The Chord to my Heart

8: MUSIC

                                                                            8: MUSIC

           “All right, class. Listen up,” Miss Darling said, making her way towards the front of the room. “We’re starting a new project today.”

           The class groaned in unison, mumbled complaints filling the air. I continued doodling in my notebook, remaining silent. This gave me something to do over the weekend. Too much free time was never a good thing.

           “Take a minute to choose a partner before I explain,” she said, as a wave of chatter began instantly.

           I looked up from the scribbles in my notebook, towards Mase who was in the seat next to me. He’d made it a habit to sit there every day in the week I’d been at Deep Run High, making conversation while I worked on my pastel sunset and him on his detailed sketch of a willow tree.

           Mase was turned towards me, his gaze expectant, as I opened my mouth to ask him to be my partner. But I was cut off by a high pitched voice.

           “Hey Mase. What do you say we work on this one together?” Tracy asked, leaning over our table, completely ignoring my presence. I couldn’t take a breath without inhaling a lungful of her overbearing perfume.

           I sighed, looking to see if anyone else was without a partner since Barbie beat me to the punch with Mase. I spotted a girl with thick framed glasses and frizzy hair sitting alone. I was getting ready to push away from the table and out of my chair until Mase spoke up.

           “Thanks for asking, Stacy, but I already have a partner,” he said, giving her a small smile before his grey eyes found my blue swirls.

           My eyes went wide with shock, not only because he denied her, but because he called her by the wrong name. I bit my lip, holding back the urge to laugh.

           “It’s Tracy,” she said, through clenched teeth. She blew out a breath and mumbled a curse word under her breath before stalking off in her heels, clicking as she went.

           When I looked back at Mase, he was wearing a full on smile. “Oops,” he said, as a chuckle escaped his lips.

           “You did that on purpose?” I asked, incredulous.

           He quickly shook his head, a smirk still playing on his lips. “No way. I really thought that was her name. Like I said before, her and I aren’t really friends,” he said, shrugging.

           “Seems like it,” I said, just as Miss Darling spoke up again.

           “For this project, you and your partner will choose a slip of paper from this hat,” she said, holding up a worn out baseball cap. “There’s the name of an object, either concrete or abstract, which will be the basis of the project.

           “Get together with your partner over the weekend, and ask them how the object you chose makes them feel. Not whether or not they like it, but what emotions arise at the thought of it. I want you to create a picture showing that emotion while incorporating the object as well,” she said.

           She walked around the classroom, holding out the rugged baseball cap for each group to choose from. She stood in front of us with a small smile and Mase nodded towards the cap, telling me to pick one. I reached in, grabbing the first slip my fingers brushed against. Miss Darling turned, walking back up to the front of the classroom while I unfolded the sliver of paper, revealing the word 'Music' written in all caps. I placed it on the table and pushed it towards Mase.