Worse Things

Chapter 3

As the bell rings for first period I make my way to the art rooms. It's my favourite part of the school. I feel like drawing is a way to get my feelings out, and to express myself in a way that words can't. My art teacher, Ms Kossal, says I should have one of my pieces in the art exhibit that our school is holding next month. I've thought about it I just feel like my art means more than some stupid first place trophy.
I take my seat and get out the assortment of water colour paints in the cabinet next to me. The rest of the class files in and I start to paint tiny blue strokes on the canvas in front of me. I don't really know what I'm painting yet, I never really do at first. Ms Kossal starts walking around the classroom and when she gets to me she stops.
"What are you painting today Maya?" Ms Kossal questions me.
"I'm not really sure yet. Is that bad?" I say, a little uncomfortable. Hoping I can just get back to my painting.
"No. Of course not. Sometimes you have to let the brush guide you instead of you guiding the brush." She says. "Have you given anymore thought to the art exhibit, Maya. You know I would love for you to have a piece in it."
"Uh not really. I'll have to think about it a bit more." I tell her.
"Ok, well we need your answer by tomorrow." She says as she walks off.
As I wash my brush and start using the purple paint I think about whether I should have one of my pieces in the art exhibit. Usually when I did things like that my mum would come and see what I was working on. She would tell me how much she liked it, which of course she had to because she was my mother. It's the times like this that I miss her the most.
After another 35 minutes of painting I wash my brush and sit back to see what I painted. It's the view from the a hike I took with my mother when I was still in elementary school. I've never forgotten that day. She took me and Riley to the Porsopen Reserve just outside of Connecticut. In the afternoon it began raining and we all got soaked but we were laughing the whole time. I wish I could go back.