Barbara L. Clanton - 1 - Art for Art's Sake

by Barbara L. Clanton

  Meredith and Mikey walked down the steps of the sizable bleachers. Meredith opened the gate to the track that surrounded the football-turned-lacrosse field and smiled when Dani looked up from her team’s halftime huddle. Meredith chanced a small wave and Dani nodded ever so slightly back. Dani had announced at the March senior class meeting that very afternoon that there were only fifty-nine school days left of high school. Fifty-nine. Although Meredith yearned for freedom, she felt a bit of nostalgia for the routine she and Dani shared, but if Dani got into Syracuse, they would have a different routine, one that would be even better.

  Meredith held onto Mikey’s hand tightly. At the three-quarter mark on their trip around the track, a lacrosse ball shot in front of them narrowly missing Mikey. Mikey, unfazed about almost getting hurt by the small hard ball, struggled out of her grasp and ran for it.

  Sarah, Dani’s supposed best friend, stood with one hand on her hip waiting for Mikey to get the ball. Without saying a word, Sarah snatched the ball rudely out of his hand and stalked back onto the field.

  Meredith, surprised at Sarah’s rudeness, called after her, “He was just trying to help, Sarah.” “Yeah, whatever,” Sarah said without turning back. Sarah spoke with such venom that it made Meredith wonder if maybe the ball had been thrown at them on purpose.

  Meredith stewed as she and Mikey made their way back to their starting point behind the Whickett team bench. Meredith spotted Dani on the field with a water bottle in her hand. Mikey must have spotted her, too, because he yelled, “Gooooo, Dani,” and ran up to her. He hugged her with all his might.

  “Hey, dude. What’s up? Are you having fun?”

  “Fun.”

  “Excellent.” Dani looked up from the twelve-year-old wrapped around her middle. “Hi, Merry.”

  “Hi.” Meredith took a deep breath. She didn’t want Dani to know that Sarah had made her angry. She forced a smile and said, “You’re awesome. I had no idea.”

  “Well...thanks.” Dani seemed embarrassed by Meredith’s praise.

  “You’ve created a monster with my father. He’s having a blast. He’s teaching me everything he knows about lacrosse.”

  “That’s cool. The rules aren’t that complicated, really. I’d better get ready for the second half. Coach might pitch a fit if she thinks I’m goofing off.”

  Meredith was dying to ask Dani about Syracuse, but decided she should wait until the game was over. Dani might not know yet. Or worse. Maybe she hadn’t gotten in. She reached for Mikey’s hand to extract him from Dani’s waist. “C’mon, Mikey. Let’s go find Dad.”

  “No.” Mikey squeezed Dani even tighter.

  Dani had a slightly panicked look in her eyes.

  “Mikey,” Meredith tried again, “Dani has to go play. We have to go back in the stands. I think Dad bought some snacks. You want some snacks?”

  “No! Stay Dani.”

  Meredith shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, embarrassed. “He can be so stubborn when he gets something in his head. Why don’t you try?”

  “Okay.” To Mikey Dani said, “Hey, dude? Do you want to sit on the team bench? You and Merry can watch from there.”

  Meredith whispered, “Are you sure? Won’t your coach get mad?”

  As if silently called to end the controversy Coach Pratt strolled over to the girls. She said, “Uh, Dani? Have you put on some weight? Around the middle?” She pointed to Mikey who had buried his face in Dani’s midriff.

  Dani laughed and said, “Coach, he’s having a little separation anxiety, I think. Do you think Mikey and Meredith can sit on the end of the bench?”

  The coach considered the request for a moment and asked, “Are we sure he won’t run onto the field?”

  Meredith nodded. “He won’t. He’s scared of the fast pace.”

  “Okay,” Coach Pratt nodded, “but maybe we can do better than that. How about we make Mikey an assistant manager. He can run after stray balls and fill up water bottles with Christopher. Hey, Christopher?”

  Christopher walked over carrying a crate of recently-filled water bottles. He didn’t appear to be the athletic type. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes and his large belly indicated more of a videogame lifestyle. According to Dani, though, Christopher was an excellent team manager and made sure the players and coach had everything they needed.

  The coach nodded toward Mikey and said, “I’ve got an assistant manager for you.”

  Christopher put the crate on the bench. “Cool! I could use the help. What’s your name, big guy?”

  Mikey still held on strong to Dani, but he turned his head toward Christopher and said, “Mikey. Mikey Bikey.”

  Christopher laughed.

  Dani patted Mikey on the head and said, “So do you want to help Christopher?”

  Mikey finally released his stranglehold. “Hep Krifer,” he said and looked up at Christopher.

  Christopher raised his eyebrows in question.

  Dani laughed. “He said ‘Help Christopher.’ So, yeah, he’s ready to help.”

  Meredith beamed. Dani was getting pretty good at translating “Mikey-speak.”

  Christopher laughed again and tousled Mikey’s hair. “Okay, big guy, let’s put these warm up jackets back on the bench. See how they’re on the ground? Messy.”

  “Messy.” Mikey followed Christopher and helped him pick up the jackets.

  Meredith smiled and said, “Thanks, Coach. This is all he’s going to talk about for weeks. I’m sure.”

  “No problem. Dani can get you a schedule of our home games. We’ll expect him at every home game, okay?”

  “Every game? Wow. Wait ‘til he hears that. I’ll sit on the end of the bench, just to make sure he’s okay.”

  “Great.” The coach turned from Meredith as the two-minute warning sounded.

  Dani flashed Meredith a thumbs-up and jogged over to her teammates.

  Meredith looked for her father in the stands and pantomimed that she and Mikey were going to watch the second half of the game from the team bench. He nodded his understanding and sat down in the bleachers by himself.

  The second half started and Meredith found herself more engrossed in the game than she ever thought she would be. A couple of times the fast moving athletes frightened her when they came close, but it was thrilling just the same. She was fast becoming a girls’ lacrosse fan and wished she had brought her camera. Next game she’d get some action pictures of Dani Lassiter, #5, Whickett High superstar.

  DANI WALKED BACK to the restaurant table, cell phone in hand. Her shoulders drooped, and she sported the biggest frown Meredith had ever seen. Oh, no. Syracuse turned her down.

  Meredith held her breath. Even though the answer seemed obvious, she asked anyway, “What happened?”

  Dani’s frown popped into a grin. “I got in! My mom didn’t want to open the envelope, but I made her. And, get this, the lacrosse coach sent me a note telling me to email her.”

  Meredith couldn’t believe their luck. She had gotten into the art program, and Dani was going to play lacrosse at Syracuse. “Oh, my God, Dani. This is so exciting.”

  Dani sat back down at the table next to Meredith. She turned toward Meredith’s father. “Thanks for dinner, Mr. Bedford.”

  “No problem. Hey, anyone that can score five goals in one game deserves to be treated.”

  Dani smiled. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure we were going to win that one. I mean, we were supposed to win, but we only had a one goal lead at the half.”

  Meredith’s father took a sip of coffee. “Oh, I had no doubts. So Syracuse is recruiting you?”

  “I guess so.” She shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t believe it herself. “Me and Meredith might even room together. Right, Meredith?”

  Meredith looked up from wiping Mikey’s hands and smiled. “Oh, yeah. It’ll be great having a friend already built in. Somebody to take out the trash, clean the room, and—Hey! You don’t have to kick.”

  “We’ll take turns taking out the trash.”
Dani’s face looked stern, but Meredith saw the mirth dancing in those crystal blue eyes.

  “Fine, fine, we’ll take turns.” Meredith looked at the old painted lady through the window. She had explicitly asked the hostess for a booth with a view of the house. The colored lights from the restaurant reflected off the house creating an eerie carnival look. Meredith smiled when she thought about the changes the house would go through once Esther and Millie got their rezoning permits. She smiled bigger when she thought about the changes her life would go through once she and Dani got to Syracuse.

  Her father touched her arm from across the table. “Well, my little girl is going to be in good hands with her new roommate. That I can tell for sure.”

  “Dad!” Meredith sighed. Her father always found new ways to embarrass her.

  “Well, it’s true. Dani’s a good find. Keep her around, okay?”

  Despite the mortification she felt from her father’s embarrassing statement, she couldn’t help the warm feeling that rushed through her. She tried to catch Dani’s eye in apology for her father’s comment, but Meredith’s father asked Dani another question about lacrosse, and the conversation turned. Dani loved to talk about lacrosse. That was more than obvious to Meredith, and she loved that about her. Dani was passionate about everything she did. Meredith couldn’t help wonder why she felt that warm sensation more and more lately. Dani had become a really close friend. That was it. Right? Just a close friend. But their closeness was starting to feel like something else. Something more...intimate. Maybe best friends were like this with each other, kind of like Esther and Millie. Meredith had never had a best friend before.

  As they left the restaurant, Dani held the door open for her and smiled. This time Meredith’s knees got jittery, and the warm feeling lasted all the way home.

  Chapter Twelve

  Anything for a Sister

  “DO YOU WANT to see it?” Meredith peeked at Dani from behind the canvas. She swirled her paintbrush in the water jar next to the painting.

  Dani’s mouthed dropped open. “Really? It’s done?”

  “Just about. I’ll probably work on the background more, but, yeah, it’s pretty much finished. Come look.” She grabbed her rag to wipe her hands and stepped back.

  Dani stood up hesitantly. She looked scared for some reason.

  Meredith laughed. “C’mon, chicken. Take a look.”

  Dani took a deep breath and went around to the other side of the canvas. She didn’t say anything for so long that Meredith began to wonder if she hated it. Maybe Dani just didn’t know how to tell her how bad the portrait was. She saw Dani swallow hard, but before Meredith had a chance to get even more nervous, Dani said quietly, “You’re amazing. People don’t know how amazing you are.”

  Meredith felt her face color, while that wonderful hot chocolate feeling radiated outward from somewhere in her middle.

  “I feel so honored to be the subject of your painting. I mean, it’s almost like looking in a mirror, but...it’s better. You’ve made me look so, I don’t know, like majestic or something.” Dani’s voice was reverent. She shook her head slowly as if she couldn’t believe what she saw.

  “No,” Meredith said simply. “That’s just you. That’s what I see when I look at you.” And why does that sound so weird now that I’ve said it out loud?

  Dani swallowed again. “This is how you see me?”

  “Yeah,” she said barely above a whisper.

  Dani stared at her. “I don’t know what to say, except, thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I should be the one thanking you. I need this painting for my portfolio, so…” Meredith turned away and put her palette in its case. She turned back to face her friend. “Dani, you’ve been such a good friend to me. Even when I tried to push you away, you were so persistent. I never thought having a friend could feel so good, so...so freeing. I almost feel like everything’s going my way now.”

  Dani took a step closer. “I make you feel all that?”

  Meredith knew she was blushing and knew that Dani could tell. She was embarrassed about admitting her feelings, but she wanted Dani to know. “Yeah. You forced me out of my shell. You forced me to stand up on my own two feet. And you’re amazing with Mikey. He’s so excited about being the lacrosse manager with Christopher. You have no idea what it means to him...and me.” Meredith cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment. “Mikey loves the lacrosse sweatshirt Coach Pratt gave him. He wears it all the time.” She looked away to turn off the extra lighting. “Remember what my Dad said at Fiesta Loca a couple of weeks ago? He said something like ‘Find a way to keep her.’ Well, I hope that you and me, well, I hope we can be friends for a long time.” And why am I telling you all of this? You must think I’m really sappy or something.

  Dani’s face took on a serious expression. Her voice was thick when she answered, “Me, too.”

  “I think we’d better get our stuff together before we turn into a Hallmark card right here in Mrs. Levine’s room.” She’d said things to Dani that she hadn’t thought through completely, and her sudden openness scared her a little.

  Dani laughed. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. Phew, it’s getting way too serious in here. C’mon, let’s tell Mrs. Levine that the masterpiece is finished.”

  MEREDITH AND DANI, and even Mikey, were giddy with excitement because spring break officially began that afternoon. The first portrait was finished, and Dani’s lacrosse team had won its game. Dani drove Mikey and Meredith home after the win, and Meredith’s mother insisted that Dani stay for supper, which she gladly did, after calling home to ask her parents.

  After supper, Dani stood up to help clear the table. “Let me help you with that, Mrs. Bedford.”

  Meredith’s mom smiled. “Thank you, Dani. But don’t worry about it. Mikey and I will finish up. Why don’t you two go celebrate your big win?”

  Dani put her plate down. “Okay, thank you. The stew was great. I’m so full I don’t think I can move anyway.”

  Meredith’s mother smiled. “You’re sweet. Now, go on, both of you, get out of the kitchen and leave the fun stuff to me and my son.” She turned to Mikey and said, “You want to use the sprayer?”

  His eyes lit up, and he bolted out of his chair, almost knocking it over. “Brayer! C’mon, Mom.” He scraped his chair across the floor toward the sink. He and Dani almost looked like twins in their matching green and yellow lacrosse sweatshirts.

  Meredith laughed and pulled on the sleeve of Dani’s sweatshirt. “C’mon, we’d better get out of here. This is gonna get messy.”

  Dani laughed. “You don’t have to ask twice.”

  As they made their way into the living room, Meredith debated for a split second, but then asked, “Hey, do you want to come to my room? I want to show you the pictures I chose for Esther and Millie’s portraits. I even started a sketch of Esther.”

  “Yeah, sure. That’d be cool”

  Meredith grabbed her book bag from the base of the stairwell and flung it over her shoulder. “I hope my room’s not too messy. I wasn’t expecting company today.” Or ever.

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” Dani said as they made their way up the stairs.

  Meredith detected a puzzling hint of nervousness in Dani’s tone. Meredith hesitated a moment at the threshold and scanned her room quickly. Her desk was littered with books and colored pencils, but the rest of her room was fairly neat. Luckily, she had made her bed that morning, but she cringed when she saw the juvenile comforter with the overlarge roses. She’d had that comforter for as long as she could remember. She made a mental note to ask her mom for a new one before heading to Syracuse in the fall.

  She walked in and gestured for Dani to sit on her desk chair. “Have a seat. Let me put my book bag away.” She put the book bag in her closet and closed the door. “Thank God I don’t have to take that out for a whole week.”

  Dani spun the offered chair around, sat down, and rested her arms on the backrest. “Yeah, I could definitel
y use the break. Don’t our teachers know it’s the spring semester of our senior year, and we don’t want to do any more homework?” She sighed loudly.

  “I know. I’m just glad I have two periods of art.” Meredith thought about all the times she had Dani to herself in Mrs. Levine’s workroom. That thought made her think about all the time they would have together at Syracuse. The hot chocolate feeling that had become so familiar, but surprised her every time, pulsed through her. She turned from Dani, slightly embarrassed, and quickly thought of something else to say. “Oh, I finished Mikey’s portrait, too.”

  “You painted Mikey?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I work on during my AP class. I should have shown you. It’s on the rack with my other AP stuff. I’ll show you when we get back to school after break.” Meredith reached behind Dani on the desk and pulled out the pictures of Esther and Millie she had decided to use for their portraits. She handed the photos to Dani. “I love this picture of Esther,” she said softly.

  “Yeah,” Dani agreed. “She’s looking right at the camera. It looks like Thanksgiving dinner or something.”

  Meredith leaned in closer to get a better look at the photograph. When her arm touched Dani’s she was pleasantly startled when that warm feeling welled up inside her again. She took a micro-step back when she realized their arms were still touching.

  Dani handed Esther’s photo back. “Are you going to use the dining room as the background?”

  Meredith looked at the photo again, still pleased with her selection. “No, I’ll probably paint her in front of a bookcase or something. Something dignified. She’ll be one of the founders of the Randall-Bradley House, after all.”

  “It sounds so official when you say it like that.” Dani examined the photo of Millie. “Millie looks a little more serious in this picture. She’s usually laughing or joking around.”

  “That’s why I like this one. It shows her serious side, I think.”

  “Are you going to paint my serious side, too?” Dani looked up at her.