Chapter Text
Part 1
Fey sat in the art room with her legs pulled onto the chair, paintbrush in hand, staring at the canvas like it had done something wrong.
It was a ballerina.
Not finished. Just soft strokes of movement and a rectangle twisting in the middle of it all.
Ariel.
Fey pressed her lips together.
"Why is she so stiff," she whispered to herself.
"Because you've been staring at her for like an hour," Seon said from across the table.
Fey glanced over.
He was hunched over his sketchbook, drawing panels fast, messy, like his hand couldn't keep up with his thoughts. Comic pages everywhere. Ink smudged on his fingers.
"I'm not," Fey said.
Seon didn't look up. "You literally are."
Fey frowned. "I was just fixing it."
"Fixing what."
"Her… legs look weird."
Seon finally looked at her, eyebrows raised. "It's a ballerina. They're supposed to look like that."
Fey looked back at the painting like she was offended by it.
"Oh."
Seon snorted. "You alright?"
"I'm good," she said quickly.
He smiled a bit at that, going back to his comic. "Yeah, I can tell."
Suddenly, Fey felt something brushing against her back.
Fey paused.
Daniel brushed past Fey and leaned in close to her canvas, eyes scanning it carefully.
"So... what's that supposed to be?"
Fey stiffened slightly.
"A ballerina, obviously. What else would it be?"
Her voice came out louder than she intended.
Daniel didn't react. Just studied the painting a little longer, then tilted his head.
"It's a bit abstract," he said calmly. "I mean... I remember you being better at this."
Seon looked up immediately. "Oh fuck off, Danny."
Daniel glanced at him. "Relax. It's an observation."
Seon stood slightly. "No one asked for your observation."
Daniel ignored him again, eyes back on Fey's painting.
"So why a ballerina?" he asked. "It's... pretty basic. You could've tried something more ambitious."
Fey's grip tightened on her brush.
"Go work on your own project!" she yelled, not meaning to.
The art room went a little quieter.
Even the teacher looked up from her laptop now, watching them.
Daniel paused.
Then he stepped back slightly, hands in his pockets.
"Sensitive much," he murmured.
The bell rang and the students quickly hurried to leave for lunch.
During break time, Fey and Seon would always head for the gym.
It was their quiet safe place, away from Daniel.
Fey sat on the floor with Seon, both of them eating cheap cafeteria food that tasted like nothing.
Seon leaned back against the wall. "I swear if I fail math again, I'm actually dropping out."
"You can't drop out," Fey said, mouth half full. "You'll become homeless."
"I can just live with my parents until I die!" he said in a serious tone.
Fey laughed a little. "No, you wouldn't."
"Yes, I would."
"The second they find out you dropped out, they're kicking you out, then you're homeless, same thing."
Seon shook his head, smiling. "You're actually insane."
Fey took another bite, then spoke softer. "Seon."
"Yeah."
"Do you think people can just... feel weird sometimes. For no reason."
Seon glanced at her. "Like what kind of weird."
"I don't know," she said. "Like your brain is doing stuff without telling you."
Seon paused. "That's called being tired."
"I'm always tired."
"Yeah, that's life."
Fey hugged her knees slightly. "No, but like... worse."
Seon studied her for a second, then shrugged. "Maybe you're just stressed."
Fey nodded slowly like she accepted that, but her eyes didn't move away from the floor.
Across the gym, someone was practicing, and a ball hit the wall too hard.
The sound echoed.
Fey flinched slightly.
Seon noticed. "You've been jumpy lately."
"I'm not jumpy."
"Okay, that doesn't count!"
Seon smirked. "Alright, sure."
"I'm fine though."
Seon sighed. "You say that a lot."
"Maybe because I am fine?"
"Okay."
But he didn't sound like he believed her.
Later, the hallway outside the art room was louder than usual.
Fey slowed down when she saw Daniel leaning against the lockers.
He wasn't doing anything. Just standing there.
Watching.
Seon walked past him first.
Daniel didn't say anything to him.
Then his eyes landed on Fey.
"Hey." he said.
Fey stopped.
Seon rolled his eyes. "Don't start."
Daniel ignored him.
"You still working on that painting?" he asked Fey.
Fey didn't answer.
He nodded like she had. "Yeah. I can tell."
Seon stepped closer. "Dude, leave her alone."
Daniel finally looked at him. "You always talk like you're her guard dog or something."
Seon didn't say a word.
Danny looked back at Fey.
"You know," he said, "people don't really notice the quiet ones until something happens to them."
Fey frowned slightly. "What the hell does that mean."
Daniel shrugged. "Nothing."
He pushed off the locker and walked away.
Seon exhaled. "Ignore him. He's just weird."
Fey nodded in agreement.
But as they walked to class, she kept thinking about the ballerina.
And how Ariel used to be one.
And how Daniel mocked the painting.
And how Seon kept saying it didn't mean anything.
Even though it felt like it did.