Finding August

Chapter Sixteen

It had been a few days since August's mother's appearance at the exhibition. Since then, August's words had received an influx of bad critics, and he was more than sure that it was his father's handiwork. The people who coordinated the exhibition didn't understand why, seeing as the first part had received nothing short of praise. But August knew, and knowledge made him feel defenseless.

Russel had tried to calm him down by telling him the next one would be different — more positive, but August knew his parents were just going to terminate it like they did the last one.

He winced at the pain of moving his eyes. He'd cried so much that he'd run dry, that the area around his eyes felt worn out and flaked.

So, this is how everything is going to end? August and his art with a trashed name, and Vincent refusing to take him back.

August had planned to spend the rest of his day pitying himself as he hid from the world under the covers of his bed, but Lisa had called him the day before and had pleaded with him to follow her to a drawing season. He hadn't known how to refuse. She'd cornered him, and August felt fooled when her sad tone immediately brightened up after he agreed.

August groaned as he ran a hand through his tangled hair. He hadn't really been taking care of himself lately. It had been more of wake up, cry, sleep, repeat. He rolled on the bed until he was looking up at the ceiling blankly. He had to get up today, take a shower and eat proper food if he didn't want to look like the living dead when he was out with Lisa. She was coming to get him later in the day.

"Why is it so difficult to stand?" he asked himself as a strained chuckle escaped his lips. He hadn't heard his voice apart from when he was sobbing for days.

He tried to will himself to move, but he ended up staying in bed until the light piercing through the thin lilac curtains became a lot harsher on his closed eyes. He then scrambled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

He shivered in the shower as a cold rain of water hit his smooth skin. He hadn't turned on the heater for days so the water was ice cold. He endured the shower, scrambling out when he was done. August then dried his body and hair as he left the bathroom for the bedroom. He took a sit on the side of the bed, changing into the clothes that he'd spread on the bed before heading to the bathroom.

Letting out a sigh, he started to run an Afro comb through his hair. He groaned, even more, when the droplets of water that had been absorbed by his hair like a sponge came trickling down his face and his clean shirt.

I should have used a hand dryer. August thought, turning his head sharply at the sound of his phone vibrating on the bedside table, actively forgetting everything about his high maintenance hair. He watched his phone dance on the table for a while, before reaching out for the thin smartphone.

"Hello?" he mumbled when he picked up the call.

"I'm at your apartment already, don't tell me you're still in bed," Lisa grumbled from the other end, making August sit up.

"Oh, I'm ready — well, sort of. Wait for a second," he instructed, getting up from his bed before slipping his feet into his bedroom slippers. He headed down the stairs, to get the door, unlocking it, and looking out to be greeted by Lisa's smiling face.

She was in a pair of green camo trousers and combat boots. Her black straight hair was done up in a messy bun, and her hand was holding on to a shopping bag turned art material bag as her eyes darted from one part of the building to the other in an inspection.

"You're not bringing your sketchpad or any equipment?" she asked as her smile faded slightly.

"I'm coming, I'm not exactly ready yet," August admitted as Lisa's gaze move down to his feet that were still in slippers.

"Okay, hurry up. I'll be scavenging your kitchen for something to eat," Lisa said, walking past him and into the apartment.

"Scavenge for me too, I haven't eaten either," August said as Lisa hummed in reply as she walked up the stairs to his apartment. After another half an hour, both Lisa and August were fed and were heading out of the apartment to Lisa's car.

"We're already a little late, but I don't think they'll mind," Lisa mumbled as she drew her seat belt over her chest before turning the key in the ignition. August hummed in approval when indie music started to fill the car via the radio — Vincent loved those. His mood fell a little at the thought.

Lisa pulled out of the driveway, engaging August in chit chat as she drove to her art institute. August looked over at the building she pulled up at in the next half hour.

"You'll love it. We should leave now if we want to be part of the class at all," Lisa insisted as she turned the car off, before turning to get her bag from the back seat. August got the small bag he'd brought with him as well before he followed her out of the car and into the three-story building.

"I thought you weren't coming today!" A lady with colorfully dyed hair yelled as they made a turn in the hallway. Lisa laughed, pulling August's hand so that he followed her to meet her friend.

"I was going to come, obviously," Lisa said, gesturing to August. "I just needed to get my friend as you can see."

Lisa's friend gave August a wide-eyed look, "You're August Maxwell? That August?"

"He doesn't want to talk about now, let's just mess around with charcoal and pastel today, shall we?" Lisa asked, cutting her friend off before she could ask any more questions. August gave her a smile of thanks, he didn't think he could answer or engage in any conversation that had to do with him at the moment.

Lisa's friend, Vivian, as he'd come to know didn't ask my more questions concerning that, and instead, lead him and Lisa to the room where the class was taking place. He took the donkey bench beside Lisa at the far end of the room before starting on the drawing of the fruit arrangement at the center of the room. Everyone seemed to be almost or half done. Once in a while, people would get up and walk around to take a look at other people's work.

Some people would pause by August's drawing and leave after standing by his bench for a few minutes. Some people recognized him, but Lisa would cut them off midway when they started asking questions. A smile formed on his lips, she sort of felt like his personal bodyguard.

The section ended an hour later, leaving August and Lisa with incomplete drawings. Lisa's hands were black from smudging the charcoal drawing with her fingers. She displayed her hands to August like a primary school kid, making him laugh.

"How was it? Did it calm you down?" Lisa asked as she picked up the pencil shavings that were scattered on her donkey bench, before pouring them into the small waste bin she'd put at its side.

"It was good. I feel better, thank you," August answered as he fumbled with his phone. He raised his eyes to find Lisa watching him. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment by her stare before he decided to put his phone aside.

"Are you still checking if he replied?" she asked with a worried expression. "I know I talked about giving him space, but if he's ignoring you now that you need him the most..." Lisa trailed, not finishing her sentence.

August sighed, knowing what Lisa had wanted to say even though she'd ended up not saying anything. He didn't blame Vincent. In fact, August thought he was the one overwhelming him and pushing him away.

I'm asking for too much. I'm always asking for too much. He thought as he put on a pained smile before asking Lisa if they were heading back to the apartment soon. Lisa gave him an unconvinced look but played along with his attempt to change the topic.

August felt relieved, he'd left Vincent without any notice, and now he was begging him for companionship when his world was falling around him. There was no need to blame Vincent. It was all him and his ridiculous hero complex. How in the world did he expect everything to fall into place without his parents interfering when he left Detroit?

He shook his head at his own stupidity as he and Lisa left the building soon after and headed back to August's apartment in Lisa's car.

"I hope the outing helped you take your mind off things," Lisa said as August got out of her car. August gave her a small nod, pushing unruly strands of his curly brown hair behind his ears.

"Yes, thank you," he said, watching as Lisa grinned at him.

"I'm happy to help. I would have told everything will be okay but in all honesty, I'm really not sure..." she trailed, making August nod in understanding.

"We can only hope for the best. So, see you around August," Lisa mumbled with a weak side smile.

August bid her farewell, closing the door behind him when she disappeared from the driveway in her car. A sad smile made its way to his lips as well. She was right, all he could do was simply hope for the best.