Muse // h.s.

Chapter 2

            

"Ms. Bennet, why are you always here so late in the afternoon." I looked up from my current project and shrugged. "Work is work."

I could have asked her the same question considering that it was well past four. "What are you doing here so late?" I asked Cindy, one of my early morning students.

"My Boyfriend has football practice, and I don't really have a ride home otherwise." I nodded. "Well, feel free to keep me company."

I heard her shuffling and snooping before she finally took a seat at one of the long drawing tables.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and I halted my brush on the canvas. "I'm painting." I answered sarcastically earning an eyebrow raise from the cheerleader.

"Ms. Bennet I didn't know you could be so sassy." She joked, and I rolled my eyes. "If you must know, I'm working on a piece for exhibition."

She pretended to be interested, but it's okay I can tell when a student is really listening or not most of the time.

"Ms. Bennet can I ask you a question?" I hummed in response as I was focused entirely on a certain problem area.  "Do you think Andre is cheating on me?"

I sighed. It wasn't very professional to get involved with students personal lives, however, I was off the clock and tired.

"Depends, is he acting like it?" That wasn't the most expert question to ask, but if she has a feeling, maybe her gut is right.

She twirled her hair between her fingers thinking a lot harder than she should have in my opinion.

"Not really, sometimes I just get a little worried that he might."

I shrugged "Maybe you should talk to him Cindy, communication is the best way to get information." Wow I sure did sound like my mother used to.

"Ms. Bennet do you ever worry about your old man sneaking around on you?" I huffed automatically. "No, typically because I don't have one." I didn't mean for it to sound snarky, but it did.

She looked appalled. "Oh I didn't know that you swung that way." I sighed audibly. "No Cindy I don't, I'm just not in a relationship."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "So you're saying Mrs. Olmsted is married with two kids and you don't even have a boyfriend?"

Oh look a pretty, popular cheerleader perplexed by my lack of love life, how typical.

"Mrs. Olmsted is a lot older than me Cindy, I'm still very young." I informed her and she smiled politely.

My painting was almost complete. I just had to add a few minor details, and it would be ready.

"You know, he told me yesterday that he felt like I was being a bit clingy. I don't think I'm acting that way, I just asked him if he wanted to go for ice cream." She talked aloud mostly to herself.

"Mmhmm" I hummed making small quick strokes with my brush finishing off the area I had been working with.

"I think he may be messing around with Peyton." I turned my painting towards her, I needed to change the subject. "What do you think?"  I asked, and her eyes went wide.

"Oh Ms. Bennet it's beautiful." She stood to her feet walking forward in a trance. "Is that Jackson Square?" She reached out to touch it but I pulled away.

"That's what I was going for." I smiled and she returned it. Her phone buzzed.

"Well that's Andre, I've got to go, thanks for chatting with me!" She waved quickly and trotted out of the room.