Expensive shirt

Asher went round the big art room, surveying each student's finished artwork. The nervous, expectant eyes of each student, watched Asher grunt, hump or simply move on without any expression. One could feel the tension in the air portrayed by grim silence. Asher was also a man who was hardly impressed, and he wasn't at all impressed by the works he was looking at.

Lily stood in the corner of the room, watching Asher move around with his hands held behind his back. She watched him with contempt. She was supposed to be sitting in the midst of them all. He was supposed to be scanning her work with his unimpressed eyes, but she was sure she would have impressed him. She was supposed to have paint stains on her apron worn over her gown, but she stood hopelessly in the corner because Asher told her to do so.

Asher made his way to the front of the large room, looking over all the young adults. "I have gone through each one of your works," he began, his loud voice sweeping across the silent hall.

"And if what you've painted are your best works, none of you would make it in the art world."

A few eyes fell, hearts crushed, at Asher's brutal admission. Lily rolled her eyes yet again. To her, Asher was just being a mean jerk. She wanted to counter his statement, tell her mates that they did have talent, but she knew that would be the end of her just begun art career.

When Asher was satisfied he was heard loud and clear, he continued. "As a result, I have come up with your first assignment."

"Each one of you would go home with your work. You will look at it long and hard until you come up with at least three problems that you have found."

He paused to let the crowd digest his instruction. "If you find out your work has more than three problems, feel free to highlight them," he went on after a few seconds m

"Anyone who fails to highlight three problems wrong with their work will be replaced, ultimately losing this opportunity." Lily's eyes, along with other eyes across the room, widened in shock.

An unfazed Asher took a glance at his watch before looking back up at them. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Everyone, including Lily, murmured in unison.

"Good," Asher said with a short nod. "You are all dismissed."

Not waiting another second, everyone snatched their artworks from their easels and headed for the exit. Nobody wanted to be in Asher's presence for one more second. Neither did Lily, but she didn't have a choice. With a swollen face, she watched everyone leave. She was still engrossed in the sight when Neo walked up to her.

"Hey girl," he whispered, his paintwork nestled under his arm.

Lily looked up at him with a faint smile. "Aren't you leaving, Neo?"

"Nah," he gently shook his head, placing his work on the floor with its back to the wall. "I'll help you clean up." he said when he stood up straight.

Lily couldn't help but swing her arms around him. By now, the room was almost cleared and that single act of love caught Asher's attention. The wide smile of Lily's face made him want to question what was going on.

"The one with his arms around Lily," Asher yelled in a flat tone.

Neo and Lily's heads turned in his direction. Her heart started to race as she watched him. She knew that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"Yes sir?" Neo responded in a nervous tone.

"Didn't you hear me when I dismissed your mates?" anyone could deduce the sarcasm in Asher's tone from a mile away.

"I… I did sir," Neo stuttered. "I'm staying back to help Lily clean up."

Him and Lily shared a quick nervous glance before returning their gaze to Asher. Lily prayed in her heart that he would let Neo stay with her, but at the same time, she knew he wasn't going to.

Asher took one hard look at the both of them. "No you are not," he muttered casually.

Lily's eyes fell. Neo opened his mouth to speak but Asher spoke first. "You will not stay back or help her with anything," whatever he wanted to say before was shoved further down his throat by Asher's instruction.

"You will leave and you will leave right now."

When Asher's tone went deeper, almost like a growl, Neo didn't need to be told there was no retorting. Quietly, he went for his painting lying in between the wall and the floor. Lily watched sadly, taking one last look at Neo before he walked past her, heading towards the door.

When he was completely out of the room, Asher made his way towards the door as well. Lily watched him with hate in her eyes and even more hate in her heart. Anger boiled inside of her, threatening to burst.

And so it did. "What is wrong with you?!" Her high-pitched yell sliced through the silence.

Asher stopped in his tracks. "All Neo wanted to do was help," Lily continued, her hands flying in the air. "Don't you have more important things to do than make my life miserable?"

She continued to yell uncontrollably, her cracked voice threatening to give up on her. Asher slowly turned to her. With a straight face, he started to make his way towards her. When he started to get really close, Lily started to back up. Asher didn't stop, he headed towards her until she was stuck with her back against the wall. He looked fiercely into her eyes, contemplating what to say to her. Meanwhile, Lily's heart threatened to jump out of her chest with Asher standing so close to her. His strong cologne filled the walls of her nostrils. She could feel his warm, angry breath on her face, and the heat his fierce eyes created.

"Let me tell you something, Lily Grant," Asher began. His low gravelly voice made the hairs on the back of Lily's neck stand erect.

"Nobody, not one soul, disrespects Asher Blackwood." he spat the words like flames from a raging fire.

"You poured your wine, as a matter of fact, you poured my wine, on a very expensive shirt. The price of that shirt would take you all through college, but you foolishly did what you did and now you expect me to let you go?" he paused to let out a shilling cackle.

Lily watched the adam's apple in Asher's throat go up and down as he laughed. She swallowed nervously, if only the ground could open up to take her in. "I'm sorry but I will not do that, Lily," Asher murmured with sarcasm in his tone.

He suddenly looked at her with piercing eyes. "Anytime I see you happy, it makes my blood boil." His voice had lowered again. "And as long as you're in my sight, expect the worst."

Lily watched Asher back away slowly. She was too stunned to speak, and even if she could speak, there was nothing she could say. She started to regret her actions that night all over again. If only she had walked away, if only she had overlooked his disgusting behavior, she wouldn't be threatened with no way out.

"Now get to work." Asher hissed when he had backed a significant distance away from her.

No words were said as he exited the room and Lily began to clean up.