The Art Class (MXM)

17. Building Blocks

The car ride is painfully awkward. I keep catching Zack glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, but I'm not in the mood to start a conversation. The silence between us feels thick, almost like an invisible wall, and I'm pretty sure Evie can sense it too.

She glances at us in the rearview mirror with a slight smirk, clearly entertained by the tension. Finally, Evie breaks the silence, her voice laced with mock exasperation. "Uhh, guys, nobody died. Why are you so quiet? This feels like a funeral procession."

Before I can respond, Zack mutters, "Got nothing to say." Evie rolls her eyes. "Damn, okay. Maybe sticking you two in the back wasn't my brightest idea after all."

She looks back at us with a dramatic sigh, clearly enjoying the little awkward show we're putting on. I'm getting tired of the silence, so I turn to Evie to break it. "Hey, Evie, do you even know what size blocks we're supposed to get? Or are we just winging it?" She shrugs, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she thinks. "I was thinking we should go for the most cost-effective ones. Like, bigger blocks would probably get us a better grade, but if they're too expensive, maybe we go for smaller ones with more detail."

"That actually makes sense," I reply, relieved to finally have something to talk about. Evie's face lights up, glad to have a real conversation going. "Yeah, exactly! We could paint the sides with different emotions, and each block can tell a story from one of our ideas. The bigger blocks might be easier to work with, but we'd have to put in more effort if we go with smaller ones. Either way, we should make it look super creative so we stand out."

Zack finally joins in, leaning forward a little, intrigued. "If we're doing emotional themes, we could try mixing colors and patterns for each block to match the vibe. Like, bright colors for happy memories, darker shades for sad ones."

Evie nods enthusiastically, glancing back at him. "Exactly! I was thinking of something like that. Each block should have its own feel, you know?"

The conversation finally eases up, and the tension melts away as we discuss ideas. I'm actually starting to feel excited about this project, envisioning how we'll bring it to life. By the time we pull into the hardware store's parking lot, we've brainstormed a dozen ideas, and the awkwardness between us is mostly forgotten.

As we climb out of the car, Evie turns to me with a mischievous smile. "See? Told you sitting in the back together would be good for bonding." I roll my eyes, but I can't help but smile back. She might be annoying sometimes, but Evie has a way of making everything more fun. Even awkward car rides with Zack.

Evie waltzes into the hardware store like she's done this a hundred times before, confidently leading us straight to the timber section.

I can't help but admire her confidence—she walks with purpose, her eyes already scanning the aisles like she knows exactly where everything is. Zack and I follow her, a little less certain but grateful she's taking charge.

We spend a solid hour looking at different options, comparing the sizes, weights, and costs of various wood blocks. There's something oddly satisfying about holding these pieces of wood, imagining how we're going to transform them into something meaningful for our project.

Zack picks up a large block, examining it like he's trying to picture the final product. Meanwhile, Evie's practically bouncing with excitement, tossing out ideas as we inspect each option.

Finally, she stops, holding up two different blocks in each hand. "Alright, so it looks like we've got two choices here," she says, her voice echoing slightly in the spacious aisle.