art. [joey trotta]

one; art class

I had been going to the same art class since I was thirteen, it was usually filled with adults trying to remaster the skill they once possessed or obnoxious children trying to learn, me? I was there for peace.

Ever since my twin brother Derek has been boarding at Regis Prep School I've been attending more frequently, we used to go together but all he did was muck around or draw stupid things. Once he drew a really realistic yogurt container but he didn't want to acknowledge the fact he was good at drawing so I teased him about it and called him yogurt for weeks on end and now I guess the nicknames stuck with him over the years.

Derek and I look exactly alike, I'm the girl version of him and he's the boy version of me. I have dirty blonde hair that reaches just below my shoulder blades and ocean colored eyes, pale skin and faint freckles that covered my nose. Ever since I was little I've worn glasses and all the pairs I've ever had have been kind of clunky so they take up most of my face. I'm not society's picture perfect cover girl, just plain old me.

Olivia Case. Daughter of Martha Case and Patrick Case. Sister to Derek Case. Wannabe artist.

The art teacher gave us a task to write about ourselves and then create a drawing that we think represents it. Many other students in the class had already started their drawings, a page full of words, mine was staring blankly at me with those four sentences repeating themselves over and over again in my mind.

I adjusted my glasses and sighed, turning the page to one of my other drawings that I was working on, it was a portrait of a tree growing from a seed into its full adolescent bloom, its branches spreading past the edge of the page, I hadn't yet decided what this tree was symbolizing but I was hoping it would come to me soon as I had nearly finished the drawing.

My hand was itching to draw something so I looked all around for inspiration, the inside of the workshop, the outside into the small town, where a shopkeeper was just placing a 'back in 5 minutes' sign on his door. I decided to sketch that and looked back at it when a tall, dark haired boy walked into the workshop. He said something to my art teacher that I couldn't here, it wasn't unusual for new students to come into our class, Mr Vonce had been teaching art since '72 and was still teaching now in '91. He was patient and kind and taught everyone, no matter how skilled or unskilled they were, he was a genuine man with a good heart.

The tall boy looked around and sat on the other side of the workshop from me.  A loud clap startled me out of my daydream, it was Vonce announcing who the new boy was.
"Class, this is Mr Trotta, he has started our class as he wants to work more on his art with other artists such as all of you! Mr Trotta has come down from Regis Prep School as he is staying with his aunt each weekend, so be prepared to see a lot more of him." 
We all started clapping, the tradition when welcoming a new student into our class.  A slight blush crept into his cheeks as he looked up.
"Although I do like being called Mr Trotta, please, call me Joey." He smirked.

He had a New York accent which made his comment sound slightly sarcastic. I continued to draw the sign, thinking about my trip to Regis in a few days, I was going to see yogurt and his best friend Ted and probably come into town to grab lunch. There was no way I wanted to see Joey while I was up there, he seemed like trouble. I had finished sketching the sign and looked down at my watch, it was time for lunch with my mother, a tradition we had everyday, I packed my sketchbook, pencils and paint into my backpack, waved goodbye to Mr Vonce and Rochelle, who was my only friend in class and started walking to my car.

I drove the twenty minute car ride home, pondering on what I should bring for yogurt, I was going to visit because it was our birthday and I still needed to get him a present, I earned a little bit of money from my evening job at the local bakers and only used it if I really needed it, I was saving up for my college tuition, as I one day hoped to go and study medicine to become a nurse, I had always had the ambition that I one day wanted to help people by doing my job.

When I got home I sat down at my usual seat on the patio, my mother facing me.
"Have you gotten Derek a present yet?" My mother asked.
"Not yet" I said, sipping at my tea. "Still wondering what to get him"
"He's always been into remote controls remember? The last time you went up to Regis he was working on that plane" she replied.
"Perhaps get him some paint, you know that might even awaken the old artist inside of him, you never know." She smiled.
I laughed. Thinking that paint wouldn't be such of a bad idea. It was the simple moments in life, like drinking tea with my mother on our front porch or the excitement building up inside of me for my trip to Regis. I cherished those moments.

A/N - Hi! So this is my first chapter and I want to take things quite slow because in the usual fan fics, the characters are making out within chapter two, but that's not what I want to happen. This is kind of a filler chapter about Olivia and her interests, I didn't want to hop straight into a full story with you guys barely knowing anything about the character herself. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be updating soon!

Sincerely

fallingforphelan :)