That night, Eloise lay on the bed, her bare feet resting on the wooden-tiled floor, her eyes fixed on the rouge-painted ceiling.
'Can I paint you?' Clemence's words echoed in Eloise's thoughts.
She let out a snicker at the memory. She found it ridiculous, yet sincere—amusing in its own way.
*The audacity,* she murmured, a soft sound escaping her lips, unsure whether it was a scoff or a laugh.
Then she closed her eyes and pursed her lips to make a humming sound. Somehow, thinking about Clemence put her in a good mood.
*Maybe I should take my time painting him,* she thought, her lips curving into the faintest smile.
...
The following day, instead of being surrounded by girls, Clemence was accompanied by only three boys, as the others were too busy gossiping. The boys seemed to be getting along with him like buddies.
Eloise observed them from her seat, watching from behind. She noticed the boys looked familiar.
*Aren't they the wannabe delinquents?* (Referring to chapter 5) she recalled, thinking back to how they had once tried to copy his hairstyle, as if it would suit them.
*Hmmm...* She stared at them with a piercing gaze.
*They're getting along surprisingly well...*
Given Clemence's clumsy and awkward personality he had shown her, she hadn't expected him to get along with the likes of them.
*He's calmer with them...* she frowned. *While with me, it's as if he's walking on eggshells.*
While her attention was entirely on Clemence, Beatrice was rambling beside her.
Noticing that Eloise wasn't listening, Beatrice lightly tapped her shoulder.
When Eloise felt the tap, she pulled her gaze away from Clemence, and shifted her focus to Beatrice. She caught a glimpse of a sour expression on her face, but the moment their eyes met, Beatrice forced a smile.
"You totally spaced out," Beatrice raised an eyebrow.
Eloise didn't seem bothered as she tilted her head, waiting for Beatrice to continue.
"As I was saying," she pretended to cough, "will you be able to treat me and Claude later, like you promised?" she added in a teasing tone.
"Oh, that..." Eloise glanced at Clemence for a split second before turning her gaze back to Beatrice.
"I see..." Beatrice got the message. She tried to play it cool, forcing a shrug, but the slight quiver of her lips betrayed her.
Eloise felt bad, so she pulled out some money from her pocket and handed it to Beatrice.
"You can use this to treat yourselves. Consider it my apology. I'll treat you again next time—just the three of us." She apologized with a serious expression.
Beatrice refused the cash and laughed it off.
"Haha, we've got our own money, you know. We're not leeching off you," she chuckled.
"I just wanted to spend time with you, that's all... but since you're busy, it can't be helped." As she spoke, she glanced at Clemence, then looked back at Eloise and smiled.
Eloise simply nodded, her gaze dropping slightly, showing a trace of guilt.
Out of nowhere, Margot barged in between them with an excited expression on her face.
"Eloise!" she said cheerfully.
Eloise looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.
As Margot's cheerful voice filled the air, Beatrice quietly slipped away, her mood dimming. She glanced at her phone, which was flooded with messages from her boyfriend.
•Why can't I walk you home again today?
•Did I do something wrong?
•Are you sick of me? TT
•Don't tell me you're breaking up with me?
Seeing the countless texts, Beatrice clicked her tongue in irritation. Then, she typed:
•I'm busy...
[Sent]
As she was about to walk out the door, Beatrice accidentally bumped into Clemence and his group. Seeing him only made her mood worse. She couldn't help but remember how Eloise's attention was always fixed on him. Jealousy stirred inside her. Frustrated, she felt the urge to do something reckless. On impulse, she contacted a close friend, a hairstylist, to book an appointment later.
After she sent the message, a sudden memory came to mind.
'Your hair is gorgeous.'
Beatrice clenched her hands.
'Promise me you won't change it?'
The memory hit her out of nowhere, and for a moment, she regretted making the appointment. But she couldn't take it back—no, she didn't want to. That's how desperate she was for Eloise's attention...
She took a deep breath, shaking off the thought, then walked off without looking back.
...
Back at the table, Margot was still chattering away, she leaned in closer and closer to Eloise when she continued to spoke.
"So anyway," Margot paused and looked around, narrowing her eyes as if to make sure no one was listening.
*She's only making people want to listen more…* Eloise thought.
Then Margot leaned in to whisper in Eloise's ear.
"I heard from a friend that she saw you and Clemence together in the art room yesterday. You hardly talk in class—" she said, crossing her arms. "So we're wondering…" Her eyes sparkled, clearly expecting sme tea.
"Are you two—" Before she could finish, Eloise cut her off.
"No. You're mistaken," she replied flatly, though with a smile.
But Margot didn't seem convinced. She kept staring at Eloise with wide, hopeful eyes.
"I used to paint Claude and Beatrice too. Does that mean I'm dating them as well?" Eloise's words weren't exactly harsh, but the tone was sharp enough to make Margot back off.
"If you say so!" Margot laughed, though her enthusiasm faded a little. "I'll clear up the rumors, don't worry," she added with a wink before heading back to her circle of friends.
Once she was gone, Eloise let out a sigh and looked toward Clemence.
*If it's him… it doesn't seem like a bad idea.* She scoffed the moment the thought crossed her mind, as if even she found it ridiculous.