He took that his cue and left the room, going downstairs. I took out a yellow tee which had ‘Some cause happiness wherever they go and some whenever they go’ written on it. I really loved it. I matched it up with dark blue denim shorts and flats. Taking the key I rushed down, wondering where we were going now. No pubs or clubs, it was a school night. Also I didn’t want my stomach aching from all the dancing and blood loss.
“I heard you are on your periods.” Janice said, the second I reached them.
I glared at Ace with disapproval, this isn’t something you shout to the world.
“Yeah.” I reluctantly said.
“Well, don’t get too many mood swings. We don’t want a petrified Bryan.” Janice mocked, making sure I was the only one to hear it.
“Whatever. Where are we going?” I asked, noticing some paint cans.
“Completing your bucket list.” Ace answered, appearing behind me.
Paint a random wall with random colors.
“Oh yes!” I clapped my hands giddily. “Let’s go, which wall?”
Bryan got on his bike, winking at me. “Why, of course our school wall.”
My jaw fell down with shock but then I grinned gleefully, wrapping my hands around Ace’s waist tightly as we sat on his bike. My previous frustrated mood forgotten.
“What do we paint?” Logan asked, his paint brush midway in air.
“Random things.” I replied.
We were at the far left side wall of the building at the far corner and since it was late evening we were quite safe and hoped no one would see us. Hell, even the gate guard was with us, excitedly opening a green paint can.
“Let’s do this.” Ace whispered in my ear.
I turned to gaze into those chocolate orbs. “Let’s do this.” I whispered back.
“Oh Fuck, you gotta see this.” Dylan said proudly after some time, backing away from his newly made art.
It was something that looked like a huge fat blue stick and the tip was inside a red – bowl? A bread stick inside soup bowl? And then I saw the folds in the bowl and two half circles at the top. A phallus inside a genitalia.
“Are you crazy?” Janice hissed. My thoughts exactly!
“What? It looks awesome.” Dylan defended, grinning at his creation.
I shook my head at his audacity. Every student would see it at some or the other point unless the wall was painted back and knowing our school no action would be taken before six months or until the supervisors came for inspection.
“What are you painting?” Ace asked, leaning over my head.
I shivered as his face made contact with my neck. “Uh I don’t know.”
He squinted his eyes and then they widened with awe, “Is that me?” He whispered, blinking his eyes in astonishment.
I looked at my painting and sure enough it resembled Ace, his face structure, eyes and hair were clear but I hadn’t gotten to the nose and lips part. “No! No!” I shook my head repeatedly. “Of course not.” What was I thinking when I did this? Of course nothing, my brain must have been numb
He smirked, the same smirk I would have painted. “You are painting me. Damn! I feel so special.”
Oh you are! “Phufft, don’t flatter yourself. I just felt the need to paint the school’s most obnoxious and idiotic student.” I snorted, my heart jumping up and down with the fear of rejection if I had told the truth.
“It’s okay, even I have painted something close to you.” He whispered, grinning at me, his eyes lit with amusement and joy.
I turned my neck to see his painting. ‘Disney’ painted in purple, ‘Bro sis’ written inside a red heart, ‘Bad boy’ with a wink. I giggled at the last one.
“Which bad boy?”
“Obviously me. You love all these three don’t you?” Ace teased, winking at me.
“The first two, Yes. The last one I don’t think so.” I teased back. But in reality I wasn’t sure. Are the feelings that I feel around him classified as love?
“Where is my name?” Janice demanded, glaring at Ace.
“This is what Joanna loves. Why would I add you?” Ace mocked, rolling his eyes.
Janice rested her hands on her hips. “Well I wonder what you are doing in it then.”
“Just add friends or something.” Dylan suggested.
“Best friends and then a heart.” Janice modified, staring pointedly at Ace.
He sighed, wiping fake sweat on his forehead. “Fine.”
Grinning like a fool, I turned to my painting. I wasn’t going to continue painting Ace, it would arouse suspicions. So I took Ace’s red paint and yellow paint. I added a half-open heart just below his eyes, making it look like he was inside a heart. I leaned back, proud with my painting. It looked awesome, better than my previous paintings.
“It’s cool.” Janice whispered appearing next to me.
“I know.” I grinned at her and twirled to see hers. A circle of sun signs was made and beneath every sun sign a quality was written. I went ahead to have a better look. Aries-Vigor, Taurus-Calm, Gemini-Beautiful, Cancer-Creative, Leo-Charming, Virgo-Reserved, Libra-Precise, Scorpio-Captivating, Sagittarius-Funny, Capricorn-Friendly, Aquarius-Energetic, Pisces-Graceful. Which one are you?
“I don’t think this is getting wiped off.” Dylan murmured in admiration, making Janice blush.
“I don’t think anything is except for Dylan and Logan’s.” Ace remarked, laughing at Logan’s painting.
I stared at it in puzzlement. It was – colorful. That’s it. “What is it?”
“I was trying to make sunrise but it didn’t turn out well so I got pissed and just painted it with all colors. You said you wanted random.” Logan reminded sheepishly.
“You suck.” Alan laughed, slapping his best friend’s back.
“You swallow.” Logan shot back cheekily.
“Sure I do.” Alan winked.
Alan’s painting was autumn, a tree and brown leaves on the ground. It was pretty. Brittany had painted an eye. It looked so real. She had always been a very good painter and this exhibited her talent. Max had painted his pet cat – Caroline. If she looked anything like his painting, I would be scared of her for sure. The guard had simply painted some boats on water and went off to the gate.
“The wall looks so amazing!” Brittany exclaimed. “Much better than those boring empty cream ones.”
We nodded in agreement, gazing at our masterpiece.
“Another thing off my bucket list.” I gloated happily.
“I am making a bucket list too.” Janice said.
“Add fornication to it, I’ll help you complete that one.” Dylan whispered, trying to sound seductive and failing, miserably.
“Why would you complete that? I have many other options.” Janice mocked, flipping her hair in an ‘I can do so much better than you’ gesture.
Dylan’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t even dare.” He hissed with so much possessiveness that it shocked all of us.
“Whoa dude, don’t go all Alpha male on my best friend.” Logan warned.
“Whatever.” Dylan glared at Logan and then at Janice before storming away.
There was a silent pause. “Uh I better go after him.” Janice muttered and ran towards him, without waiting for a reply.
“That was -” Alan trailed off not sure what that was about.
“Stupid.” Brittany concluded, shaking my head.
“But hot.” I added.
“We better get going.” Ace said, his warm hand on my lower back. I felt tingles shoot through my veins.
“Yeah.” Logan agreed, pulling Alan with him.
“Bye.” Ace said, pushing me ahead.
I looked at Brittany and Max standing nervously next to each other. Brittany came in Janice’s car and who knew how much time Janice would take now.
“You’ll be okay?” I asked, hugging her.
She hugged me back tightly. “I think so.”
“Should I wait?”
“No Joanna, go, I’ll be fine. I’ll tell you all everything this week.” She promised, breaking the hug.
I nodded and turned to Max. “She’s my best friend.” I said in a warning tone, my eyes glistening with rebuke.
He smiled which looked more of a grimace and nodded.
“Let’s go.” I said to Ace.
“You don’t know what happened between Max and Brittany?” Ace asked surprised when we reached the bike.
I shook my head, “Nope, you know?”
His face hardened and his hands formed a fist. “It was because of me.”
I stared at me. “You!?”
He nodded. “She will tell you.” He said bitterly.
Now I was even more inquisitive. What exactly was their story?
“Don’t think much about it.” He patted the back seat, signaling me to get on it.
I got on the bike and removed my hair band, keeping the hair open.
“Why do you do that?” Ace questioned, pointing at my hair.
I shrugged, “It is fun and gives me a sense of thrill. I like speed but not much, not after Kian.” I whispered the last word.
“He must be looking at you and laughing at your lunacy, doubting your sanity.” Ace looked at the sky, shaking his head.
I smiled, following his gaze. Stars filled the sky blinking proudly. The crescent moon made it looked even more beautiful. “I wonder if people really do become stars.”
“I believe so. My mother said humans and stars both awaken, live and die.” He said.
“She was a good mother.” I rubbed his back reassuringly.
He turned to me, his eyes flaring. “She was a shitty mother. One who didn’t give a damn about her own son.”
“She had her reasons Bryan.”
“She could have at least tried.”
“Maybe she didn’t know how to. Maybe she was afraid you would reject her. Maybe-”
“Enough.” He ordered, starting the bike. His back stiff. I opened my mouth and the closed it again. It was no use talking to Ace when he was in such a crappy mood. Looks like even he’s on his period, I scoffed at the thought.
I tightened my hold on his waist. My head on his shoulder. “Nobody’s perfect, everyone has unique issues. You just need to deal with it perfectly.” I whispered. “Smile while you still have teeth.” I quoted his words back.
I felt him relax under me. He leaned into me and his hold on the handles loosened. I didn’t have to turn to see if he was smiling, I could feel it.
Life is like music, it will make you smile, it will make you cry, it will make you dance and it will make you sing. Cherish it!