Frat House // harry styles

✧ chapter thirty-two ✧

Expressionism in its 'forms'
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"I've totally blown this assignment." Nova huffs as we both saunter to our art practical. I had been working on my painting during practicals and sneaking some work in during the theory subject- as well as in my free time at home.

"I mean- I don't want to make you feel bad and all but I think I did alright." I shrug. Nova stares at me with a bothered manner. "What..? Oh. Sorry, I think you did alright too Nove."

"Thanks for the encouragement Ari..." She rolls her eyes at me. "What did you end up painting anyway?"

"I'll show you in class." I say as we enter the classroom together. We make our way to our usual seats and get all set up with our stuff. I take out the rolled up painting out of my bag and place it on the desk. Nova copies my actions.

"Show us what you ended up doing!" I grab Nova's shoulders and push her around playfully. She whines and pries my hands off of her muttering a 'fine'.

"Don't laugh at it." She warns, pointing her finger in my face. I lightly push her hand back down and lift my hand and cross my heart. "Scout's Honour."

"But you aren't a- oh never mind." She shuts her mouth and unrolls her artwork. She's drawn in a lead pencil, using a black pen to add extra depth and dimension. It was a surreal landscape with a large, off-centre tree the main focal point of the artwork. The landscape around the tree runs abnormally throughout the background of it.

"Stop it! This is amazing Nova." I punch her arm lightly. "You are your worst critic you know?"

"I know.." She sighs to herself, rubbing her arm slightly where I punched it. "Now you have to show me yours."

"Fine. If I must." I groan sarcastically, smiling mockingly at her. She pulls a face in return, making me chuckle at her.

I carefully remove the elastic band holding the rolled artwork and allow it to unfold in front of us on the table. It shows a man, in pain. His main features are slightly blurred- or you could say not as sharp and apparent as a normal realistic artwork would exhibit. The different depths in the face are exaggerated with bright reds, blues, whites, blacks and hints of yellow, differentiating from the typical neutral skin tones. He looks longingly at something or even I daresay for something. Raw emotion is exaggerated in his demeanour as he stares up at the sky.

"Holy shit Ariana- wait, hold on a second." She snatches my artwork off of the desk and holds it up to examine it further, twisting and turning it in different directions

"What?" I frown, looking at her and then back at my painting repeatedly.

"Really? Do you seriously not see it?" She questions and I shake my head no in response. She stares at me in bewilderment and places my painting back on the desk, right as Miss Soblay enters the room and greets the class.

"What!" I whisper-yell impatiently, trying not to disrupt and gain our teachers attention.

"Ariana... this looks like Harry..." She whispers in return. I look at her with a stunned expression, shaking my head. "No, surely not..."

I turn and stare at my painting in disbelief, examining it at every single angle. Oh my god. You've got to be fucking kidding me. How- I-

I allow my hand to collide with my forehead, expelling a shaky and angry breath. "You've got to be kidding me. How did I fucking manage." I scold myself. "I can't hand this in... no way. I'm failing my first real assignment. Nice." I slide back down in my chair and fold my arms, afterwards bringing one hand up to cover my eyes whilst rubbing my temples.

"I think it's cute." Nova sing-songs nonchalantly, smiling to herself after and adjusting her sitting position slightly.

"How is it cute? Or 'good' in any way, shape or form? I somehow managed to paint a man in an Expressionist art form, full of emotion, that looks like Harry! I'm suppose to have no strings attached with this person and I guess now it appears that there might be a couple of strings attached but tangled up in a mess of emotion. How is this good at all?" I rant. Nova stares at me for a few moments before returning her attention back to our teacher.

"Well that was poetic... And when you put it like that I guess it's not that great." She mutters so quietly I almost don't hear her.

"Yep." I pop the P, huffing at myself.

"Lets just get through this class then we will have a break. We can distract yourself from this then." She offers. I nod in agreement.

"I surely can't hand this in..." I murmur to myself.

"Well you're going to have to." Nova somehow hears and replies. "Besides it's fucking amazing and you'll probably get full marks." I give her a smile in acknowledgement and we both return to listening to Miss Soblay.

We all hand in our artworks and continue on with a theory lesson. My mind was racing with different states of confusion and anger directed towards my stupid feelings. After what feels like forever, the class finishes up and I gather my things together quickly and race out of the room. I needed to get a breather from inside of there.

"Slow down Sonic." Nova laughs at me as she dawdles out the classroom. I mutter a quick sorry before we both eventually make our way to the cafeteria. I stop in my tracks quickly after remembering I had to grab one of my textbooks from my locker. I quickly let Nova know and she agreed to come along with a shrug, the two of us then took the detoured route.

"Heads up." Nova gestures across the hall from my locker, where Luna was leaning against her locker as she talked to that Brooke girl. "Be quick and stealthy."

I roll my eyes at her playfully, afterwards slightly glaring towards Luna. I still am somewhat annoyed at her for getting kind of touchy, feely with Harry at the party. Which reminded me, I needed to tell the girls about that.

"He was great. I think he's into me." I hear her say to Brooke as I open my locker.

"Are you sure this is Harry you're talking about." Brooke questions her as I widen my eyes and look at Nova, who frowns at their conversation.

"Of course its Harry. I could always tell he wanted a round two." I could almost hear her winking. You've got to be kidding.

I try my best not to slam my locker in frustration after I grab out my textbook. I hurry away with Nova following close behind, countless angry and confused thoughts run through my head as we approach the cafeteria where Amelia, Cori and Leela were already had already seated themselves at the table.

I sit down with a huff as the girls look at me funny.

"What is it Ari." Leela asks for the confused group around me. I sigh and lean back in my chair, I allow my eyes to scan the room and notice Luna and Brooke enter the cafeteria. I follow them with my gaze, she walks towards the middle of the cafeteria to where I see Noah, Todd, Louis and Harry with some other guys from the frat at a table. She catches Harry's gaze and takes the opportunity to wink and give him a little wave. He looks away and Louis gives him a nudge on the arms, in which he returned with a push.

"I know have a reason to hate Luna." I state nonchalantly.

"Hey she's no threat. She might as well be a witch." Nova shrugs. "How about we all go to the mall after school to get your mind off it?" She offers.

"Thanks guys but I have to work this afternoon. Sorry." I exhale and fold my arms. "Maybe another day, yeah?" They nod in agreement and we all begin to eat our lunch.

I take out an apple from my bag and take a bite out of it, allowing my eyes to wander back over to the table that Harry was seated at. I don't notice at first, but Harry's eyes were locked into mine. He stares at me for a few moments before looking away at his friends. What is his problem?

I don't have the energy to deal with him now, let alone ever.

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Hi happy new year hehe.

How do you want the book to pan out, or what are your theories of what will happen? I'm curious xo

Have a good day

Tash xx