Magnus
"Ugh!" Alex and I laugh as Samirah lets her head fall on the table. "Why do we have to do realistic sketching?" We're currently in the art room, and Mx. Jones just left for a few minutes to get more supplies.
"I think it's gonna be fun." Alex says. "I like art."
"Me too." I say. "I prefer abstract, but I think I can do it."
Mx. Jones comes bustling back in the room with a cart of assorted pencils and erasers. They clap to get our attention and say, "Okay! As a warmup, I want you all to choose something in this room and just draw a quick sketch of it. It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be good, just something to get your creative juices pumping."
They start passing out small pieces of paper, and I look around the room for inspiration. My gaze settles on the two-tone amber and brown of Alex's eyes. She's looking around the room, but she turns her head when she feels me staring. She sticks her tongue out at me then looks down at her own paper.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I start drawing her eyes. I draw them in ¾ profile, just a strip of her face with her eyes and eyebrows. I spend a long time on the shading of her pupils, trying to convey the different colors, but I don't think it comes across exactly how I wanted it to.
Before I know it, sketching time is over, and Mx. Jones is going around the room looking at everyone's drawings. They stop at mine for a few seconds and take it, and do the same for Alex's.
"I've found two sketches that I think are especially good." They say as they tack the drawings on the board. It looks like Alex's is a sketch of a smile, the bottom half of someone's face in the middle of laughing. "This one is Magnus'. Magnus, would you like to share what this drawing is of?"
I blush and duck my head. "Alex." I mutter.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up."
I clear my throat and say, too loudly, "Alex." I adjust my volume and say, "Um, her eyes."
Alex smirks.
"Good job, Magnus." Mx. Jones says. "Alex, what is yours of?"
Alex sits up straight in her chair and says confidently, "Magnus. His smile, specifically." I feel my ears burning.
Sam laughs a little.
"Well, it seems you two have drawn each other." Mx. Jones says. "Good job, both of you."
I look at Sam's drawing while Mx. Jones talks about the project we'll be doing. I think it's supposed to be a sketch of a hand, but the lines are wobbly and there's not much shading.
"Wow, Sam." I say. "No offense, but how did you get into this class?"
"Pure dumb luck."