I eagerly await Basic Drawing period the following day. During my free period I run to the nearby shopping center to pick up a few things for fourth period. When Rey's class starts, I quiet them down and assign their first project.

It's a little early in the semester to be assigning a free reign project but I want Rey to be able to dive into her work freely without anyone asking questions or accusing me of favoritism.

She deserves the freedom to do as she pleases so for her sake I will grant it to the rest of them.

The assignment is to create a piece of artwork, whether it be a drawing, painting, photograph, or something 3-D, inspired by a majorly influential artist. They have to gather references to draw from before they can start their work. They moan and groan when I tell them we won't be touching the art supplies today.

I understand wanting to dive right in to sketching, but I learned early on the importance of research and I intend to teach the class that early. And Rey, if she doesn't know already.

I give a presentation about some major artists, throwing in a few more unknown artists that high schoolers tend to be fond of, and then direct the students to the shelves of reference books in the corner of the room.

"And you can use your mobile devices to look up references on the internet. My computer is connected to the printer and you can take turns printing them out. You'll need about five to seven references."

The students shuffle off to get what they need from the reference shelves. Everyone except Rey who remains in her seat giving me a look of contempt. She thinks I don't mean to meet my end of the bargain.

I smirk and keep my eyes locked with hers while I grab the large stack of books on my desk. She raises an eyebrow at me when I set them in front of her. They're full of scraps of paper marking certain pages I thought were best for her.

Some of the other students eye us. Actually not really us. Just Rey.

Of course the way I treat her would draw some attention, but I don't care. She needs this.

I doubt the girl has received a proper art education but dammit if she doesn't deserve one. It'll be my pleasure to give it to her.

She peeks behind her shoulder. "No need to single me out," she mutters, her eyes trained on the table in front of her.

I slide the stack of books towards her. "They're for you to study. I chose them just for you."

She crosses her arms and leans back in her seat. "I thought I got to do something else?"

"Ah, so you do want me to treat you differently." I grin down at her, probably gazing at her too intensely because she blushes a light pink. It's lovely.

"We had a deal."

"I know, and this is me keeping it. You can look at these if you'd like. You can do as you please. But I think you'll like what you see here."

She eyes me doubtfully but opens the first book. I watch her flip through the first few pages, satisfied by how curious she is. A brilliant mind should always want to know more.

Eventually I leave her to it though I wish I could stay watching over her.

Throughout the period I talk to the other students, answering their questions and giving suggestions of how they can better their projects. The majority of them have gotten excited about the project and are chatting happily away with each other about ideas for what they're going to do.

I steal glances at Rey when I get the chance and I am sure no one is going to see me. She rests her head in her hand and flips the pages slowly, sometimes stopping to look at something more closely. I wish I could take a photo of the small smile she wears, of the way her eyes glow when she's in her own little world.

I announce to the class that they should clean up ten minutes before the period ends. I want them out as soon as class is over so I can be alone with Rey.

She's still looking through one of the books when the last student walks out the door. I wave them off from the doorway then close the door behind me until it's just a crack open.

I wait for her to make the first move.

"These are something else. I don't have a computer or anything at home so I can't usually look at this type of stuff."

"I'm glad you liked them. It's extremely important to keep references when working. Saves you a lot of time and it's a teacher within itself." She simply nods and peers back down at the page in front of her. "You can take those home if you'd like."

"I wish, but I can't." I raise a questioning eyebrow but before I can even ask, she says, "It's just... not a good idea." She smiles sadly and turns the page. That reminds me of when she shoved the protein bar wrapper in my hand before she got in the van the other night.

"I see. Well, I have some cabinets back here for storage. How about you take this one and keep your books in there. And anything else you might want to keep in there."

"Okay," she mumbles. I must have made her feel uncomfortable earlier because she is keeping her eyes on the book. Still, she stayed after class instead of hurrying out and I take that as a sign that she wants to be here with me.

"Speaking of which, I got something for you." I grab one of the bags from today's purchases and hand it to her. "I noticed yours was about to run out of pages."

It's a new leather bound notebook for sketching. Rey's small hands turn the book over with care. The edges of each page are painted golden and it's somewhat larger than her current sketchbook. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Her voice comes out soft and quiet.

"Because you're special," I state simply.

Her eyes snap from the book to meet mine and she lets out a shallow breath, her pupils dilated. "Thank you, Mr. Ren." She looks smaller then for some reason and I'm reminded of just how young she is. How vulnerable.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and look away. "There are some new graphite pencils in the bag too. I'll just go get the key to the cabinet for you."

When I come back, she's sketching something in her new notebook with the reference books sprawled out in front of her. It reminds me of me when I work. I set the key down in front of her and get out of the way.

At some point I heat up the macaroni and cheese I purchased earlier at the store and offer it to Rey who happily accepts. I've never seen someone devour microwaveable food as fast as Rey does then. Anger swells in me. Whoever the fuck takes care of her is is failing her and so is the public school system. She's underfed, that's obvious.

I look at her and smile, knowing she has me to take care of her now is a relief.

I play some jazz for us to listen to and Rey works quietly. It's relaxing. I even sketch some from my desk.

I draw a girl of much importance. She wears a hoodie and her eyes are depthless. You'd have to sneak glances to see such magnificence, and I do.

I wish she would speak to me more but I know it's better for her to open up to me if this is going to work as I'd like. I need her to come to me. To lure her in.

After an hour, I realize that isn't going to happen. I can't say I'm surprised that she wasn't won over by a cabinet, art supplies, and a cup of cheesy pasta. I'd be surprised if she was. My Rey is too smart for that.

"Rey," I call loud enough to be heard over the music. She looks at me, her eyes are full of depth and trying to tell me something that I can't understand. It's distracting but I lick my lips and proceed. "Would you like to use the art room after school more often?"

She nods slowly.

"Yes."