When he pulls into a parking space, I thank him and hurry out before anyone can see that he drove me to school. None of the other students have yet said anything about him living with us, and I’m starting to cautiously hope that maybe no one will find out. Or if they do, they won’t care—which would be the best reaction of all.
As the homeroom passing bell rings, the art classroom fills with the noise and chatter of students entering and exiting.
“Did Rich text you?” Julie drops her book bag on the table and sits beside Brianna, who is applying lip gloss. The sickly sweet aroma of artificial strawberries wafts from her.
I’m sketching a picture of a little troll in my notebook, but my attention shifts to their conversation. Not that I could avoid hearing it anyway, considering they’re at the table right in front of me.
“Yeah, but I’m ghosting the asshole.” Brianna flicks her blond hair over her shoulder and puts the cap back on the lip gloss tube. “I found out he told Sam before the party that he was going to hook up with me. Like I was a sure thing.”
“You are.” Julie smirks.
“Bitch.” Brianna rolls her eyes. “Okay, with him, I was, but everything was so awful that I could not be more over him.”
“Really?” Julie leans closer, her eyes sparkling. ”What happened?”
Brianna glances around and lowers her voice. “So we found an empty bedroom at the party and we started fooling around, right? He’s an okay kisser, and eventually he tells me he wants to go down on me. So I let him, and I swear, Jules, it’s like he’s never done it to a girl before. He was like a dog lapping at a water dish down there.”
Julie gives a shout of laughter and clamps a hand over her mouth.
“I’m serious,” Brianna whispers. “So I’m thinking maybe that’s just not his thing. You know, he’s not like James who’s in college and has experience. So I managed to get him to stop, and we start fucking, and he’s thrusting like he’s doing disco moves instead of, you know, fucking me. And it’s not like his size made up for his lack of technique.”
Julie giggles again. “Did he get you off, at least?”
“Not even close.” Brianna rolls her eyes. “He was rubbing my clit so hard it hurt. Thank god he came in, like, two minutes because I was about to slap him and tell him to get the hell off me.”
She shakes her head in disgust, though her eyes are bright with the pleasure of having told her BFF such a salacious story.
“Anyway, whatever.” Brianna shrugs and takes a notebook out of her book bag. “He’s texted me, like, ten times since then. As if I’ll let him touch me again.”
“You need an older guy,” Julie consoles. “Not a high-school boy.”
“Right?” Brianna sighs wistfully. “I wish James hadn’t moved away. He’s coming back for winter break, though, so I’ll get to see him then and actually have an orgasm with a hot guy involved.”
“Speaking of older men…” Julie slants her gaze to Darius as he passes by on the way to the camera cabinet.
Brianna giggles. “Oh my god, can you imagine? No question he knows his way around a woman.”
Tightening my grip, I press my pencil harder into the paper. Both Brianna and Julie are staring unabashedly at Darius.
“Totally.” Julie lets out a sigh of longing. “I’ll bet he can last forever. And he’d make sure you come, like, multiple times. I’d probably come if I saw him naked.”
“I’m almost coming right now.” Brianna licks her shiny lips.
Both girls burst out laughing.
The tip of my pencil breaks off, smearing graphite on the page. The first-period bell rings.
“Everyone settle down.” Ms. Meadows rises from her desk chair. “We have a lot to cover today, so let’s get started.”
Still grinning, Brianna and Julie face forward. My heart is beating faster. Darius approaches the front of the room, and the class quiets down.
“Good morning. I hope everyone had a good weekend.” He presses a few keys on the computer and brings a list onto the screen. “Now that you all have at least one completed roll of film, we’re going to start learning film development techniques and making black-and-white prints. I want you all to be thinking about which images you might want to include in your final portfolio.”
“And remember that you’re all eligible to enter the Student Art Competition in December,” Ms. Meadows adds. “Your entry doesn’t have to be photography, but it certainly can be. So when you make your prints, keep the exhibition in mind.”
Darius steps toward her and speaks in a low voice. They converse for a moment. She has to tilt her head to look up at him. The projection light casts them in shadows.
Make you come.
Saw him naked.
Knows his way around a woman.
My cheeks are hot. Despite my own wondering about Darius’s powerful physicality, I’ve tried to suppress the explicit thoughts that have begun to simmer right at the edge of my consciousness. And though I don’t like hearing the other girls talk so inappropriately about him, their imaginings have the uncomfortable effect of sharpening my own curiosity.
I shake my head as if to redirect my train of thought and focus my attention on the front of the room.
“Over the next few days, I’ll work in the darkroom with either two or four students at a time.” Darius turns back to the class, his hands loose on his hips. “Ms. Meadows will call you in. Until it’s your turn, you can continue working on point-of-view photography and the weekly theme. This week’s theme is open.”
A few students exchange baffled looks.
Todd raises his hand. “You mean we should take pictures of open windows and doors?”
“You should take pictures of whatever you want,” Darius says. “You need to decide how to interpret the theme through your photography.”
As we start to gather our journals and cameras, Simon scoots his way closer to my side. “Open, huh? That’s a little vague.”
“I think that’s the point.”
He and I join the students out in the quad. I’ve gotten used to having Simon as my partner. He can be a little overly chatty, but overall he’s a nice guy, and I’m no longer nervous around him. If he’s heard anything about me, he doesn’t mention it or doesn’t care. That alone is refreshing.
I scan the quad, looking for something to convey open. The sky, of course. A drainpipe. The slats of a fence.
“Nell and Simon,” Ms. Meadows calls. “Darkroom, please.”
We follow her back to the classroom. The corner darkroom contains worktables with developing trays, a sink, an enlarger station, storage cabinets, and drying racks. Luck being what it is, Brianna and Julie are already waiting with their rolls of film.
“Go ahead and get your film out of the cabinet.” Darius enters and closes the door behind him. “You should each have enough time to use the enlarger and make at least one print.”
“I can’t wait to use the enlarger,” Brianna remarks.
Julie giggles.
We get our developed film rolls and take them to the light tables to study the negatives.
“Mr. Hawke, what do you think of this one?” Julie waves him over.