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ChapterSix
Paislee
Iwait at the door, like I love to do, and watch as the students continue to trickle in. I am a little nervous at the thought of meeting Callie. The night at the bar with Meghan had been fun. I had a raging headache the following morning to prove it. I had danced and giggled with Meghan until, of course, reality kicked in. We'd both realized it was a school night and had to leave the bar at a reasonable hour like the adults we were.
The high had lasted for as long as I was in Meghan's company. As soon as I had stepped into my home, alone again, my thoughts returned and so did the guilt. I had laid awake most of the night thinking about what had happened. And the next day, I arrived at school with the news of Callie's absence.
It appeared that my words had gotten through to Mr. Vaughn, whom I'm sure had taken Callie to a specialist. The realization that I got a proud man to do something leaves me a little scared and nervous.
I smile at the nine-year-old’s who offer greetings as they make their way into my classroom. I wait, a little anxious to see Callie make her way down the brightly lit hall. I wonder if Mr. Vaughn had told the little girl about my outburst. I discard the thought immediately. Mr. Vaughn wouldn't be that petty, would he?
Seconds later, Callie is walking down the hall with a huge smile on her face. Even though she is alone, like she usually is, I can tell right away that the girl is in a good mood.
“You should see what my doctor gave me.” The little girl says excitedly the moment she is close enough for conversation.
I can't help but grin back.
“What did she do?” I ask, a little curious to know.
“He's a man, Miss Donovan. So, it's a he,” Callie corrects.
“Oh. My bad,” I say smoothly, not at all offended by the girl's blunt honesty. “So, tell me.”
“A beautiful painting.” Callie beams. “I would have brought it to school, but my dad said it looks better hung up on my bedroom wall. So now you have to come see it.”
I chuckle.
“I don't think it's appropriate for me to visit your home.”
“It is okay when I have consented. You're only breaking the rules when you do so without my permission.” Callie informs me, folding her hands and looking me in the eyes.
I chuckle and say to the girl, “Why don't you take your seat? It's almost time for class to begin. We can talk about this after.”
Callie nods and begins to walk into the class. I desperately pray that there won’t be any trouble, not sure I could survive another episode with the girl's father.
The class, thankfully, goes off without a hitch. It would seem that most of Callie's classmates have begun to avoid her, and it makes me a little sad. So, I assign a group to work on tessellation arts when I realize that her classmates are a little afraid to work with her.
As low murmurs get louder, I can't help but glance at Callie, who has her head bent over her work, not paying her classmates any mind. She is the only one who does the group work by herself. From past experience, I know better than to try to force her to join a group she does not want to belong to.
I find myself stepping off my little podium and making my way towards Callie, resting my butt against the corner of her desk. I watch as she colors red into the empty polygon on her paper.
“Nice work, Callie.” I compliment.
Callie has a great love for drawing, same as I do, and I can tell she will be really good at it.
“Thank you, Miss Donovan.” The young girl replies politely, not looking away from her work.
I linger a minute more, watching the girl's careful precision before speaking.
“I'm sorry your classmates didn't choose to work with you.”
Callie gives a chuckle that sounds a little like her father's.
“I don't mind working on my own, Miss Donovan. They would have messed it up anyway.”
I suppress a gasp at the girl's direct words.
“That’s not true, Callie. Just because they don’t draw the same way as you do, doesn’t mean they're doing it wrong.”
