Art for Art's Sake: Meredith's Story by Barbara L. Clanton Read Free Book Online

gathered that. Good for you.” He winked at Meredith who slid by her father into the warmth of the house. He asked her, “How was karate?”
    “Taekwondo, Dad,” Meredith corrected with a smile. “We had a good time. He did really well today.” She thought about the Victorian mansion on Center Street. “Hey, Dad? Do you know that old house next to Fiesta Loca? The one on Center that doesn’t belong?”
    “Next to the auto parts store?”
    “Yeah, that one.”
    “Scary old thing. What about it?”
    “Do you know anything about it? Like, do people still live there?”
    Her father laughed. “Why? Are you going to buy the place?”
    “No, Dad,” she said with sarcasm.
    They walked to the kitchen and Meredith’s father opened the refrigerator to get a cold juice box for Mikey. “Want one?” He held a juice box out toward Meredith.
    “No thanks. We might research the old house for our history project.”
    “Oh, yes, the history project. Your captain of the lacrosse team called.” He went to the kitchen table and picked up the sports page. “Her number is right here next to the Superbowl predictions.”
    Dani called. She actually called. Meredith’s heart raced, but out loud she said calmly, “Okay. Can I take the whole sports section to my room?”
    “Yeah, I’m done. She seemed very nice.”
    Something in his voice made Meredith suspicious. “No, Dad. You didn’t...”
    He feigned a hurt expression. “What? What could your old man possibly do to embarrass you?”
    “You didn’t tell her that lacrosse wasn’t a sport or anything like that, did you?”
    “Of course not. I don’t know her well enough...yet.” He smiled.
    Meredith thought, and you’re not going to get to know her because as soon as Dani can swing it, she’ll be out of my life. Out loud she said, “Okay, good. Please don’t embarrass me if she calls back, okay?”
    His tone turned more serious and he said, “Okay, I’ll be good. I promise. I just asked what her season looked like this year. She said they had a tough schedule but they should finish in the top two in their division.”
    “You’re such a sports nut.” She shook her head and went back into the living room and hung up her heavy winter pea coat on the hook by the front door. She headed to the stairs and called back. “Hey, Dad, I’ll call her from upstairs, then in about an hour I’d like to go to the library. Okay?”
    “Okay. The pro bowlers’ tour is on. Me and Mikey are going to watch a couple of games.”
    Meredith rolled her eyes at the prospect of her father and brother spending their afternoon watching bowling on television. She could think of a thousand more interesting things to do. Of course, she was planning to go to the library by herself. She laughed at the irony. What an exciting life, she thought.
    She went upstairs to her room and wasn’t sure what to do about the fact that Dani had actually called her. She wasn’t sure if she should call her back right away or wait until after the library. She decided not to decide and plopped down on the bed. The early afternoon sun streamed through the window behind her and made it a perfect time for sketching, but then again, anytime was a good time for drawing.
    She pulled out her sketchbook and turned to the first page. The first few sketches were quick, simple drawings of people who had posed for her along the way—her mother, her father with more hair, and a couple of kids from her old school in Greenspond. Each of them had a rather bland, almost bored, expression on their faces. The AP Art curriculum required that students not only have an in-depth exploration of something, but that they also demonstrate growth in the pieces included in their portfolios. She had decided to explore facial expressions and the emotions displayed. Sure, “bored” was an emotion—an emotion that could be sustained in the face for a long period of time. What about happiness? The smile she had seen in Dani’s eyes the