Benedict and reader : Choir Girl

Church Mouse

"But the class is over."
"Yes, but I would still like to hear you. I mean, there is no one here to belittle you anymore. It should be easier." he rested his chin on his hands, looking at me with careful eyes. I exhaled a shaky breath and nodded.
"Do you need some water or some time to get yourself together?"
"I-I'm fine. You can start the music any time."
"Alright." his fingers gently danced over the correct keys and I sang again in the same steady and quiet voice. "Come on, sing a bit louder." he commented. I rose my voice just a hair and he carried on with the music, "Louder, you're not a church mouse." he joked.
I rose my voice a little bit louder this time, letting the sound of the piano and the sound of my voice mingle with each other. "Much better. Let's see how loud you can get with this crescendo." The notes started getting louder and my voice started to rise with it. A joyful smile crept upon the man's face, satisfaction and accomplishment beaming from him.
"Excellent!" he stood, ending the song with an abrupt beat on the keys. "You have a beautiful voice. It is filled with such purity and innocence. I would say that you are a Soprano. Well done. Give me a high five."
My cheeks flushed, "Thank you." I returned his high five and went to leave, "Hold on. I need to write you a note for your next class, excusing you for being late." He bent over the piano and scribbled down a few words on a post it.
"Alright, run along. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow." He turned back and opened the door to his office where his desk sat, without looking back.
I rushed through the halls to get to Calculus. I hated math, I did well in it but I hated it. Could they even prove that math exists and how it originated? I thought it was a load of crap. I knew for certain all I needed to know was simple math. I opened the door, gave the teacher my note and silently took the seat in the back.
The class droned on forever, I was more than happy to hear the bell ring and shoot out the door into Art class. I adored my art teacher Miss. Bennett. She treated each student like a friend. There was no pressure and no hate whatsoever in her room, it was a stress free zone. It was exactly what I needed.
"Hey there. I'm so glad to see you. How was your summer?" She asked. Miss Bennett had a head of long burgundy hair in a fish tail braid. She wore thick rimmed glasses that hid her bright green eyes. Her red lips contrasted from her pale skin, she wore an apron over her clothing that was stained with paint along with her arms, "It was fine thanks." I lied.
"Lets see that sketchbook. I'm pleased that you arrived early so I can see yours first." Miss Bennett assigned us a task of sketching a certain theme in our sketchbooks each year, this year it was nature.
I pulled out the leather bound sketch book out of my messenger bag and handed it to her. I took a seat at a desk and watched as she flipped through the pages, "They're amazing as always. I especially like this one." she pointed to a picture of a fox I had quickly sketched before it trotted away. I remembered that day...
I was sitting on the porch of my boyfriend's house with a cup of hot tea in my hand. I had woken up before he did, I wanted to watch the sunrise. Part of me wondered if I still would see it as a beautiful display. I felt so different now, as if I wasn't deserving of such a lovely sky. I had left my sketchbook on the table of the porch last night.
I held it close as I sat down in a chair, His house was built near a gorgeous open field and a lake. I could sit here as still as a statue and see all types of critters scurry about. The fox scampered about past the fence that he had cleverly wormed his way through. I smiled and quickly opened to a blank page to capture his face and the way he stood.
Then he spotted me, His amber eyes gleaming in the morning sunlight. Curiosity engulfed him and he crept closer to the porch, I sat as still as I could to see how close he would get. A few steps turned into several steps closer until he was standing in front of my chair.
I refused to move, this was an amazing moment. He stared at me with great interest, "Hello there." I whispered so he wouldn't get frightened off. He tilted his head and gave a little squeak. His face was unforgettable one eye had a patch of white fur around it. The sound he made put a smile on my face, what a priceless moment.
"How are you this morning?" He just stared at me with those same amber jewels. "I was drawing you earlier. Do you want to see?" I slowly turned the book around so the fox could see himself upon the paper, he tilted his head again and pawed at it.
"I'm glad it has your approval. You are such a handsome fox after all." he gave a little bark and not long after, he ran off back into the thicket.