Chapter Four

The art museum was crowded, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

It was odd being out of uniform, but Dani was not complaining. She had been excited to dress up for the occasion. Her attire for weekends was normally jeans and a tee, but she’d wanted to make this outing special. She didn’t know why she was putting the effort in, but she was.

It was nothing too fancy – an off-white skirt, floral top, and sandals complemented with some accessories. She had convinced Ana to dress up to, her friend choosing a light blue dress, off-white flats, and some jewelry.

Dani bounced over excitedly to the Picasso painting that had just arrived and was on temporary exhibit.

Her eyes swept over the blue brushstrokes in awe. She was blown away by all of the different techniques that existed within the world of art, and even just in painting. From impressionism to realism, light to heavy strokes, long to short – each was unique. Van Gogh was distinct from Monet or Cezanne, even within the same art movement, just as a Rembrandt was distinguishable from a Vermeer.

“Sorry,” a voice said as she was bumped into. She turned to dismiss it, but her eyes widened at a familiar face. Blue eyes widened in return. The two teenagers stood gaping at each other. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, close to screaming. Why was this jolly green giant of a boy always around? Was there no escape from him? He frowned, “What are you doing here?”

She jaw jutted out defiantly, “I asked first.” He huffed, “I’m here for a class. You?” “I came because I like art,” she retorted, looking around for Ana, desperate for her friend’s ability to shut people down.

“You just had to be here,” the boy groaned. “My mom and I had this planned, so shut up,” she growled, jabbing his chest with her finger, dismissing how well-formed the muscles were. That was of little consequence.

“That’s mature,” he said, swatting at her finger. “I could say the same,” she snapped, jerking her head away, refusing to look at him. Someone cleared their voice behind them, and they turned to see a gallery security officer. “I’m going to have to ask you two to leave,” the woman said, her tone professional. They looked around, and saw other visitors were staring at them. Both blushed, and followed the woman out.

Once the door to the gallery closed, Dani let out an agitated scream, and stomped her foot on the ground, “You ruined me day! You just had to make a scene, you big jerk! I wanted to have a day to myself with my friend and my mom, but no! You had to come along and ruin it! I hate you so much!”

Gerard looked stricken at her words, “You hate me?”

She heaved a sigh, “Well, not hate, but strongly dislike.” “I don’t strongly dislike you,” he muttered, but she caught it. “You expect me to believe that? You always pick on me!” she growled.

“I was embarrassed that I nailed you with the ball, alright?” he nearly screeched, small traces of puberty still evident as his voice became pitchy. She froze, looking at him dumbly. Seconds turned to minutes, passing along in silence as they simply looked at each other, neither daring to move or speak.

People walked by them, some sparing curious glances, most ignoring the teenagers entirely. But still no words were exchanged between them.

“Geri, what are you doing out here?” a voice finally broke through the stillness.

They both looked over to see Cesc walking towards them, looking confused. “We got kicked out…” the female admitted, blushing slightly as the entire situation fully hit her. “Why?” the boy questioned his friend. Gerard looked at his feet, “We got into another fight.” The dark haired boy laughed, “That doesn’t surprise me! Daniyah, do you want to go get a snack or drink?”

Before she could answer, Gerard cut him off furiously, “We’re already going to get one. Tell la profesora for me, sí?” Cesc nodded as the taller boy grabbed her hand and hauled her off. She could only wave as they retreated down the street, leaving a smug male in their dust.


~~

“Where is she?” Ana pondered aloud. She couldn’t see – or hear – Dani in the entire gallery, even after several sweeps of the building.

“Are you looking for Dani?” a voice behind her asked. She turned, and smiled upon seeing Cesc. She nodded, “Sí. Have you seen her?” “Sí, she’s going to a café with Gerard,” he answered. “Is she still conscious, or in her right mind?” she joked weakly, wondering where the change had come from. He shrugged, “They got kicked out, and were just staring at each other when I found them.”

“Huh…” the female murmured, frowning at the strangeness.

“Want to know a secret?” Cesc asked. “Qué?” she responded. “Gerard totally has a crush on Daniyah, but won’t admit it because he thinks she hates him,” he grinned. “That’s so cliché!” the girl laughed, but it would explain his behavior. Dani’s behavior…well, it was just explainable by her. The girl was unexplainable, simple as that.

“Cesc!” another boy called, and several others came over, most looking at her. She assumed they didn’t see many girls, living at La Masia.

She smiled upon seeing Leo though, tagging along shyly. He saw her after a moment, though, and returned her smile with a small one of his. He slowly ambled to her side, trying not to make it obvious, though the other boys were watching too closely for his liking.

“Cómo estás?” he asked. He was dressed in jeans, the first time she’d seen him out of sportswear, though he wore only a tee.

“Estoy bien, gracias,” she replied, “And thank you again for the shirt. My brother loves it – it takes a lot of convincing to get him out of it.” The pink spread across his cheeks, “I’m glad he likes it.”

“Since Gerard ran off with your friend, do you want to hang out with us at the campus?” Cesc asked, stepping closer. She shrugged, “Sure, but let me tell her mom. I’ll make up an excuse for her.”

She left the group of boys, ignoring the whispers that erupted behind her, and found Mrs. Blanxart admiring a Picasso painting. “Oh, hello Ana,” she greeted her. “I was wondering if Dani and I could go hang out with some friends from school,” she said. The woman smiled brightly, “I’m so glad Daniyah is making so many friends this year! Of course, tell her to be back before curfew.”

That was simple enough, she mused, as she returned to the group, but found only Cesc and a blushing Leo remained. “They got too nosy,” the dark haired boy informed her. She laughed, “Understandable. My house is close, so can I change? Football pitches and dresses don’t mix.” They both nodded, allowing her to lead the way.

“Ja, la profesora is going to pissed that all of her students are running off,” Cesc chuckled as they headed down the street. Leo just nodded nervously, but they all knew he was too quiet and good to get in trouble. All of the other boys might, but not Leo.

She smiled; this day wasn’t going so bad after all, so long as Dani didn’t kill Gerard. And that, she mused, was no guarantee at all.