geed | clairo

six

nothing of extreme importance happened between sunday and thursday. my weekdays were a blend of classes, the occasional awkward study date with georgie and sporadic texts from lara reminding me of her art show and responses from me reminding her of the party. it was almost like i pressed pause on everything the moment lara dropped me back off at my dorm. however, as i buttoned up my shirt, i felt myself being able to press play again.

lara told me on thursday to meet her by the entrance of the art building with my clothes for the theme party tonight so we could change at her house after the show. i was unfamiliar with the side of campus where the show was taking place, but i saw lara standing near a garbage can by the entrance of the building, staring at her phone just meters away from me. her hair was now blonde and blue starting at her shoulders, as if she dyed it in her bathroom.

"i'm loving the get-up, francis," greeted lara. i was wearing a light blue shirt with stone chinos and gray new balances since i refused to wear dress shoes that spencer had drank beer from earlier this month. she was wearing the same jean jacket from the day she began to sketch me at the fly paired with a plain yellow t-shirt and navy gingham pants.

"i just assumed since it's an art show i should dress nicely." she began walking to the parking lot which was conveniently close and i followed, my bag in tow. she unlocked her car for me and i opened the door, tossing my bag in the front seat.

objectively speaking, lara was quite attractive. she had beautiful blue eyes that were innocent yet hid something behind them, like a secret she wanted to tell you once she deemed you close enough to her. paired with an face equal parts angelic and mischievous and amazing hair that looked soft to the touch, i wondered if lara had a boyfriend. or a girlfriend. or anyone she had romantic interest in.

"i can't wait for you to see my work," said lara, breaking the short silence between us as i opened the building door for her.

"i hope you did my face justice."

"i hope so too."

i stood in front of lara's display, amazed. it was almost as if she had taken a picture of the house and my face and just printed it in black and white and hung it in a frame. she captured every detail and flaw of my face perfectly: the dark circles under my eyes, how messy my curls were that day, the small acne spots i had near my jawline.

with the house, she captured every possible detail: the flag hanging from brady's room window, the slight collection of grime on the shutters and how the theta symbol was unevenly higher than the xi symbol. i turned to look at her, to see if she was proud of her art.

"be honest, paul. do you like it?" asked lara. i turned to face her and saw her eyes begging for my approval.

"i love it. it-it's amazing," i replied, still in awe of the detail.

"do you really mean that?"

"it's fucking amazing. you're really good at this," i said. she smiled softly at me and i couldn't help but smile back.

"lara! i love your exhibit!" exclaimed a high pitched voice. i turned around to see a girl with light blue hair wearing a striped sweater and a denim skirt. lara hugged her while the girl practically squealed.

"oh my god. you drew his portrait! he looks so handsome, like on paper and in person. like, some people look ugly on paper but great in person but it's the other way around for some peop-"

"echo, this is paul," lara interjected. i extended my hand for echo to shake, but instead, she engulfed me in a hug and shook me around slightly. after what seemed like forever, she let me go.