came q

t remembering where she was. Then yesterday came rushing back. The

d h

nic

dn't even know his name, yet somehow she'd spent part of her night thinking about him.

He had only picked up her drawings. He ha

ll smile esca

have caught her. She looked around her room.

emembered t

had once held a pair of shoes her mother had bought her. She had rescued it months ago, covered the outside with scraps of color

aintings. Old sketches. Little scraps of paper she couldn't bring herself to thr

o her it was. She liked the dark hair. The quiet eyes. The heaviness

ve a go

eks warm

she whispere

dn't know why. Maybe she wanted to look at it once in a whil

eady moving around the ki

morning

orning,

r bag. She was almost at the do

ooked u

iled. "Gu

iled bac

helped me

Chloe's voice that hadn't been the

ome

those mean people were bothering me,

n instantly softe

realize what she'd said. Her cheeks c

augh. "Go to school

the portrait. Not yet. She wasn't even sure why she wanted to kee

rm had left the campus smelling of wet earth and concrete

her books down and opened her bag. The portrait was still inside. Sh

g. It tipped. The contents spilled across

d across the floor and sto

oe f

y bent down and picked it up. H

ickly. "Please

the portrait high

lea

ve her head. "Guy

Then the others joined the

e it

ys laughed. "I

portrait squinted at

." She stared at the drawing. "Is

very pale, very fas

laughed. "You ac

. Chloe reached for the portrai

t out of reach. "W

ame too quickly, so

ou

do

re blu

d with embarrassment.

it mockingly. "And you think that'

doesn't even

's handsome, though." She smirked. "Do you actu

quickly. Once. Twice. She swallo

n't say

you dr

s nice

out quieter than

"She's dreaming. Co

inks he's goin

laug

he took a breath. "Please give it back." Her v

her. "He probably only looked at

wiped it away immedia

ease

ecame uneven. "J

ng at her again. They were making fun of the one person who had been kind to her. She di

red. Her voice crac

only laughed. One of the othe

girl hand

nt, her expression changed. She looked at the shading.

drawing was goo

't about to t

r nose. "It's no

re the portr

topped b

the laughter. She stared. The girl tore it agai

dn't understand why they had d

was the first thing she'd made that carri

ed on the scraps scatt

r students began moving toward the d

, one by one. She didn't say anything. She simply

was empty.

. The wind caught her hair. She sat against the

she

il her eyes burned. Until the humili

ace. Her hands still tremble

picked up her pencil. The first line was crooked. She

. The line of his jaw. The dark hair falling across his fo

encil

No one telling her she wasn't good enough. Just the soft scratch of gr

it began to

d at it. Her chest felt lighter. It wasn't exactly the

Relieved. Satisfied. For a few m

drawn h

ould make sure no one