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Work of Art

"Oh my god. Another talent here to grace us with their presence. Zayn, you said nothing about your work being on display."

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal." I bow respectfully because I'm in the presence of Royalty but Spencer stops me mid bow.

"You know titles don't matter past these walls. When in here we're all equals." Some people would fight that statement even if it's a campus rule. "My friends from the Solace isles, this is Zayn Snipes and his siblings. That's Laverne, Toby and Kenji." We were led over into a corner where drinks were being served to be introduced to Macius's parents who didn't seem too interested in knowing us.

"Mother, that's the guy who gives me piano lessons and that's-" Macius hard glared at his sister Margo who was just about to introduce but forgot. "You know Zayn right? He's an intellectual talent. Yeah."

"I was just about to say that." Spencer says excitedly. "A very smart young man. It does run in their family. They all have their own talents and they stand out for it." His parents seemed the least bit interested in hearing about us and I would rather step away than awkwardly stand here.

"It was such an awful time for Macius and Margo. We weren't able to attend their parents' weeks because we were busy with the folk harvest festival but now we are here to see our musical prodigies." I looked over at Laverne pleading with my eyes to move on but she was busy talking about something with Janae. I peek over at Daniela who wasn't too happy to be standing in this circle as much as me. She glances over at me with an indifferent expression before turning back to half hearing the conversation. "You know now that I think about it I think I've heard about the young one. I've seen a lot of him. He's always accompanying someone like a professional escort or something." She say with an annoying high pitched laugh with a snort at the end.

"That's the boy?" His father asked impassively.

"Yes, that one." she once again laughs but I don't exactly chuckle, I just smile and plead with god to let me leave.

"I often see his face on social media so I'm surprised I didn't recognise him. He's not all that in person." I'm more than offended but I can't be rude. I can't be rude to people I just met even if they are insulting me mainly if they are my secret boyfriend's parents. I could see Macius' being just as dissed as me.

"I think he is a very handsome young man." Spencer says in my defense.

"Oh I never said that I just don't understand the um- what's the word? Hype! The hype around him."

"Mhm." I comment. My brothers stare at me but I just smile. This fucking lady is annoying me. I don't care if she's the queen of a nation. I want to call her a bitch and probably get banned from flying there but I never planned to ever cross that part of the ocean anyway.

"I forgot to mention to you Daniela how radiant you look tonight. Showing true beauty." She nodded to the rude ass lady's comments and gave her a smile without real emotion behind. "You know for years I said we should push these two together and I wished and hoped they would connect but you never pushed for the connection on your side."

"Because if it was meant to be they would have already found each other.They do go to the same school and share select classes." Spencer seemed somewhat over this woman in some way but he didn't want to disrespect her anyway.

"They would look good together." The king agrees.

"Precisely."

I hate being here now. I am over this. It's like a conversation as me and brother's make eye contact and they gesture over to Macius with their eyes.

"This is the one?" Toby asks pointing with his eyes

"Yeah." I slightly nod almost noticeably.

"Why this one?" Kenji asks with a side eye.

"I don't know." I shrug. I could feel they already made up they;re mind on him and they don't particularly like him.

As if on cue one of Toby's students approaches him.

"Hi, Toby. We're setting up to start and I'm just making sure you're there to see us." Yes, finally a reason to leave this upsetting situation.

"Of course. Excuse us." He says for all of us. Finally I can go wandering around. Some may say they didn't pay to be here but the condition of their work shows the truth. I could feel the fake awe their parents were showing for their work. How is Calissa's stick man worth a "wow amazing"? Something must be wrong with their eyes. I could understand when you see Miguel's clay sculpture bust of himself you feel moved. I'm not saying they lack talent I'm just saying it's just not shown properly. I go looking for my own poem that's displayed somewhere.

"Why are all your poems so dark?" A voice I dreaded hearing tonight but it can't be avoided asks me.

"I have no idea. It is just what spills out onto the paper."

"What you write is how you feel." Christian implies.

"You don't know that."

"Yeah but it's what everyone thinks when they see these." He says as he waves his hand over my display.

"They can interpret it however they want."

"But I can't?"

"You didn't do that, you assumed."

"It's good though."

"Thank you." I could feel him staring holes in the side of my face and it burns. "What do you want?"

"You're not gonna ask."

"About what?" I scrunch my face confused.

"About the painting." Why would I ask about something I find embarrassing? I can't think of asking about that.

"Not interested."

"You know there is more." My eyes widen a bit but I calm down and shrug. "Okay, what about it?"

"You don't want to see them." He asks, stepping closer to me.

"In no way I would be interested in seeing your creepy paintings."

"They're not creepy, I just painted you for inspiration."

"Inspiration my ass." I mutter and decide to walk away from him. I don't want to be near him. He was annoying me and it was haunting me to enter the painting space but I found myself drifting in that direction. "Is that my fucking arm." I stretch my arm in front of my face to check my freckles and rings and I'm pretty sure what's in front of me is it.

"Wow. Look at you being the muse of the evening." Why is one the worst antagonist bothering me? "When everyone else sees that painting up there, they will figure who is in the others." Chantelle utters in my ear. "I have so many questions to ask you but I'm sure you'll deny them."

"Same."

"I'm pretty open so there's nothing I would deny." He smiled in my face which irked me. I hate him.

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Are you the one who's been taking pictures of me?" He paused for a few seconds with a raised eyebrow and spontaneously went into laughter. People around us would think we were good with each other.

"Hilarious. Who wants to take pictures of your ugly ass? Like why would I stalk you? You are dumb as fuck." He hit my shoulder as he muffled his laugh in his other hand. "Ok my turn. Who's the boyfriend?" I pause as my uninterested eyes now widen as they dart over to his face.

"What?" I asked almost in a sputter.

"Everyone's talking about it." What is that supposed to mean?

"Who is everyone?"

"Everybody who is anyone. I heard it by the poets area and I was like wow looking at little wittle Zayn delving into a new stage in life. We really are twins or whatever people say about us." I think I can't breathe and I can't think. I'm stuck. I can't hear him but my eyes remain open listening to him talking to me. He sounds muffled and I feel like it's radio static. I feel like I forgot how to do anything. My vision now blurs as my body moves on its own to somewhere I should be able to find peace and quiet.

"Fuck!!" I gasp as I sit on a toilet lid in a restroom and rest my head in my hands. He's trolling me right. That can't be true. I never heard that well. I never pay attention to see if anyone was talking about me or staring so it might be true. What the fuck? I wipe away the watering by my eyes. The hell is happening. It's not true right? My phone dings and vibrates in my pocket and reaches down to grab it. It's one single message from Lorel and it's a screenshot of the school forum page.

"So who is Zayn's boyfriend?" Why the hell do people want to know these things? Are they that bored they need to dig up in my life? What the hell is going on today? I need peace.