Externalizing [mxm]

Chapter 13

“I don’t understand,” Marc repeated. “How do I get back to the uh… the function thing?” He tapped another button and quickly pulled back as a flurry of animation happened on the screen. “This is too much, you need to simplify it. The animations take too long and it slows down what people will want to be a quick transition.”

The designer sighed and took back the tablet. “Understood. I’ll work some more on it. When’s the meeting again?”

“It’ll be next Tuesday. If you need any extra help come see me again. Again, keep it simplified okay?” Marc stated again. He finished up his day with that and went to Ariel’s school to pick her up.

He stopped in Brendan’s class at the end and sat in his desk chair while Brendan was helping a student. Brendan came over and mock scowled at him. “You’re in my chair,” Brendan complained, tossing a pen at Marc.

“It’s actually really comfy,” Marc commented, leaning further back into it. “I think I’ll stay here.”

Brendan rolled his eyes and opted for sitting on the corner of his desk as he flipped through some papers. “Artist statements,” he sighed. “I hated them in high school, and I can tell they hate them too. I’ve seen better… anything.”

“Why do you have them do it then?” Marc asked.

“It’s a curriculum requirement thing. They have to write at least two per semester,” Brendan sighed. “I mean okay there’s maybe one or two okay ones… but hell, no one likes actually talking about their art. Sometimes it’s too personal, or sometimes there’s not really that much depth to it and its just for fun.” He sighed again and tossed the stack down onto his desk.

“So, you got to see my yearbooks, what about yours?” Marc challenged, curious now that Brendan had brought him his high school years.

“You want to see me?” Brendan raised an eyebrow. “I told you all you need to know. I was the dark little depressing kid.”

“I don’t imagine you’ve aged much,” Marc snorted. “When I first got in here I was half surprised you weren’t a student.”

“Well gee, thanks. Why do you want to see them so badly?” Brendan asked. “Hell, I think I might have one from my senior year lying around, but…”

“I suffered my embarrassment, you should suffer too,” Marc tried to reason it.

“Mine was more just plain suffering overall, it wasn’t very embarrassing,” Brendan scoffed, turning his eyes down.

“Because of everything with your parents?” Marc asked, right as the bell rang.

Brendan just gave him another look without an answer, and went to dismiss his class and made them clean up. Marc ducked out and went down to Ariel's class and walked her back to the art room.

Brendan was still there with a student, though they were having a conversation. Brendan gave Marc a very stern look, and Marc got the hint, so he backed out with Ariel and went out front of the school. Most of the snow had melted off by now and it was almost like it had never happened. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t as warm as the summer and fall had been.