Band Geeks and Art Freaks

I forced a small smile, confirming “That’s me.”
“Good, good. Welcome to Chemistry, I am your teacher Mr.Calvin.” the man waved as he introduced himself. “Hmm…everyone else seems to have a lab partner besides….Gerard! The two of you can pair up and we’ll get started!”
My gaze followed the direction of his pointed finger, past all of the paired up lab tables to the kid in the back of the class room. He looked like he was more bored than anyone else in the class, and sighed while he moved his backpack from the seat where I was to sit. I made my way through the aisles, thankful that no one was really staring at me. Probably because most of them didn’t even care.
Once I took my seat, Mr….Fuck, What’s His Name announced that we will be working out of our textbooks on page 180. I wasn’t really expecting to get any type of orientation since it’s the middle of the year and everyone has an established routine by now.
“Can I borrow your textbook?” I asked the bent over figure of Gerard looking in his bag. He mumbled some noise of approval and pulled out a notebook while still rifling for the textbook.
On the cover of the notebook was a drawing of a man upside down in a filled water tank. The man had his feet in shackles and his hands were crossed on his chest, yet a smile managed to sneak onto his face. A smile that was barely visible, but made evident with the brightness in his eyes. Brightness created simply with a black ink pen.
“Hey, is…is that Harry Houdini?” I questioned, motioning to the book.
Gerard straightened up with a textbook in hand, and turned to me with a surprised expression on his face.
“Um, yeah. It is.”
“Did you draw it?”
He nodded, avoiding my gaze while picking at the binding of the worn textbook he held.
“That’s really good. Is his smile supposed to be, like, mischievous? It seems like it’s hidden there, but you can see it because of the eyes and the spool of wire next to the tank.”

Gerard’s face changed from surprised to purely shocked. “Not many people get where the spool comes in the photo, but it basically is the deciding factor on the smile. I mean, like no one ever gets why it’s there.”
“Yeah, most people don’t really know the secret to his escapes. Like one time, I had to talk my friend out of putting on a strait jacket to try and escape it.” I chuckled.
Gerard’s face broke, as a crooked smile cracked onto his face. “How did he even get a strait jacket?”
“I don’t know how, and I don’t wanna. I think it has something to do with another friend having a relative who works at a hospital.”
I gave a genuine smile as I heard Gerard chuckle, noticing the tension in his shoulders relaxing as did mine.
Five minutes before the end of a class period spent discussing Harry Houdini, it occurred to me that I only found this room by chance of wandering down the right hallway and that I should probably not try my luck again.

“Can you tell me where this class is?” I asked, pointing at the second line on my schedule. Gerard grabbed the paper, squinting at the words as he muttered the text under his breath.
“Hey! We have the next class together! Lunch too!” he exclaimed.

I felt a grin of disbelief crawl onto my face, “Thank god, I thought I’d have to go through history alone. Do you think you can catch me up on what you guys have been doing?”

Gerard’s face turned into one of judgment in a matter of seconds.
“Depends….” he started, raising an eyebrow. “What are your thoughts of Audrey Hepburn?”
With Gerard here at this school, maybe things couldn’t go bad…well, until 3rd period. But at least lunch would be able to roll around.

Notes