Art Hoe // Awtto

2

𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸

Otto sat under a tree at the front of the high school, biting into an apple while coloring in a sketch of a blue jay. All was peaceful; the school doors didn't open until fifteen minutes from then and he was alone. It was cool outside, a soft breeze blowing Otto's kinky curls back a little bit. All was peaceful, until Awsten showed up.

"Hey, Sunshine!" Awsten shouted from a distance. When Otto looked up, he saw the boy running towards him with a grin. Otto grunted and sat up straight, dropping his blue colored pencil.

"Awsten, since when do you get here so early?"

Awsten didn't answer until he sat down in front of Otto. "I had nothing else to do this morning, and I know the sun came up at 6:48 this morning, so you had to be up as well."

"Why are you comparing me to the sun?"

Awsten tapped Otto's yellow converse and then grabbed his hand, flipped his arm over, and eyed a sunflower tattoo on Otto's wrist. He looked back at Otto with a smirk before letting go of him.

"Okay? That's a sunflower, not a sun."

"Sunflowers are yellow like the sun. But sunflowers are in the dirt, where you don't belong, and the sun lights everyone's path, and you seem to do that."

"Awsten, I have no friends."

"But people still say hi to you in the hallways. The teachers love you, too. You're in art clubs and reading clubs and you were in theatre for a little while."

"Just because you say hi to someone, doesn't mean you're automatically friends."

"At least some people have the nerve to say hi to you!" Awsten retorted. Otto knew he was struggling to get his point across, so he dropped it and changed the subject.

"How long have you been purple?" Otto asked.

Awsten tilted his head with confusion for a second, but then saw Otto glance at his hair. "Oh. Uh, about three months." He shrugged. "You can call me Plum if you want."

"Why would I ever call you that?"

"I dunno, Sunshine, to be even?"

"I grew out of nicknames at age eight."

"But you accepted Sunshine?"

"I didn't accept it. I questioned it, and the conversation got turned around to sunflowers and whether or not I have friends."

"Maybe if you wouldn't be so difficult, the subject wouldn't change so often."

"For someone who thinks I'm so difficult, you've eyed my body quite a lot these past five minutes and you seem comfortable in your place right in front of me."

"I'd be better if I was on top of you and eyeing your body."

Otto watched Awsten's face expression. Nothing really changed, except for a quick wink.

"You think you're cute."

"I think I'm adorable."

Otto rolled his eyes. He began gently stuffing his colored pencils back into his pencil pouch and closed his sketchbook, Awsten watching him patiently and intently as he did so.

Otto stood up, set his stuff into his denim backpack, and then pulled his arms through the straps and let them sit on his dainty shoulders.

"See you in art class, Plum." Otto mumbled, then turned and made his way to the entrance of the school building.