CHATROOM
LOVE
Chapter Four
"Hey,
Rose," Jack said, walking into the classroom. They both had art this hour.
"Oh,
hey Jack." Rose motioned to the chair next to hers. "Have a
seat."
He sat
down beside her, dropping his books on the floor. "What are you doing in
this class? Taking it because you like art, or because you have to take
it?"
"I
like art," Rose replied. "Of course, this is all new to me, since
I’ve never taken art before."
"You
haven’t?" Jack asked. He looked at her thoughtfully. Here was his chance
to show that he wasn’t just an out-of-place American. He had taken art before,
though he still had to start in the beginning class, since none of his art
classes had been in high school.
"What
about you?" Rose asked, turning to him. "Why did you choose this
class?"
"Same
reason. I like art. I’ve even taken some classes."
"Then
why are you in the beginner’s class?"
"It
was all community classes. None of them transferred."
"Oh."
Rose searched for something else to say, wanting to keep the conversation
going. "Who’s your favourite artist?"
"Monet.
Definitely Monet. I like his use of colour."
Rose
nodded. "My family went to France one summer, and we saw where he had
lived in Giverney."
"Really?
What was it like?"
"Well..."
Rose trailed off. "I don’t really remember much, since I was pretty
little, but there seemed to be a lot of flowers. I guess that’s fitting, since
he painted all those landscapes."
"Yeah."
Jack nodded, agreeing with her. "Who’s your favourite artist?"
"Picasso.
His paintings are so...different. It’s like being inside a dream or
something...there’s truth, but no logic."
Jack
had never quite thought of it that way, but he supposed she was right. He
looked up as she went on.
"Have
you done much art of your own?"
He
nodded. "Yeah. Quite a bit, actually."
"Do
you have any of it with you? Can I see it?"
"Well..."
He was a little uncomfortable with letting her see his art right off the bat,
but she looked so interested, he gave in. "Yeah. I have a few
drawings." He dug into his folder, pulling them out.
Rose
took them, looking through them with interest. Jack watched her admiringly. Not
many girls were so interested in things like art.
"Wow."
Rose examined a drawing of an elderly woman in a bar. "Were these drawn
from life?"
He
nodded, leaning closer to explain the picture. "This woman came into this
bar every night and took the same seat, waiting for her long-lost love to come
for her. Everyone called her Madame Bijoux, though I don’t know why. See how
her clothes are all tattered? She never seemed to be able to face reality; just
stayed in her own little world."
Rose
shook her head, looking through the other pictures--a woman nursing a baby,
several pictures of hands, a picture of girls showering in the locker room...
"Well,
well, well," she murmured. "Did you draw that from life,
too?"
He
blushed a little. "Um...yeah. See, there was a window in the girls’ locker
room, and there was a trash can right next to the window, so..."
"So
you climbed up and took a look?" Rose raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping
the picture. Unlike most such pictures drawn by teenage boys, it wasn’t
pornographic. Attention was given to the girls’ modesty...no one was shown
completely naked. Still, she wouldn’t want to be in his shoes if they ever
found out he had spied on them and drawn them.
"Here...uh...give
me that," he told her, quickly hiding it in his folder before anyone else
could see it.
Rose
smirked at him, but there was a hint of respect in her expression. "You
have a gift, Jack. You see people."
"I
see you."
And?"
Rose smiled, waiting to hear what he would say, but they were interrupted by
the teacher.
"Have
a seat, everyone. We will begin with a basic overview of art, and then move on
to drawing."
Rose
turned to Jack quickly, whispering, "We can talk later. Would you like me
to show you around town this afternoon?"
"Sure,"
he whispered back. "I’ll meet you at the entrance after school."
Rose
nodded. "Great."