Home for the Unwanted

Chapter 10

I jumped in shock when I saw who it was standing in the doorway clapping.

"Bella? The hell are you doing?"

She smiled, "Just watching this really talented dancer."

"A-aren't you meant to be at-"

"The group? Oh yeah that was cut short because the counsellor had to go a bit early."

We stood there for a few moments. In awkward silence. Awkward: suited me perfectly. Bella went over and sat in a chair that was falling to pieces.

"Thinking of doing anything with it?"

"What'd you mean?" I asked.

"Like, y'know, college, Ballet teacher, West End, those music videos for all them songs. I could see you be in that Royal Ballet Theatre thingy with all them tights and pointy shoes." I smiled and looked down at my dance shoes and the scratched floor beneath me. Bella always knew how to make me feel good about myself. I started to play with the ends of my shirt (a little habit of mine), "We'll have to see, who knows what my future looks like."

Bella giggled at that, "You wanna go down to the bar and say hi to Alec? Now, since the future is untellable."

"Sure."

Usually when it starts to become later and later, one by one the others join us at the bar. We all stay there together, ether working or having a drink. It's not until late into the night when we go up for bed. Sometimes people go up before others for reasons like they're tired or they need to get up early in the morning.

3:23am, flashed on my watch. The bar would be closing up soon, at 3:30. Since everybody had left for the night and nobody was here, Alec was already closing it up. The others had gone to bed except for Peter and I who had volunteered to clean and lock up.

"And that's why you should never ever wear makeup on your year 7 school camping trip." Concluded Peter. He took another sip of his cocktail. How many of those has he had? He was starting to get a bit giggly than he usually is.

"Believe me you don't have to worry about me wearing makeup." I smiled, playing along to his slight tipsiness as I dried off another glass. Peter let out a yawn, "Aren't you ready to go to bed yet? Aren't you even just a weeny bit tired?"

"Nah not really." I was wide awake to be honest. Peter whistled, "God, I wish I had you're resistance honey, sometimes when I'm painting all I want to do is to sleep forever. Then I get overwhelmingly tired and then I mess it all up."

"Oh yeah, you do art, don't you? What'd you do with all your paintings and shit?" I asked. Peter scoffed, "Put them all in the storage room next to our room."

"Where?"

"Next to the Christmas decorations, why?"

"I'm a curious person."

Peter gave me a 'couldn't argue with that look' as I put the last glass on the drying rack. We said goodnight to Alec and headed up to bed.

At dawn I woke up again and had rested until the early morning. Then I got bored so I got up. I let out a sigh as I glanced at my watch, it read: 7:01am. Everyone else is asleep. What the hell could I do at this hour? Go for a walk? No. Wait hang on...
Didn't Peter say he had his artwork stored in that room? Oh yeah, he did. I crept out of the room and went next door.

He said it was behind the Christmas decorations box...Ah, yes what's this? I pulled out some things that looked like those art boards, what are they called? Those art frame things. Canvases! There you go.

There was a lot more here than I expected there to be. Like 13 of them.

Bloody hell,

Peter was a talented artist. From the way he was describing it I thought he just was ok at it. Not serious about it. Damn, it's like the things you get in art museums.

They're a myriad of colour blended to make the beauty shine. He took simple everyday locations: the newsagents which those two pissy women own, that alleyway where all the cats hang out, that really expensive five star restaurant; and he made them come alive. He made them what they really were not what everyone sees them to be. If that makes sense, does that make sense? I don't know-

"Just couldn't resist, could ya?"

I jumped in shock. Peter stood right behind me.

A.N
Haven't updated in ages. Been procrastinating more and more with my writing. Probably because I've just finished my exams and now I'm extremely tired. My friend said that I looked like a dead body today. 😅
(((Pls vote!)))

Nelly Xx