Page 5 of Changing the Play

They roll their eyes and sit down. “Have you ordered your gross tea yet?”

“Not nice. And also, not yet. I was waiting for you.” A flash of guilt passes over their face and I smile. “Don’t stress yourself out, Park. It’s not a big deal, yeah? You’re the only person who gets a pass.”

They give me a bright smile and brush their hair back. “Okay. I’m gonna go grab coffee and your nasty tea. It’s the least I can do after I kept you waiting.”

I roll my eyes, but I won’t complain.

A few minutes later, I’m holding a mug of steaming peppermint tea, blatantly ignoring Parker’s judgmental stare. I glance up at them over the rim of my cup. “You don’t see me judging your sugary milk dirt water, Park.”

Parker barks out a laugh. “Fair. But peppermint, Darce? It’s like…” They shudder, not even finishing their sentence.

I narrow my eyes. “I thought you artistic types were supposed to be free spirits.”

Park bites at their lower lip. “If we’re going with stereotypes, then I’m not sure how I ended up with a tortured academic as a best friend.”

My jaw drops open. “I’m hardly a tortured academic.”

“You tutor. In your spare time. For fun.”

“Yeah,” I say, shrugging. “I enjoy it. Plus, it’s not like it won’t be my future. On a larger scale, of course.”

“You are so weird.”

I take another sip of my tea. “I fear that says more about you than it does me, Park.” Before they have a chance to say anything or give me a snarky eye roll, I press on. “What’s the project?”

Parker looks down at their paint-streaked skin. “Abstract work.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s a project based on emotions. It’s going to be a series of works.”

I stare at them, waiting for more. I don’t know why they get so shifty about their art. “And?”

Parker smirks, but their cheeks flush pink, completely negating the attempt at being cocky. “So, today was love.”

“This is riveting,” I say, deadpan.

Parker laughs. “Oh, hush. You know I’m weird about my art.”

“I do know. I also don’t know why because it’s honestly transcendent.”

Park turns red from their neck to their hairline. “Stop, Darce. You’re embarrassing me.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “You shouldn’t feel embarrassed, Park. You have a gift.”

Parker ducks their head and looks down. “I know.”

“Okay, so tell me more,” Iprompt.

Finally, they look up at me. “I hate you. Anyway, today was love. So it’s this kind of messy but vibrant blend of reds and pinks. I used some gold too. I wanted it to feel… overwhelming. But soft too. You know… like actual love. I’m not sure if I hit the mark, but I was happy enough with the way it turned out.”

I lean forward, completely intrigued. “That sounds beautiful.”

Parker shrugs. “It’s abstract, so it’s like… meant to be up to interpretation. I tried to capture how it feels, though.”

“Can I see it?”

“Sure. But when I’m done with the whole series. I think it’ll be better that way. To see the full range of emotions that I’m trying to get across.”

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