The Gradebook

Chapter 15: Easy Come, Easy Go

CHAPTER 15: EASY COME, EASY GO

Monday morning, books in hand, I settled down at my desk for first period art. Mr. Rockefeller, our weathered and stout teacher, was absent today and left a messy message across the board telling his students to get together in partners and continue practicing the elements of drawing faces, and have a finished product by Wednesday to present.

The supply teacher barely uttered a word about it before the class was ambling around, finding people to work with, and Alec was by my side, sketch pencil at the ready. Besides him, none of my other friends took this class, not anyone from cheer. I was quite glad that Alec and me both liked art and wanted to take it up to grade twelve.

"So, who are you drawing?" Alec asked eagerly.

I scratched my forehead, drowsy from sleep. "Um, I haven't thought about that. I'll just draw and see what comes up."

Alec primly smiled and widened his eyes, looking at me intently like a begging puppy.

"What?" I gave him a zany look. "Are you feeling okay?"

Alec scoffed. "Me? Psh, yeah. Aren't you going to ask who I'm drawing?"

I shrugged and asked, not expecting him to act like an overly excited little girl. With the smallest of whispers, he mustered, "Alyce. Oh, I can't wait to see how beautiful this drawing has to be. Because it's of her, obviously."

"That's cute, lover boy. And that text you sent me Friday... I forgot to answer. Who are you tutoring anyway?"

This time his eyes seemed to engulf all his facial features. "Alyce, of course!"

"Oh, happy day, Alec! Now all your wildest dreams will come true!"

Alec paused and slumped his shoulders. "Dreams? Oh, no, no, no, I plan on only tutoring her. If I try, er, flirting, I'll completely ruin my status with her, you know?"

I knit my eyebrows and crossed my arms. Was he crazy? This was the perfect opportunity for him. "Listen, Alec. You'll be on the football team and you'll be her tutor! It's a surefire chance that she'll like you back."

My mind zoomed around, and an idea started swimming its way to the tip of my tongue. "And, ooh, ooh! Alec, this is perfect!"

"What is?" he asked enthusiastically.

"My idea. Become class president."

"Shh! Get to work, kids," the teacher barked snarkily.

I looked apologetically at Alec and whipped out a sketch pad and pencil. My fingers hovered over the paper, and then nimbly started outlining the person's face. I drew a sharp, angular jaw, then a pair of thin, shapely lips. I etched in some more deft lines, occasionally sneaking a glance at Alec's drawing. Everytime, he'd turn it away and make a 'tsk, tsk' sound.

I searched through my pencil case for my watercolour crayons and coloured in the eyes shadily, and applied a light peach on the whole face for the complexion. The wavy hair took a little more time, to make sure my lines were going in the proper directions, as to not look rushed.

"Ahh. It's done," Alec and me sighed at the same time. I giggled.

"Close your eyes, on the count of three," I instructed. "One, two, three!"