Chapter 30
Classes were starting back up at the community center after the summer break. Sierra felt jittery walking over there. It was good jittery, but still jittery.
She unlocked the art room and hit the lights. The fluorescent bulbs always took forever to stop flickering. While she waited, she started putting out supplies for everyone. Charcoal sticks, oil pastels, all the usual stuff. The familiar routine helped calm her nerves a little.
Her students started trickling in, already talking and laughing before they even sat down.
“Miss Sierra, you’re so tan!” one of the younger girls exclaimed.
“Okay, spill. Where have you been all summer?” asked another with a knowing smirk.
Sierra couldn’t help grinning. “Hawaii. Work assignment, but also a little vacation thrown in.”
She let their comments and questions wash over her like warm water, their laughter and gentle teasing providing a comforting soundtrack as they dove into today’s lesson.
They focused on sketching, expressive line work, and light studies that had everyone’s hands stained with charcoal by the end.
After days of feeling down, Sierra felt a little lighter.
After the last student packed up and left, she wiped down the counters and pulled out her phone to text Lauren:
Sierra: Just finished teaching. Are you feeling up for some company tonight?
No reply.
Sierra gathered her supplies and walked the familiar route home, phone clutched in her palm. Every few blocks, she checked the screen. Still nothing.
Just as she reached her front door, her phone finally lit up.
Lauren: Not feeling great today. I just wanna be alone right now.
A cold sweat prickled Sierra’s skin, and the floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet.