This chapter is in Leann's POV, it's the first one, just so you know what she feels.
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For the first time in three weeks, someone was in the woods. And this someone was a boy. He was really attractive but really weird. He said he liked playing video games. You can't like playing video games, you just can't. There were so many things out there that were waiting to be liked, made to be admired and done with love, not these.
He was pacing in the room while I was trying to paint him, I used to paint every person that came here, there was a special place for them, and I would write something they had said right next to their face, in a balloon.
"Can you stop moving? I'm trying to paint you but I can't see your face", I groaned. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me. "Great! Thanks." I clapped my hands and continued drawing.
I wanted to value his cheekbones because he looked always angry and when he was, his cheekbones were so visible. He was a beautiful human being with so many flaws, and I liked flaws. Having flaws made someone much more interesting. Perfection was boring. And Calum Hood was far from being perfect. I had to admit that I wanted him to stay here a bit longer, and I was trying everything to keep him here.
"Leann", he wasn't moving, but he looked pensive, "I-"
"You may call me Lia", I liked being called Lia. Leann was perfect, but Lia was even better.
"Alright. Lia, your painting of me is not the most important thing in my mind right now." Then he restarted pacing. All I wanted was for him to stop moving, geez, what was so hard in that?
"What do you want your quote to be? I thought maybe 'you stole my-"
"Would you please stop? There's a world out there who is waiting for me, and I don't want to be stuck here with a girl who does nothing but paint silly pictures of people she will never get to see again!"
It hurt me. What he had just said hurt me a lot, but I didn't show it. I didn't want to show it. Breaking down in front of someone you had just met wasn't the best way to start off a good friendship. I knew I talked a lot, but I was just so happy to have someone by my side for the first time since a long time. Maybe I should help him leave, so it would've been easier for him to come back to me.
"I have a car", I sighed and stood up.
"You- what? Why do you say it only now?" Calum furrowed his eyebrows and followed me.
I really didn't want him to go. I hoped he would've wanted to stay with me. I mean, someone with a normal life wouldn't find himself in the middle of nowhere. I thought he also wanted to run away.
I led him to the backyard with a lamp. My backyard was different from everything around. I had grown flowers, really beautiful flowers, everywhere, even on the fence, that I had made myself with woods and painted alone. I could see Calum's amazed face. But boys didn't like flowers. He wouldn't stay just because of stupid flowers.
"It's right there."
I brought him to the 'garage', it was just a small cabin, and my convertible car was in it. There weren't even any walls. I gave him the lamp and he jumped of happiness before running to it.
"Please take care of it", I smiled.
I wished I didn't have a car. I noticed I really wanted him to stay here, it was not like the others. I did need him. Maybe my urge to get him to discover was too strong. I didn't feel attached to him, I felt attached to his passions, which he didn't have.
"Why is it yellow?"
My car was yellow. It was bright yellow, probably the only one on Earth with that colour, but I liked it. I liked this colour on my car a lot.
"Have you already seen or read The Great Gatsby?" I asked him, getting closer to the car, and touching it.
"Of course I have", he smiled and kept checking the car out with the help of the small light that the lamp was producing.
Everyone had seen this movie or read the book at least once in their life. The first time I had seen it, I was amazed. This movie was just, made of things people had never thought of. I just loved it so much and I don't think anyone could understand my love for this movie, it was unexplainable.
"I wanted the same car."
Calum then made a sound of comprehension and entered in the car, giving me the lamp back. He tapped the steering wheel and moved the gear to make sure everything was okay. Of course it was. I used it at least once a week. He turned to me and gave me a satisfied smile.
He then shaped an 'o' with his mouth, "So you want your life to be like in The Great Gatsby?"
It was weird, but he had understood. I did want my life to be like The Great Gatsby. I knew I was far from it, but it was my goal. Everything that I had done here, was inspired of it. I had also got inspiration from The Notebook, it was my second favorite movie. The way he had managed to redecorate the old and abandoned house was perfect. That's what I wanted to do, if only I had more money.
"Good guess, Sherlock", I laughed and sighed. I didn't want to see him go away. Not so fast. "Oh, and, can you please stop at a petrol station and fill the reservoir?"
"I will."
"Don't forget to come back. I need my car."
My car was really important to me. I needed it to do most of the things I was used to do. And I was happy because if Calum brought it back to me, he would come back with it.
"Sure. When do you want me to come back?"
I thought of a perfect date to get him here, and a perfect hour. "In two days, at six thirty."
"AM or PM?" he raised his eyebrows, again.
This guy had a thing with his eyebrows. He was too curious and unsure. I needed to change that. I also used to be like that. But then one day, I changed. I don't know how or why, but I stopped questioning things.
"You figure it out", I shrugged.
The keys of the car where always on the driver seat so he turned on the engine and clapped his hands. I started to make my way back to my house but then I thought of something.
"Another thing", he nodded and looked at me with wide eyes, impatient to leave, "You are right, there's a world waiting for you out there, and you're stuck there. Not here, there. I could leave this place whenever I want to and explore this world, but you can't."
"Why do you live here?"
"Another time, Calum Hood!" I yelled and jogged back to the house. "Just follow the path that I have made myself, it will lead you out of the woods!"
Right before entering, I heard him yell back, "See you, The Great Leann!" and it made me so happy because he wasn't thinking I was crazy for doing that. I wasn't crazy, I had just found who I was in this movie.
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Don't hate me but I've never actually read The Great Gatsby, I only saw the movie.
