Background Character

Chapter 2

Olivia had always loved art class, no matter what anyone else said about it. She was talented, there was no question about that, but talent doesn't always spell success. A many great artists lived their lives in near destitution only to find world-renowned status following their deaths. It was a sentiment that her mother had beat over and over again into her, trying to dissuade her youngest daughter from pursuing a career in the arts. In this day and age, no career path is stable and none more than a career that had never been stable, an artist.

That didn't stop Olivia from trying however. Since the very beginning of her junior year, she had spent hours every day cooped up in the art studio, crafting works so painstakingly detailed that is was wonder she ever left the room. She poured every ounce of frustration she had into her art, unafraid of the future before her. Or so she would tell herself, hoping the repetition would somehow make it true.

The school itself only offered basic art classes, and only one AP class. AP Studio Art was only taken by a select few students, though not everyone was quite as interested as Olivia. There were a few taking it because they thought it would be an easy extra AP class.

Boy were they wrong, Olivia noted as she watched one of the guys in her class struggle to design a poster for the prom.

The class was working on a Graphic Design unit at the moment. When the student council mentioned they needed a poster, Olivia's teacher had decided to make it a contest for the course. Olivia planned to put that particular assignment off as long as she could, she was more into fine art than graphic design.

That's why as every other student stared, eyes glazed at a computer screen, Olivia stood a little ways off with a paintbrush in hand. She was attempting to perfect a former project she had been working on, a portrait that she just couldn't seem to get right. Her teacher gave her a hundred, but she couldn't shake that it was missing something. Olivia had tried to step away for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes, but nothing had helped.

She knew that she could bang out the poster in no time, it was the painting that she really had to work on. The theme for prom was as cliched as can be, something about stars and a night to remember. They had done the exact same thing her freshman year, although that one might have been, "A Night Under the Stars."

"Staring at it isn't going to solve anything." Olivia muttered to herself, standing up a little straighter. "It's a wonder I manage to finish anything."

It was a relief when class ended, that meant that Olivia had no choice but to learn the painting alone. The period afterwards was her teacher's lunch break, and he always left to get something so he locked the door behind him. It helped curb the temptation to return.

Olivia met up with her friends in the cafeteria, careful to avoid her usual usual routes. It was unfortunately Taco Tuesday and that meant the hallways became hazardous warzone. Everyone forgot all manner of decency as they rushed to get a good spot on line. Olivia had been the unfortunate victim more than once. It had become such a problem she even organized a group of students to go to the administration to handle the matter.

"Ouch." Olivia groaned as she ran right into someone. "Sorry." She muttered to herself and continued on her way to the cafeteria.

There, she saw her best friend chomping down on a packed lunch.

"Hey Laura." Olivia waved over to Laura, almost running straight into me. Not the kind of girl to leave unsupervised in a china shop if you catch my drift. "What'd you pack today?"

"Chicken salad. It's disgusting, so I went to the vending machine and bought two packs of M&M's to help me swallow it." Laura patted the seat next to her. "Sit and eat."

Olivia pulled out a little baggie of pretzel crisps and a to-go container of hummus.

Her lunch was healthy and vegan, two of Olivia's favorite things. Though she was only a vegetarian, she tried her best to use as little animal products as she could. Ice cream occasionally got her of course, and every once in a while she had a hankering for cheese.

"I see you have weren't run over again." Laura couldn't hide her amusement. "Although you did almost run over that cutie in Psych."

Huh, so Laura Adams thinks I'm cute. I can dig it.

"Shut up, it was an accident." Olivia swatted at her friend playfully, "I was looking for you."

"Well I had to move because some sophomore gave me the death eyes when I went to sit down where we usually are. Apparently everyone decided to rearrange themselves again, and this was the best table we could get."

"At least it's not by the garbage cans this time." Olivia pointed out.

"True."

Lunch was their only time to really talk in school, outside of Psych and they loved to talk. Trust me.

"Now that we're settled that, we need to talk about Prom. I want you to come as my date so you need to get a dress."

"No."

"Come on, I don't want to attend my senior prom alone. Most juniors would jump at the chance to attend senior prom. Please?"

"Not me."

"Seriously Olivia, I really don't want to show up alone and I...I have no one else to go with." Olivia instantly knew this was about more than hanging out with her best friend. Laura had broken up with her boyfriend of two years just a few months before and despite her insistence otherwise, Olivia knew Laura was still struggling with it.

"Fine."

Laura beamed, her nose crinkling as she tried to hide her excitement, "You're the best."