In a gentle way, you can shake the world.- Mahatma Gandhi
Scott talked to Shelby about Auggie's observations on Chris. "So what do you think?"
"Maybe... let's test that theory. When we're on kitchen duty, we'll kiss a bit and see if she watches," Shelby planned.
"Alright. But how do you feel about her, if she wants to join in on the kiss? Do you want her to kiss you?"
Shelby shrugged, "I've been with girls, when I was living on the street. This one guy paid me $200 to have sex with him and his wife."
She had just told him about some of the stuff she'd done being a street kid. He was amazed that Shelby had so casually told him, but Scott was glad she had. He realized that Peter's sessions were really helping her heal.
"Well I don't know how I feel about it," he said.
"Trust me, if you have two girls all over you, you'll like it." Shelby winked at him and then left to go to her class.
Scott wasn't so sure that it was as simple as Shelby was making it. But he also wasn't going to invite trouble, so he'd just follow his girlfriend's lead. As he went to drafting class, he saw some girl give Ezra a kiss on the cheek.
"Ezra, who's that hot girl?"
"That's Brandy, her parents are divorced and she went through the same thing I am right now."
"She likes you a lot buddy, you two make a good couple." Scott gave him a high five.
Ezra cocked his head to one side. "Really?"
"Yeah, just ask Auggie when he's not sucking face with Jules." They shared a laugh and sat down for class.
Across the campus Auggie and Chris were in art class. The counsellor was explaining what their next assignment was about. "Emotions are invisible, we can't see them directly, but feel them in our bodies. The same word- feelings- describes both physical sensations and emotions and that's no accident. For example we've all felt nervousness that is like butterflies in your stomach. Or anger that burned you up. Then we can also see what a person is feeling, without any spoken words; sadness in a teardrop, anger in a frown. Often body language can speak louder than words."
"You got that right and girls know how to manipulate boys with that one," Auggie said.
Everyone laughed and the counsellor continued. "The face and voice can lie and hide the real truth. But emotions will come out, whether you like it or not. Eventually the feelings leak out, overflow or burst out in a deluge. When that happens other emotions are displayed and can really confuse things. It's the nature of emotions to move. This is what the assignment is about. Through your art, let the true emotions come out."
People dispersed and began gathering the tools they needed to work in whatever medium they wanted. Chris stood in front of her blank canvas, paints ready, brush in hand. She went over the things he'd just said, but undecided how to begin. Looking around the room she saw some people already working and others in the same boat she was.
"Emotions provide motivation to act for our own survival, but they also enable us to embrace life. They bring honesty, creativity and enthusiasm for life. Feelings give us colour and texture to our experiences, like a palette of colours. But they are never organized like that. Usually they are messy, irrational and pop up when you least expect it. Art is one way to express our true feeling in a healthy way."
Chris agreed, "it purges our souls from toxic waste."
Auggie looked at her, "wow maybe you should try being a poet too, that was deep."
