"Anna?" I looked up from my position on the bed, engrossed in the new movie Hobbs and Shaw that had me crying with laughter, only to be greeted by Antonio, Maria, and Steffon standing at my doorstep.

"Oh, hey guys." I smiled at Antonio and Maria, intentionally ignoring Steffon.

"I brought you some sweets to help you get better soon!" Antonio exclaimed, rushing into my arms and holding out a pack of Snickers.

"Wow, thank you, my ant boy." I grinned, kissing him on the cheek.

"You're welcome." He smiled and returned his brightest toothy grin, holding his hand out as I placed one candy in his hand.

"How are you doing, cousin?"

"A lot better than before, thanks for asking," I told Maria.

"No problem. Anyway, I'll go and give you guys some time to... talk. Come on, big guy," he said, taking hold of Antonio's hand, who was reluctant to leave.

I turned back to the TV before me, as if it were the most important thing I had ever seen.

"Come on, are you going to ignore me, your best friend?"

"Best friends don't ditch their friends in times of need," I replied, not turning to look at him.

"I never ditched you," he said, as I glared at him, then turned back to my TV.

Men, why can't they admit when they're wrong? First, he ditched me, then Dad and his constant ramblings, and now Kristen unintentionally called me a bitch! Can't they see that we women are delicate and need care? No, they're just a bunch of dummies! I hate them!

"I bought you your favorite cheese pizza."

I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to tell such an outrageous lie. But soon, I discovered that he had been holding his hands behind his back this whole time. It couldn't be?! I beamed, jumping off the bed and tackling him to the ground, retrieving the bag from his hands. This dweeb had pizza the whole time! I can never be too full for pizza!

"Get off my leg!" Steff yelled from underneath me, pushing me to the floor and muttering something about a stupid bitch trying to kill him.

"I love you so much!" I yelled excitedly.

                         •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The bell rang for our next class period, and I dreaded the feeling of being in the same class as Kristen. If only I had a damn crystal ball, then I could see the future. I made a mental note to buy one in the near future.

So far, I hadn't seen Regina and her posse either, as I had heard they were too busy with cheerleading routines for the game this Friday, which I was super grateful for.

My leg was about ninety percent better, as I could now walk without hopping on one leg or hissing in pain.

As I entered the partially empty classroom, I made my way to the middle but slightly to the left, wanting to be further away from the idiots who sat in the back.

"Damn shithead students," I heard the teacher hiss under his breath, glaring at us, which made me smile.

He had always despised teaching students ever since he first walked into this school, but he would never leave because it paid his bills.

Ten minutes into class, I was relieved to see that Kristen had not shown up, allowing me to relax with a heavy sigh. But of course, I spoke too soon, as the door flew open, revealing a gorgeously disheveled Kristen strolling leisurely into the room.

"And why are you... um, carry on, Mr. Slovac," Mr. Greenwood spoke uneasily, quickly turning back to the painting he was inspecting after receiving a glare from Kristen.

Kristen's dramatic entrance was followed by an eye roll as he pushed a boy off the seat in front of me.

Usually, I would avoid making eye contact with him, but today, I wanted to get a good glimpse of his eyes, as if trying to understand what could have caused his distressed state of mind.

I sat there, painting a picture of Mother Nature, while stealing glances at the wary Kristen, who locked eyes with me. But all I could see was an angry Kristen glaring at me, so I quickly averted my gaze back to my painting.

I could feel his eyes drilling holes into my skin. From my vantage point, I observed Kristen picking up a brush and starting to paint, yet his eyes would not leave my presence.

Under his watchful gaze, my body grew warm, and a blush crept onto my cheeks. I nervously tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. This continued for the next twenty minutes.

"Very well, dear! I love this painting of yours!" Mr. Greenwood's sudden outburst startled me, causing me to flinch in my chair.

"Next month, the school will be participating in an art gallery show, where we will showcase our art collection to cultured individuals who may be interested in buying art pieces for their museums. I would love for you to create more works so that you could be featured," he beamed, jumping up and down happily.

"Maybe then I'll sell one of my own pieces and become rich! Then I can escape this miserable excuse for a high school!" Kristen sang, causing me to giggle at his theatrics.

"Couldn't you all be as talented as Ms. Anna here?! Maybe then you guys would finally excel at something truly valuable!" he exclaimed to the others, and I covered my ears.

Moments later, he had calmed down, but his eyes were now glistening with tears as he gazed at the drawing Kristen had been working on.

"Marvelous!"

The mere fact that he had tears in his eyes piqued my curiosity about Kristen's artwork. Soon enough, the others began gathering to view his painting, gasping and widening their eyes before turning to look at me.

It was undeniable that Kristin possessed artistic talent; I had seen some of his paintings before. Not to mention, he could play the drums, piano, and even excel at football. He was undeniably multi-talented, and he was well aware of that fact.

"It's beautiful," he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face as he clapped his hands. Kristin, in his characteristic fashion, rolled his eyes, while the others shifted their gazes back and forth between the painting and me.

What on earth were they looking at me for?

"Come, Anna, come and take a look at this," Mr. Greenwood beckoned, gesturing for me to join him. Reluctantly, I obliged.

As I approached, I found myself standing near Kristin, who observed my every move intently. But my curiosity overwhelmed me, and I tore my eyes away from him to behold the painting he had created.

I gasped, my hands instantly covering my mouth in astonishment. Before me was the most exquisite painting I had ever seen. It depicted me wearing the same beautiful pink dress I had worn to my father's event, lying amidst a bed of red roses.

A rose delicately held in my hand, which I brought close to my nose. My hair cascaded in loose curls adorned with roses, and a slight smile graced my face. A rosy blush tinted my cheeks. It was a rare and stunning piece of art. At the bottom, it read, "The Art of Beauty."

"It's finalized. Kristin and Anna will both attend the art gallery together!"

****************

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