Penny For Your Thoughts? [unedited]

c h a p t e r • t w e n t y t w o

•••••••••••••••chapter twentytwo•••••••••••••

   6:00 AM on a Tuesday morning and I was wide awake, doing something I hadn't done in what felt like ages.
Painting.

I guess I was so caught up in the circus that is my life that I forgot about my escape; art. I carefully swiped my paintbrush across the canvas, creating a beautiful purple stripe across it. When I paint, it gets pretty serious. My room was now covered in towels on the floor and newspapers scattered here and there. The old shirt (that technically belonged to Winn) was now covered in beautiful shades of lilac and scarlet, as were my face and hands. There was more paint on me than there was on the canvas.
My windows were open, letting the rising sun light and a gently autumn breeze fill my room, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and focused on the paint strokes and how they danced across the canvas.
I was in the groove, letting the art engulf me, before a knock at my door interrupted me.

"Come in," I called, not glancing away from my work.

The door creaked open and someone walked in. I glanced up for a quick second just in time to see Benny flop on my bed in exhaustion.

"Make yourself comfortable, why dontcha." I chuckled. I dripped my paintbrush into a blob of blue paint before turning slapping it onto the canvas again.

"Well, this is a sight. I haven't seen you paint in a long time." He smiled as he got up and stood next to me, taking time to appreciate my work.

I stepped back to take a once-over of the painting. I was satisfied with it, and it definitely felt good to paint again. Art was more than just a hobby to me: it's a way of life, an escape. With one last look and a goofy smile (proud mama, moment) I continued to paint but soon I quickly noticed something was off. The atmosphere of the room felt off.
It felt...different.

I turned, my brows furrowed, to see Benny sat back on the bed with his hands rubbing against each other nervously.

"What's up, B?"

I set my paintbrush down before flopping on the bed next to him. It was unusual to see Benny nervous, which only made me just as nervous.

He sighed before rubbing his hand through his hair.

"I have something to tell you, but please don't get mad."

Almost instantly, my heart sped up. Did he tell? Does Tommy know? Or Chris? Or Adam or Winn? What about Jas? Are they all on their way to kill our father as we speak?

"Jaylen and I started dating."

...wait what?

"Please don't be mad! It's just that-"

Before he could even get the words out, I lost all self control. First it was a giggle, then a chuckle, then I was full on laughing my heart out. I don't know why it was so funny, but I basically doubled over from laughing so hard.