Lorenzo's Secret

    By Eli Chang

    Lorenzo's Secret cover image

    24 Jul, 2024

    a painting of a boy with a backpack on a street with other boys walking by him and a building, hyperrealism, a hyperrealistic painting, F Scott Hess, stanley artgerm lau

    Lorenzo, a quiet 16-year-old, was walking down the corridors of his high school. He had a secret that only he knew - he had a crush on Emily, the most popular girl in school.

    a painting of two young people walking down a street with buildings in the background and a man in a blue shirt and a woman in a tan jacket, figurative art, an oil on canvas painting, Brothers Hildebrandt, highly detailed oil painting

    Emily was the school's shining star, admired by everyone. She was charming, confident and friendly. Lorenzo could not help but fall for her. But he was too shy to express his feelings.

    a painting of two children sitting at a desk in a library writing on a book and a pencil in their hands, academic art, a storybook illustration, Bob Byerley, extremely detailed oil painting

    One day, Lorenzo found Emily in the library, struggling with a math problem. He was good at math and saw this as an opportunity to help her.

    a painting of a boy and a girl standing in front of a bookcase with books on the shelves, figurative art, a painting, Colin Middleton, official art

    He hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage and walked over to Emily. He offered to help her and she agreed, surprised but grateful.

    a painting of two children in a library writing on a book shelf with books behind them and a bookcase full of books, figurative art, a storybook illustration, Brothers Hildebrandt, detailed painting

    As Lorenzo explained the problem, Emily listened attentively. She was impressed by his knowledge and thanked him for his help. Lorenzo felt a glimmer of hope.

    a painting of two children sitting at a desk in a library with books and a bookcase full of books, naive art, a detailed painting, Bob Byerley, extremely detailed oil painting

    Over the following days, Lorenzo and Emily started spending more time together. They would study in the library, have lunch together and even walk home from school.

    a painting of two people sitting at a table with a plate of food in front of them and a plate of fruit on the table, naive art, a photorealistic painting, Bob Byerley, extremely detailed oil painting

    Emily found Lorenzo to be a kind and intelligent person. She started to enjoy his company and looked forward to their time together.

    a painting of a school cafeteria with students eating lunch together and smiling at each other's faces,, american scene painting, a detailed painting, Bob Byerley, extremely detailed oil painting

    One day, while they were having lunch together, Lorenzo finally gathered the courage to confess his feelings. He told Emily that he liked her, his voice barely above a whisper.

    a painting of a girl in a school uniform standing in front of a class room full of students, with a boy in the background, figurative art, a detailed painting, Drew Struzan, official art

    Emily was taken aback. She had never thought of Lorenzo in that way. She was silent for a moment, then looked at Lorenzo and said that she needed some time to think.

    a painting of a boy in a vest and tie standing in front of a river with trees and a forest in the background, figurative art, a character portrait, Bian Jingzhao, phuoc quan

    A few days later, Emily asked Lorenzo to meet her at the park. Lorenzo was nervous, not knowing what Emily would say.

    a painting of a couple standing next to each other in a park with trees and grass in the background, american scene painting, a painting, David Park, official art

    When Emily arrived, she looked at Lorenzo and confessed that she too had developed feelings for him. She admitted that his kindness and intelligence had won her over.

    a painting of a boy and a girl standing next to each other in front of a tree and water, figurative art, a painting, David Park, official art

    Lorenzo was overjoyed. His secret crush was no longer a secret and, to his surprise, the feelings were mutual. It was the beginning of a sweet high school romance.