Mabel

16

Midterms ended up hitting me like the huge canvas that I was saving in the dorm to use until it fell on me while I was trying to move it to the studio last week and accidentally punctured a me-sized hole in the middle of it.

Hard, that is.

One minute I was telling Talia how I'd totally confess to Kai before midterms, and the next, I was accidentally stirring my coffee with a paint-soiled brush and spreading yellow gouache on my toast in the morning.

It's hard not to get confused because the containers are identical thanks to Luca's splurge on Tupperware when he insisted that everything in the dorm that could get moved into one, got moved into one.

But now they are passed, and that is a huge amount of relief for most students on campus.

Except for me.

Being in a coursework-based program by studying fine art, I didn't have an official exam per say, but I did have a check-in with my work so far (none of it was arranged at all but Kang showed gracious mercy because my art is fucking dope to not quote myself directly at all) and a small theory exam which I forgot to revise for until the night before and, despite all that, I think I did kind of alright.

However, now I'm tumbling towards my actual course deadline at full-speed, no brakes, slicked-up with oil wheels on ice as each day passes, while everyone else is having a jolly old time after their studies are pushed aside for another few months.

And there are two main side effects to this.

Number one is that im closing my eyes and seeing Pebble Charcoal No. 83 instead of just plain black which is neither positive nor negative–just very concerning.

And number two is that I have to see a lot of my subject.

That is, I get the absolute glory of seeing Major Hottie, Global Sweetheart™ (I think that's what I labeled him as last time) Kai Adkins on a pretty much daily basis.

And it's one of those days where I had managed to get out of bed at a reasonable time to head to the studio nice and early, which I do so with Morin Valdez who... just so happened to be in our dorm room at nine AM, on his way out when I caught him red-handed.

Or should I say, smooching Talia Alpin?

I shouldn't, Morin insisted, not if I want to keep my limbs.

He reluctantly agreed to let me walk with him to our classes as long as I didn't breathe a word of why he was there, who he was with, when he arrived, why he left so early or anything related.

I also agreed because a question had suddenly popped into my mind that I figured was a great one to ask my good friend and studier of the same subject as Kai Adkins who this question was totally about.

"Have you seen Kai's project for photography?"

Morin raises a sharp, perfectly shaped eyebrow (it's honestly unfair that I have to spend money on mine while his look like that for free) and lifts his shoulders in a vague shrug.

"I don't see him that often. Actually, I mostly see him 'cause of Talia."

"Does he only do landscape?"

"Why?"

"No reason."

"Talia told me you like him," Morin says at a reasonable volume like there aren't humans on campus with ears at nine AM. The prime time for classes!

I clamp a hand over his mouth and he makes a surprised, muffled sound as I look around us, having people stare at me with minimal alarm.

This could be down to the fact I just slapped my hand (really hard) over a guy's mouth, or because they heard.

Morin pushes my hand off of him, snapping, "It's because you just looked like you were attempting to kidnap me, you little weirdo."

"Oh, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes."

Huh.

"You really don't have a filter, do you?"

I shake my head with a happy smile, before actually remembering what we were talking about and lowering my voice, eyes darting around the campus still as we start to walk again and I tell him, "Yes I do. A lot. A whole, whole lot."

I could add on a few more variations of that, there, I think.

Morin scoffs, unsurprised and unbothered by the revelation and seems satisfied with my stress, enough to tell me, "Okay, yes. He only does landscape. He's literally on a specialised course for it. Why?"

He asks a lot of questions, doesn't he?

"He took a picture of me one time and said it was for his course."

The man rolls his eyes to the point of maximum teenage angst, a little outdated for a fourth-year college student, and says, "Typical. He never shuts up about you. Literally, it's Mabel this – Mabel that. And that says a lot considering I barely even know the kid."

I think my organs sizzle a little at that.

He talks about me?

Like, to other people?

I'm barely even paying attention to anything other than that when I say, "You're like that with Talia."

Morin nudges me hard in the ribs with his bony-ass elbow which, I swear he sharpens those damn things.

"Brat," he mumbles at me, "Why are we friends?"

"Because you have a huge, obvious thing for my soulmate, and you adore me."

"Brat."

Another nudge.

I wonder if I'm bleeding yet.