Chapter 4 The Perfect Heather

JULIA “Heather Elodi Maison?” My head shot up as soon as I heard the familiar name. “Here,” a soft voice said, sounding as elegant as ever. My eyebrows raised in surprise as I caught a glimpse of the beautiful girl. Sarah and I were just talking about her a while ago! My gaze lingered longer, and I found myself unable to look away. “Pretty,” I muttered. She still looked pretty as ever. It seemed like the other students agreed as they started muttering to themselves about how pretty she was. “Isn’t she a model?” “Yeah! Her family’s very rich, too. They have a successful business.” “What is she doing in art school?” Heather remained composed through it all. I remembered her, of course. She was the only girl that made me feel threatened when it came to Evan. She wasn’t pushy, but she was determined. Aside from that, she came from a very reputable family—the Maison clan. Evan and her were a match made in heaven. Oftentimes, I would find myself getting jealous of the two of them—especially since their families were pretty close. However, the last thing I heard was that Heather went to Paris to pursue an arts degree—similar to me. I felt relieved at that time. Yet, why was she here now? “Oh, it seems like we have two returning students this year,” the professor, Sir Matthews—one of my mentors before I left art school, said. I gulped as he focused his gaze on me. It was then that I felt everybody’s attention, too. “Julia Johnson?” I pursed my lips when I felt Heather’s gaze burning on the side of my face. “Present,” I smiled. Sir Matthews mirrored my smile. The old man was fond of me because I was one of his top students back then. “It’s good to have you back, Julia.” “Thank you, sir,” I said. With that, I focused my gaze on my lap. However, as I looked up, I saw none other than Heather looking at me. My eyes widened slightly as she flashed a small smile. I mirrored her smile, not really knowing how to react. I mean, I’m sure most people wouldn’t know how to react! With that, I decided to focus on what Sir Matthews was saying—even if I already knew most of it. “Well, that’s it for today,” Mr. Mathews said. “Your lessons will formally start tomorrow. However, before we part, I already have an assignment for you.” The whole class groaned, causing Mr. Matthews to chuckle in amusement. “Now, now. This won’t be a graded activity. This is just to see how you view art. So, a week from now, I want you to create a piece.” The girl sitting beside me raised her hand. “What kind of piece, sir?” “Anything,” Mr. Matthews said. “Now, I know it sounds pretty easy, but it’s actually harder if I don’t give you any prompts, right?” “Just—create Art,” he vaguely said. Somehow, that put the class in an even more bitter mood—including me. Here was Mr. Matthews once again with his riddles. “Anyway, I won’t hold you for longer. You may now go.” I glanced at my watch and saw that it was right on time. Andy’s class would end by lunchtime, so there was still half an hour left before their dismissal. With that, I stood from my seat and gathered my items. I was about to head to the door when I heard Mr. Matthews calling my name. “Julia,” he said. I turned around, surprised that he called for me. “Sir?” I asked. He smiled like a father to his daughter. “How have you been?” I pursed my lips before smiling. “Alright, I guess.” “That’s good. That’s good,” he nodded, a melancholic look passing his eyes. “How’s your son?” he asked. I paused for a while. Right—Mr. Matthews was the only teacher who knew what had happened during freshman year. “I’m going to pick him up, actually,” I said with a small smile. Mr. Matthews nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.” I nodded once more and was about to leave, yet he called for me again. “Julia,” he repeated. I paused, but I didn’t bother turning around. “I’m looking forward to seeing your art pieces again.” I felt something squeeze in my heart. Well, I wasn’t. However, I responded with a small nod before leaving without turning around. I glanced at my watch again and saw that Mr. Matthews killed ten minutes of my time. “That old man, really,” I muttered. “He still sticks his nose in other people's business.” “I need to make it quick.” I hastened my footsteps to catch the bus that would lead me to Andy’s school. Another good thing about his school was that it was only a ten-minute ride from my university. I was about to reach the bus stop when I saw someone familiar sitting on the bench. I couldn’t help but pause, tilting my head to the side. “Heather,” I whispered. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t go there. And it seemed like my instincts were right. A car pulled up in front of her—a very fancy one, at that. “Oh, she bagged a rich man,” I said, looking at the car with appreciative eyes. Heather stood from the bench with a loving smile—one that she used to look at Evan with before. The car came to a halt before a man came out of the driver’s seat. I was about to turn away and head to the bus stop, but I couldn’t. I stayed rooted in my spot as a familiar man walked to where Heather was. He had the same loving look that Heather had, and it made my stomach churn. My breath got caught in the back of my throat as I stared at the two of them. “No,” I muttered. Then, the man went closer to Heather and placed a kiss on her forehead. And with that, I felt like the entire ground froze. “Evan.”