Chapter 11. The Dreaded Pand
Chapter 11: The Dreaded Partner
JULIA
“Oh, you’re paired with Heather!” Glanna exclaimed. “This MY heaven.”
Harper rolled her eyes, “I swear–your obsession with beauty has taken an all–time high. Anyway, aren’t you glad that we were paired with each other instead?”
I chuckled at the two of them. After yesterday’s introduction, it seemned like they wanted to be friends, which I was grateful for since I needed some people with me for my last year.
“You’re so lucky,” Gianna sighed, hanging onto my arms.Harper is shit at painting, so we’re definitely going to flunk this.”
I smiled and patted Harper’s shoulder. “Your specialty is photography, right?”
Harper nodded. “I just don’t know why I also have to take his course along with my film subjects!”
“It’s just the way that it is,” Gianna said. “Anyway, get up. We have to talk about the project now. Mrs. White is going to yell at us at this point.”
I glanced to the front and saw that Mrs. White, indeed, was looking at us with narrowed eyes. I pursed my lips before letting out a deep breath.
Her words about realism still rang in my head. “Portraits by pairs,” she had said. “This is where we truly see how your art styles lie–how they complement or clash! This way, you’ll also broaden your style.”
I thought it was ridiculous. Portraits were supposed to be individual. How was I supposed to show my own style when paired with someone else?
Of course, my day only got worse when I saw the pairing list. My name, Julia Johnson, was neatly typed next to Heather Maison’s
Heather Maison. Perfect Heather Maison.
Heather, the only daughter in a family of five siblings, all older brothers, had always been the golden child. Sweet, smart, and flawless, like a doll that somehow stepped into real life. She wasn’t unkind–no, she was almost too kind–but being around her always made me feel inadequate.
And the worst part was that she was the girl Evan was seeing, as confirmed by Ellie.
I kept reminding myself that this wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t done anything to me personally. But that didn’t mean I was thrilled to spend hours working on a project with her.
With that, I picked myself up and walked to her seat. We sat across from each other, and I forced a smile as she began talking.
“How have you been?” she asked, her tone light and sweet.
It was the kind of question people asked when they wanted to appear interested, even if they didn’t really care. about the answer.
“I’ve been okay,” I replied, keeping my response short. I didn’t feel like diving into my life with her.
Heather nodded, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she tilted her head. “I want to get started right away. It’s a challenging project, and we don’t want to fall behind.”
I couldn’t argue with that, but I still felt a stab of annoyance.
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Chapter 11. The Dreaded Parind
“We need to find a subject, too,” I said. It would be hard to find someone willing to sit in front of us and have their portrait painted.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Heather said with a smile that was almost too bright. “I have the perfect idea.”
Of course, she did.
Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Would you be okay coming to my apartment to work on this?”
I hesitated, the idea of stepping into Heather’s world make me uneasy. But I didn’t want to seem difficult, and part of me just wanted to get this project over with. “Sure,” I said, nodding
“Great!” Heather beamed, clearly pleased. “Give me your amber.”
I pursed my lips and typed my number into her phone. Sleen typed something into it with a small smile. I felt my phone vibrate and saw that it was a message from her.
“I just sent you the address,” she smiled. “I’ll see you after class!”
After class, Heather was whisked away by her driver while waited for the bus, clutching my sketchbook to my chest. The disparity between us couldn’t have been more obvious.
I pulled out my phone and texted my mom that I had a project, so I’d pick up Andy later. She replied with a mere okay,‘ making me sigh in disappointment. But then again, we had just mended our relationship, so I really shouldn’t be expecting much from her.
I rode the bus and popped my earphones in.
The ride to Heather’s apartment felt longer than it probably was, and by the time I arrived, I was already bracing myself for what I might see. I wasn’t prepared, though.
The building was enormous, with all sleek glass and sharp angles, and the lobby was so pristine that it looked like something out of a magazine.
There were guards all over the area that greeted everyone who came in! One of them held out his hand, making me
halt.
“Purpose of visit?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Umm, I’m here for Heather Maison. We’re classmates, and we have a project together.”
There was a thoughtful look on his face. “Wait for a second, miss.”
I pursed my lips. She didn’t say anything to the guards?
It seemed like the guard had called Heather before turning to me. “Alright, miss,” he said. “You may go up now.”
I sighed in relief and went to the elevator. I pressed on the doth floor and waited patiently. She really was living a distant world from me. However, when Andy’s face came into my mind, I couldn’t help but smile.
I still have a treasure I wouldn’t trade for anything in the entire world.
As the elevator got to her floor, I walked outside and looked at the unit numbers.
1001,” I muttered until I arrived in front of her door. It was probably the biggest unit on the floor, with the doors being doubled in size compared to the other ones.
1 let out a deep breath, not knowing what to expect. And with that, I knocked on the door and waited for someone
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Chapter 11. The
to open it
Again, I didn’t know what to expect—however, I was certain it wasn’t this.
The door opened, revealing none other than Evan,
And the worst part? He was shirtless.
