[RF] Art Class
"Uhm... hi."
I looked up from adjusting my easel. A girl stood there, half her face hidden behind a black mask.
"I'm Mira," she mumbled, the fabric muffling her voice. "I'm your partner for today."
"Oh, hi! I'm Harry." I stuck my hand out.
She froze. For a second, I thought I'd messed up, but then she hesitantly reached out. Her fingers were ice-cold, her grip so limp it barely felt like a handshake.
Taking her seat, she carefully pulled her mask off and set it on the desk. She messed with her bangs right after, like she was trying to hide behind her hair instead.
"Shall we start then?”
…
The art room fell into silence as multiple pairs of students stared into each other, trying to capture their partner’s essence in a canvas. Every slide and glide of various mediums against the canvas served as white noise with the piece I was working on.
“I'm not the best painter so please be patient with me.” I commented, half-jokingly.
Her lips pulled apart. A smile, so easy to miss yet it was there.
“Are you being humble now?” Her eyes relaxed, making her lashes more prominent.
“No, no. I'm serious!” I answered while sliding my brush along the canvas. “I usually use charcoal so please don't expect much.”
“Still, I'm sure yours will turn out better than mine.” She knitted her eyebrows as if frustrated with her work.
“What about you, Mira?” I paused for a bit, searching for eye contact. “Got any cool hobbies?”
“Me?” Her expression turned into something more melancholic. “Sorry to disappoint you but I'm boring as hell.”
I looked at my painting, then back at her. My eyes lingered a second too long on her chin along her jawline. She noticed and immediately looked down, her shoulders tense.
“Calling yourself boring when you're literally a local hero is a bit of a stretch, no?” I noted, making little tweaks in my portrait.
Her eyes widened. “You knew about that?”
“I mean, yeah.” I chuckled, “I don't think there's anyone in this room that doesn't know you.”
She played with her bangs as a flush of red creeped up her cheeks.
“It's kind of embarrassing to know someone remembers that.”
“I didn't mean to tease you.” I said in between glances at her face. “Still… Saving a friend from a burning classroom.”
I paused, putting down my brush for a bit as I finally met her eyes.
“That’s as heroic as it can get.” I beamed.
The blush on her cheeks took on a more prominent shade of red as she tried hiding behind her canvas.
“Thanks… but…” She gripped the brush tightly as I traced her sight on her mask on the table. “As you can see it came back to bite me.”
The palette of colors in my hand grew dim following her remarks; my brush stalling as thoughts swirled in my head.
Would she do it again if given the chance? Be a hero?
I never had the guts to ask her that.
“I think I'm done!” Mira exclaimed, seemingly proud of her work.
“Same here.” I said, handing her the portrait.
My lips turned into a wide grin the moment I saw what was painted on her canvas.
A boy, curly hair, with a dumb look on his face was burned into the canvas. The proportions were a bit messy, it was clear she hadn't had any practice with values, and some parts were notably more detailed than the rest.
By all means, it wasn't the best, yet, it was distinctively me. It was me.
“Mira, this is great! You might have a knack for this!”
She didn't answer. She was staring at my canvas completely still, her eyes deep with longing.
“Sorry, I made some changes without asking.” I scratched the back of my head. “Was it bad?”
Perhaps I was wrong to assume it was okay to do that. Perhaps she didn't want a reminder.
Her shoulder trembled slightly as she bit her lips. Her knuckles were white against the frame.
She pulled her head back, trying to hold in the tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
“Mmnnn…”
Soft whimpers began escaping her. Her chest heaved followed by tears that finally streamed down her cheeks.
I looked down for a moment, wanting to prevent myself from getting too swayed by emotions. Afterall, I don't think I deserved the praise.
I don't think I did anything extraordinary. I simply drew what I saw.
No, I drew a selfish future for her.
A future where she needed no mask. A future where the silky skin of a girl replaced the burn marks.