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.”