Pinhole
Copyright© 2022 by Fanlon
Chapter 5
The next day Adam and I watched a movie in photography class while Laura and her group took their turn in the darkroom. It was cool that we were watching a movie, but by the same token, the class was only fifty-five minutes long so we couldn’t watch the whole thing. Mr. Watts put on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It is a classic and everyone should watch it at least once, even though it’s just over ten years old.
Ferris was just starting the old Ferrari, that he wasn’t supposed to touch, when the first pair came out of the darkroom.
“You guys get to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off!” Jeremy complained. “That’s not fair at all, we had to watch The Labyrinth.”
No one even acknowledged Jeremy’s complaint about the movie selections. I wouldn’t have complained about either of these movies. I was so used to watching Reading Rainbow any time a TV was turned on in school. Having an actual movie to watch, that wasn’t the depiction of a book we were reading on the TV, was amazing.
The next group out of the darkroom was Laura and her apparent partner Steven. Steven was smiling but Laura didn’t look happy at all. In fact, she was eyeing the room as if she were trying to figure out some mystery. I had a good idea what that mystery was, but I wasn’t about to open my mouth and admit any wrongdoing on my part. I tried not to look at her and only focus on the movie. That’s not to say taking a picture of Laura was technically wrong, but it was kind of rude in all fairness and I could understand why she would be mad if she found out by seeing the developed photograph hanging in the darkroom.
The bell rang and I felt an immense relief wash over my entire body. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed my stuff, and rushed from the room before Laura or anyone else could say something to me. I had dodged a bullet, but I knew that same bullet would eventually hit me right between the eyes tomorrow. There was no chance Mr. Watts wouldn’t talk about everyone’s pictures tomorrow. When he did, I was dead.
To make matters slightly more awkward, I suddenly had a bout of confidence when I saw Laura sitting on the bench at the bus stop. I knew it was a mistake, but apparently I was a glutton for punishment.
“Hey,” I said as casually as I could manage as I took a seat on the bench.
Laura actually growled as she looked up and saw me sitting there next to her. She didn’t say anything back. Instead, she stuffed her things in her pink backpack and got up to move further away from me. Well fuck! That’s what you get for trying to talk to her, idiot. How stupid can you be, Josh?
I thought I might make it through the night without having to mention my picture. That wasn’t the case, sadly. Nothing was said until dinner was almost done and Mom had asked if we were ready for dessert.
“So, how did your first picture turn out in photography class?” Dad asked while Mom was clearing the table.
“I think it went okay,” I answered, trying to give just enough information that he would stop there.
“Just okay?” Dad replied, looking at me with a questioning look on his face. “You developed it today, right?”
“Yesterday...”
“Oh, so you already developed it?”
“Yeah, I finished it yesterday in class.”
“Josh, why didn’t you tell us you already developed it?” Mom chimed in from the kitchen as she was slicing and serving up slices of her famous apple pie. “You were so excited about it last week. When do we get to see it?”
“You never did tell us what you took a picture of,” Dad finished, and I immediately felt my cheeks starting to heat.
“I just took a picture of the old oak tree in front of the school.” That Laura was sitting under. They didn’t need to know about Laura sitting under the tree though.
“You took a picture of a tree?” Mom asked, as she sat down and pushed a plate of pie in front of me and Dad.
“Yeah, it’s a cool tree.”
Mom and Dad looked at each other and then at me. Both of them looked like they didn’t believe me, but I managed to pull off the best acting job of my life and just ate a piece of pie. It was delicious but it would have been better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if I were going to offer any suggestions, but I didn’t. Mom and Dad either bought what I was selling or decided to drop it collectively. Either way, I was thankful. I made myself scarce for the rest of the night just in case.
I kept my head down the following morning and all throughout the day. Lunch was quick. I got there early and grabbed a slice of hamburger pizza and a Sprite and ate it on my way to photography class. I was about four doors down the hall from the classroom when I was joined by Mr. Watts, who was carrying two slices of pizza of his own.
“Excited for class today, Josh?” He asked me as we walked.
“Yeah, but I am a bit nervous to be honest,” I told him and looked around to make sure I wasn’t overheard.
“Why on earth would you be nervous?” he asked me with a genuinely surprised tone in his voice. I shrugged, not wanting to answer him. “The quality of your image was incredible. I even showed it off to a few colleagues if you can believe that.”
“Really, why would you do that?”
“It’s pretty simple really,” he started. “It’s not every day one of the students here in Lincoln High creates a picture or captures a scene like you managed to do. I don’t know if you did it on purpose or were just lucky. Either way, I was so surprised by it I had to show it off.”
“It’s just a picture,” I told him sullenly. If there had been anything in the hallway at that moment, I would have kicked it like a petulant child.
“There’s no such thing as just a picture,” he bristled, grabbed my arm, and stopped me in my tracks. I could feel the weight of his eyes on me but I was hesitant to meet them. “Listen to me, Josh. This is important. Not all pictures that are taken look the same, but there is always something special in each and every single one. There was something the person behind that camera wanted to catch. You just have to know how to look and see it.”
I was embarrassed and tried to play down my efforts despite what he had just told me. If I was honest, he was right. Of course, he was right, he was the photography teacher for God’s sakes. He knows about these things.
“I think I understand,” I replied and looked up to meet his eyes. Mr. Watts smiled his goofy smile and I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling at him. “You know, you would make a great mall photographer for all those kids who hate getting their pictures taken. You always manage to make me smile, even when I don’t want to.”
“Don’t jinx me like that!” Mr. Watts laughed. “One Holiday season of that and I learned really fast that that was not the right path for me. I guess I didn’t learn my lesson completely, because I’m still dealing with whiny kids day in and day out though.”
I shook my head at his joke and chuckled.
“You know, Josh. It’s going to be interesting to hear what your class thinks of your picture, or should I say ... portrait?”
“No! No, no, no, please, I’m begging!”
“Too late!” Mr. Watts laughed like a crazy person and hurried the next dozen feet down the hall and into his classroom.
I thought about racing him to the room, but I thought better of it. If I was going to face the firing squad, I was going to do it standing on my own two feet, with dignity. I walked into the classroom only to find Laura already there, as well as Adam and of course, Mr. Watts. Dignity be damned, I needed to run. I needed to save myself. I tried to back right out the door until a piercing look of pure hatred and evil locked me in place. I struggled to move, but there was no use. I was screwed ... caught and royally screwed. I should have used my computer to call in sick for me like they did in the movie!
“He took my picture?” Laura asked Mr. Watts and Adam, and
both just nodded.
Adam was pale but the brilliant white smile on the old man’s face might have been the scariest thing I had ever seen. Then I remembered Laura was trying to murder me with her eyes, which was by far scarier. Mr. Watts’ smile was a semi-close second.
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