Chasing Hearts

Three

It took me a second to realize it was the jerk from the art store who sat down next to me. He gave me the same emotionless stare despite the question he asked. I could see the curious guy in front of us trying to listen to our conversation and was shocked as if he had never heard the voice of Reign Ferrante.

"If you were going to give me those supplies in the end, why insult my talent?" I asked.

He clicked his tongue. "It wasn't an insult; oil painting is a hard art style, and I didn't want you to be discouraged. You have potential in the art style you currently use."

I was stunned a little.

"Besides," he continued. "I thought it was also your chance to prove me wrong if you're so determined." This time I saw a ghost of a smirk on his face and his deep brown eyes lit up slightly.

"I'll make sure to pay you back for the supplies then."

He shook his head. "No worries, it was a gift. Pay me back by making something worthwhile with them."

The teacher called everyone to attention as the morning announcements and anthem came on. I just nodded and smiled at him.

Maybe he wasn't such a jerk after all. His words pushed me a little more to get started as soon as I got home and do exactly as he asked; prove him wrong.

~*~

Come lunchtime I didn't know where to sit, so I opted for sitting outside by the soccer field since it was pretty hot outside, compared to the weather I was used to. I didn't expect to run into anyone outside, but to my surprise, I saw Reign jog across the soccer field as he chased the ball and gave it a hard kick to the other side of the field.

He didn't strike me as the kind of person who would be into sports, but with the way he carried his tall frame across the field, he looked quite natural like this. I hadn't realized how much I was staring until a shadow fell over me, and I looked up to see Bianca and a posse of two other girls.

"Hey 'Han Ma Ri', just what do you think you're doing?" she asked with a sneer.

The other girls laughed when they heard my name.

"I'm eating my lunch, what does it look like?"

She scoffed. "You've been staring at Reign the entire time, don't try and fool me. You aren't worth his time, so don't even bother going after him."

"Just because I'm sitting here staring at him, you automatically assume I'm going to go after him? It sounds like you're a little insecure."

This time her friends snickered at my comment, which only made Bianca more furious.

"Watch your mouth, I can end you with just a few words and make it, so everyone here treats you like an outcast. So just try me." She raised her hand and looked as if she was going to strike me.

"What's going on here?" I heard the commanding voice of Reign behind them.

"Oh, uhm, nothing really. We were just talking to the new girl," Bianca tried to cover up, but there was a high chance that Reign had overheard what she said.

"We were just leaving," she added and hurried her friends away.

I sighed and threw my sandwich down, my appetite gone as Reign stared at me.

"Thanks for the help, but for the future, I advise not doing that. It's only going to make things worse," I said and walked over to the trash.

Reign followed me. "What does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it, I just don't want to get caught up in her drama, or any drama for that matter, and you probably don't want to either."

It looked like he wanted to ask more, but the warning bell for the end of lunch rang.

"I'll see you in class," I said and jogged off the field, not wanting to continue the conversation further.

The rest of the day flies by pretty easily. I realized a lot of the curriculum at the school wasn't much different from mine and although the teachers were accommodating, I was ahead of most of my classes already.

Bianca was waiting for me at the gates after school with her usual sneer on her face. She started questioning me as soon as I got in the car.

"What is your relationship with Reign Ferrante?" she asked.

I sighed. "I don't have one. I just went by his art store yesterday and bought supplies, plus we sit next to each other in class."

"What?" she shrieked. "How did you get into the same class as him?"

I just shrugged and she huffed, hopefully knowing I couldn't possibly be blamed for that as I arrived at the school halfway through the year. There is no way I was able to know him before coming here or know what class he was in.

She was silent the rest of the way, but I could tell he wasn't convinced, but thankfully dropped it for now. Once we got home, she went straight to my father to ask about something and I slipped away into my room to get started on homework and my oil painting. I used YouTube and Google images to help me get started, and before I knew it, it was almost midnight, and no one had called me out of my room.

I wasn't able to finish a decent painting by the next day like I had planned, wanting to show Reign as a gift for the supplies but I was being too eager thinking I would turn into an artist overnight.

However, the next few days at school, Reign was nowhere to be found. The rest of the week went by and he didn't show up for a single class, which did give me more time to work on a painting, but made me a little concerned about how far behind he was going to fall.

I had the idea once I realized the oil paint supplies he gave me were running out, to take some notes from class and go over to his shop to see if he had any more oil paint supplies. I was also thankfully able to finish a decent painting the night before that I could give him.

After school I made sure to grab everything so I could head over right after, telling Bianca not to wait up for me, to which she didn't bother replying to.

When I got to the shop, Reign's cousin was there again, and it made me realize that I hadn't seen her at school and wondered if she went to a different one or was older than I thought.

"Hey, it's you, welcome!" she said and ran over. "I was hoping you would come back."

"Is your cousin here? I have some things for him, he hasn't been at school all week."

Before she could answer, Reign walked out from the back looking like he had just woken up, and gave me a confused glance. "What are you doing here?"

I shoved the notes toward him. "It's most of what you missed in class. Also, I was wondering if you had any more oil paints I could buy."

He took the notes and fanned through them, then shook his head.

"We don't normally carry those, but if you give me a few days I can have some ordered for you."

I almost forgot the painting. "Oh yeah, I made this for you. What do you think?" I took out the small painting and handed it to him.

He looked it over emotionlessly, then walked into the back with it and reappeared without it. "Amateur work, but you're on the right track."

I gaped at him. Was he serious?

"Well, if it's such amateur work, then give it back."

"No," he said simply.

What the hell was this guy's problem? I wondered. I rolled my eyes and stormed out, planning to never speak to him again after yet another underhanded insult.