The Art of Shadows

I smiled up at the boy whose chest I was currently resting upon. He smirked down at me, wrapping his arms tighter around my body. I cuddled into him, my head falling in the crook of his neck. His warmth spread throughout my body, encasing me in heat. I slid my small hands into the pockets of his favorite hoodie, given unselfishly to me when I complained of the cold earlier that evening.

I leaned back into him, getting comfortable. He smiled down on me, kissing the back of my head, nuzzling his nose into my freshly washed hair. I could feel his warm breath blow slowly out onto my neck, causing a cold shiver to go casing down my spine. This merely enticed him to snuggle me further into his grasp, bringing us even closer together. I tilted my head up towards his, pulling one hand out of its warm haven to pull his lips towards my own. He shivered slightly at my cold touch, but it didn’t stop him from pushing his soft mouth onto my chapped one.

He pouted as I pulled away, and I darted back in, kissing him swiftly before turning back around to finish watching A Nightmare Before Christmas, a true holiday classic. Together, we sang song after song until I couldn’t fight sleep. My eyes started closing of their own accord, and with a light kiss on my forehead as a sendoff, I quickly tumbled into darkness, resting in his arms. He lightly picked me up, being sure to not jostle me, and carried me upstairs, lying me down gently on my bed. He pecked my cheek, whispering, “Sweet Dreams, Leigh Ann.” before covering me up, and closing the door behind him as he let himself out.


I awoke the next morning to the voice of my best friend, intent on making my morning as miserable as possible. Before I found the strength to voice my annoyance at her perkiness, she had stripped the sheets off of me, and opened my curtains, letting sunlight drift in. I abandoned any hope that remained of me sleeping in, and I gave in to her awful antics.

“Leigh Ann! Good morning sunshine!”

I winced as she chirped in my ear, my body still dragging, not fully conscious yet.

“Coffee. Now.” I cringed as my voice came out gravely, but I perked up as a steaming cup of coffee was forced into my grasp.

I took a drink, letting the coffee seep through my frozen torso, warming as it went down. After
the majority of the heavenly deliciousness was gone, I turned to face Aleina, who was waiting impatiently for me to wake up from my stupor.

I laughed to myself as I watched her practically jump out of her seat in excitement. “Yes?”

“Two Words. Party. Tonight.”

We both squealed like teenies who had just seen a famous band. We loved parties, more Aleina than me, but I was always up for it.

“Where?”

She shrugged, answering, “Adam’s, where else?”

I nodded in understanding. There was no other house big enough in Durham where the owners didn’t care that a hundred teenagers were getting plastered every weekend on their property.


-Time Lapse. Later that Night.-

I stumbled up the stairs, instantly regretting the shots of straight Vodka, as the entire contents of my stomach lurched, leaving me swaying. I opened the nearest door, searching frantically for the bathroom, before my lunch decided to make a reappearance.

Upon opening the door, I arrived at the conclusion that this was not the bathroom. I was about to swing the door shut when I took note of the straight brown hair, tipped in blue that I had come to love. I blinked rapidly, trying to burn the image of his body on hers, but to no avail.

“Bry?” I whispered the name, afraid to raise my voice in fear of it cracking, letting my emotions show.

I watched as my boyfriend of the last 6 months look up, his eyes catching my questioning gaze. Realization settled in on his features as he threw the blonde off of him, frantically trying to pull his pants on. “S**t.” He mumbled as I turned around and headed downstairs, having seen enough.

“Bryce baby, don’t worry about her, you’ve got me now.” I heard the s**t next to him croon at him, while he hastily buckled his belt.

I ran to the front door, pushing through the sea of people that had amassed in the living room, anxious to get out of there before I lost it. As soon as I broke free onto the yard, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I clambered to the nearest tree, making sure I was out of sight from the front door, collapsing against the tree. I slid down the trunk, using it as a backboard, my muscles rendered useless as grief washed over me.

I buried my face in my hands, my knees slid up to my chest as I let free my emotions. I cried, mascara heavy streaks lining my cheeks, soaking my shirt, staining it. I sat there until

I heard the party die down, most people coming stumbling out of the house, pouring onto the lawn. I saw people faltering as they stupidly got into their cars. I watched the nearest girl fumble getting her car to start, the keys shaking in her hands. She finally gave up, passing out in the front seat.

When I could no longer hear the screams and shouts of partiers, I slowly got to my feet. I instantly fell again; having sat still so long had weakened me. I used the tree as support once more, and straightened myself. I walked slowly into Adam’s house, my head pounding. I saw Aleina passed out on the floor near the kitchen door. I smiled wryly, happy that she hadn’t tried to drive home drunk. I went through his kitchen, grasping the door to the nearest bathroom. Careful to not step on whatever guy had passed out on the bathroom tiles, I grasped for the cabinet, pulling out a bottle of much needed aspirin.

Clutching my aching head with one hand, I reached for a glass, filling it, and popping back 2 aspirin. I sat with my head resting against the countertop, as the roaring in my head turned instead to a slight ringing. I glanced at the clock, trying to figure out how late it was. The room spun, and I grabbed the counter, steadying myself. I decided it didn’t matter how late it was, and walked back towards the front of the house. Spotting Aleina still lying on the floor, I wrote a quick note, telling her I had gone home, and stuck it to her forehead.

I walked out of the house, immediately wincing as the rays of the afternoon sun hit me. I went wheeling back, but steadied myself before I could hit the ground. I grumbled to myself as I realized that Bryce had driven me the night before, and started the 12 block trek back to my apartment. I cursed the sun, arriving at the conclusion that I also didn’t have sunglasses, or any other protection from the harsh rays.

Tired, I fumbled with the lock to my door, before swinging the door open and collapsing on the couch. I finally let the events of the previous night sink in, and I sighed deeply to myself. I heard my phone give off an obnoxious ring, and I picked it up, instantly silencing it.

“Hello?”

“Babe. Listen. Don’t hang up. I need to talk to you. Last night…she…meant nothing to me. I love you.”

I slammed my phone shut, cutting off Bryce’s excuses, before they could even begin. I took a deep breath, letting calm settle over my body. I ran my thoughts over all of my memories with Bryce. I went to my room, cluttered from prepping the previous night. I went slowly through my stuff, silently picking up subtle reminders of Bryce; the ticket stubs from innumerable movies, letters he had written on scraps of paper, and the bear he had won for me on our first date.

We were at the state fair. We both figured that it would be a good place to break the ice, with the rides, and the crowds made a perfect excuse for the both of us to hold hands; so we wouldn’t lose sight of each other.

After scrambling down a plate of funnel cake, he wiped the powdered sugar off of my nose, lightly brushing the powder off, looking me in the eyes. He leaned in, but only teasingly, pulling away at the last second. He grabbed my hand again, pulling me towards the arcade part of the fair.

After struggling for several minutes, Bryce managed to knock down all of the bottles, earning himself a prize. A bit ruffled, as the starting pitcher for our school’s baseball team, he indignantly shook off the struggle, and graciously accepted the bear from the vender. Turning to me, he shyly pressed the bear into my clutches, whispering, “I won this for you. I want you to remember this day.”

Pulling myself out of the memory, I found myself sobbing. I cried myself out, and glancing at the clock, my mouth fell open when I saw I had wasted the whole day crying over him.

Looking favorably down on the bear for the last time, tears slowing down my face, I shoved all remains of Bryce into a box, sealing it up, and putting it in the back of my closet.

Scolding myself for holding on so long, I went into the bathroom, locking it behind me.

Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water soak through my hair, washing away all traces of the previous night. I scrubbed my face, wiping away the ugly streaks of eyeliner and mascara.

I got out, wrapping a towel around my body as I wiped my face off, clearing it off any residue the shower hadn’t washed away. I put my hair up just as the phone rang. I let it ring, then remembering that Aleina wasn’t there to get it, I quickly rushed out, picking up just as it was about to send it to voicemail.

“’Lo?”

“Ms. Leigh Ann Senners?”

I was startled by the cool voice of an unfamiliar woman. “Yes. This is she.”

“Hi. I’m Ms. Louise Altright, from the Art Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. I’m calling to say that we received your application, and that a slot has been made available at our institution for our spring semester.”

I almost passed out. I had forgotten about that application. Aleina had forced me to send it in on a whim, after discovering the drawings I had made of Bryce one afternoon. We had forgotten about it in the flurry of the holidays, getting swept up in the madness.

“Ms. Senners? Are you still there?”

I recovered quickly, replying, “Yes. Yes, I’m still here. “


-Time Lapse-

I stepped off of the plane, welcoming my new life as I walked towards the baggage claim in Vancouver. The last few months had been a blur. From ignoring Bryce’s calls, to scrambling to not only make ends meet on rent, but getting tuition money together. I helped Aleina find a new roommate, and took one more step away from my old life, head on into my new one.

Finding my bags, I hailed a taxi, and I soon found myself at the doorway to my new apartment.

As I unpacked later that night, I got out my sketchbook, spreading my art supplies across my desk. As I opened up my portfolio, running my fingers across the pages, feeling the indents underneath my fingertips, my thoughts returned to Bryce.

Although unfaithful at the end, I had to thank him for many things. He, unknowingly or not, had shown me that I didn’t need anyone to rely on. I helped him move on, and he did the same for me. Had it not been for him, I never would have gotten in to the Institute.

I gathered my bag, slipping my sketchbook into it, and headed out to greet my new life, closing the door on not just my apartment, but the life I left behind in favor of this new adventure.

Author's Note

Yes, no? :]

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[Bhavya Kaushik]

"I gathered my bag, slipping my sketchbook into it, and headed out to greet my new life, closing the door on not just my apartment, but the life I left behind in favor of this new adventure."---


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