MSC (Rewritten)♡•~

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: A New Project

JEMIMAH POV

The following day in art class, I told Aki all about my time with Alana and the girls.

"I've never been able to relate to people that way." I said to him, as we settled at our bench, waiting for Mr Singh to arrive. I was squiggling in the back of my art planner, as we talked. "I mean, obviously you and Bea are the most relatable people on the planet to me, but those guys were relatable in a different way...like-"

"A racial way?" Aki finished, leaning his elbows on the table.

"Well, maybe that's part of it." I said thoughtfully.

"Do you want to hang out with them more often?"

"Yeah, I'd like to." I looked up at him, but he wasn't making eye contact with me, and instead, stared down at the table. "I'll obviously still hang out with you guys, though. You know that, right?"

"What? Yeah, of course." He blinked. I frowned.

"Hey, is everything alright? I know big brother's birthday's coming up..." I said to him softly. Maybe I'd been too selfish lately. Even though I wanted to branch out from what I was used to, I still needed to make sure I was there for my friends the same way I'd always been. "We should make dango. You said you guys loved eating it right? I don't mind making them."

Aki gave me a small smile. "Thanks, Jem. But you don't have to worry too much about that...I just want to say...just keep your eyes open when you hang out with other people."

Slightly taken aback by this, I sat up straight trying to make sense of what he was saying. "What do you mean by keep my eyes open?"

"You just don't know how people can be. I just want you to stay alert."

I snorted. "Well thanks, mum. I'll be sure to "keep my eyes open"."

"I'm not trying to offend you..."

"Oh, I know." I patted his shoulder, relaxing a bit. Aki just wanted to look out for me, that was all. He'd always seem to feel so protective over me and Bea. It could be overwhelming at times, but the thought was comforting.

Aki looked at the book I was squiggling in, and pulled it closer to him. "Wow...your drawing has really improved." He traced his fingers over the small building I'd sketched in the corner of the page. "What's this?"

"A seamstress shop. Just a little special place I saw a while ago."

"A seamstress shop, huh? Why was it special?"

"I don't know. It just was." I took the book back from him, just as Mr Singh walked into the classroom.

"You should do more little sketches like those." Aki said to me. "It's really good."

"Thanks." I smiled. Even though I wasn't exactly a master when it came to drawing or any form of art, it was still a fun way to express what I was thinking sometimes, and that's why I enjoyed the art course so much. Maybe I really should draw more.

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Katie had started sitting with us again at break time, though I'm sure it was because she had nowhere else to go. I'd noticed that kids would stare and mutter between themselves when she passed them, and the looks of disgust towards her really did contrast the looks of admiration and envy that she had always received until recently.

We all knew that Katie wasn't the nicest person in the world, but I couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"We have a mock coming up for chemistry." Aki said, browsing through his schedule notebook, a dreaded look on his face.