Watercolor Clearing

{MARCH SIXTH}: Oh Jesus save me, I am so sore. I want to smoke a cig and go home don't you? Well, the St. Anne's ladies aren't so lucky, we get to get fancy and put on make up to tour the boy's reformatory. if i didn't have bags under my eyes from such an eventfull week i would scope out the man candy ;)
 
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I wanted Gaspard Ulliel but I’ll go for Joseph Gordon Levitt ;)
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“Ladies, ladies! I have a lovely announcement for you all,” the headmaster shouted over us. “We are all heading to tour the St. John’s Reformatory!” Groans from most of us. Giggles from the sluts. I personally wanted to go outside, or somewhere else. I wanted to go to Violetta’s Field or the Crossing. “We’re leaving in 40 minutes so get ready quickly!” We all finished our breakfast, everyone except me. I just drank my juice, which made my stomach ache.
 
“What are you wearing? “ I heard someone ask in the background. But it was distant and I decided to ignore her. I search the racks in my silky night gown which was smooth on my bones. My beautiful bones. I looked for something of a similar fabric. When I found a satiny floral dress an matching shoes, I headed to the make-up room. Girls were crowing the mirrors so I swiped a mascara and pink lipgloss and went down the hall and onto the east patio. I loved the east patio and it was one of my favorite places in the mansion itself. No one really went to this patio because there were too many vines and a rusty table and chair sat in the corner. I stepped out and a cool crisp morning air surrounded me and blew my hair back gently. Laying down on the ground, I thought about why we were even going to tour the boys reformatory. Maybe because they didn’t want us moping around on our sorry butts. Maybe it was because we needed “male social activity” for therapy. Who knew? I only knew that I didn’t want to go.
 
When we walked up the long driveway to the boys’ home, I noticed that there were no boys outside. Did they just stay inside all day? Headmaster knocked on the door with all of us in a line behind her. Fiddling with the ribbon on the end of by braid, I tried to see who answered from the back of the line. Our line shuffled forward into a large parlor. The two headmasters stood on each half of the parlor with their pupils studiously standing behind them. I got a glimpse of the boys’ headmaster – an old,tall man with a large strong nose and a beard. And he definitely looked mean but then again, so did our headmaster.
 
“Young ladies, I cordially welcome you to our humble reformatory. You are always welcome to visit …before dark,” he eyed us suspiciously. “Commence the socializing. Your headmistress and I have...matters to discuss…” he smiled with a mischievous glint in his eyes that made me shiver. Instead of walking forward to greet the boys, I opened the double doors to the huge backyard lot. There was a patio with chipping white paint and pathetic dying flowers desperately rying to spruce it up. I took a cautious glance around and stepped onto the grass towards a forest in the distance. When I looked around again to check that no one saw me, I ran towards the trees hoping to find a stump to sit on.
 
I reached the trees and walked a little ways into it until I made my way into a clearing. There were several stumps but I wasn’t able to sit on them for they were covered with various art supplies and works. The clearing seemed like an artist’s workshop. I glided to one of the paintings and sat down in the wet grass to look at it. The watercolors were smudged from the dew and there were a series of scribbles that crossed out the drawn woman’s face. I picked up the work of art and looked for a signature of the artist.
 
“What are you doing here?” a voice behind me sounded angry. I jumped up and dropped the painting.
 
“Nothing…what are you doing here?” I took a better look at his face. Sweet with big brown eyes. I shook my head to stop staring.
 
“This,” he raised his arms and spun around, “is my workshop. Or…more like my wasteland. All the stuff here is sh*t. Those works are trash. I throw them here if I don’t get to burning them.” He huffed. I look at him shocked.
 
“Trash? This is beautiful,” I reply, picking up the painting from behind me. “The way you used charcoal and watercolor is amazing. I love that her face is scribbled – it symbolizes that beauty is only skin deep. The dew smudged everything to give it a very dreamy feel. I love it…” I utter quietly. He looks at me, gaping. I shrug and turn away to look at some other of his “trash” on the ground.
 
“You…you…you like my art?” he steps towards me, turns me around, and looks right into my eyes.
I stare into his eyes and get lost. He reminds me of a deer almost… He shakes my shoulders softly.
 
“Huh?” I got lost. “What? Oh yeah. I love it. If you don’t want it… can I take it back with me? Your art really is beautiful.” He looks at me like I’ve saved his life.
 
“Yes! Yes!” He hugs me really tight and I feel my cheeks get hot. He even kisses me on my cheek! I look down at my feet, hair covering my face. “You can take anything!” He runs around the clearing, laughing, jumping, and dancing. I laugh at the ridiculous dance he does. He runs towards me and grabs my hand so I join him. We spin through the grass and he lifts my fragile body high into the sky. We laugh and everything is perfect.
 
“What is your name?” he asks, when we lay down on a warm spot in sun.
 
“Dahlia. Yours?” I stare up at the trees and then at the clouds. “That one looks like a rabbit.”
 
“What? Oh…yeah. It does, doesn’t it. My name is Leopold. But call me Leo. That one is a lion with a snake as a tail,” he pointed to a large cloud. I laughed and kicked my feet into the air.
 
“What do you like to draw?” I ask. He rolls onto his side so that he is facing me.
 
“Well, now, I would like to draw you…” I looked up at him and smiled.
 
“Are you sure? I’m not worthy. I don’t think I would make a good model,” I laughed but, he nodded with earnest and got up to get his Polaroid. He helped my sit up and I sat on the ground for a couple shots. Then in front and behind a tree for a few. After, I posed with a paintbrush on a stump.
 
“Perfect,” he smiled.
 
“I feel like a supermodel,” and we laid on the grass again. I felt the sun, warming the chill out of my bones, and Leo’s strong arms wrapping around my torso. Why was I going so far? Why did I allow this love? I didn’t know, I didn’t care because at that moment, I was as happy as I ever was.
 

“Dahlia!”
 
“Dahliaaaaa!”
 
“Dahhhhhlllliiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”
 

I sat up, and stretched my arms. The sun was setting and the sky was almost dark.
 
“Leo! Leo! Leo! They’re looking for me, we have to go,” I urged him to get up.
 
“No…stay with me…” he was still tired.
 
I gave him a quick hug and whispered, “Come visit me this time, kay? I have to go…” I got up and ran to the Mansion far away. However, I was careful to be quiet so as not to give away my secret getaway. Our getaway. I snuck onto the porch and pretended to just be waking up. Fake yawning, I stood up and stretched my arms.
 
“Dahlia! Where have you been? We were looking everywhere for you!” exclaimed Olive.
 
“I was here the whole time…” I lied. I felt bad for lying but..what could I do? I’ll tell her when I get home.
 
“I looked there…” she eyed me suspiciously. I shrugged it off an followed her.
 

All the while back, I couldn’t think of anything except Leo. My painting! I forgot my painting. Once I noticed this, I moped back. When we returned to the dorms, I grabbed a roll and head straight up to my room. I flung off his shoes and lay on my bed. Across the room was the painting! I ran up and grabbed the painting. I hung it up on the wall next to my window and the idea came that Leo might be here.
 
“Leo? Leo? Are you here?” No answer. I looked around and found a note on the floor.
 

 
Dahlia,
 

You forgot your painting. See you soon
 
BTW I’ll be using those Polaroids of you for my next works. I promise not to destroy them until you see them
 
Leo
 

I smiled and put the note next to my heart and then on my bed side table. I changed into my night gown and tucked into bed. I closed my eyes and felt myself succumbing to sleep when there was a small rap on the door. Olive walked in.
 
“Give me the deats. Why’d you skip breakfast and dinner? Where were you really today? What happened? “ I sat up and looked at her.
 
“ I don’t like eating…I wasn’t hungry. I ate before…” I nervously rambled. I never got used to lying about having an eating disorder, as my mom and doctors called it.
 
“ I know you’re lying. But, give me the details about today?” she asked anxiously. So I explained everything about Leo and she was giggling and then vice versa. Then she left and I finally slept thinking of paintings and Leo.