CHAPTER FOUR
A few days had passed since they'd gone cranberry picking, and Alex hadn't had time to talk to Kalila about their project at all. There was way too much other work piling up, particularly a History essay on some dead guy he didn't care about, that he had stayed up all night to finish.
It was lunchtime and he was being dragged to the canteen by Lacey. That girl may have been as skinny as a noodle but there was no denying she ate more than an elephant, and annoying her when she was hungry amused Alex far too much. As they were passing through the hallway, his eyes landed on Kalila shoving books in her locker while in an animated discussion with her friend Emma. Being in the mood to irritate Lacey further by making her later for her beloved food, he called out her name.
"Hey Kalila!"
She looked around in mild confusion â after all she was not known by that many people â until she saw him and smiled.
He laughed. "I took a look at the pictures from the weekend, there's a really good one of you with red stuff on your face and leaves in your hair that we just have to use. When do you wanna work on it?"
Lacey let go of his shirt collars that she had been pulling him by, her lunch momentarily forgotten. She hadn't heard Alex laugh or actually talk to anyone other than her and Tyler since the accident. And now he was voluntarily having a conversation and actually enjoying it?
She loved Alex like an older brother, albeit a slightly insane one. He had played princesses with her and Alice when they'd been kids just to make them smile, and he had been the one to threaten any guy that had looked at them funny. It hurt her that he had lost all of his family and was constantly on the edge of breaking down, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He deserved to be happy more than anyone else she knew.
And perhaps this girl could help.
"Uhm, I'm free today if you want to come over? I have enough paints and stuff; we can get started on one picture at least. Though it better not be that one!" Kalila threatened while poking him, trying to look intimidating but failing.
Lacey giggled. Any girl that could stand up to Alex, even if it was a joke â and not drool over him like most did â was most definitely in her good books. "Hi, I'm Lacey! Alex will get his lazy butt there, I'll make sure of it, don't you worry," she said, smiling widely.
Kalila introduced herself shyly although she obviously knew who Lacey was, everyone did. Along with Alex, his sister Alice and Tyler, the four of them were the most well-known group. Although they had become much quieter after Alice's death, all evidently suffering, they were still looked up to throughout school.
"Well okay then Bates," she said, closing her locker shut, "I'll meet you outside the gates when the last bell rings, see ya!"
Lacey waited until she was out of view before pouncing on the poor unsuspecting boy next to her. "Who was that? She's nice. Oh my God, where did you go with her on the weekend? Like a date? Why didn't you tell me? Why do you have pictures of her on your camera? What on earth is going on and since when were you close enough for her to call you by your surname?!"
Alex groaned internally. It had been a long time since he'd talked to a new girl that Lacey didn't know and he'd almost forgotten how crazy she could be when it came to match-making â something he had no interest in whatsoever. Lacey had been so obsessed with knowing every detail, she'd even forgotten about her stomach â which was certainly saying something.
He started walking towards the canteen, filling her in on everything about their project. Well, everything other than the reason why they were doing this project in the first place â namely his suicidal urges.
That was the one thing that was strictly between him and Kalila only.
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Alex made his way to the school entrance when the last bell rang, waiting for Kalila. He had no idea where she lived but figured it was nearby since he was sure she walked. He was refreshing his Facebook news feed for the fourth time in a row when she appeared behind him, clutching a packet of new paintbrushes tightly in her hand.
It was raining slightly â good ol' British weather â so they hurried along, Alex a few steps behind her, following her in the direction of her house. They made small talk while walking, mainly about the project as Kalila turned towards the driveway of a white house with a bright purple door. "Don't ask about the door, my mum gets excited with bright colours," she said, rolling her eyes as she pulled out a key and opened the door.
As soon as Alex entered the house his eyes widened. The walls of the hallway were canary yellow with white flowers painted on; Kalila hadn't been kidding about the colours. The smell of home cooking â lasagne, perhaps? â was lingering in the air and he could hear people talking. The stark contrast between the homey-ness of her house and the bare walls and unpacked boxes of his empty flat made him wince slightly.
"He's cheating mum, he's just jealous he's not as good as me at Xbox!"
"You're such a snitch! I hate you!"
"Argh, get off me you rat!"
"Stop calling me a rat! Muuuum!"
Kalila just grimaced sheepishly, clearly embarrassed and headed towards the source of all the noise â the living room, he assumed.
"Annalise get off your brother right now! Matthew stop pulling her hair! You're going to wake up the baby! What on earth are you two doing?!" He heard a woman call out in frustration just as they entered.
This room was red with monochrome furniture. White leather sofas with fluffy black cushions were pushed against walls with fancy lamps and picture frames covering the shelves. If it wasn't for the two children rolling on the floor arguing, it would have looked like a room straight out of an interior magazine or something equally posh.
The woman seated on the sofa jumped up to turn towards Alex and smiled warmly, shaking his hand. "Hi dear, you must be Alex. I'm Janet, Kalila's mother, it's so nice to meet you. Although please excuse the monsters ruining my carpet!"
He smiled at her nervously and said hello. The only adults he ever interacted with were teachers and Tyler's parents, who had known him forever. He wasn't really used to meeting new people, not to mention how uncomfortable the happiness of the family in front of him â ignoring the arguing kids â as though he was intruding on a picture perfect life.
Perhaps Kalila sensed this because she stepped in. "Well mum, we have our Art project to do so we need to get started," she said, and pulled him up the stairs and into her bedroom.
The walls were a pale teal colour, almost like the colour of a lake in the midst of summer. The furniture was simple and white, pushed in the corners so there was as much space as possible. One wall had photographs and drawings blu-tacked all over it; the happy memories were evident even from just a passing glance.
Along the wall where the window was, there was a canvas set up. Glittered mason jars were holding up brushes and pens along with boxes for pastels and stacks of paint palettes. Everything was so clean and organised, it was obvious that painting meant a lot to her.
Throwing her jacket and bag on the bed and gesturing to him to do the same, she walked over and picked up her laptop from the desk. "Let's have a look at the pictures then?"
Alex complied and connected his camera to the laptop. Pretty soon they had chosen a picture of the two of them grinning, covered in red juice, which the man working there had taken for them just before kicking them out. They had also decided that Kalila would paint this since she was better at conveying emotions on peoples faces. Alex wanted to paint a picture of the landscape of the field; he remembered all the bright colours and the feeling of the wind in his hair and knew this would be a good piece when it would be done.
They got to work in silence, both lost in the brush strokes. It wasn't awkward silence but rather, it made him feel quite comfortable. Not having to talk about something just for the sake of it was refreshing.
A few hours later Alex blinked. It was getting harder to see. They had been so wrapped up in their work that they hadn't noticed the sun was almost starting to set. 'Stupid winter days are so short,' he thought to himself as he added in a few more touches.
Kalila switched the light on and turned around in awe. Their work wasn't complete but the two paintings were pretty good so far; if they kept this up, they'd pass the project with flying colours and she'd get into her dream university. They talked a little while cleaning up and washing the brushes and palettes, Alex desperate to leave due to the thought of all the homework he still needed to do.
And it was only as he started walking the short distance home did he realise that not once had he thought of Alice and all the misery that usually drowned him.
Progress?