by Seven Steps
That was what I got for watching a scary movie with my friends last night. It was fun when they were there. It was when they weren’t there that was the problem. I swore I’d never let Cole pick the movie again.
I reached the closet and moved the box to one hip. Then, I opened the door and held it open with the left side of my body, while I slipped in the paint supplies. Then, I held it while it closed so it didn’t slam.
You know, just in case.
Still kind of freaked out, I took in a breath and turned around.
The hallway was clear of monsters or fiends. I let my breath out.
I was not looking forward to riding the train alone tonight.
Note to self: drive to school until the mural is done.
I bent down to collect my coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and bookbag from the corner.
That was when I noticed the long shadow that fell over me.
My entire body shook.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t think.
I couldn’t move.
All I could do was swallow and try to get up the will to scream.
“Hello, Princess.”
The shivering stopped.
Breath returned to my lungs.
I stood up and turned around, and there was Ollie. He wasn’t wearing his uniform this time. But he wasn’t stinking of spray paint either. He was clean. Hair combed back, clean black coat, black sweater, blue jeans, white new sneakers. And he smelled good, like a spicy cologne.
I looked into his eyes, unsure if he was actually there or if this was my overactive imagination.
“Ollie?” I asked.
He nodded.
The corners of his eyes wrinkled, and a beautiful smile lit up his face. He raised one hand and ran his knuckles along my cheek, making me warm all over. I pressed his hand to my face with my own.
“When did you get back?”
“Today,” he replied.
“Why?”
“I convinced my father to let me finish school here.”
“And he let you?”
Ollie nodded and took a step closer.
I wanted to throw myself into his arms. I wanted to feel his lips against mine.
But then I remembered.
The last time I’d given my heart to him, he’d lied to me. At the very least withheld the truth.
Could I trust him with my heart again, especially after he’d been so dishonest before?
I dropped my hand from his and took a step back.
“You’re angry with me?” he asked.
I crossed my arms. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“You lied to me.”
“About what?”
“About being a prince.”
“I didn’t lie. I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t.”
“You couldn’t tell me? Didn’t you trust me?”
“Princess, if I told you, then you would have told your friends and they would have told someone and those people would have told someone else. The next thing you knew, it would have been all around school and I would have been compromised. Is that what you wanted?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “No.”
I tapped my foot against the floor. It was hard trying to be angry with someone you just wanted to grab and kiss the daylights out of.
“Any more secrets?” I asked.
“Besides me being the crowned prince who was almost assassinated by his royal guard and his own brother? No.”
“Are you sure?”
A small smile slipped out, which seemed to be just the opening Ollie needed. He took another step forward, caging me in his arms.
“I’ve missed you, Princess.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Too long.”
I uncrossed my arms and wrapped them around his waist.
“Well, maybe I missed you too,” I said.
He tipped my chin up so I was forced to look at him.
“Maybe?”
My entire body heated up, and goose bumps broke out along my shoulders.
Crap.
“A little more than maybe. More like, definitely, I guess.”
His smile widened. Then he leaned down, and our lips touched, blowing away all the anger and confusion and replacing it with joy, happiness, and love.
Yes, that was what I felt for Ollie.
Love.
It was terrifying. Like right before you bungee jump. That feeling that says you are going to die and no one is going to catch you.
Would Ollie catch me if I fell into him?
Only time would tell.
74
The next day, Ollie and I were allowed to use our art class time to sketch out the rest of the mural.
But, even with Ollie’s help, we weren’t going to have the hours nor the man power to get the mural done on time.
It was already Wednesday morning, and we now had about sixty hours left to finish this mural.
Which meant it was time to call in some reinforcements.
At lunch, Ollie and I sat at our table, surrounded by our friends, ready to do something that scared both of us. Putting our trust in someone else.
“I have an announcement to make,” I said. I stood up, because I figured it would be more official that way.
The entire table turned to me.
“We’re behind on the mural Ollie and I are painting, and we need your help.”
I was greeted by my friends’ smiles.
“Of course,” Eric said.
“When do we start?” Purity said. “I used to paint landscapes back in Georgia. This will be so exciting.”
“Is this like putting on lipstick?” Sophia asked. “If it’s not, then I may need some help.”
“Well, it’s a little harder than lipstick,” Ollie said. “Probably closer to contouring. If you could charge millions of dollars to contour faces.”
“You should have asked us weeks ago,” Ariel said. “You would have been done by now.”
“Thanks, guys. I appreciate your willingness to pitch in,” I said. “But, there’s something else too.”
I dropped down so that my chest was almost touching the table tops and my friends squeezed in to hear me better.
“Remember when I told you that Ollie and I were RATZ?” I said.
Ollie’s own eyes went wide. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone about the RATZ. But I’d already told them my Rat history last week. Plus, the clock was winding down, and without Jeff or Jean or Able there, there was no way we could pull off the virtual tag on our own.
“We need your help with that too,” I said.
“Like, to tag something?” Cole asked.
Ollie shook his head, wanting to end the conversation, but I needed to say this. The memory of the RATZ deserved to be honored one last time.
“Virtually,” I said. “It’ll be like a video.”
“Featuring… you and Ollie?” Bella asked. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Our faces won’t be in it,” I said. “We’re delinquents. Not stupid.”
Ollie looked pointedly at me. I could tell he was still uncomfortable with the whole idea.
“I’m in,” Cole said.
“Me too,” Eric added.
One by one, they all pledged their assistance. And their silence.
My chest tightened. I was so lucky to have the people sitting around me in my life. These people were closer to family to me.
“Thank you,” I choked out.
“Yeah,” Ollie said. “Thanks. I think.”
I cleared my throat. “Ollie, Eric, and Cole can get started on the VT after school. The deadline is eight o’clock Friday night.”
“Wait, this thing is Friday?” Cole asked. “As in Wednesday, Thursday, Friday?”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You got this. Bella, Ariel, Sophia, and Purity come with me to finish up the mural. Now, is everyone clear on what you have to do?”
I was me
t with resolute expression and grunts of approval. It was the best I was going to get.
“Great. I’ll meet everyone at the mural after school.”
75
Me and Bella begged Mr. Mann to let us girls skip our afternoon classes for the next three days to finish up the mural. Surprisingly, he agreed.
We used the time wisely, painting and outlining furiously. Purity was as good as she said she was and was probably the biggest help out of everyone.
But, even with me and her outlining and Bella and Ariel painting, we still didn’t have enough time.
On Thursday night, I called Ollie.
“Hey, Princess. How’s it going over there?”
“Not great.”
“Do you think you’re going to finish on time?”
“No. You?”
After a brief silence he said, “No. I’ve had to pull up old artwork and try to piece everything together. This was meant to be a cohesive project by an entire group. Now it’s just a patchwork. I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”
“Me neither.”
I sighed.
“Look,” Ollie said. “You just need manpower, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I have a few guys I can call. They’re a little rougher around the edges, but they can get the job done.”
“Are you sure about them?”
“Trust me, Princess. When they get there, just tell them you’re with me.”
“What does that mean?”
“Got to go. We’ll catch up later.”
Then the line went dead.
What was Ollie up to? Who was he sending over? And how would I know who they were?
It was ten o’clock that night when no less than twenty kids walked up the stairs of St. Mary’s Academy. I’d never seen them before, and something told me they’d never stepped foot in this school before from the way they looked around it in awe.
A rough looking kid with long sideburns approached me.
“Are you Princess?” he asked.
Goodness, did Ollie introduce me to everyone that way?
“Yes,” I replied. “And who are you?”
“We’re the reinforcements. Ollie said you had a job for us.”
“Yes.”
“Good. They call me KillShot, the fastest tagger in the West, and this is my crew. Just point me in the direction of the paint and we’ll have this place looking like MOMA in an hour.”
“Um… okay.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Ollie knew these people. Still, I was a little suspicious that twenty strangers would be coming to help us with this mural. Even so, what choice did I have?
“Okay,” I said. “Everybody just take a wall, I guess.”
They cheered loud enough for the janitor to come out of his office and gape at them.
“They’re with me,” I called to him. “No worries.”
He frowned hard at me but went back into his office.
I was grateful for that.
I examined all of these new faces, and the old ones. We were coming together to make something beautiful. That’s what art was. People coming together to make something beautiful.
I cleared the lump from my throat.
“Hey, Princess,” KillShot said. “We were told there was going to be food provided.”
“Food?” I asked.
“Beer and Pizza. It’s on our rider.”
The crew roared with laughter. I pulled out my cell phone.
“Sure. Beer and pizza is on the way.”
KillShot said, “Great. Let’s get started.”
76
It is said that many hands make the work light.
We worked deep into the night. It took some of the artists a little longer to pick up on my artistic style, but once they did, they ran with it. The people they produced were as close to perfect as I could’ve ever asked for. We had to order three times from the twenty-four-hour pizza joint in Times Square, but it was worth it. Ollie’s friends came through, and they came through big.
By the time school opened on Friday morning, the mural was complete.
We hung up tarps around the pictures and roped off the area to make sure no one bumped into it and ruined it.
It was funny to see the curious looks from the students as my new friends left the building.
I dragged myself home, changed, and dragged myself back to school. I missed first period, but Mr. Mann gave me a pass.
When lunchtime rolled around, I dragged my tired body to the lunch table, where everyone was talking excitedly. Even Ollie seemed to have joined in the manic conversation.
“Is everything set up?” I asked.
“Just about,” Ollie said. “I have to admit that Cole and Eric are pretty useful around a studio. We simplified some stuff, added a few things, changed the music at Cole’s behest. It looks great.”
“Good. Are you guys going to be there tonight?” I asked.
Bella hugged me tight. “Of course. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Thanks for everything. Thanks for being here for me.”
“That’s what best friends are for,” Ariel said. “To be here for each other. Even if it’s illegal.”
“Or it ruins our manicure,” Sophia added.
“Or it introduces us to hot guys with a questionable background,” Purity said. We all turned to her. “What? Am I the only one who thought KillShot was hot?”
I made a face at her. “Purity, I didn’t know you went for the bad boys.”
“I can’t help it. His painting was so pretty, and he kept offering me pizza.”
We laughed and hugged closer.
My friends were awesome.
I couldn’t ask for any better.
77
The time was finally here.
The faculty and a few parents and students gathered in the hallway to unveil the new school mural.
I stood there, in my little black dress, black heels, and cape in the school lobby, shaking like a leaf.
“Well, you really pulled it off,” Mrs. Meredith said, coming to stand next to me. “I have to admit, I was kind of worried there for a little bit.” Her graying hair had been pulled up into an elegant bun, and she wore a forest green wrap dress, kitten heels, and makeup. I had to admit she was a pretty woman.
“Thanks. It took a lot of help.”
“The janitor said there were a bunch of kids here last night. He mentioned that not all of them looked reputable. That wouldn’t be the help you are referring to, is it?”
I smiled and shrugged. No use of incriminating myself any further than I already was.
“Well, no matter now. Did you finish your paintings for Mrs. Holly?”
“No,” I said. “And the last slot was filled this morning, so...”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” A knot formed in my gut.
When I saw that zero slots were available, I wanted to cry. I had worked so hard to get into this internship and now it was filled.
What would I do now?
What did I have to look forward to?
I’d dreamed to get into this program for so long. Now that it wasn’t going to become a reality, I was devastated.
Mr. Mann walked up behind us.
“Ms. Patel. Mrs. Meredith. We’re ready to get started. Why don’t you take your seats?”
I swallowed and nodded. This was it.
The unveiling of the mural.
No one had seen it yet, except for me of course, and it felt like a million ants were marching through my stomach. What if they didn’t like it? What if we hadn’t done enough? What if we got it all wrong?
The what-ifs played in my head until the ceremony started.
I looked out into the audience. My friends were sitting in the front row. Bella gave me a big thumbs-up. I returned it.
Cameras from the school paper flashed in my direction, and I squinted to avoid being blinded by them.
“Good evening, ladies and gentleme
n.”
Heat poured over me as the vents kicked in. The podium was set up where the murals stopped and the lockers began. There were three chairs set up, one on the right side of the podium and two on the left side.
Rows and rows of white chairs stretched all the way down the hallway. There must’ve been at least fifty staff members here. All waiting to see my mural.
I scanned the crowd but didn’t see Ollie anywhere. He was probably setting up the virtual tag. Still, I wished he were here. He deserved part of the credit for this mural. I couldn’t have done it without him.
“My name is Michael Mann and I am the principal of St. Mary’s Academy. I want to welcome all of you to this very special occasion.”
The faculty clapped, and my friends in the front row hooted.
“Since its inception, St. Mary’s Academy has been renowned for its love for the arts. Some of you may remember our old mural, featuring the likenesses of many great figures in human history including William Shakespeare, George Washington, Albert Einstein, and John F Kennedy. It was unveiled only a few months after the assassination of John F Kennedy, so that tells you how long it’s been since we’ve had a fresh mural painted.
“With this art contest, and our recent renovation, we thought it was a great opportunity for us to spruce up our halls a little bit. And I can tell you that you guys are in for a treat.
“Without further ado, I’d like to bring up Ms. Jasmine Patel.”
My friends cheered loudest of all as I walked up to the podium.
“Ms. Patel, we’d like to thank you and your team for your hard work and sacrifice in putting together this mural in only three weeks. Your dedication is an inspiration to us all. And now, the pièce de résistance.”
He handed me a pair of red handled scissors to cut a yellow cord.
In one smooth move, I squeezed the handles together and cut the cord. Seemingly all at once, the tarps fell from the wall. Finally, after three weeks, the mural was revealed.
Students of every culture and race walked through a beautiful forest, filled with colorful flowers, tall, stately trees, lush green grass, and smooth, gray stones. Books hung from the trees where apples should have been, and several of the students were picking them and reading them.
