Page 12 of Already Falling

I’m looking forward to when she starts incorporating more foods in her diet, or at least less beans.

“What time should I come by, and do you need help setting up?” Chloe has her second art show tonight.

She’s been taking an art elective that I’m pretty sure she spends more of her energy on than her actual major. She’s an amazing artist. I thought she should’ve majored in fine art, but she said she could never do that. I get it. What kind of jobs can you get with a degree like that? Even though she’d probably enjoy studying it more than Marketing.

I have a painting Chloe gave me when we graduated high school hung above my desk in our dorm. It’s a painting of two girls sitting on the beach, looking out at the water. It makes me so happy and relaxed whenever I look at it. Chloe is her best self whenever she’s painting. She zones out as soon as a paintbrush enters her grasp, and she’ll paint for hours like it’s meditation.

“Can you come by around five? It starts at six pm. You can help me hang the canvases.”

“Sounds good,” I say, adding a reminder on my phone. “Oh hey, I ran into Isaac. He invited us to his birthday party this weekend.” I reluctantly bring up my interaction as I push around my mac and cheese on my plate, hoping that Chloe will say she planned something else for us to do this weekend instead.

“Oh yea! He texted me about it. We should totally go! I know you never want to go but come onnnnn, Anni, how are you supposed to enjoy all the hot dudes who go to school here if you don’t get out there.”

Dammit.

Chloe has been so hung up on me finding “the one” ever since she started flirting with the barista at the campus coffee shop nearest to our dorm. She dreams of having double dates with our significant others. But then she also reminds me to play the field. It’s all so confusing. I don’t know what I even want, let alone if I want to date anyone right now. Besides, it's not like I haven’t tried. I went out with a boy from my Intro to Marketing class a couple of months ago. We went to get ice cream at the boardwalk by the beach, and twenty minutes into the date, he said I would look prettier with a boob job, so suffice it to say, he wasn’t the one for me.

“I don’t know if I want to date any of the ‘hot dudes’ at a frat party. I’d rather be flipping through the vintage rack at one of my favorite thrift stores. I look up and catch a cute boy’s eyes. We buy matching T-shirts, and the rest is history.” I look up, and Chloe’s mouth is agape.

“Wow, you’ve put some thought into this.”

“Not really, just random fantasies. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind dating someone tolerable, but I haven’t had much luck.”

“Well, keep an open mind this weekend. You never know who might steal your heart.” She clutches her chest like she’s been shot by Cupid’s arrow.

I may regret this later.

“Fine, fine, we can go to his party, but you need to promise not to leave my side. We need to keep the buddy system. I don’t trust any of those frat guys.”

Chloe shimmies in her seat. “Yay! I’m so excited. I’m bringing Dane.”

She bats her eyelashes at the mention of her current fling. The barista boy. She flirted with him endlessly since we started the second semester, hoping he’d get the hint. He didn’t, so Chloe just gave him her phone number one day because she was sick of waiting. So far, he seems nice. I haven’t talked to him much, but I can tell Chloe is having fun.

Who knows, this party could be amusing. I am already feeling stressed from school, so it will be a nice break from constantly thinking about all the assignments that are due soon. Maybe we’ll go shopping for new outfits beforehand.

Shopping is one of those moments for me where I’m completely in bliss. I love bopping around Gaslamp and seeing what new items arrive at the vintage shops each week. The thrill of putting an outfit together or stumbling upon a vintage band T-shirt gets me eager to run out of this cafeteria just thinking about it. I’d never admit it to Chloe, but a part of me is a little excited to go. It feels like this party might be different from others.

SIX

ANNIKA

I arrive promptly at five p.m., bean burrito and a dairy-free yogurt in hand, to Chloe’s art show. The art department set it up in the courtyard of the fine art buildings toward the back right corner of campus. I only come over to this side for my photography class, but I always enjoy it. They have funky sculptures set up around the walkways. The weather is perfect today to graze and admire art. Sunny without a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze to keep things cool. Once the sun sets, the soft glow of the lights strung from tree to tree will illuminate the art in all its glory.

I spot Chloe buzzing around carrying paper-wrapped canvases to her station. She is wearing a short denim overall dress and an airy pink top underneath. Her long, curly blond hair is tied up in a half-up look that she secured with two paint brushes. Very on theme for today. She sets down the canvas and then pops over to other people’s stations, helping them set up. There are faux walls on wheels, with pegs scattered on them, propped around the area where the students can hang their art. Some students brought extra easels to display their dominant pieces. There are about twenty different showcases. Chloe said they had to submit their art, and the professors picked who gets to showcase their art. This is the second time this year Chloe’s been selected.

I set down the bag of food and start unwrapping Chloe’s art while she’s still helping other students. Her theme for the show is called “A Study on Love.” Wherever we went, she’d carry a little sketchbook with her, and as soon as she saw any inkling of romance, she’d start sketching the interaction so she could paint a larger scene later. I find her obsession with love fascinating. It’s something I never look twice at, but Chloe is always one to absorb those sweet moments a beat longer. A look of longing washes over her face as the interaction passes.

“Anni! Did you bring me a burrito? I’m starving.” Chloe bounces over.

I hand her the bag, and she tears into it, inhaling half of the burrito, slowly chewing and sighing as if she’s never eaten a burrito before in her life.

“Mmmmm, this hits the spot. Okay, so I want the eight-by-eights hung up evenly on the panel and then the two big pieces on easels. Someone in my class brought extras they are letting me borrow for tonight.”

“Everyone in your class is so nice. And I got it. You had these lined up on the dorm floor for three days. I practically have the layout memorized.”

“You know me so well,” she says, giving me a smile and tearing off the foil on top of the yogurt.

She has nine small square canvases, and each has a couple in a different pose. My favorite one is with a couple leaning into each other. They look like they are dancing. It’s a soft moment of love I can appreciate. Nothing too dramatic but one where you can feel the love they have for each other.