Spray Paint

Not able to be seen in the eyes of the beholder

I wake up to the most annoying alarm clock to exist. If it wasn't so, i'd sleep right through it.

I get up and walk to the bathroom.

I wince as I tear the gauges off my face slowly in the mirror. it's not nearly as bad as i thought it was last night. It looks like it's just a few little scratches, but there's a deeper one going down my cheekbone that i'm pretty sure all the bleeding came from.

I brush my teeth, get ready, and head out the door to walk to school.

As i'm walking down the street i get more excited to see what my painting looks like in the daylight.

I grip my bags straps and smile as i skip up to the building. My mouth drops. It's ruined. The mouse is covered up with obnoxiously bright sunset colors but the birds are left up in the "sunset", their signature stamped on the side of it "Luxury". I spent weeks sketching that piece, and over an hour painting it, and planning where to put it, just for it to not even meet people's eyes.

i'm devastated, and pissed.

i look behind me to see my neighbor Jaxton. We talk sometimes on the way to school about gym or town gossip, but only once in a blue moon, we don't know each other very much.

His smile turns into frowned eyebrows and a confused face as he notices my energy is a little off.

"Why do you look so grumpy? Did you not get any sleep?" he asks.

"yeah, Mrs. Young sent me home with a few work sheets. You know how it is." i fake grin as i lie.

"yeah." he gives me a grin and starts walking backwards, looking over my head with a smile.

"what are you doing?" ï question him.

"oh, i'm looking at the new Luxury painting. it's nice." he smiles, like he's proud.

"Eh it's kind of boring" i shrug.

"how is it boring? look at the colors and the birds." he points behind me. my blood boils hearing about the birds that are mine, surrounded by the obnoxious scenery that everyone has seen a million times in art.

"do you know if we have gym today?" i ask a question i already know the answer to, just to get out of a conversation that feel like it taunting me.

"i'm not sure, i just go with whatever."  he shrugs with his hands griped on his bags straps. idiot.

"what's up with your face?" he points at my ripped up cheek.

"i ate shit walking home yesterday " i smile, finding it funny about what it probably looked like from another persons perspective.

"ouch." he fake winces and chuckles.