Forest Secrets

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

My alarm went off making both me and Andrea sit up straight in bed, I looked at the time and saw that it was 7 am and we both had to get up for our first early morning class.

“Nope, don’t wanna.” I heard Andrea groan underneath the blanket.

“Get up!” I laughed tossing a pillow at her.

She grabbed the pillow and put it over her head, “NOPE, NEVER.”

“I’m going to take a shower, you better be up by the time I get out.” I warned her grabbing some clothes and a towel and heading to the bathroom.

After my hot soothing shower I went back out into the room to see Andrea finally dressed and getting her stuff together for class.

“What class do you have?” She asked me checking the time on her cell phone.
“History of Art sounds boring yet also interesting.” I replied.

“Yikes, I have Music and Literature.” She walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a box of cereal and poured herself a bowl, I did the same I was hungry and we didn’t have time to go to the cafeteria.

I heard a buzz on my phone and saw I had a text from an unknown number,

‘See you soon.’ Was all that it said.

“Hey, do you know this number? 413-933-3212, they just texted me see you soon.” I showed Andrea the text and she just shrugged and looked through her phone book to see if maybe it was someone familiar to her.

“That’s really creepy, and I have no idea who it is try calling to see if you get a name or something in the voicemail maybe?” She suggested and I did just that, but the phone rang three times then went a dead silence and hung up.

“Nothing, no voicemail or anything.”

“Huh, that’s strange.”

“Extremely, ugh I’m so tired I’m going to die today.” Andrea exaggerated dramatically. I laughed and finished getting myself ready for the long first day of college classes.

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

“And this semester we will try and make things as fun as we can, well as fun as a history based class can be.” An overly plump man for our Art History teacher laughed at the front of the classroom.

The entire class groaned at the sound of that.

“You can call me Mr. Armstrong, or Mr. A, either or.” He carried on getting more eye rolls from the class. “Ah, Mr. Parsons better late than never!”

My head immediately shot up to the blond haired boy entering the classroom, he eyed me down and made his way over to the back of the classroom.

“I slept in.” He replied taking a seat and dropping his bag on the ground.

“Lateness will not be tolerated in this class; you of all people should know that by now.” Mr. Armstrong warned him.

A shiver went through my back as I felt his eyes burning my backside; he was in this program so I would be seeing quite a lot of him from now on. Who knows how many other classes I had with him?

I sent a quick text to Andrea to let her know that Joshua Parsons was in my class.

‘You would never guess who’s in my Art History class.’

Two seconds later I got a reply back, ‘Are you for real?’. She already knew and I didn’t even have to tell her.

“And another rule I have for this class, no cell phones! If I see em, I take em! But since it’s the first day consider this your first and only warning!” Mr. Armstrong exclaimed eyeing me down, the entire class turned and looked at me and I blushed and turned my phone off and slid it into my bag.

“So, a main assignment we have in this class that will be worth 50% of your final grade and due at the end of the semester is you will choose a famous Artist and do a piece based off their work and do a presentation on them. This will be a partner assignment and I will be choosing the partners, I will have them for you on our class portal by the end of the week so be on the lookout for that.” The entire class groaned again including me, I hated partner assignments and even more so when I didn’t get to choose who I got to work with.

“Okay, enough of that.” Mr. Armstrong laughed which made the class groan some more. “I’ll cut todays class short as it being the first day, but I will see you bright and early next Monday morning! Don’t forget to keep an eye on the class portal!”

Everyone got up and I started putting my books into my bag when I felt a rough shoulder bump into me from behind. Joshua Parsons stood there glaring at me for a moment then turned around and made his way out of the room.

I glanced at my phone and saw I had a good half hour before my next class, I decided that in order to survive the rest of the day a coffee was very much needed. I texted Andrea to see if she was done her first class yet.

‘Hey, just finished class. Meet me in the cafeteria for a coffee if you got the time.’

“A large French Vanilla with an expresso shot please.” I told the cashier, she pressed a button on the machine and the total came up on the screen.

“1.50$ please, having a long day today?” She asked making some small talk.

“Oh yeah, two more classes to go.” I laughed handing her my change, she giggled back and I went off to the side to wait for my coffee to be made.

‘Headed there now, this semester is going to be the death of me. I already have homework…which is an essay. FML!’

Essays where not my favourite either, I was never good at them and I always procrastinated till the last minute so it was never my best work.

‘I feel your pain girl, we got a partner assignment due at the end of the semester worth 50% and the teacher is picking the partners.’

Just as I sent the text I saw Andrea make her way into the cafeteria with her pink guitar case swinging off her shoulder.

“Who do you think you will be partnered with?” She asked as she made her way over to me reading the text I sent.

“Could be anyone, I don’t know or talk to anyone in the class so honestly as long as its someone that actually does the work I don’t really care.” My coffee was finished and was handed to me. “Did you want anything?”

“I’m good, I snuck out during class and got a coffee and drank it in like one gulp practically.” She laughed as we sat down.

“What’s the next class you got?” I asked her curiously.

“A class I may actually enjoy, guitar solo class; how about you?”

I glanced at the timetable I saved on my phone, “Pencil Art, which will be my favourite most likely. I should probably get going now; it’s on third floor at the other end of the school.”

“Literally same, but I’m on first floor.” She got up and glanced at a map of the school which was hanging on the wall.

“We can get there faster if we cut through the courtyard.” She stated as we walked out of the cafeteria.

I followed her out the main doors and saw Josh sitting on a bench sketching into a notebook; he seemed to be lost in his own little world. He glanced up as we walked outside and smiled slightly until he noticed me watching him, then glared and went back to his drawing.

“I can’t believe he is in my program.” I said under my breath as we exited the courtyard and made our way to another part of the school. “I better not be partnered with him for the project.”

We walked down the long hall and checked out the other classrooms before Andrea stopped at one which must have been her class.
“I’ll text you after class, good luck with yours.” She said opening the door and heading inside.

“I’ll meet you back at the cafeteria for dinner if I don’t see you before my next class.” I told her and she gave me a thumbs up.

I left and made my way up the long flight of stairs to the third floor, my classroom was the first one on the left and I walked in and sat down. A curly haired girl looked up at me as I sat down and smiled.

“I’m Sydney!” She said excitedly. “This is my first year here, how about you!”

“Same, where you in my last class; I didn’t see you?” I asked her curiously.

“Nope, my schedule is a little different than yours; I’ll only have this and two other classes than you probably.” She explained.

“Oh, okay well it’s nice to meet you.” I said taking my books out and placing them on my desk along with my sketchbook.

“Wow, that’s amazing! I only just started drawing so mine aren’t as good, I’m more of a painting kind of Artist.” She said grabbing my sketch book and looking through it. Normally I didn’t really like people looking through it but for some reason I didn’t mind her having a peak.

“Who’s this boy you drew, and wow the fire looks so realistic.”

I had completely forgotten about that drawing, and I had realized upon meeting him that the drawing was Joshua Parsons.

“Oh, not sure I just like to draw random people sometimes.” I lied knowing that if she saw Josh she would know right away and of course as I said that he made his way into the room and sat down near the back.

“Do you know him, since I mean you drew him?” She asked making the connection right away. My face went a deep crimson and I hoped she hadn’t said that loud enough for him to hear.

“Nope, just met him yesterday.” I told her.

“Interesting, well you are talented. Do you live on campus?”

“Yea, I’m in the dorms with my roommate Andrea.” I told her.

“Oh neato, I live with my cousin a little ways away. I’m actually from this town, so I know this place like the back of my hand.”
Just then the teacher of the class made her way into the room; it was the teacher who looked over my submissions and assisted me when I fainted the other day. She recognized me right away.

“Jules, good to see you in my class; I hope you are feeling better?” She asked writing her name on the chalkboard in big letters.

“Very much, thank you for your help.”

“What happened, why did you need her help?” Sydney asked she seemed noisy but I liked her; she was friendly and outspoken.

“Oh, I had a panic attack and fainted and she helped me get to the nurse.” I told her, and when I said that I felt Joshes eyes on me.

I brushed it off and ignored him eyeing me down while the teacher went on with her first lesson, mainly class outcomes and assignments. As the class was drawing to a close Josh stood up suddenly and sped out of the classroom.

I turned and noticed he left his sketchbook sitting open on the table, it was a blank page with small letters drawn on the edge. The teacher didn’t say a word but ended the class letting us know that what we needed for the semester would be on the class portal.

“We should hang out sometime!” Exclaimed Sydney excitedly, I heard her but my mind had wondered to the notebook left on Joshua Parsons desk.

“Oh yeah, that would be great.” I got up and walked over to his desk and grabbed the notebook with a shaking hand.

“Are you going to return that to him?” Sydney asked putting her stuff in her backpack eyeing me cautiously.

“Yeah, I know where he will be.” I said leaving the classroom and making my way down the crowded hallway, I walked outside into the courtyard but didn’t see Josh anywhere. My phone vibrated from an incoming text, I took it out of my pocket and seen that it was from Andrea.

‘I’m done all my classes for the day, my third one got cancelled. Where are you?’ I quickly replied back to her, letting her know that I was outside looking for Josh.

‘Why are you looking for him? Lol’

‘Long story, meet me outside south wing.’ I sat on a bench outside and waited for Andrea to show up.

My curiosity got the best of me and I started peaking through Joshes notebook at his sketches, they where seriously phenomenal and the way he shaded was beautiful. They all seemed like relatively normal drawings until I stumbled across one page with a familiar looking setting.

It was of me, my younger sister, hiding in the closet away from my father. A memory I knew all too well, it still stung at me; and ached at the back of my throat. The next picture he drew was of me crying in my bedroom, awaiting the familiar punishment from my father. I was young, my knees huddled up to my chest waiting for it all to go away.

And the final photo which ached me to the core, the chandelier falling on my father and me staring at it with wide eyes not knowing that I had done it. How had Josh known all of this?

“You shouldn’t have looked at that.” A deep voice from behind me called out.