Part Four:
The next photography class was a lot more exciting then the first. Miss Roberts took them outside with their cameras. As they stood on the stairs, she went down into the school yard and gestured around her. "This," she cried out enthusiasticly, "can all be art!"
Most of the class thought she was insane. Today, her red hair was flying free. She wore a tie-dyed Joe's Crab Shack tshirt, jeans, and flip flops. Craig thought she was incredibly cool. Although he'd never thought of the school yard as "art", he could see what she meant: after all, as a photographer, he knew that art was everywhere.
"You have all been provided with a roll of film," she said. "I'm going to set you loose around the neighborhood. Use the whole roll, and meet back here in half an hour." With that, the class was off.
Nobody really seemed to know what to do, and began snapping pictures of anything and everything. Craig, on the other hand, was a lot more careful. He walked around, looking for something to take a picture of, getting his "subjects" at the right angle, ect. He didn't know that a very curious Miss Roberts was watching his every move...
A half hour later, everyone met at the stairs leading up to the front door. Miss Roberts led them back into the school, and into the darkroom. Craig had been there before, to develope pictures for the school newspaper. Miss Roberts went through another boring talk about how to develope the pictures, mix the chemicals, blah blah blah. "Okay, everyone, start developing."
Craig, like a pro, mixed his chemicals and set to work. His first developed picture was of the Degrassi St. sign, taken in black and white. He hung it on the line and began to develope his picture of a squirrel on one of the picnic benches. He didn't notice Miss Roberts once again, as she came up behind him to examine the photos.
"Nice," she murmured, causing Craig to jump and almost lighten his picture of a startled-looking Ellie (he'd caught her by surprise in a priceless photo-op) too much. "Oh, sorry!" Miss Roberts said, embarressed that she'd nearly ruined his picture.
"No, that's okay," Craig said, trying to get his composure back. He finished developing the picture of Ellie and hung it up. Miss Roberts examined it, and the other pictures.
"Hm..." she said thoughtfully. She gave Craig a smile. "I have a feeling that you've done this before, Craig."
Craig didn't ask how she already knew his name when she was having trouble remember rememberign anyone eles's (she'd called Ellie 'Emily' and a boy named Tom became 'Timothy'). He just shrugged. "Yeah, I've been doing photography for a couple of years now."
"You're very talented," she said softly, and Craig noticed how close she was standing to him.
"Um...thank you."
"Better be getting around to helping the others." With that, Miss Roberts smiled at him and went away. Craig stared after her for a second, then gave himself a mental shake and got back to work.
I can't be attracted to the teacher! he told himself. No, I can't be.
Class ended an hour later, as the students left their finished photos (most of the amatuers were ruined and blotched) and left the school. Miss Roberts headed back to the classroom to get something, and Craig went out of the school. He was supposed to walk home, since it wasn't very far and Joey couldn't pick him up. But he was in no hurry, and he sat at the bench in the school yard and just relaxed.
His trance was broken when the door to the school opened, and Miss Roberts came down the stairs, carrying a couple of boxes. "Oh," he said, jumping to his feet. "Here, let me take one of those."
"Oh, thanks!" Miss Roberts gave Craig one of the boxes. "The school won't let me keep everything in the classroom, so I have to lug it home after every class." She led Craig to a white car: a Buick Skylark with a Grateful Dead skull sticker on the back bumper. Miss Roberts put her box on the ground, unlocked her car, and popped the trunk. "Just set it in there, careful now," she instructed. Craig carefully placed the box inside the near-empty trunk, and she put hers on top of the other and shut it.
"There!" she exclaimed. She gave Craig a smile. "Waiting for a ride, then?"
"Um...no. My stepdad told me to just walk home."
"Oh, that's mean!"
Craig shrugged. "Nah. It's not that far, and besides, he's busy at the car dealership, and stuff..." Craig trailed off, suddenly embarressed. He hoped that she wouldn't ask something about his mom or dad. But she just gave him a long look.
Then she smiled again. "Well, thanks a lot." She was about to get in when she said, "Sure you wanna walk? How about I give you a ride?"
"Uh, that's okay..." But Craig suddenly noticed how hot it was, and he realized that he didn't really want to walk two miles in the heat. He shrugged. "Okay. Sure, thanks."
"Climb in." Miss Roberts got into the driver's seat, and Craig climbed in next to her. She started her car and turned on the radio. Craig vaguely recognized the song playing as a Guns N' Roses cut: his mom was a fan. "Is this okay?"
"Huh?" Craig had been in his own world, and was startled when Miss Roberts spoke.
"The music. I can change it, if you want."
"Uh...no. It's fine."
"Good." Miss Roberts pulled out of the parking lot, heading down Degrassi St. "Just let me know where to-SHIT!"
"What?"
"Oh, sorry!" Miss Roberts cried, covering her mouth. "Shouldn't swear around the students." She laughed a little. "It's not like you've never heard that word before, anyway, eh?"
"Yeah," Craig said, laughing slightly. "But, what's the matter?"
"I just remembered that I was supposed to pick my dog up from my sister's an hour ago," Miss Roberts explained, slightly embarressed. "See, she had a doctor's appointment today, and if I hurry I can pick up Benji before she has to go." She sighed as she turned down a street. "Sorry about this, Craig. It's not too far out of the way, though..."
"That's fine," Craig said, not really caring. "I don't have anything eles to do today, anyway." He felt like a loser saying that, but it was true.
"Great. Thank you so much." Miss Roberts hummed along to the radio as it changed to a Van Halen song that Craig had heard a few times in his childhood. They soon arrived at a small, brown house. "You can wait, if you want..."
"No, I'll come in," Craig said, following Miss Roberts up the sidewalk and to the front door. She knocked, and a taller, thinner woman with the same red hair as Miss Roberts came to the door.
"Thank God you're here!" she cried. The woman looked very relieved. "Wait a sec." She went back inside for a moment, and came back carrying a little Yorkshire terrior. "Here! Take your mutt, I have to go."
"Michelle, Benji is not a mutt."
"Whatever. I'll call you." And the door closed. Miss Roberts laughed.
"Sorry about my sister, she's a bit worked-up." She dropped her voice. "You see, she and her husband are trying to have a baby, and she's going to find out if she's pregnaut."
"Wow," Craig said, not really sure what eles to say.
Miss Roberts sighed. "Let's get you home." They got back into the Buick and headed out of the small neighborhood. Miss Robert's dog, who'd been in the back, had jumped up to the front and sat in Craig's lap. Craig scratched the small dog behind his ears. Whenever he stopped, the dog would scratch his hand.
"Benji! Bad dog!" Miss Roberts said as she saw him scratch Craig. "Sorry about that, he's a brat."
"That's okay," Craig said, scratching the dog again. "I've always wanted a dog, but..." he paused. "Um, my dad was allergic."
The whole car was silent for a minute, except for ACDC's "Back in Black" playing. "Listen, Craig," she said suddenly. "I know about...what happened."
"Yeah?" Craig didn't mean to sound so defensive.
"Well, yes." Miss Roberts tapped her hands on the steering wheel as they stopped at a red light. "Everyone on staff knows."
"Oh, you've been talking about me, eh?" Craig knew he was being mean for no good reason. Miss Roberts was trying to be nice, but he couldn't help himself.
"Well, you know...they like to keep us all informed about, erm, special situations."
"Yeah, mine's about as "special" as they come," Craig said sarcastically. "My dad used to beat me up, so I went to live with my widowed stepdad. Then my dad died in a car accident. The end."
"I'm sorry," Miss Roberts said. "I didn't mean to-"
"Don't." Craig opened the door of the car. "I'll just get out here."
"Craig, don't!" But she couldn't stop him. He was out of the street before the traffic began again, at least.
As Craig watched Miss Roberts car pull away, he knew he was being foolish. But he didn't need to be reminded of the thing he was trying to escape. Especially from his photography teacher.
The next photography class was a lot more exciting then the first. Miss Roberts took them outside with their cameras. As they stood on the stairs, she went down into the school yard and gestured around her. "This," she cried out enthusiasticly, "can all be art!"
Most of the class thought she was insane. Today, her red hair was flying free. She wore a tie-dyed Joe's Crab Shack tshirt, jeans, and flip flops. Craig thought she was incredibly cool. Although he'd never thought of the school yard as "art", he could see what she meant: after all, as a photographer, he knew that art was everywhere.
"You have all been provided with a roll of film," she said. "I'm going to set you loose around the neighborhood. Use the whole roll, and meet back here in half an hour." With that, the class was off.
Nobody really seemed to know what to do, and began snapping pictures of anything and everything. Craig, on the other hand, was a lot more careful. He walked around, looking for something to take a picture of, getting his "subjects" at the right angle, ect. He didn't know that a very curious Miss Roberts was watching his every move...
A half hour later, everyone met at the stairs leading up to the front door. Miss Roberts led them back into the school, and into the darkroom. Craig had been there before, to develope pictures for the school newspaper. Miss Roberts went through another boring talk about how to develope the pictures, mix the chemicals, blah blah blah. "Okay, everyone, start developing."
Craig, like a pro, mixed his chemicals and set to work. His first developed picture was of the Degrassi St. sign, taken in black and white. He hung it on the line and began to develope his picture of a squirrel on one of the picnic benches. He didn't notice Miss Roberts once again, as she came up behind him to examine the photos.
"Nice," she murmured, causing Craig to jump and almost lighten his picture of a startled-looking Ellie (he'd caught her by surprise in a priceless photo-op) too much. "Oh, sorry!" Miss Roberts said, embarressed that she'd nearly ruined his picture.
"No, that's okay," Craig said, trying to get his composure back. He finished developing the picture of Ellie and hung it up. Miss Roberts examined it, and the other pictures.
"Hm..." she said thoughtfully. She gave Craig a smile. "I have a feeling that you've done this before, Craig."
Craig didn't ask how she already knew his name when she was having trouble remember rememberign anyone eles's (she'd called Ellie 'Emily' and a boy named Tom became 'Timothy'). He just shrugged. "Yeah, I've been doing photography for a couple of years now."
"You're very talented," she said softly, and Craig noticed how close she was standing to him.
"Um...thank you."
"Better be getting around to helping the others." With that, Miss Roberts smiled at him and went away. Craig stared after her for a second, then gave himself a mental shake and got back to work.
I can't be attracted to the teacher! he told himself. No, I can't be.
Class ended an hour later, as the students left their finished photos (most of the amatuers were ruined and blotched) and left the school. Miss Roberts headed back to the classroom to get something, and Craig went out of the school. He was supposed to walk home, since it wasn't very far and Joey couldn't pick him up. But he was in no hurry, and he sat at the bench in the school yard and just relaxed.
His trance was broken when the door to the school opened, and Miss Roberts came down the stairs, carrying a couple of boxes. "Oh," he said, jumping to his feet. "Here, let me take one of those."
"Oh, thanks!" Miss Roberts gave Craig one of the boxes. "The school won't let me keep everything in the classroom, so I have to lug it home after every class." She led Craig to a white car: a Buick Skylark with a Grateful Dead skull sticker on the back bumper. Miss Roberts put her box on the ground, unlocked her car, and popped the trunk. "Just set it in there, careful now," she instructed. Craig carefully placed the box inside the near-empty trunk, and she put hers on top of the other and shut it.
"There!" she exclaimed. She gave Craig a smile. "Waiting for a ride, then?"
"Um...no. My stepdad told me to just walk home."
"Oh, that's mean!"
Craig shrugged. "Nah. It's not that far, and besides, he's busy at the car dealership, and stuff..." Craig trailed off, suddenly embarressed. He hoped that she wouldn't ask something about his mom or dad. But she just gave him a long look.
Then she smiled again. "Well, thanks a lot." She was about to get in when she said, "Sure you wanna walk? How about I give you a ride?"
"Uh, that's okay..." But Craig suddenly noticed how hot it was, and he realized that he didn't really want to walk two miles in the heat. He shrugged. "Okay. Sure, thanks."
"Climb in." Miss Roberts got into the driver's seat, and Craig climbed in next to her. She started her car and turned on the radio. Craig vaguely recognized the song playing as a Guns N' Roses cut: his mom was a fan. "Is this okay?"
"Huh?" Craig had been in his own world, and was startled when Miss Roberts spoke.
"The music. I can change it, if you want."
"Uh...no. It's fine."
"Good." Miss Roberts pulled out of the parking lot, heading down Degrassi St. "Just let me know where to-SHIT!"
"What?"
"Oh, sorry!" Miss Roberts cried, covering her mouth. "Shouldn't swear around the students." She laughed a little. "It's not like you've never heard that word before, anyway, eh?"
"Yeah," Craig said, laughing slightly. "But, what's the matter?"
"I just remembered that I was supposed to pick my dog up from my sister's an hour ago," Miss Roberts explained, slightly embarressed. "See, she had a doctor's appointment today, and if I hurry I can pick up Benji before she has to go." She sighed as she turned down a street. "Sorry about this, Craig. It's not too far out of the way, though..."
"That's fine," Craig said, not really caring. "I don't have anything eles to do today, anyway." He felt like a loser saying that, but it was true.
"Great. Thank you so much." Miss Roberts hummed along to the radio as it changed to a Van Halen song that Craig had heard a few times in his childhood. They soon arrived at a small, brown house. "You can wait, if you want..."
"No, I'll come in," Craig said, following Miss Roberts up the sidewalk and to the front door. She knocked, and a taller, thinner woman with the same red hair as Miss Roberts came to the door.
"Thank God you're here!" she cried. The woman looked very relieved. "Wait a sec." She went back inside for a moment, and came back carrying a little Yorkshire terrior. "Here! Take your mutt, I have to go."
"Michelle, Benji is not a mutt."
"Whatever. I'll call you." And the door closed. Miss Roberts laughed.
"Sorry about my sister, she's a bit worked-up." She dropped her voice. "You see, she and her husband are trying to have a baby, and she's going to find out if she's pregnaut."
"Wow," Craig said, not really sure what eles to say.
Miss Roberts sighed. "Let's get you home." They got back into the Buick and headed out of the small neighborhood. Miss Robert's dog, who'd been in the back, had jumped up to the front and sat in Craig's lap. Craig scratched the small dog behind his ears. Whenever he stopped, the dog would scratch his hand.
"Benji! Bad dog!" Miss Roberts said as she saw him scratch Craig. "Sorry about that, he's a brat."
"That's okay," Craig said, scratching the dog again. "I've always wanted a dog, but..." he paused. "Um, my dad was allergic."
The whole car was silent for a minute, except for ACDC's "Back in Black" playing. "Listen, Craig," she said suddenly. "I know about...what happened."
"Yeah?" Craig didn't mean to sound so defensive.
"Well, yes." Miss Roberts tapped her hands on the steering wheel as they stopped at a red light. "Everyone on staff knows."
"Oh, you've been talking about me, eh?" Craig knew he was being mean for no good reason. Miss Roberts was trying to be nice, but he couldn't help himself.
"Well, you know...they like to keep us all informed about, erm, special situations."
"Yeah, mine's about as "special" as they come," Craig said sarcastically. "My dad used to beat me up, so I went to live with my widowed stepdad. Then my dad died in a car accident. The end."
"I'm sorry," Miss Roberts said. "I didn't mean to-"
"Don't." Craig opened the door of the car. "I'll just get out here."
"Craig, don't!" But she couldn't stop him. He was out of the street before the traffic began again, at least.
As Craig watched Miss Roberts car pull away, he knew he was being foolish. But he didn't need to be reminded of the thing he was trying to escape. Especially from his photography teacher.