have it in me to keep food down right now.
“Interesting.” Mrs. Liu eyes the painting, and I’m trying not to feel self-conscious. A task I’m failing at miserably. “I like the empty space here, and the choice of colors, especially the dark blues. What made you pick that?”
I just picked blue because I like blue. Isn’t sky supposed to be bluish anyway? “It felt right,” I say instead. I don’t think my other answer will win me many points. Mrs. Liu is an interesting teacher, to say the least. Over the last two weeks, she’s been circling over me like a hawk while I work, even if it was just a sketch. So far she’s had me at the wheel making this hideous clay pot. And before that, she gave me a bag full of wire clothes hangers and told me to make something out of them.
Yesterday, she gave me an easel and a canvas and told me to paint the first thing that came to mind. Mariam had been texting me about cardinals during lunch, and how they’re Mariam’s favorite bird. So that was the first thing I blurted out.
And I painted a cardinal, just like I’d been told to.
“It’s a nice contrast, especially with the red,” she tries to joke. At least I think it’s supposed to be a joke. “Do you like painting, Ben? You’re very good at it.”
“Yeah.” I actually enjoy it more than drawing. I guess maybe it feels fresher, since I can’t do it as much as I want to. I couldn’t exactly drag out paint sets at home, and at Wayne, art classes weren’t much to write home about.
Not that they were worse, and I learned a lot. Things were just definitely stricter there.
That’s when the bell decides to ring. I scramble to get my paint and brushes into the sink. “Oh, take your time, kid.” Mrs. Liu pats my shoulder.
“Sorry, wasn’t paying attention,” I say, my hands already stained with the watery orange.
“It’s okay. I wanted to ask you something anyway.”
“Yeah?”
“I noticed you’re going out to the courtyard during your lunch.”
Jesus, I’m ready for everyone to stop being obsessed with where I go for my lunch break. “Oh, yeah, not a cafeteria fan.”
“Well, if you ever want to come in here and work …” Mrs. Liu pulls a small key out of the pockets on her smock.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. I’ve got a good feeling about you, Ben.” She slaps the key down on the counter. “But just a warning, I don’t give too many chances.”
“I’ll be careful. I swear.”
“You better.” She winks at me and goes back to her office. Near-unlimited access to the art room? Most definitely not a bad thing.
It’s an uphill climb to Friday, but I get there. Between homework and trying to catch up on all my classes, it’s nice to just have a night to myself. Hannah and Thomas both decide they want to go out to dinner; I decline the invitation, figuring they probably want some time to themselves after everything I’ve put them through.
Plus, this way I can draw without interruption, and I don’t really have to worry about walking in on them or intruding on their space. Nights alone at home were rare, and normally I reserved those times for more drawing or marathoning Mariam’s videos.
“So, what’re we doing tonight?” Mariam’s voice echoes through the speakers on my laptop. It’s been way too long since we’ve had a night like this. Just me and them, talking while we both work. It’s actually relaxing.
“Nothing special. What’re you working on?” My eyes drift from the TV to my computer to my sketchbook. I’ve been sketching so many ideas for paintings over the last few days.
“Speeches. I’ve got to get ready for this conference. And I’m looking at dates for the next tour.” They show me their notebook. Even just a single page is crammed to the margins with their messy writing. It never fails to amaze me that Mariam can speak in front of hundreds, or in some cases, a thousand people, without a care in the world.
“Sounds like a fun time,” I say.
“Yup.” They pop their lips. “What about you?”
“Drawing.” I show them the sketch pad.
“Nice, when are you going to give me a new header for the channel?” Mariam leans on their hands and bats their eyelashes.
“That would require the right tools, my friend.” Some kind of drawing program on the laptop, probably a drawing tablet too. Too much for me, especially since