating that school was over.
As everyone got up and put their things away, Mrs. Harp started cleaning the whiteboards and shouted her 'goodbyes' to everyone. As I was putting my things away, I heard Mrs. Harp's voice as she said,"Oceana, could you please stay here for a moment?"
