A/N- I can explain my disappearance. This chapter had been finished for months! The only problem is, I couldn't edit it on FictionPress! So I waited for a while to see if the problem would get better, but it didn't =.= But, I can do without the editor for now. I'll just do a makeshift and deal with it ^.^ Anywho, I apologize the loooong vacation. I will tell you now, I might just take it easy on this story. I'll update once in a while, but this is just going to be one of those take it easy stories :)

Enjoy~!

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Chapter 3

I was speechless.

The last thing I expected was a full, detailed drawing of Riley and Allison sitting together that took up an entire page. Every detail was flawless and the shading was beautiful. The expression on Riley's face was fitting too: an awkward expression with wanting eyes. On Allison, it was a soft, gentle look. She was reading a book while Riley was staring at her. It was gorgeous!

I was savoring every drawing, admiring the intricate details and perfection of each one. The strokes of the ebony sketching pencil were carefully planned out and it was just…I don't even have words for it!

"Oh wow…" was all I could say. Erik watched me as I flipped through page after page of his sketch book. The sketches didn't have a specific theme to them. One picture could be a vase containing a flower with a shadow stretching out from one end of a table to the other, and the next could be a picture of one of us. It's amazing; I've never noticed Erik whipping out his sketch book. But what's more amazing is the fact that nobody, not even Riley, knew Erik was an artist. Isn't that bit peculiar to anyone?

I shook off my thoughts and just continued flipping through. I could feel some jealous leaking out, but jealousy's bad. Don't get carried away Aimee!

I was admiring a family portrait Erik sketched, and I was preparing to flip the to next page."No wait!" Before Erik's warning processed, I had already turned the page. I gasped. My mouth was hanging wide open, and by instinct, I covered it with the palm of my hand. I could feel my pulse increase, and my eyes were frantically scanning the page, trying to absorb everything as fast as I could.

It was a girl asleep on an elegant sofa, her arm under the pillow. She was curled up, and a single strand of hair was flowing down her cheek. This picture took up an entire page, and it just seemed so realistic. The interesting thing? The girl in the sketch was me.

After I absorbed everything, the awe faded away. I managed to remove my eyes from the page an look at Erik for the first time. He looked embarrassed, and he even had a slight blush. "You drew me sleeping?" I asked him, kind of surprised. He turned away from me and hesitated to answer.

"It was only once…It was during our vacation and…I was bored. Plus, you were the only other person in the room. You looked…Pretty." He choked out awkwardly. Did he just call me pretty? I stared at him, waiting for him to add on, but he just continued looking the other way. I glanced back down at the sketch pad again.

He included every detail of the room. The curtains covering the windows were opened a bit, allowing the sunlight to seep through. The light beams were angled in a way so that they would hit the floor. It was so breathtaking! And not just because it was a picture of me either.

A thought return to my mind. How has he been hiding this from everyone? How come nobody is seeing this? Is Erik really that good of a liar?

"How come nobody else knows you can draw?" I asked him. this question made him turn around and face me again. He smirked and answered, "There' s lots of stuff they don't know about me. I like to keep to myself sometimes." I made that look that told him "Go on."

"I'm a very secretive person Aimee. I don't necessarily express my feelings to other people. I do that in my art you see? That's why I don't show my drawings to anyone unless I think they're something special. It's very interesting." he answered.

I nodded in response. After a while though, it hit me. Erik just showed me his art. "I don't show my drawings to anyone unless I think they're something special." was what Erik said. He thought I was special? HE said I was pretty and special. Does he-?

The bell rang before I could finish that thought, jumbling up what I was thinking. Erik scooped up his sketch pad out of my hand in one swift movement and put it back into his bag. His pencils were already back in his bag. Erik got up and started heading back inside. Before he got far though, he turned around. "Later Aimee." he said, and he continued to his next class.

I followed in his footsteps and made it to my next class with minutes to spare.

-Later That Day-

Sigh, school is finally over! I survived another day. Too bad things at home aren't so cheerful either…

Tami dropped me off home, and I unlocked my door. Neither of my parents' cars were parked in the driveway. Guess I'll be eating dinner alone again. I went inside and locked up. I threw my school bag to the side and clasped on the nearest sofa. Life at home can be so lonely since my parents are never home.

Work for them is like living. They're working non-stop and rarely have time for family time now. They come home really late, and they're barely home for more than a couple of hours. I'm always asleep when they come home, and the only time I really get to see them is at breakfast. But that's only for a brief amount of time.

I guess its a lifestyle now. Coming home to an empty house, eating alone, and entertaining myself. My parents still care about me though, but it doesn't always seem like that. I get ind a of depressed now and then, but I know they can't help it.

It wasn't always like this though. When I was younger, my parents took shifts to take care of me. One day it would be Dad, and the other day it would be Mom. Sometimes it would be both of them. I had a blast with them either way though. *sigh* If only I could go back…

I'm an only child, so it was always my job to entertain myself when my parents were busy. Even now, that's my job. I have friends, but I always wondered what life would be like if I had a sibling. Allison,Eric, and Riley all have siblings of their own, and Tami does too! I'm alone, but I don't really like to think about it much. Besides, I think I've gotten used to it. It's just sometimes I wish I did have someone.

"I guess I could start with some food." I thought to myself. I'm not much of a cook, but I'm good enough to support myself. I got off the sofa and walked into our kitchen. The dishes from this morning were neatly cleaned up and stacked on the counter. Our maid must of stopped by. Yes, we have a maid. We're a pretty wealthy family if you think about it. We don't like to depend on her though, so she comes and goes as she pleases. She's a real big help though.

I sighed as I stepped towards the stack of plates. She always leaves them stacked up like this just so I could put them back in the cabinets. I guess she's trying to teach me to be responsible.

After I put the dishes away, I made beeline to the fridge. I opened the door and scanned the shelves to see if anything caught my attention. Hmm…I guess I can have leftover pasta from yesterday. I took the container of pasta out of the refrigerator and took it over to the microwave. Yep, no fancy chef in this house. It's just me and this microwave.

I snapped the lid off the container and placed it in the microwave. I punched in the time and stood on the side to wait for that familiar "Beep!" sound to go off. I watched the time slowly run down. When half the time elapsed, I abandoned the microwave to go myself a bottle of water. Just when I was at the refrigerator again, the "Beep!" sound from the microwave went smell of tomato sauce filled the room. They may be leftovers, but they're still good to me!

I headed over to the microwave and opened the door. I took out the hot container and carefully carried it to the dinner table. I grabbed a fork along the way and took a seat. My dinner right there. Leftover pasta from a couple night ago, and a bottle of water. Well, that's not entirely my dinner. I do snack on a couple of things here and there before I go to sleep. That's basically it. Simple isn't it? That's how you live with your parents out all the time: simply.

I picked at my food and occasionally stuff a piece in my mouth. I ate slowly because I didn't want to be bored later on. I'd have too much spare time if I ate too fast. Plus, I didn't want to do my homework yet. I need a little "me" time first.

The time slowly passed by, and my dinner slowly disappeared. I was pretty full once I was done. You know what they say, if you eat slower, you get full quicker. I think that's some kinda o f diet plan…I'm not sure though. I'm not on a diet here, haha. I gathered everything and threw my water bottle in the recycling bin. I rinsed the container I was eating out of and washed it up. I placed it o the rack to dry, and dried my hands on the towel that was hanging nearby.

I dried my hairs quickly and then walked out to the living room again. I looked over at my book bag, and I felt a bit depressed looking at it. School is definitely not one of my favorite things…

I reluctantly grabbed my bag and walked upstairs. I walked down the hall to my room. Ahh, my room. My sanctuary, my comfort zone, my favorite place in this house. Everyday I just go up here and stay in here. I don't have anything else to do, and I have all I need in here. Except food. But at least I have a bathroom in here,right? Haha.

I tossed my bag on my bed and went to my closet. I found my favorite shirt and pajama bottoms and took those with me to the bathroom. I changed out of my school clothes and into my comfort clothes. I balled up my school clothes and shot them into my hamper.

Bleh, I guess it's time to do homework now.

-Later-

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought honestly. But now I don't really have much to do. It's still pretty early too. Hmm…What to do?

I cleared my bed of all the papers and books and grabbed my laptop. Yeah, this is how I spend most of my night. On the internet and social networking sites. Not really that interesting, but it's entertaining at least. Don't worry, I did all of my homework.

-Later That Same Night-

My life isn't that interesting huh? Well, I have been kind of a loner at home. I don't do much, so you can't really blame me. Well, that's how I Iive my life outside of school most of the time. It's getting pretty late, so I guess it's good night for now! See you in the morning!

A/N- Well, what did you think? :) Oh, I've been pretty busy on my Fanfiction account, so if you have time, go wing by there! It's the same pen name I have on Fictionpress (MaydoMia). If you're a Hetalia fan, you're definitely going to like my profile ^^ Well, I'm off! Oh, TAORAM readers! I have been taking a break from that story as well. It still lives! It's just…napping. For a really long time…*cough* Anwho! I will continue to write, so don't worry. Bye!