Rain

I sat in a corner, staring at the wall of art. There were a lot of animal paintings--probably because there were a lot of girls in Art class. My eyes wandered back and forth, from one painting to the next. My eyes paused on one in particular. It was museum quality, with it's dark and gloomy atmosphere. It was a thick and lush forest. You were in the clearing looking at this massive greenery. I wanted to lie down in that clearing and stay there. I imagined I was there, lying on my back, staring up at the trees and vines. My back was soaked with the dew from fresh rain. I closed my eyes. When I reopened them, I was back with Stacy in my face. When did she get there?

"Come on! I want to show you mine!" With that said, she grabbed my arm, forcing me up.
She showed me around, making me look at her paintings, her friends', and criticizing everyone else's.
There was something about her paintings that I didn't like. They were too strict and dull. Not the artistically dull, like the forest painting I like so much. It just seemed empty...something was missing. One was of a vase of lavender flowers with a lavender wall. I hate the color lavender--it's the color of my house.

"Do you think one of mine will win?" asked Stacy, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah, why wouldn't they?" I tried sounding like I cared. Her face lit up.

"Really? Which one?"

I tried to think of all her paintings, but I hated them all. I hope the forest wins. Then I can see who painted it. Maybe I should go look--

"Do you really not know? I guess none of them are that good." Her eyes began to water, and I thought quickly.

"No! I just meant that they're all so good, I don't know which one is the best," I explained.

Her eyes cleared up and she smiled at me. "Thanks, you're so sweet." She leaned in for a hug.

"Okay." I patted her back looking around.

"Hey, I think they're declaring the winners."

She broke off from me and ran to the front where the wall of paintings were. I watched from the back.
I'm starting to think that I'm another one of Stacy's "crushes". Why do people get obsessed over each other like that? We're all humans. There's nothing special about anyone really--
Then, I saw her.

I lied on my back, remembering her. It's after the art show and I'm in my room. I remember, my eyes held still and my body felt shock. Pale, silky skin with a mouse like face. Small, pink lips; little, delicate nose; perfectly round, brilliant green eyes; dirty blond hair, almost strawberry blond. She won with her painting of a forest called "Lush Vines". Stacy came in second with her painting of a church and her friend came in third with a picture of a cat. Stacy asked me if it was okay if she went ahead without me and I was perfectly fine. It was only a few people and the girl left. I went to talk to her. She said that she imagined a place that wasn't here, somewhere beautiful and silent. She always paints pictures of that place. She has more: red roses climbing a fence, a white house with overgrown grass, and an old cemetery with graves that had no names because the rain washed them away. I can't stop remembering those eyes, the color of her painting...and her name, Angie.