Chapter Six

In art class the next morning, Chill already had a sketch of the proposed mural to show Ms. Surette. It had the school in the background. In the foreground were the faces of people like Pierre Trudeau, Wayne Gretzky, Albert Einstein, Shania Twain, Pablo Picasso, Mike Myers, Margaret Atwood, Alanis Morrisette...

“A mix of popular icons to inspire and encourage,” as Ms. Surette put it. “I like it.”

“And the quote?” she asked. “‘The future is bright if you’re not afraid of the light’—where’s that from?”

“Sean,” Chill quickly informed her.

I’d been inspired by Ms. Holinground and her many quotes.

“It’s excellent,” she told me. “I suppose you’ll have to help with the mural too, then?” she said, more telling than asking. “I’ll be making my decision at the end of the week. But it’s safe to say that you have a very good chance.”

“There won’t be anything better,” I told her.

“There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, Sean,” she said. “Best to stay well on one side of it.”

Chill smiled. He had heard various people say the same thing before. He always found it funny. I didn’t see the humor. It wasn’t confidence or arrogance. It was pride in my friend’s work. Since Chill never took much pride in it, always thinking he could have done better, I felt I had to make up for it.

“Anyone can do it,” Chill said. “Most people just don’t.”

I didn’t believe it. I knew I couldn’t. Or I thought I couldn’t. Maybe if I’d worked as hard as Chill—always sketching or reading about other artists, always working on something—maybe if I did that, then I could.

Chill even had a signature that he used just for his art, which was a work of art on its own, an unreadable symbol of original design. Maybe if I worked as hard at my writing as he did at his drawing...maybe it’s just easier to think...

“Some people are just naturally good at things and others aren’t,” I said to Chill.

But in the back of my head I could hear Orchid saying, If you put your mind to something, you can get it done, and don’t ever let anyone tell you different!