A few days had passed since they planned things out for the art competition. Angelina had been practicing on her own within that time period. She had nearly perfected her parts of the drawing, but still, kept on practicing over and over in her sketchbook. ‘Practice makes perfect’ was her favorite quote, one she strived to live by. Her whole life, she was modeled to be the perfect girl she always had to be. It was stressful, but she didn’t mind. She grew up with the pressure, and had gotten used to it. In fact, she couldn’t imagine life without any pressure.
She practiced and practiced, improving each and every little stroke, putting in her blood, sweat and tears into the drawing each time, to the point that one fine afternoon, when her two best friends were absent, she was drawing all through lunch break, not eating a thing.
At least, until she heard a raspy voice in the background say, “Aren’t you going to eat? You’ve been practicing so much.”
It was classic dialogue Lana and Lisa used almost every day. Judging by the raspiness, she assumed it was Lana, and said, “Not now, Lana… I’m this close to completing my masterpiece. Then, I’ll finally beat Ashton once and for all.”
The person tapped her on the shoulder. “A, I’m not Lana, and B, aren’t I your partner in the contest?”
Angie turned around and realized who she was speaking with. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, due to her massive embarrassment. “Oh, snap…” she muttered.
Ash laughed. “Don’t overwork yourself, Angie. Go eat.”
“Why do you care?” she asked coldly. “I thought you hated me.”
“I do, but if you aren’t well, I won’t be able to win the prize I rightfully deserve.” he answered with a cocky grin.
Angelina humphed and closed her sketchbook. “I’m not hungry…”
“And I don’t care. You have to eat. It’s Taco Tuesday. And nobody misses out on Taco Tuesday.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky it’s Taco Tuesday, or I’d still be arguing with you.” She held onto her sketchbook and walked off. A few minutes later, she went and sat down next to Ash, her food tray and sketchbook in hand.
The two ate in silence, only focusing on their tacos. Not the art contest, not the café drama, definitely not each other. Only pure, spicy, taco goodness.
After finishing their tacos, Angie and Ash got up from their seats and headed back to the art room. They still had time left before the end of lunch break, so they decided to work on the drawing together. Angie opened her sketchbook and showed Ash her latest practice. He looked at it with a critical eye and nodded in approval.
“You’ve improved. The shading looks so much more realistic. Honestly, I’m impressed.”
Angie felt a surge of pride and satisfaction at his compliment. She had worked hard to perfect her skills, after all. ‘Ugh… what am I thinking? I don’t care about his compliment. Meh, a compliment is a compliment. I’ll take it.’
She smiled and said, “Thanks, Ash. You’re not so bad yourself, you know?”
Ash put on a smug grin. He put his hands to his hips confidently. “Not so bad? I’m the best artist in school and you know it. That’s why you’re always trying to beat me.”
“Don’t get too cocky, Ashton… you may be good, but you’re not unbeatable. I’m going to give you a run for your money in this contest.”
Ash laughed. “You say that every time, but never do.”
“But this time I will.”
“You two do realize you’re supposed to be working together?” a third voice said, startling the two from their argument. They turned around to see a tall, slender woman enter the art room, holding a clipboard and a sketchbook of her own. She had elegant, wavy red hair tied up in a bun, and wore a black pencil skirt paired with a light pink dress shirt. She wore her black cat-eye glasses on her head, not for convenience while reading, or because she had an eye problem, but simply for style.
“Oh, Ms. Garcia. We didn’t see you come in.” said Ash.
The teacher laughed. “A lot of my students say that about me. I’m quiet as a mouse, aren’t I?”
Angie giggled. “Unless you’re yelling at Taylor Reeds for leaving his paints at home.”
Ash nudged her, and motioned for her to stop. Ms. Garcia smiled at him. “It’s okay, Ash. We’re all just talking casually. It’s not like I’m going to eat her alive just for joking about something that happens in class.”
“Though I wish you would…” Ash muttered, a bit too loudly.
“Hey!” Angelina retorted.
The teacher burst into laughter. Once the laughter died down a bit, she replied, “Yeah, yeah… I’ve heard this so many times, out of you two. Ever since you first joined Sunny Coast. We all know about the rivalry. From what I hear, it’s lasted since your kindergarten days.”
“First grade,” Angie clarified.
Ms. Garcia nodded and said, “Well, I’m glad you two have decided to put aside your differences and work together on this project. It’s a great opportunity to showcase your talents and learn from each other.”
Ash and Angie looked at each other awkwardly. They didn’t really want to cooperate with their rival. They had agreed to team up for the inter-school art contest, not only because they were the Top 2 in the last round, but it was also because they thought it would increase their chances of winning. They still wanted to prove they were better than the other.
They had been rivals since first grade, always competing for the best drawings, the best paintings, the best sculptures. And now, they were facing their biggest challenge yet: the art contest.
Ms. Garcia walked over to their work table and looked at their draft drawing. She frowned and said, “What is this supposed to be?”
Ash and Angie shrugged and said, “Our project.”
Ms. Garcia shook her head and said, “This is not a project. This is a disaster. You two have no idea how to work together, do you?”
Ash and Angie looked away and muttered, “No.”
Ms. Garcia sighed and said, “You two are wasting your time and your talent. You have so much potential, but you’re letting your rivalry get the best of you. You’re not collaborating, you’re competing. You’re not creating, you’re destroying. You’re not making art, you’re making war.”
She paused and looked at them with a stern expression. “Do you know what art is? Art is not about being better than someone else. Art is about expressing yourself, sharing your vision, connecting with others. Art is about finding beauty in the world, not finding faults in others. Art is about giving, not taking.”
She continued, “You two have a lot to learn from each other. Ash, you could benefit from studying how Angie uses shapes and colors to create dynamic compositions. Angie, you could learn from Ash how to use details and textures to create realistic forms. If you two worked together instead of against each other, you could both become better artists.”
She said, “You two have the potential to create an amazing duo in art — but also in life. The question is: what kind of friendship do you want to have? One that ends in conflict or one that ends in harmony?”
She left them with that question, hoping they would think about it carefully.
Ash and Angie looked at each other again, this time with a mix of guilt and curiosity. They wondered if Ms. Garcia was right, if they could learn from each other, if they could respect each other, if they could change for the better.
They wondered if they could create an amazing friendship — or live one.
Ms. Garcia smiled at them, and nodded in approval. She was glad to see that they had followed her advice, and that they had started improving their project. She was also glad to see that they had developed a friendship, and maybe something more. She decided to leave them alone, and let them enjoy their moment.
“I have to head to my staff room now, children. I’ll see you both at the competition.” she said, and walked out elegantly.
She walked out of the art room, and closed the door behind her. She left a note on the door, saying: “Do not disturb. Artists at work.”
She chuckled to herself, and thought: “Or maybe, artists in love.”
She walked away, and left Ash and Angie to their painting, and to each other.
Boy, was she wrong about their relationship…
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