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What on earth does that have to do with me?
“That’s too bad,” I said. I almost added:art used to my favorite class in schoolbut decided against it. I was, after all, aiding for a history teacher. History probably should’ve been my favorite subject.
Collins nodded. “Yes. However, Mr. Edwards provided an alternative solution that was approved by the school district, and that is where I am hoping you’ll come in.” He glanced down at his desk and that back up at me, like whatever was going to come next was going to be uncomfortable for him to say. “Mr. Edwards said you may be wary of agreeing to this, so I want to preface my request by saying that this would be hugely beneficial to the school and the students here.” He paused, swallowing again. “Tom mentioned that you are a talented artist yourself and–”
I snorted, “I’m not an artist.”
He looked at me pointedly. “I would be inclined to disagree. I had the opportunity to view some of your work.”
“How?” I asked even though I knew the answer. If Tom had asked my dad for one of my old sketchbooks, my dad gladly would have recovered one from the boxes in the garage. I’d bet that he was in on it the entire time. My parents had asked me recently why I quit drawing, and I didn’t have the heart to tell them that there wasn’t a reason why. It just didn’t bring me joy anymore.
“I wanted to see your work for myself before I agreed to move forward with his proposed solution.” I hate the way he saidyour work, as if it was anything other than old sketchbooks that I used to fill with doodles when I was a teenager.
I nodded and attempted an appreciative smile.
“Miss Mason, we’d like you to cover Mrs. Carlson’s art classes for the remainder of the school year. As you know, the spring semester will be starting next week, and we are hoping you’ll agree to teach her classes so we don’t have to reassign the students who’ve already registered for them.” He paused, but I made no motion to respond. I became hyper fixated on the fluorescent lights of his office and the way they shone atop his bald head, how he had both smile and frown lines, but the frown lines were more apparent. I wondered how much of his life he spent frowning versus smiling. I was pulled into his ice blue eyes, which seemed to be swirling with growing frustration. “It would overwhelm the elective teachers as well, including Miss Cunningham, if we had to relocate those students into other courses. It would be a significant relief not to have to cancel those art classes.”
He’s using Macie against me. He singled her out as an elective teacher hoping that it’d sway me in the right direction because he knew we were friends.Well played, asshole,I thought to myself. “I completely understand, Mr. Collins. However, I don’t have a degree in teaching. I’m really not qualified,” I said as sympathetically as I could manage.
He smiled in a cynical way, though he attempted to mask it with something more genuine. “Actually, all you need is special permission from the School Board. Which you received.”
Fuck.I forced my lips to tilt upwards. “Wow, I’m so flattered,” I said, falling flat.
His mouth twitched. “I’m sure. So, here’s the deal, we’d have you take over the three general art elective courses. Mrs. Carlson already has the projects and coursework outlined for the entire semester. You’d just need to supervise the classes, grade projects, and offer support to the students, of course. Mrs. Arnold has still requested partial access to your aide, so you’d continue working with her two class periods a day.”
I chewed on my lip. He was making a damn point. There was no way I was getting out of this. I knew that Katie Carlsen also taught photography classes, and though Collins hadn’t mentioned them, I was afraid there may be an expectation for me to take them on if I agreed to do this. “What about her photography class?” I asked. “Yearbook club?”
Collins smile grew as he realized I was on the verge of giving in. “Yes, well I understand you are not an experienced photographer, and because we will be splitting your duties between Mrs. Carlson’s coverage and Mrs. Arnold’s aide, we had to find an alternative solution for those classes. Mr. Edwards, luckily, had another reference for a substitute role. He’s a very accomplished photographer, in fact. Though, you two will need to share the art studio as well as Mrs. Carlson’s office.” I shrugged. I hardly believed sharing an office with a stranger would disrupt my life too heavily. Plus, I already shared Christine’s office with her. If the guy was really that bad, I’d have a place to run away to. “Mr. Edwards did mention the two of you know each other, so I’m hoping sharing close quarters won’t be an issue.”
We know each other?I don’t know any photograph–
A knock sounded on the door before it squeaked open. Collins’ secretary, Margorie, peeked her head in. “Apologies, Mr. Collins. Mr. Edwards has arrived.” I glanced between the two of them, eyes wide, wondering what the hell Tom was doing here in the middle of a Thursday.
Collins turned to me and smiled. “Sounds like your office mate has arrived.”
Tom isn’t the Mr. Edwards he’s referring to.
I’d never describe my mind as a pleasant breeze. If anything, it was a whipping wind. In the last fifteen minutes, it’d become closer to a thunderstorm. In the last ten seconds, though, it’d become an entire tornado. Shredding apart the inner walls of my brain, destroying all ability to speak, or think, or act. Everything ceased to exist except the panic-inducing, inconceivable, agonizing realization of who was just about to walk through the door in front of me.
My heart stalled briefly in my chest and I struggled to breathe, hoping it wasn’t obvious. My mind was playing tricks on me as it did sometimes in my dreams. Sometimes not even when I was dreaming, but when I was lying in bed at night unable to fall asleep. I imagined this very moment in my head, but it had never been like this. Everything moved in slow motion as he stepped through the door. My eyes desperately searched the space around us for some kind of glimmer, a glitch in the matrix– anything to prove that this isn’t real. Inside my imagination, I always recognize him immediately, unchanged from the eighteen-year-old boy I had once known. I never thought to imagine him as a man. Unfortunate for me, because I am much less prepared for this moment than I should be, considering how many times I’ve thought it through.
It’s not him. It’s not. It can’t be.
Then, he laughed.
That laugh. I know that laugh.
Fireworks explode throughout my mind. It’s him.Oh God, it’s him.
I squinted my eyes as I studied his face again, now looking for all the familiarities I should be seeing. He’d grown into his features. His jaw was more defined, and his body seemed to take up the entirety of the door frame he was standing in. His hair was lighter, but his skin was darker than I remembered. Both seemed to be kissed by the sun. Little hints of blond peeked through the otherwise caramel color of his hair, like rays of sunlight that got caught inside the strands. My eyes fell to his lips, the way his bottom lip was fuller than his upper, but his upper lip formed a perfect cupid’s bow.
I’ve touched those lips before. It was so long ago, in another lifetime it seems, but I know those lips. My eyes were still watching his mouth when I noticed it tilt up on one side, somewhere between a smirk and a grin. His way of saying ‘I got you.’ I’d spent my entire childhood memorizing that grin, staring back at it, because he always had me.
Instinctively, I shot up from my chair to step closer to him because I still wasn’t convinced that he was the person standing in front of me. It would seem more likely I’d gone deliriously crazy and was now having full blown hallucinations. He stepped closer too, positioning himself right in front of the window that overlooked the courtyard in the center of the school. All my doubts about the person staring back at me diminished when his hazel eyes reflected in the light. Green, yellow, and brown all fighting a war inside them. Someone new seemed to be winning at any given time. Gold highlights speckled throughout, just like the sunshine caught in his hair. His eyes reminded me of a jungle I’d never seen, with the sun setting somewhere in the distance, reflecting on the flora and fauna in a perfect moment.It’s really him.I took a step back and let out a breath.
“Penelope?” he asked, sounding as shocked as I felt.
I nodded as he smiled wider. His arms extended and he moved to close the gap between us. I knew I should’ve stepped into him too. I should’ve opened my arms wide to embrace an old friend.
