Beautiful Mess (Book I)

Chapter four

"The little things? The little moments? They're not little."

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•Kyle•

"We're going to do something different today, " Shelley says after greeting us. "You'll be painting. I'm sure it's going to be an enjoyable experience."

I prefer it over answering her pointless questions in front of the group, but 'enjoyable' is a strong word.

"As you can see, " she gestures to the canvases placed a few feet apart from one another, "there are four canvases and eight of you which means you're going to do it in pairs."

Perfect. It can't get any better than this.

"Can we choose our partners?" Oliver asks, a sly grin creeping onto his face. I won't be surprised if he starts bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Sure, that'd be great," Shelley tells him.

"I choose Megan, " he states smugly.

Everyone turns to him in surprise.

"What?" Megan yells dramatically. "Me?"

"Yup, " Oliver says, popping the 'p' in the most irritating way possible.

Megan's eyes are still narrowed in suspicion as she slowly nods. "Okay..."

"Who else wants to pick a partner?" Shelley asks the rest of us.

Star glances at each one of us before picking May. Good for them. They both radiate innocence, and they're probably the only nice people in the group. That's why they're better off being friends with each other instead of trying to mingle with us.

Realizing that the rest of us aren't going to speak up, Shelley decides to take matters into her own hands. "I'll assign the rest of you. Lilly and Flint, Kyle and Raelyn."

I glance at the girl and our eyes meet. Her expression remains blank as she looks away.

Within a few minutes, we're sitting side by side in front of a canvas, and so are the rest of the pairs.

"What I want you to do is come up with an idea that both of you can agree on. But you not only have to decide as a team but also do the work together."

"At the same time?" Star raises her brows.

"Yes, " Shelley nods. "All you gotta do is decide who would draw which part."

As Shelley remains seated, scribbling in her notebook, Star and May start discussing quietly. Oliver and Megan start doing the same, but it seems like they've already started bickering.

I glance at Raelyn and she holds my gaze for a moment. It's written all over her face that she doesn't want to be here. That makes the two of us.

"So..." I start, ready to get it over with. "Any ideas?"

Staring at the empty canvas, she shakes her head no. Well, that was helpful.

I guess we'll have to go with whatever I want. I pick up a brush and dip it in the red paint, but she suddenly grabs my arm mid-air making me pause. I look at her in confusion as she avoids my eyes.

"Don't use that color, " she says quietly, releasing my arm from her tight grip. "Please."

I look down at the brush held between my fingers. Why is she triggered by the color? Does it remind her of blood?

I almost ask her for an explanation, but I stay silent instead, reminding myself that I shouldn't care.

I clean the brush in the cup of water before dipping it in the brown paint instead.