Chapter 38: An Invitation
JULIA
“Woah!” Harper exclaimed as soon as she saw me. “What happened to you?”
n my
I pursed my lips. It hadn’t been long since I arrived at school, but I already looked like it was the end of day.
1 clutched the canvas to my side, silently thanking the universe that it dried on my way here. I had so much in mind that I forgot to start the project for Mr. Matthews‘ subject. With that said, I started it just yesterday.
Was I satisfied with the result? Not necessarily. However, still needed to pass something somehow.
Old me would have scolded my current self.
“I didn’t sleep,” I said, slumping on the chair. It didn’t help that Mr. Matthews was our first–morning subject.
“I can see that,” Harper chuckled.
Gianna joined them, nudging Harper’s side. “Even if Julia didn’t get any sleep, she’s still prettier than the majority of people people in this class.”
“Well, you’re right about that,” Harper said. “She still looks very beautiful.”
Just then, the door opened, and it seemed like the entire classroom was engulfed with the scent of candied strawberries. I looked up and saw none other than Heather walking in, looking as perfect as ever.
1 pursed my lips. Well, she certainly got a good night’s sleep. Her hair was curled to perfection, and her makeup was flawless, which was impressive considering this was an 8 AM class. Her outfit, too, consisted of a combination of luxury brands that looked like they were bought from the store just yesterday.
The people greeted her like she was the reincarnation of the Mona Lisa, and she greeted them all sophisticatedly. Even Harper and Gianna couldn’t help but talk about how pretty she looked.
er her chin.
“Why does it look like she’s got everything together?” Harper asked, placing her hand under
“Money really does wonders to a person,” Glanna sighed, shaking her head.
Heather wandered her eyes around until they settled on me. My eyebrows raised in surprise when her eyes lit up as soon as our gazes met.
“Is she looking at me?” I whispered to Harper.
She merely shrugged. But then, we watched as Heather walked to where we were. I looked around to see if she was staring at somebody else. However, I couldn’t be mistaken. She was walking straight to us,
I scratched the back of my neck. It must be for the project, right?
“Hey,” she said in a bright voice.
“Hey,” I responded, my voice sounding duller than hers.
“Do you want to meet later for the project?” I asked, already predicting her question. However, she chuckled and
shook her head.
“It’s alright,” she said. “It’s all taken care of.”
My eyebrows raised. “Really?” I asked. “The last time, the background wasn’t made yet.”
H
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” she said, making me nod. Well, I was the one who drew and painted Evan, so I
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Chapter 38. An Invitation
wasn’t worried. Having her paint tite background would be a fair distribution!
There was silence for a couple of seconds before she spoke once again. “I actually came here to ask you another question.”
“Oh,” I muttered. “What is it?” I asked.
“My birthday is coming up,” she said. “It’s actually this Saturday.”
I froze in my seat, not sure how to comprehend her statement.
Her birthday? On Saturday?
“I was wondering if you would come,” she said, placing an invitation on my desk. “I knew that we hadn’t been talking for the past five years, but I still consider you as my friend from before. I would appreciate it if you would come. Anders would be there, too.”
I pursed my lips, still not knowing how to react.
Saturday.
It was the day before Andy’s birthday.
Just how cruel was fate to put their birthdays so close to one another!
“Umm,” I muttered. “I’ll think about it.”
Heather smiled; however, it didn’t reach her eyes. “Please do, Julia,” she said before glancing to the side. “You guys can come too,” she added, placing invitations down their desks, too.
Harper and Gianna were shocked, but they still nodded in response.
“Well, I hope to see all of you there!” she exclaimed before going back to her seat.
Not long after that, Mr. Matthews came in, not giving us any time to discuss Heather’s invitation.
Mr. Matthews had a wide smile on his face, making those in the class groan.
“Good morning,” he cheerily said, placing his hands on the table.
“It’s definitely not a good morning,” Gianna muttered under her breath.
“Well, today is a great day,” he smiled. “I apologize for moving the deadlines back and forth. I felt like I didn’t give you enough time at first, but then I just got too excited and couldn’t wait to see your finished products!” The whole class groaned once again, louder this time, causing Mr. Matthews to chuckle.
ou one by one and
“Come on, liven up!” he exclaimed. “You’re all art students for a reason! I’ll be calling all of you will be giving comments on the spot.”
I sighed, already dreading what was going to happen.
Heather was called first, and she confidently walked to the front. She gave her canvas to Mr. Matthews, and right off the bat, I saw how his face lit up. I couldn’t hear their conversation. However, it was clear that he was satisfied with her work.
They spoke for a long time, and at that moment, the classroom became noisy. However, my gaze was still focused on the front. Mr. Matthews patted her shoulder before she went back to her seat
Other students were called, too, but none of them garnered the same amount of compliments or even attention from the professor.
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Chapter 38: An Invitation
“Johnson?” Mr. Matthews said. “Julia Johnson?”
I pursed my lips and got up from my seat, not having a good feeling.
I placed the canvas on the table, but I didn’t look at it. Instead, I automatically looked at Mr. Matthews‘ face. It didn’t take long for me to realize he was disappointed. He parsed his lips and let out a deep breath.
“Well,” Mr. Matthews muttered.
“I expected so much from you, Julia. I feel this is something your past self would never ever do.”
