Sorry it took so long to update, school is crazy and so is soccer! And it is short, like most of the chapters will be, but here it is!

11. The Journal Is Off

Sophia yawned, opening her eyes. Beautiful sunlight streamed through her window, overlooking the rocky sea and coast. It was a beautiful, cloudless day. This day will be perfect, Soph thought, until she looked at her clock. It read 8:45.

"Oh my God!" Sophia nearly screamed, reading the clock. She opened her drawer, flinging out her art school uniform. She pulled on the plaid skirt, white collared shirt, v-neck sweater over it, and knee-high socks. Half of her shirt was hanging out from her vest, and one sock was higher than the other. Her beautiful, dark curly hair was a mess, so she pulled it up in a high ponytail. She needed to wash her face, but the most she could do was splash water. She flung her bowling-style shoes on, grabbed her bag (filled with her art tools) and flung it over her shoulder, and ran out the door.

The corridor of the dorms were empty. La Belle Art Institution was small, and only 100 students or so came a summer. But the cost was amazingly high, so therefore everyone could have their own small dorm. Sophia raced down the hall, bag flying behind her, and even used the stairs to get to Room 11, where her first class was. She flew open the door, and every person in the room looked at her. Including Madam Massimo, whose lips had gone into a straight line, and her eyes cold.

"Miss Paoli, you are late," she said evenly.

Sophia took her seat toward the back of the room. She caught Roberto's eyes, and as he smiled, she blushed.

"Miss Paoli!" she snapped. "When you come into my class late, you immediately start on your still life's. What do you see here on this table?"

Sophia looked at the table Madam Massimo was standing by. It was a paper mache model of the Sorrento cliffs, painted and everything. "It's Sorrento," she replied.

"Very good. Now I want you to draw what you see, not what you think should be there. Now get to work. I'm timing everyone!"

Sophia stepped back to examine her work. Her lines were smooth but at the same time edgy. She knew Madam Massimo wouldn't like that. And when she was done evaluating it, she smiled. "Very good, Sophia. I think you are at a good start."

Sophia gawked at her. "A good start? I'm finished!"

Madame Massimo did a double take between the paper and her student. "You are far from done, Miss Paoli! Much too far for my taste. Sit down and look at the sculpture. From where you sit, the orange paper represents the line on yours. You drew this cliff and it didn't need to be drawn because you can't see the end of it. Do you see what I mean?"

Sophia sideways glanced at the paper. "I guess," she replied.

"Well, when we get back from lunch, you will come straight back and finish it."

"It's already lunch?"

"We've been working for three and a half hours," Massimo replied. "You haven't been looking at the clock?" Sophia shook her head. "Well I like students who don't always look at the clock.

"Sophia," Roberto said, and Soph turned around.

"Roberto, hi," Sophia replied, smiling. As a greeting, he kissed her on both cheeks.

"You came to class late today?"

Sophia blushed. "I slept in. I didn't know how to set my alarm."

Roberto laughed. "You Americans are very funny."

Soph raised her eyebrows. "I happen to be half Italian, thank you! My father is from Tuscany."

Roberto sat down at a local café, and Sophia joined him. "Tuscany is a beautiful place. Have you been there?"

Sophia eyes glanced him. "Of course I have. It is a beautiful place." Then she grinned. "Drinks all around!"

Dear Carson,

Well, the fist victim of the Traveling Journal. Hope it gets to you quick. So how's it going at soccer camp? Find any hot babes? No, I already know the answer to that. Probably about twenty!

Well, I've found mine. His name is Roberto, and he is gorgeous. His hair is so shiny, his eyes so deep. Sorry that I'm sounding like a hopeless romantic. Who knows? Maybe I could turn out to be one?

And as it turns out, I hate my art "academy". Why should they call it that? My teacher, Madame Massimo (such a big word for a little woman!), is such a hateful person and her Italian accent is so thick sometimes I can barely understand her. But Sorrento is beautiful. It's even more beautiful than I imagined it would be. The waves are loud and blue, the sky a never-ending stretch.

Ha ha, now I'm sounding like a poet. But that is me, isn't it?

So, how is Santa Maria? I'm sure I asked you that. I miss you so much. I wish all of us could be here, getting great tans and great guys. How good does that sound? Poor Jules, we should have forced her to go somewhere. (Sigh…)

Well, I better go. Here are some pictures I took. The first one is of Roberto, isn't he gorgeous? The second one is an outside view of the academy, and last...uh...ten or so is the Sorrento coast.

Love you forever,

Sophia