unexpected coincidence
Ackland Art Museum is a museum and academic unit of The University of North Carolina, the name was written boldly at the building as Westwood students walked in with their teachers.
As soon as they got in, another lady who seemed to also be a guide in the museum joined them as they walked from one part to another.
The art collections in the museum consisted of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, African art, and even North Carolina pottery.
The paintings, art, and pottery amazed the students as they stared at each piece curiously while following their guides.
"This is Hiram powers, Duff Greene, marble sculpture… made in the year 1834 - 1837", the lady guide said while smiling at the students.
Nancy was not expecting the museum to be as bright and interesting, it was her first time in such an interesting place and at that moment she did not want to leave anymore, curious to see every sculpture, and painting, of every great man in history.
As they moved forward, they also saw more paintings like Richard Westall's Sword of Damocles. Guercino: Assumption of the virgin. The painting of L'atelier du Maître/ the master's workshop to the heirs of ARMAND DORVILLE, a French Jewish art collector whose family was murdered in the Holocaust.
Even after all the masterpieces in the museum, what caught Nolan's eye was more beautiful than all the art in Ackland.
Nancy's smile from a distance to where he was standing, the way she stared at the arts and smiled excitedly as they walked from one art to another, Nolan watched carefully and forgot while he had come to the museum.
After the whole hour spent in the museum, the students did not think about how late it had gotten, they wanted more.
The teacher finally announced it was the end of the tour and the chorus "No" made Mrs. Binney and the lady guide smile.
They all came out and noticed how dark it had become outside the museum.
"What is this? Have we spent hours in there?", Tara exclaimed, while staring at her phone to check the time.
"It is so fun in there, I felt like I belonged there for some reason, I enjoyed it so much", Nancy said as she smiled to herself.
Some of the students had taken pictures as soon as they came out while some immediately went live both on Instagram and TikTok, showing around.
After a while, they all hopped on the bus and drove to the hotel where they would sleep for the night before returning back to Raleigh.
The teachers took all the students to the restaurant in the hotel to eat dinner and they were all asked to order whatever they wanted.
After dinner, each student was asked to be grouped into two to share a room.
"The same gender!", Mr. Rutherford had announced when he noticed some couples would not stop holding hands.
"Ugh!!! So boring!!!",
"Why"
Some student complained while some found their way into their room as they were given their keys.
Nancy and Tara were to sleep in the same room.
"This room is beautiful", Tara exclaimed.
"And the bed is big!", Nancy added as they both fell on the bed staring at the chandelier hung in the room.
"Jada missed out so badly! I should have video-called her while in the gallery to show her what she was missing", Tara said while giggling.
Nancy smiled and turned her face to Tara.
"I think I have a crush on a boy", she said.
Tara flew up, sat, and turned to her friend.
Nancy saw her friend's surprised face while still lying on the bed, she snorted and sat up.
"Is it the same boy Jada was telling me about that day in school? Said something like you liked someone, is it the same person!", Tara asked. She saw Nancy nod slowly.
"Tell me all about it!!! Who is he? What is his name? What does he look like!!! Say it all, spill it!!!", Tara exclaimed with excitement.
Nancy was about to open her mouth to respond when they heard a sharp knock on the door.
"Ugh! Not now", Tara complained as she watched Nancy get up to see who it was.
It was a girl holding a red cup in her hand.
"Hey, I am asked to knock on everyone's door to announce that there is a room party going on in Nathaniel's room, we had informed Mrs. Binney about it and she approved but she told us to keep it down, if you two are interested, room 315".
Tara immediately flew upon hearing this, she joined Nancy at the door as the girl walked away to knock on another door.
"We are going, I am getting drunk", Tara said and without hearing her friend's response she hurried to her bag to bring out her hairbrush and her lipgloss.
After a little while of brushing her hair and wearing her gloss, she turned and noticed Nancy was still standing and watching her.
"You are not going?", Tara curiously asked.
Nancy wrapped her arms around herself, she nodded, and fell on the bed.
"I really do not want to party today, you go and have fun for the both of us".
Tara respected her opinion, she agreed with her friend and walked towards the door.
"When I come back you should tell me all about the boy okay? I will be back soon, if you are bored, promise to come over", Tara asked.
"Promise", Nancy responded while giving her friend a thumbs up.
Within the blink of an eye, Tara zoomed off.
Nancy sat up and sighed, she stared at the door for a minute thinking of how her eyes had met his back on the bus.
"I swear I hate myself….", she groaned out and brought out her laptop to distract herself from more thoughts of him.
Two hours had passed, and Tara had not returned. Nancy had dropped her laptop and was seen putting on her jacket and heading out of the room to get some fresh air.
She walked past the room where the party was being held and there was no doubt everyone there was having fun.
Her arms still wrapped around her, she got to the hotel balcony and inhaled the fresh Chapel Hill town's air.
She hadn't spent a minute there when she immediately heard an approaching footstep.
Nancy hesitated at first but when she noticed the footsteps had stopped, she immediately turned.
Nolan was standing a few feet from her, his surprised gaze fixed on hers as he was not expecting to see her at that moment.
"It…. It is him again".
They both just stood there and stared.