Disenchanted (Frerard) Wattys2015

Chapter 8

Sitting in the reception of the New York Arts Academy, I tapped my fingers on my lap, these art students must get bored of drawing strippers all the time, surely. Biting my lip anxiously I thought about Kyle, we had had a great weekend, he had been nothing but positive and I was so proud of him. Even if he was ten or fifteen even I would have expected him to just cry most of the time and be morbid and unhappy, the fact that he had seemed to completely flick her and any memory of her, off his shoulder like a pinch of salt I wish I knew, even I wouldn't have acted that well and I'm usually good at hiding my emotions.

I do this rather a lot, naked modelling for arts students, or just artist in studios, it's really good pay. It would be good pay though, you would have to pay highly for someone to stand or sit for several hours while you draw them naked, I definitely wouldn't do it for several hours for less than five hundred, would you, really? Most people are conscious of the body in front of themselves or their partner, not to mention a group of other people, a group of people who are then going to make a copy of it. I've given up giving a shit about what people think of my body, artist need people to draw, they pay good money and I need the money, especially now.

The strangest part of all this is, although I couldn't care less what people think, I had done this so many times before, yet I still got anxious and a little self-conscious about it. It was still people seeing me naked and drawing me.

"You would be Frank I-Iy- Iro by any chance would you?" A forty (about that anyway) bearded man, in small black glasses asked looking around the empty reception room. He was of average height, in a dark blue, paint stained apron and a paint brush behind his ear. Artist me thinks, maybe not but I think so.

"Iero, Frank Iero, yeah that's me." I smiled correcting him as I stood up.

"Iero, terribly sorry, would you follow me please." He smiled back leading me down a long corridor, then up a few flights of stairs, before turning down another long corridor.

"You uh, you got a big class?" I asked trying to make conversation, kill the awkward silence and find out how much courage I'm going to need to walk in there.

"Pretty small actually," He shrugged messing with his head a bit. "Not really a class in actual fact, a few students an exchange teacher and a few graduates on a free." I nodded in acknowledgement, small group and not all student, that should be okay, shouldn't be anything awkward or embarrassing.

I've done some here before, they are my least favourite usually, especially the big classes, but they pay amazing one thousand for a four hour sit, good right? Hell yeah I'm right!

"Well, uh you can get ready behind the curtain and sit on the chair," He shrugged pointing to the curtain, "Tell me when you're ready and I'll move the curtain." He smiled opening the door for me following me in. He then slipped past the curtain, leaving me to get ready.

I left my clothes in a neat pile on the table at the back of the room, checking my phone for any messages first, I left my keys and phone zipped up in my leather jacket pocket. Sitting on the chair, I lifted my back leg up, I rested my back arm on it and my head on that. My other arm was wrapped loosely around my waist, my hair fell over my face, but I could just see enough. Signalling for the man I had seen before - I don't think I ever actually got his name - to pull up the curtain, I ignored motherfucking butterflies in my stomach. As usual the little fuckers were flying around like crazy in there, whoever's been selling them crack better back the fuck up before I get my knives out, I'll cut a bitch.

Never ever do I look around the room, and today was no different, I never liked to see the people, but I did usually end up seeing the person directly in front of me, again today was no different. I almost fell off my chair on shock, anger and fear, not to mention embarrassed out of my goddamned mind. Those butterflies in my stomach seemed to be on some anti-gravity drug now, I really thought I was going to be sick, I didn't move, I couldn't move I just froze my eyes locked on him.