Day 259 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write a backstory for this jacket.
Erin: My inspiration for this piece was my pure hatred for this class. While I agree that students who want to create art should have the right to. I on the other hand do not, and we should not be wasting taxpayer’s money. Art should be optional so school days best benefit the student’s plans for their future. I wanted to take another science class. Enjoy the rest of the art show.
Shannon: “Do you have to wear that?” I wasn’t up for dealing with Darren’s blind support for the town’s new rules.
“Yes, and I have yours too. You should put it on, or you’ll get another strike. There has finally been some peace around here, why can’t you just trust that they’ve made the right choice?” He held out the black coat, begging me to take it.
I understood the idea behind taking away the arts. We had a town full of dreamers who often came back feeling deceived by their aspirations. They were chasing this carrot they’d never catch, and it left them broken. The ones who returned brought gloom back to our neighborhoods, and eventually our leaders had seen enough. That’s why they implemented the new law: no more arts. Anyone who supported or resisted the new law would be punished. They said it would make the town happier, more realistic.
“Because it’s not their choice,” I responded, thinking of the sketchbook I’d hidden under the floorboard in my bedroom. “And they definitely don’t get to tell me what to wear.”
How did this come to be?
Pelky Sisters 
Josh saw a jacket on his way into school that made him bristle a little. It was a black jacket that said, ‘Don’t Give Money to the Arts’ in yellow letters on the back. He almost stalked up to the person and demand why they had a jacket like that.
But instead, he walked off to his first class.
***
Josh couldn’t stop thinking about the jacket all day. Once he arrived at lunch, he was entirely surprised to find Finn of all people wearing the jacket.
“Finn?” Josh asks, “Why are you wearing a jacket that says ‘don’t give money to the arts’?”
Finn blinks at him a little, then takes the jacket off. He hands it to Josh.
Josh holds the offending item, turning it over. It does say ‘don’t give money to the arts’ in yellow, but in a smaller stitch the same color as the jacket, there are more words.
“Please don’t pretend to give money from sports to the penniless arts, we need it more,” Josh reads. He nods, understanding now. He hands it back.
“An artist wearing something like this makes those that truly wonder look a little closer,” Finn states, beaming as he puts the jacket back on.
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