The bell rang for lunch after a long morning and I hurried to put the final touches on my notes, such as they were. At least my time hadn't been totally wasted. While the professor had droned painfully along, I'd broken out my colored pens to perfect my artistic skills.
"Not too shabby," I congratulated myself with a smile. I might have messed up the proportions a little, but all in all, I thought it looked just like her. Maybe I should try a different pose after lunch. From behind, on her hands and knees like a dog, or...
"Minase!" Imari pounced on me the way she always does. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat here today? Or we could go outside and sit under the trees...Say! What's that?"
"It's nothing!" I said, quickly closing my notebook.
She wouldn't accept that, however. "Let me see! Was that a drawing?"
"A drawing?" I tried to look incredulous. "Of course not! I was taking notes. What were you doing?"
"You never take notes," Imari said, ignoring my attempts to deflect her interest. "Let me take a look!"
She tried to steal my notebook and we played tug of war while our classmates filed out of the room. It was embarrassing to argue with her this way, but I knew that if Imari saw what I'd been doing all morning I'd never hear the end of it. She took a dim view of fooling around during class and now she refused to let go no matter how hard I pulled.
"Stop, before you rip it," I said. "Fine. I admit it. Okay? I was drawing in class."
"I knew it!" she squealed, relaxing her grip now that she had my confession.
I relaxed as well, taking a deep breath and frowning at her. Imari could be so stubborn sometimes. I braced myself for a lecture on paying attention to the professor. She could be even worse than my sister and Yukiko was a world champion nag when it came to my education.
"Hey! Give it back," I yelled as she snatched the notebook out of my fingers. I hadn't been expecting that.
"Do you think you could hold it down over there?" Saeki said, giving us a cold look.
She was the only other student in the room. As usual, she'd remained at her desk eating an apple and reading one of her wacky books. I didn't pay her sarcasm any attention and Imari was too busy flipping through the pages looking for my drawing.
"Don't look," I said. "Please, Kurumi. It's a drawing of you."
"Really?" Her cheeks turned pink even as she blinked at me. I only used her first name in emergency situations and it never failed to make her smile.
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I'll be embarrassed if you look at it. I'm not as good an artist as a girl like you deserves."
"Oh!" Imari looked speechless, perhaps for the first time in her life. I worried that I might be laying it on a little too thick and I caught Saeki shaking her head in disbelief.
"Just give it back to me," I suggested, playing it cool as a cucumber. "Please?"
I held out my hand, not trying to steal my notebook back, but patiently waiting for her to see reason. Arguing with Imari never got anyone anywhere, except in the hospital maybe.
"Well, I don't want to embarrass you," she agreed. "But you really need to pay more attention to...Huh? Minase! You jerk!"
"Uh!" I winced. The notebook had fallen open to my drawing just as Imari was about to hand it over.
"That's not me!" she yelled. "You liar! You sex maniac!"
"Stop! No! Ouch! Imari!"
She began beating me on the head with my own notebook, rolling it up as if swatting a fly. I tried to protect myself, but it was useless in the face of female outrage. Imari had gone from happy to angry in the blink of an eye.
"Ouch! Oh! I'm sorry!"
"When you get kicked out of school, don't blame me!" she finished, throwing the notebook on my desk. I rubbed my head and watched her huff out of the room.
"Nice girlfriend you've got there," Saeki observed with a giggle. "A match made in Hell, it looks like."
"Shut-up," I said. "She's not my girlfriend."
"More like a sister, huh?" She picked up my notebook before I could stop her, finding the picture that had upset Imari. "Hmph! Not much to get excited about, is it?"
"Don't you have broom to fly or something?"
"I was trying to study, but you ruined that idea," she replied. "Why do you hate magic so much?"
"What?"
I'd been caught off guard by Saeki's question. The tone of her voice hadn't been mocking at all. She seemed genuinely curious.
"It's not real," I answered. "I don't hate it, I guess. I just don't believe in it. Magic is a waste of time."
"But drawing pornographic pictures in class isn't?" She laughed and I felt my face growing warmer.
"I'm the vice-president of the art club," I told her, as if that could excuse me.
"And I'm the High Priestess of the Rose and Cross Society."
"The what?"
"That's the real name of the Black Magic club from twelve years ago," she explained. "It was never sanctioned as an official club. You won't find it mentioned in any of the school records, but the Society existed all the same."
"We're back to that?" I sighed, wondering why this girl felt such a huge need to convince me that her hocus-pocus was real. I knew Saeki was obsessed with magic, but her fixation bordered on insanity if she couldn't even have a normal conversation without bringing up the subject.
"Your girlfriend seemed interested. Whoops!" Saeki covered her mouth with a tiny shrug. "Sorry. I mean your friend Imari."
"Well, she's not!" I insisted. "So just stay away from her."
"Touchy!" she said, giving me another infernal giggle. Saeki had a soft, light laugh that reminded me of my grandmother's wind chimes for some reason. I'd loved that sound as a child, but now it only annoyed me.
"And stop spreading those stupid rumors," I added. "Nobody believes in that stuff."
"People are free to believe or disbelieve what they want," she said. "But even the most outlandish rumors have a grain of truth to them. Until Schliemann discovered Troy, everyone thought that the Iliad was nothing but a work of fiction."
"That's different," I muttered.
"The same with Machu Picchu," she went on. "It was only a legend until Hiram Bingham discovered it. Like the professor said, nothing is a complete truth or lie until you've verified it yourself."
"I know that!" I said, but I didn't remember our teacher saying any such thing.
Probably because I'd been busy doing something else, like practicing my manga skills. It sort of sounded like something he'd say, however, and Saeki had a valid point, but it still wasn't a good excuse to start believing in black magic and demons.
"Then you have no reason to make fun of me, do you?" Saeki said with a triumphant smile. "Who knows? Maybe if you keep an open mind, you might discover something too."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, but Saeki had already returned to her seat and she ignored me.
I didn't want to talk to her anymore anyway. I opened the lunch my sister had packed for me and started eating alone. I'd expected Imari to return and join me, but I guess I must have really pissed her off and it served her right. I'd told her not to look at my notebook, but being hardheaded like she was, the girl never listened. Oh well, I wasn't too worried. We'd gotten angry with each other hundreds of times and always ended up getting back together. I just hoped that Saeki had been joking about that girlfriend business. If everyone thought Imari and I were dating, I'd never hook up with a hot chick!
"Minase!"
And there she was, bounding into the classroom on her skinny legs and smiling as if nothing had happened. I almost felt relieved, until she grabbed the last pickled carrot in my lunchbox and washed it down with my last rice ball. What a pig!
"Guess what I just heard?" she whispered, and for such a practical girl, Imari loved to gossip. Someday, I thought, it would get her into real trouble.
"I give up," I sighed. There wasn't any point in playing games and she made me wait until she'd sat down in the chair next to mine.
"It's about Dr. Kitami," she confided, glancing suspiciously at Saeki.
"Ummm...She's really a man?"
"What? No! Don't be silly," Imari said. "She's way too beautiful to be a man."
"Really?" I rubbed my jaw. Everyone said the new doctor was attractive, but I hadn't seen her with my own eyes yet.
"I heard..." She lowered her voice even more, leaning closer. "I heard that Dr. Kitami has been seeing patients."
"Great." I shook my head. "A doctor who sees patients, that's amazing."
"Not like that!" she said with a giggle. "I mean, she's been seeing some of the male students..."
"Okay."
"...in the infirmary..."
"And?"
"...in private," Imari whispered, wiggling her eyebrows. "With the door locked, you know?"
"Someone told you she's been having sex?" I blurted, and was quickly shushed in reply.
"Shhhh...It's a secret," Imari said. "I heard it from one of the upper-classmen. She heard it from her best friend, who got it from her boyfriend."
"Her boyfriend and Dr. Kitami..."
"No! He heard it from another boy who wasn't supposed to talk about it!"
"So now the whole school is talking about it," I said, chuckling. "Well, it must be true then."
"I know!" Imari giggled. "Isn't that disgusting? A teacher doing it with her own students!"
"She's not really a teacher though," I reminded her. "She's a doctor."
"It's the same thing," Imari insisted. "She's part of the faculty. I can't believe anyone would be so desperate for sex. She might even be a nymphomaniac!"
"How many guys did she do it with?"
"I'm not sure," she answered, pursing her lips. "It must be a lot. Everyone is talking about it."
"Hmmm...Maybe I should go to the infirmary," I thought aloud.
"Excuse me?" Imari narrowed her eyes.
"For my headache," I explained quickly. "You were hitting me, remember?"
"Because you deserved it!" she retorted. "And I know you don't have a headache."
"It's my head."
"You just want to see Dr. Kitami, don't you?"
"Well..." I shrugged, wondering what Imari expected. A beautiful doctor was having sex with students? There was probably a line stretching down the hall and out the front doors.
"I can't believe you sometimes," she snorted, crossing her arms and sitting back in the chair. She crossed her legs as well, looking all folded up like an origami Imuri.
"I was kidding," I said. "That rumor's even dumber than the one about the storage room."
"But she swore it was true!"
"It wouldn't be a very good rumor if everyone knew it was a lie," I said. "You girls and your gossip."
"I'm not a gossip!" Imari protested, but she didn't seem convinced. "Am I?"
"You're a girl, right?" I shrugged, not wanting to get hit again. "You can't help it, Imari."
"I guess not," she sighed, and then laughed at her own silliness.
It was nice to be friends again and I glanced at Saeki to see if she'd noticed, but she seemed to be immersed in her reading. In the back of my mind, I'd been wondering if Saeki hadn't been trying to hit on me. I mean, an introvert like her probably had no clue how to tell a boy she liked him. Perhaps debating with me had been secret bookworm code for, "I love you, Minase. Let's have sex!"
Saeki definitely had the body for it and I stole another glance, drinking in her smooth legs and full breasts. Maybe I just liked blondes, I wasn't sure. Or maybe I liked that attitude of hers, kind of superior and stuck-up like she was a real know-it-all and the rest of us were just morons. Except...Why would I like being treated like a moron? That didn't make much sense and I blamed the erection throbbing in my pants. All that talk about Dr. Kitami having sex had fired up my imagination, although I didn't believe word of it.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Imari wondered, frowning as I stood up from my desk.
"I need to use the bathroom," I replied. I didn't bother putting my lunchbox away, that could wait. I'd decided to see this sexy doctor for myself.
"Wait for me," she said. "I'll go with you."
"You want to use the boy's bathroom?" I laughed at her. "Sure. Let's go. I'd like to see that!"
Behind Imari, Saeki stifled a giggle.
"That's not what I meant," she said, scowling as her cheeks turned red.
"I'll be right back," I promised. "You can do me a favor and put away my lunch box."
"Ha!" She shook her head. "Put it away yourself. I'm not your maid, you know."
I waved over my shoulder. "Whatever," I said on my way out the door. "Just don't drink all my tea while I'm gone."
After teasing Imari like that, I'd be lucky not to find my teacup in the garbage can. She deserved it though. Wanting to walk me to the bathroom as if I was a little boy? She just didn't want me looking for Dr. Kitami and I wondered if Imari was jealous. A beautiful older woman, a doctor no less, already with a reputation for flirting with the students. If I'd been a girl, I would have been jealous. Maybe. Actually, if I was a girl, I'd probably be a lesbian, and in that case I'd still be looking for Dr. Kitami.
That feat of male logic made me smile as I walked past the boy's lavatory on my way to the staircase. I didn't even look back to see if Imari was checking up on me. If she was, I'd hear about it eventually and if she wasn't, it didn't matter. I'd learned early in our friendship that it was better to be forgiven later than punched right away.
The infirmary was located on the first floor and I took the stairs two at a time on the way down. Since it was lunchtime, the classrooms were mostly empty and the halls even more so. Even the first floor, usually bustling with activity, seemed very quiet. The faculty would be eating in the teacher lounge, but the infirmary would be open to accommodate students during their recess from class.
Or it should have been. I found the door closed, but heard muffled sounds from the other side as I reached for the handle.
"Oh! Excuse me," Rika Shiraki said, pulling the door open at the same exact moment. I almost fell right into her arms! Doors were definitely not my friends today.
"Hi, Rika," I managed to say, regaining my balance and stepping backward to give her some room. Talk about having a thing for blondes!
She was the prettiest girl in school, everyone agreed on that. Shiraki had a pleasant, unassuming demeanor, always got excellent grades, and was the President of the Student Council. As if that wasn't enough, her father was a high level executive with the largest electronics firm in the country. Why a rich girl like her wasn't attending some private school in Europe or someplace, I had no idea. Like the rest of the boys, I couldn't help but idolize her. Unfortunately, Shiraki didn't even know my name.
"Hi, uh..." Her emerald eyes widened as she searched my face for clues.
"Minase," I reminded her. "I'm Taki Minase. We're in Section A together."
"I'll remember that," Shiraki promised, and I couldn't tell if she was smiling or pouting. Either way, her moist lips would have tempted the devil himself.
What a princess! With her adorable looks and sweet personality, she was the complete package. I'd forgotten all about Dr. Kitami and especially Imari's goofy behavior. If they were dogs, Shiraki would have been a purebred with a long pedigree, whereas Imari would be a common mongrel fathered by some stray mutt in the back of an alley.
Of course, I knew better than to share that opinion with anyone! If Imari found out, I'd wake up in a hospital missing some valuable body parts.
"Are you okay?" I asked, noticing her flushed face and a damp sheen of perspiration on Shiraki's forehead. She seemed to be breathing heavily, but that could have been because I'd surprised her.
"I'm fine," she said, pulling the infirmary door shut behind her. "I was just...We were, um...It was nothing."
"Okay." I nodded, but if anything the girl seemed to turn even more red and she refused to meet my eyes.
"I have to go," Shiraki decided. She hesitated though, as if waiting for my permission. When I didn't reply right away, she turned and walked quickly away.
I stood there watching her long legs and noting the way Shiraki's hips pushed her red skirt left and right. She had an awesome ass! Great tits too, and I almost wished I had fallen, just so I could have landed on top of her. Pressing my body against Rika Shiraki, grinding my aching cock against the crotch of her panties...I wondered what color they were, and then I wondered if she wasn't really sick. She'd looked like she had a fever, maybe the flu or something. It was probably a good thing that I hadn't gotten too close to her. The last time I'd gotten sick, Imari hadn't left my side for two days! I think I'd only recovered just so I could get rid of her.
Shiraki. She really had given me an erection and I adjusted my cock with one hand while I glanced at my watch. There wasn't enough time before class to get checked out by the doctor, although she'd probably give me a hall pass. I only had the weak excuse of a headache anyway, but how long would it take to get a couple aspirins? I just wanted to see what she looked like and decided to find out. So what if I was five minutes late?
"Uhhh..." I turned the handle, but the infirmary door was now locked. The bolt only rattled as I tried to get inside.
"I'm with a patient," a woman said from the other side. "Is it in an emergency?"
"No," I replied, bending my ear close to the door. I didn't hear anything unusual. "Sorry. I'll, uh...come back later."
She didn't say anything to that and I walked away, trying to figure out how someone had snuck past me. Shiraki had come out of the infirmary and nobody else had gone in. I guessed the other patient must have been already inside waiting her turn, or his turn. I really had no idea who might be in there or what the problem might be. What did it matter anyway? At least I'd introduced myself to Shiraki, that was something.
As I forced my way back up the stairs, I knew there was no way a girl like her would ever go for a guy like me. We were miles apart in every way imaginable. That's why she hadn't even known my name, we had nothing in common except our school. Shiraki was popular with everyone, while I was just another anonymous guy passing through. I'd probably never get to speak with her again, but a man can dream, can't he?
Visions of the things I wanted to do with Shiraki filled my head. I made it back to my desk largely on auto-pilot, paying very little attention to my surroundings. Stroking her golden hair, kissing those luscious lips...
"What took you so long?" Imari demanded, snapping me out of my daydream. "Where did you go?"
"Don't be so bossy!" I said. "What do you care where I go?"
Ito grinned as she walked by. "Lover's quarrel?" she asked.
"They're so cute!" Murai said, giggling.
Imari looked surprised by their teasing, but didn't say anything. She blushed and turned around quickly. What did she expect people to think, the way she carried on all the time?
"Mind your own business, why don't you?" I told them, watching the girls take their seats near Saeki
They put their heads together and whispered, glancing occasionally at me and laughing. I gave Imari dirty looks for embarrassing me like that. I would have asked any one of those girls out, even that weirdo Saeki if it meant I got to have sex with her. But how could I ever talk to them with Imari tearing my reputation to shreds? I liked her a lot. We were best friends, but I needed a girlfriend, not a babysitter!
She should have been worried about her own reputation as well. Our classmates might start thinking we were having sex or something. Not that we ever would, but someone could jump to that conclusion and start a rumor about Imari being an easy lay. She'd blame me for it too, I had no doubts about that! She was a total virgin and so far as I knew, she'd only been kissed once in her life -- By me! That had been when we were still kids though, so it didn't mean anything.
I still remember the look on her face. I'd kissed her without thinking about it, surprising both of us, and her eyes had grown big as saucers. Her cheeks had turned red as a tiny shiver went up her spine. Imari had even gotten goosebumps, that's the kind of girl she is! And then she'd hit me right in the nose before running inside her house and slamming the door.
Kiss Imari again? No way! I probably wouldn't mind it too much now that she'd actually grown up, but even if I really did like her in that way, I knew she wouldn't feel the same about me. That's why I never tried anything with her. What would be the point? It would be a lot easier, and less painful, to find someone with a more loving attitude. Someone with a pretty face and big, firm tits and long legs and a pert, tight ass, who didn't beat me up all time.
The afternoon classes went quickly as I spent the next several hours daydreaming about a certain beautiful blonde Goddess. If only Shiraki hadn't been so completely out of my league...It just didn't seem fair.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Are you ready for Art Club, Mr. Vice-President?"
Imari was already bouncing with excitement. She loved art, being a girl and everything, so it was only natural for her to join the Art Club. I'd never wanted to join anything. Unfortunately, students were required to join some extracurricular activity and of all my choices, that one seemed the least offensive. Almost all the other members were female anyway, so that made it okay. I only wished the club didn't have to meet every single day after school. I just wanted to get out of there and go home!
"Don't even try to ditch out on me again," Imari said, grabbing my hand before I could make a run for it. I'd skipped the last few meetings and she wanted to keep an eye on me.
"I wasn't going to do anything like that," I protested, thinking I could sneak away after she lowered her guard. "Of course I'm going."
"Wow! You're pretty docile today," she said. "I'm impressed."
"Yeah, yeah," I sighed. "Let's just go already. I want to get out of here early."
"Early?" she retorted. "You had the whole day off yesterday and we're having the big art show in less than two weeks."
"What art show?"
"Grrr!" She frowned at me.
"I'm kidding!" I said. "Jeeze! Do you think I'd forget something as important as that?"
"You would," she replied. "You haven't even started your painting yet and you're one of the club's officers."
"Augh! You don't have to squeeze so hard, do you?" I complained as she pulled me along like a little boy. How humiliating! She gripped my hand so tightly, I felt my fingers turning numb.
"I'm not letting you go," she said. "Just the other day I got distracted for two seconds and you jumped down the fire escape."
"Hmmm..." I winced, remembering how I'd sprained my ankle. I should have just stayed for the meeting.
We walked down the stairs and into the Art Room on the second floor. Already, a dozen female students were setting up their easels and they greeted us with cheerful smiles. Imari was their captain and I was her able lieutenant. What nonsense. Half of them couldn't even draw and the few boys were only there to look at the girls, but I couldn't really blame them.
Realizing I wouldn't escape this time, I'd set up my own easel with fresh canvas, but Imari hadn't been fooling. Like everyone else, I was supposed to exhibit something for the club's art show. Some of the members were already working on a second painting, but I hadn't done a thing yet.
"Since you're here for once, I want you to get some serious work done," Imari told me. "You should set a good example for the others."
Before I could respond to that, a sultry female voice made my ears burn.
"What's this?" The club's faculty advisor, Miss Hiroko Takashiro, had entered the room. "Minase is here today? Did he get lost?"
"Hey!" I scowled at her teasing. "You make it sound like I'm a ghost member or something."
"If that's how it sounds," she chided me, "then maybe you should show up more often."
"Yes ma'am." I looked at the floor and nodded.
Actually, I wanted to check out her thigh-high stockings. They had a rose motif around the tops and along the seams. Plus she had a pair of awsome legs!
I wasn't really angry, not even annoyed with her. Instead, I felt a surge of desire welling up from my balls. Miss Takashiro, unlike the other faculty members, was neither old nor boring. She had a firm, athletic body that her clothing couldn't hide. Add to that her striking features and red hair, that sexy bedroom voice of hers, and all she needed was a warmer personality.
Despite her appearance, Miss Takashiro always seemed rather frigid when it came to socializing. I figured she just didn't want to encourage the male students who lusted after her. That had to be annoying.
"What are you working on?" she asked, shaking her head at my blank canvas.
"A genius doesn't work when he's not inspired," I reminded her, earning me a skeptical look.
Imari held up her fist. "I'll give you some inspiration..."
"Shhh..." Miss Takashiro motioned with her hand. "You have to make a real effort, Minase. You don't want to embarrass the club, do you?"
"No," I admitted, leading me to a brilliant idea. "Maybe I shouldn't enter anything in the show."
"Minase!" Imari frowned.
"Don't say that. Look at how hard your club president is working." Miss Takashiro patted Imari's shoulder. "I'm sure she can help you."
Imari lowered her eyes, looking almost but not quite embarrassed. She knew how to get ahead, the little brown noser. She always did everything right, so I always looked like a good-for-nothing slacker by comparison.
"I know!" Miss Takashiro snapped her fingers. "You should have Imari model for you, since she's already finished her painting."
"What?" I couldn't believe that. "Imari's no model!"
Whack! She thumped my forehead. "Well, excuse me!"
"Painting such a lovely girl would be inspiring for any young man, I think," Miss Takashiro continued. "And Imari definitely has potential. Anyone can see that!"
"Ehehehee..." Imari giggled again, definitely blushing with pleasure at her favorite teacher's praise.
"You've got to be kidding me," I sighed.
The woman's real motive seemed pretty obvious. With Imari modeling for me, she'd be right there to make sure I didn't slack off.
"But..."
"There's no time for complaining," she said, giving Imari a gentle push towards me. "If you don't hurry up, you won't make the deadline..."
"What about..."
"...and that would be very disappointing, Minase." Miss Takashiro stared into my eyes and like I said, there wasn't a lot of warmth there. That teacher was all business.
"He won't disappoint you," Imari promised. "You can count on me!"
And just like that, the matter was settled. I didn't have any say in it at all. When Miss Takashiro waltzed out of the classroom a moment later, she left Imari in charge. Great! Now I didn't stand a chance of ditching until I painted something -- Painted Imari, I mean, and that would probably take all of the two weeks I had until the art show!
"You don't know how lucky you are to have me as your model," Imari said, obviously pleased as punch. What girl didn't want to be a model?
"Maybe I know exactly how lucky I am," I sighed, wondering why I always seemed to get in messes like this one.
I hadn't decided on a theme, but a portrait had never crossed my mind. Those are hard to do! No way could I do a decent portrait, especially of a hothead like her. I'd be too worried about her reaction. I wallowed in self-pity and she didn't even notice. Imari didn't give a damn about my feelings, she only dragged a stool over and sat down near my easel.
"Is this alright?" she wondered, striking a natural pose and turning her head to give me her profile.
"Yeah. I guess so," I agreed. I waved my pencil around with a flourish, but not for any particular reason. "Why don't you do something else? Everybody always poses like that."
"What do you want?" she asked. "If it's too hard, I'm going to get tired. You have to think about your model, too!"
"Just move one of your legs a little higher," I suggested. "Kind of up and wider. Can you do that without getting tired?"
"Okay...Like this?" Imari bent her right knee, clasping it as she crossed her legs. Her skirt flipped upward and I got a good look at her creamy thigh.
"That's good," I said. "But can you open your legs just a little more, please?
"Huh? Is this enough?" She spread her legs, but no more than an inch or so. At that rate, I wasn't even going to catch a whiff of her panties, let alone see them!
"No!" I shook my head. "That's not nearly enough. Really spread your legs for me. Wide open this time."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Imari hit me!
"Stop being a pig!" she exclaimed. "What are you trying to do, paint my picture or look at my underwear?"
"Ouch! I was just fooling around. Why would I want to see your dirty undies?"
That time she slapped me across the face!
"They're not dirty!" Imari yelled. "Just shut-up and start drawing, you jerk!"
I rubbed my cheek and returned to my canvas. I wished Saeki and her two friends had been there to witness Imari's abuse! They wouldn't have any doubts about our relationship then -- We didn't have one!
"And make me look good," she demanded, assuming her pose. "Everybody will see my picture and I don't want them to laugh."
"Don't count on it," I muttered.
"Grrrr...Do you want me to get mad?"
"No way!" I picked up my charcoal pencil and began sketching. Like she wasn't mad already? Uh-huh.
After drawing Imari for well over two hours, I paused to check out my work. Oh man! It looked bad. I was going to be in so much trouble when she saw what I'd done. I could hardly bear to look at it myself.
"How's it coming along?" she asked. No good! If I showed her, I'd never hear the end of it.
"Hey! Don't look yet. You'll faint If you see it now," I told her. "That's how good it is."
"Really?" Imari smiled, trying to peek around the canvas. "That only makes me want to see it even more."
I blocked her way, pushing the girl back when I realized... "Hey! Isn't it time to get out of here? Everybody else is gone."
"What?" Imari looked around and saw that we were alone. "Omigod! I didn't realize it was getting so late."
"It's after five o'clock," I said, pointing at the wall clock. Where had the time gone? I'd been sketching and she'd been talking, and it had seemed like only fifteen minutes to me.
"Sorry, but I've got to run some errands," Imari said. "You should have said something sooner. Can you lock up and bring the key back to the office? I really have to go!"
"Yeah. Sure." I shrugged.
Her sudden frenzy surprised me, but she could be like that sometimes. I accepted the classroom key and watched as Imari gathered her things and practically ran out of the art room. I wasn't going to try and slow her down either. Perfect! She hadn't even gotten a glimpse of my drawing.
"Be careful," I yelled after her, not wanting her to trip on the stairs and hurt herself or something.
"Bye! Thanks, Minase!" Imari shouted back, already around the corner and out of sight. I could just picture the silly grin on her face and the room suddenly felt very empty.
