The Half Painting

"Knock, knock..."

"Oh! Maybe she's here," Lily said.

A moment later, the door opened.

"Hey, Jelisse! Took you long enough."

Meanwhile, Melina was working on another novel. The room was messy, filled with paint tubes, brushes, and a large canvas. On it was a half-finished painting of a magical forest.

Jelisse stepped into the room, carrying her digital art tablet. She looked around and smiled.

"Oh, Lily! What are you drawing? It looks really interesting. I should join you."

Then she turned to Melina.

"By the way, Melina, what about the novel you were writing earlier? Is it finished?"

Melina paused for a moment.

"Oh... not yet. I'm still trying to think of a title for it."

"Oh, okay. I'm looking forward to reading it. The last story you wrote was really good," Jelisse said as she sat down beside Lily and helped her with the painting.

Lily simply smiled and continued painting.

Just then, Lily's mother entered the room carrying a plate of cookies and three cups of coffee.

Melina's eyes immediately lit up.

"Oh! My favourite cookies!"

Lily laughed.

"You are so energetic, Melina. At least sit down before you attack the cookies

The three friends peacefully enjoyed their cookies and coffee.

As they chatted, Jelisse found herself staring at the painting. There was something about it that felt strangely captivating.

"By the way, Lily, where did you get the inspiration for this painting? It looks so magical. I really love the theme."

Lily's eyes widened.

"OMG! Really? You like it?"

"Of course I do!" Jelisse replied.

Lily smiled proudly.

"It's still not finished, though."

"That's true," she continued. "I only managed to complete half of it in two hours. The little details will probably take another three hours. The canvas is really huge."

"Ohh, yeah," Jelisse agreed. "The canvas is enormous."

Suddenly, Melina jumped off the couch.

"OH SHOOT!!"

"WOAH!! What happened?" Lily and Jelisse asked at the same time.

Melina quickly showed them her phone.

"My novel! Look at all these ratings and likes!"

"YAY!!"

Lily leaned over to take a closer look.

"Oh! Congratulations, Melina!"

She grinned.

"Your novel is definitely going to make it into the top three."

Melina smiled shyly.

"I hope so..."

A few moments later, she stretched and looked at her friends.

"By the way, what are we doing today? Are we just going to finish the painting while I work on my novel?"

Lily and Jelisse returned to painting while Melina scrolled through her phone and opened Roblox.

"I'll join you in Roblox after we finish this," Jelisse said.

A few minutes later, Melina looked up from her phone.

"Wait... what are you two drawing? I didn't even notice."

She walked over to the canvas and examined it carefully.

"Oooooh! It really matches our vibe. I want to paint with you guys too."

Melina sat down beside them on the soft rug and picked up a brush.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? The last time I saw one of your drawings, it was hilarious and messy."

"HEY!" Melina shouted, throwing a pillow at her.

"It wasn't messy!"

Jelisse laughed.

"Okay, okay. You can join us. But you're only allowed to paint the grass and trees because your drawing skills still need some work."

She said it teasingly.

Lily burst out laughing.

Melina crossed her arms and pouted.

"GURLL, stop! They're not that bad!"

"Sure they aren't," Lily replied with a grin.

"Oh, whatever!"

The three friends laughed and continued working on the magical painting together.

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