COMPLEMENTARY [GxG]

Chapter 4 | What Side She's On

I decide I've had enough of Eris' company, and the last thing I need is to go to her house. She doesn't challenge me on that, and thus we decide we'll begin working tomorrow.

That night, I read through the International Arts Olympiad website.

For the painting division, the competition is in three rounds. Each round is a painting, and if you don't make it to the next round, you're out. All who pass to the third round will be considered finalists and will showcase their collection of paintings at a show in Mexico City. 

Each round has a separate theme, and they all relate to the central theme of contrasts. 

The admission fee is $120 USD each, and we're to turn it in with the signed form to the dedicated representative of the competition (in our case, it's Montoya)

For the first round, the theme is light and darkness. Round two: past and present. Round three: sorrow and joy. 

Each round has about three weeks between them. And we have four weeks until the deadline for the first painting. It would be great to get the paintings done as fast as possible so Eris and I can be done with each other, but I'll need to be patient. I know myself—I am a meticulous, calculated painter, and I don't know how that will work with Eris' impulsivity.

And as for the prizes, it's all status. Gold, silver, and bronze medals. Interviews and a chance to be featured in various art galleries and art shows. When I won silver last time, that's when I did a lot of interviews for the press, and my art sales picked up considerably. Not much has carried over to now, but maybe this is what I need to get my name back on the map.

I tell Fitz about the working-with-Eris thing. He thinks it's hilarious. I don't tell my dad yet. As for William, my uncle, it shouldn't concern him, but he'd probably want me to get close to Eris to get information about the organized crime her dad is involved in. It's exactly the type of stuff William is always covering on his journalism jobs.

According to him, there's an ever-escalating war going on. One of the original cartels in the Tijuana cartel is dying, swallowed up by opponents from the state of Sinaloa and then Jalisco further south. The first is the largest, most powerful crime organization in the world. The second is one of the fastest-growing cartels in history, infamous for its systemized violence. Tijuana, as one of the biggest border cities with the United States, has been prime territory for decades. Among hordes of American tourists visiting bars, beaches, and cheap medical facilities, it has one of the highest murder rates in the world. 

I just wonder which side Eris is on. 

The next day at school, I spend most of my time making a comprehensive, logical plan for the first round of competition. I include the general idea I already have for the painting, the amount of times we'll be working together, the location of these meetings, and the objectives for each painting session.

The final bell of the day finally rings, and by the time I locate Eris' car in the parking lot, she's already there.

She doesn't see me at first. Her friends surround her and talk among themselves as she picks at that same scab on her arm. Some of her friends are also artists, and they flock around her as if she's the modern day Monet.

One by one, they start to notice me. And silence washes over their little group. I'm sure they already know I'll be working with her for the competition—it's the type of gossip that travels fast. Ms. Montoya made a big announcement, and the school found out about the competition today. Well, at least those of us in the visual arts program. I had made sure to tell them that I was already working with Eris before getting bombarded with partnership requests. And I also made sure to emphasize the fact that I'm only working with her out of obligation and Ms. Montoya's urging, not because we're on good terms now or anything. My reputation would not be in very good condition if they started to think such things. Not that my reputation is in good condition regardless. Other than my art, I'm a nobody to these people.