Forever

The Painting

     The tough bristles glided smoothly over the blank canvas, leaving a long black streak behind. They crossed over each other and blended together as the shape began to take form. Hair draped over shoulders hiding the face of a girl. A window, gentle frost covering the edges. The colors were dull and bleak as slowly the memory took form to the soft sound of music playing in the background.

     Hazel Jacobs squinted accusingly at the work before her, glasses sliding down to the tip of her freckled nose. Her brush was tapped in frustration in between her fingers, effectively splattering her jeans in black specks of paint. She paid it no mind as her green eyes glared at the painting. She'd been working on it for weeks, but nothing she did brought the image to life. Nothing she did could capture the picture that had been imprinted in her mind.

     A light tap on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. She spun around in her chair as her brush fell to the floor, no doubt spilling more black along the way. The apologetic face of her art teacher mouthed words she couldn't make out. 

     Embarrassed, Hazel ripped her earbuds out with one hand as her teacher finished speaking. "-so I really wouldn't mind at all."

     Leaning over to retrieve her paint brush, Hazel replied quietly, "I'm sorry?"

     "Honey, are you ok? Class ended twenty minutes ago."

     Her eyes flew to the small clock hanging on the wall, where she realized class had indeed ended over twenty minutes ago. Inwardly she cursed herself. That was the third time this week, she'd be lucky if she made it before the bus left.

     "I'm so sorry Miss Adams, I was so focused..."

     Her teacher waved her hands dismissively, smiling sympathetically. "You know I don't mind, stay as long as you'd like. I was just saying if you ever needed a ride home, I don't mind at all."

     She stuffed her supplies in her backpack, taking one last distasteful glance at her painting before hurrying away. "No no, I'll be alright. Thank you. See you tomorrow Miss Adams."

     She scurried around the other easels to the door, determined to avoid the questions she knew would follow. They always did. Every time she stayed late and frantically ran out the doors. Though it was true she was the only senior there without a car, that wasn't the real issue. It was the panic that laced her eyes, or the way she kept to herself in the back of every classroom that made the teachers take interest. It had to be. There was nothing special about her except that she was a loner. Which wasn't even entirely her fault. It didn't matter. She was tired of everyone looking at her with pity like they knew her life. They didn't.

     Her sneakers squeaked loudly on the floors as she sprinted down the empty halls, brown hair flying around her face. Though the glass doors were currently being drenched in pouring rain, Hazel could still faintly see the bus at the end of the street. She would have made it too, if she hadn't tripped over her own feet running to the door. She went crashing to the floor as the contents of her backpack came spilling out around her. Cursing herself yet again for breaking the zipper last month.

     She sat up groaning, clumsily attempting to gather her things in one go before hobbling to the door. She swore under her breath as the bus pulled away from the school, splashing the sidewalk from the flooding street. The rain was steadily coming down now, deflating any hope of her walking home.

     She leaned her head against the cool glass, sighing heavily. He was going to kill her. She blinked back the tears threatening to spill over.

     "Need a ride?"

     She screamed, spinning around to face the voice.

     He walked out from the shadows, wearing a smirk she knew all too well. Jayden Moore. The school's resident rich boy. The guy all the girls drooled over and every guy secretly admired. He was popular but only by reputation, no one knew much about him because he usually kept to himself. His family owned half the town's wealth, so it wasn't really a surprise he was the main focus of gossip when he joined this school three years ago. Dark clothes, black hair that covered most of his piercing blue eyes. He was the mystery everyone wanted to know about. Everyone except Hazel.