Notes on a Scandal

THREE €

The rest of the day passes without any more trouble for Cate to handle. She gets through her last classes and cleans up the messes they made. Spilt paint, crumbled paper, crushed pastels, and more.

She's kneeling on the ground in a paint covered apron around her figure, scrubbing at the dried paint, slowing chipping it away.

The door of her classroom opens and she looks up from the ground to see bruised Elizabeth. "Can I help you Miss. Aird?" She asks remembering her last name from the morning.

"I, umm, I brought some of my art from earlier. I know I'm not in your class but I would appreciate your input." She says shyly, unnatural to her normal personal.

"I can do that." She says calmly, she stands up and brushes off her knees, "Come here." She goes around her desk and pats the table for her to put the folder of art down.

Cate opens the folder and the first drawing is of a hummingbird. There was fine details penciled in delicate feathers. The drawing is as if it was a photograph from reality.

"This is beautiful!" Cate says, "You should transfer to an art class!"

"I would but my parents won't allow it." She says with a sad expression.

Cate moves the top drawing away and looks at the second. Her eyes widen at the sight of a perfect drawing of herself. It was as if she is looking in a mirror. The facial structure, the smile and the wrinkles by her eyes.

"Who is this, Miss Aird?" She asks almost hoping it wasn't her.

"It's you Miss, and please call me Elizabeth. That's my name after all." She says with a almost flirtatious wink, the shyness from before melting away.

"Then call me Cate, when we're not in class that is, Elizabeth." Say says with a special tone as she tests out the young girls name. "You are an amazing artist... I've never seen a student as talented as you." She compliments.

"Thank you, Cate." Cate nods as she flips through more of the drawings. Some are of her again, in the courtyard or doing paper work in her class, others of different exotic animals. Cate feels watched by this Elizabeth but tries not to think about it.

Cate looks up to see Elizabeth, watching her intensely, her cheek is swollen and bruised badly from the fight earlier today. Cate's hand touches the hurt cheek gently, making Elizabeth wince. "Sorry. How does it feel?" Cate mutters.

"Better now... thanks to you." Elizabeth flirts. Cate rolls her eyes, hoping it's nothing more than a stupid flirty remark and not a crush or worse.

"I'm sorry Samuel Francis called you... that." Cate says trying to avoid the slur the best she can.

"You mean a Dyke or a faggot? I mean he's not wrong." Elizabeth spits with sarcasm.

"Both, are very offence slurs. Even though he might be 'right', that doesn't give him the right to call you that." Cate says with air quotations, and a stern voice.

"I guess you're right." Elizabeth sighs looking down at her own shoes, Cate starts to feel bad so she places her thumb and index on the young girls chin making her look up into Cate's eyes.

"Sit, let me see you draw something, after school I'm going to tutor you if that's okay with you." Cate almost whispers. Elizabeth nods her head excitedly and takes a seat in the teachers chair.

"Thank you, Miss. I really appreciate the offer!" Elizabeth says gratefully.

"How old are you, girl?" Cate asks as she places a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil in front of her.

"I'm eighteen." The young girls answers, confirming Cate's knowledge. She quickly she gets to work doodling on the page. The outline of a face starts to form and soon similar features of Cate start to appear; high cheek bones, strong jaw line, shoulder-length hair.

Cate can't help herself as she sees the drawing being pieced together to run her hand delicately through Elizabeth's red hair, feeling the softness getting rid of some knots. As she realizes her actions she steps back and speaks up quickly, "I apologize."

"I like it, do it again. Please." Elizabeth pleads, unknowing of how embarrassed Cate feels.

"It's time for you to go." Cate says quickly putting all of the drawings back into their folder and handing it to the young girl.

"Miss, please-" the girl tried to speak up but Cate interrupts.

"No, just leave." She demands with sternness in her voice. Elizabeth nods and leaves the classroom. Cate slumps down into her desk chair and leans her head on her arms against the table.

She wonders why she's thinking this way, that girl is a student barely an adult, almost twenty years younger but she can't help noticing how her delicate hands use the pencil. Or how her smile is soft and flirtatious.

Cate picks up her head from her arms and looks down at the half draw portrait of herself, she picks it up and crumples it into a ball, throwing it into the rubbish bin.

She thinks for a second, regretting her actions. She takes the paper back out of the bin and unfolds it carefully, trying not to damage it anymore than she already has.