Chapter Three
Margaret lowered herself onto the icy metal chair in the corner of the cafeteria.
“Hey, you!” Came a voice from the other side of the table.
Turning her head, Margaret saw a gorgeous girl with dark skin and freckles dotted across her face. She had bright red braids cascading down her back.
“Yeah you, ponytail girl!” She said.
Margaret looked around to see if there was anyone else with a ponytail but quickly realized she was the only one. Grabbing her tray and she walked over to the freckled girl’s part of the table.
“Uh hi,” Margaret said.
“I'm Carmen, but everyone calls me Charm,” the freckled girl replied.
“Are you like new here? You don't look like you're from around here, and I haven't seen you before."
Margaret hesitated before answering.
“Yeah, uh I just moved here from out of state,” Margaret says, taking a seat next to Charm.
“Where from?” A girl from across the table asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.
“Oh uh,” Margaret hesitated again, “New York.”
“Oh, fancy,” Charm teased. “You must be missing your tall buildings and bright lights.”
Margaret slumped her shoulders. Her stomach churned as she felt uncomfortable, and her face was warm. Charm noticed the hurt in Margaret's eyes and decided to change the subject.
“Wait,” she asked, “so what did you say your name was?”
“My name is Margaret,” she replied, trying to seem friendly even though she was still feeling a little lost.
“Margaret?” Charm asked with interest, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody by that name before.”
Margaret nodded.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Margaret. I haven’t introduced you to my friends yet—this is Serena Roberts,” Charm gestures at the petite girl, with wide rimmed glasses, next to her who is still munching on her sandwich. “Oh, and here comes Billie with their lunch.”
A stocky girl with blond hair was heading toward the table with a tray of food in her hands.
“Hey, guys!” Billie said. “Who’s this?” She motioned towards Margaret with a nod of her head.
“This is Margaret,” Charm explained. “She recently relocated from New York."
“Welcome to Michigan!” Billie says, smiling warmly at Margaret.
“Thank you for inviting me to sit with you Charm, I really appreciate it,” Margaret says. She couldn't help but feel touched by the kindness of the three girls. They continued to eat and talk until the bell indicated the end of lunch rang.
Charm questioned, “What's your next class, Margaret?”
“Oh um I have art next.”
“That’s exciting,” Serena chimed in.
“Yeah, we'll see you guys later, thanks again,” Margaret replied before turning to head down the hall.
When she walks into the room the fluorescent lights are bright. There aren't many students in the room and the projector says “choose a seat anywhere.” She walks to the middle row and sits next to the window. As she gazes around the room there are a few easels in the corner and the cupboards are labeled in bold lettering. On the right side of the room, there are countertop papers arranged, along with containers containing necessary art tools.
Before Margaret shifts her gaze back to the center of the room, her focus is drawn to the entrance. The boy from Miss Folio's class wanders in. He keeps his head down and concentrates intensely on the phone's screen. When he looks up his eyes float right over Margaret with no registering of who she is. The boy walks over to the first open seat in the front row and sits down with no expression on his face. Margaret shifts her body towards the window as she ponders on what she may do in this class.
As Margaret is lost in thought, the art teacher Ms. Barrat walks into the classroom, her heels clack upon the floor as she walks into the classroom with purpose, her hands clapping loudly startling students who were not paying attention. She carries a sweet layer of floral perfume and paint.
“Good afternoon, class! I hope you all are ready to get creative today,” Ms. Barret’s voice is loud and clear.
Ms. Barrat begins explaining the objective for the day's work, and the class murmurs in response.
“You will be working on a mixed media project today. You can use any materials you'd like - paint, markers, colored pencils - the choice is yours. With this project, you want to center on expression. I am interested in getting to know you within this piece you've created, so make it your own unique expression.”
The students nod along as she speaks, and Margaret feels her excitement growing. She has always loved art and the freedom it provides her to express herself in ways she can't with words alone.
Ms. Barrat instructs “This is a quick project it's due by the end of this period it should help me get to know you as a person and an art student.” She ends her thought with, “Thank you you may begin Im here if you have questions.”
As the class starts to work on their projects, Margaret begins rummaging through the art supplies, searching for inspiration. She picks up a pencil and starts to doodle. As she focuses on developing something that represents who she is, the lines and shapes start to become powerful. She smudges various shades here and there, allowing the piece to evolve freely. Margaret continues to draw, and ideas about how each aspect may come together for one final work - one that truly embodies what this new chapter of her life and who she is means to her - swirl around in her head.
Ms. Barrat claps again to get her student's attention “ok artists, class is over in 2 minutes on your way out place your artwork on the counter over there tomorrow, when you walk in, you will have assigned seats, along with an assigned partner for your first big project.”
The bell rings and the art students swarm to the counter. Margaret pulls her artwork toward her as she walks to the counter. When she reaches the front row she notices the boy from Miss Folio’s class is still sitting in the seat. Margaret looks back down at her artwork, takes a deep breath, and puts her artwork next to the other students.
221Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltRh7SDeJJ
