Behind Classroom Doors (student/teacher)

LXVI- Fresh Start

I wipe the paint from my face and look up at a job well done. To anyone else looking in, they might think what we did was pointless. I'm moving to New York soon, so why redecorate and repaint your childhood bedroom? The answer is that I'll always have to come back to this room. Whenever I visit my parents this is where I'll have to stay. Now I can stay comfortably. "This color turned out really well." I say.

Jenny finishes the white trim and nods, "It only took us like two weeks."

Becca laughs curtly, "You've only been helping out for two days. Luke and I have been fixing up this room since the beginning." Between school and extracurricular activities, finishing up this room has proven to be longer than expected.

Jake finishes up his wall, "Why did you start helping before getting us involved? We could've been here the whole time. Maybe even gotten it done faster."

Luke looks down at the paint. We decided not to tell the rest of the group. I turn to Jake. "They were just over at the time." I say with a shrug.

After Luke decided to help, we got the place mostly cleaned up before it got too late and they headed home. The next day when I got home I figured I would finish up by myself, but Luke and Becca were waiting for me. We didn't talk much for the first few days. We just went through my clothes and all of my reminders of Dean and tossed whatever did. Then my mom suggested going shopping for new clothes, since I threw away more than half of my closet. I agreed and both Becca and Luke wanted to come with. They helped me pick out everything I wanted for my room, new clothes, new vanity, new jewelry. After that they didn't think it was enough and we went out the next time we could for new posters and wall art that I was comfortable with. That's when they decided to bring up re painting.

Now that it's finished I feel different, better even.

"Now all we have to do is let it dry and move everything back in here."

"That's what I'm here for." Seth walks in my room with both his arms up so he can flex his muscles.

I laugh, "I thought you were here to just watch." Seth sits in the middle of the room with his legs crossed beneath him.

His dimples are just as evident as ever when he smiles, "I was also here for food remember? I brought the pizza and I think that was the most important job." 

Hunter walks in with a disgusted look on his face, "One you failed at. You forgot that I'm a vegetarian." My room feels smaller now that everyone is inside it. At least the furniture has been temporarily removed and we're not tripping all over that.

Once we made the decision to paint, all we had to do was wait for the next weekend. When Friday rolled around and Luke and Becca were waiting for me at the house, it wasn't long before everyone else pulled up. Luke said we would need reinforcements. He was right.

"I didn't forget, I just don't agree with it."

Hunter rolls his eyes, "A simple cheese pizza would have sufficed." Seth shrugs, causing Hunter to grab a brush with paint on it and fling it in Seth's direction.

Seth stands up in shock, "You did not just fling paint on me."

Hunter laughs, "Oh that's my bad," He shrugs like Seth did to him moments before. "I guess now we know that lavender is not your color."

Everyone else is standing back, watching everything unfold before them. Amusement is clear in the room. "Well why don't we find out if it's yours?" Seth picks up the roller, walks up to Hunter and rolls paint all the way from the top of his head, down to his feet. "Hmm, lavender doesn't go with red heads." He decides.