Work Text:
Keith loves to draw. It’s something he’s picked up being shuffled around from one crappy foster home to another. It started as doodling, sometimes in class because the teachers were boring and he always had some sort of pen and paper. Then he started to like it, he was good at it. But being good at drawing doesn’t make the foster homes a nicer place to live in. Most of the time his drawings managed to be thrown in the trash, torn up beyond repair and he was told that he would never amount to nothing because drawing was a dead end.
Now, several years later, Keith has been adopted by a nice couple. But he still keeps his guard up. It’s been at least two years but he’s learned sooner or later people are bound to slip up and show their true selves. So Keith doesn’t let Josh and Anna know he likes to draw. He sometimes calls them mom and dad but in his head he still calls them by their names. He doesn’t even let his step-brother Shiro know. But Keith is in the fourth grade and he’s found a way to not get in trouble for drawing. He gets to take an art class and Josh and Anna seem to be pleased that he is doing well in his classes. Anna even lets him sit at the kitchen table and work on his art assignments while she cooks.
Keith has been working all week on his latest assignment and he’s so happy that he gets to draw something medieval with castles and dragons. He turns it in on Friday with all the other students but his teacher Mrs. North asks him to stay after. She has the principal, Mr. Lasko and Anna and Josh show up for a conference.
“I hate to bother everyone before the weekend, but I’m afraid Keith is going to get a failing grade on his assignment.”
Anna narrows her eyes, “I don’t understand. Keith worked hard all week.”
Mrs. North lets out a heavy sigh and she looks anything but friendly when she answers Anna, “Mrs. Brookstone we do not tolerate cheating in this school. And Keith has clearly had someone else do his work for him. I understand that castles and dragons are daunting for any nine or ten year old, but I was not expecting any of my students to turn in masterpieces. This is far above any fourth grade level. I am sure you and your husband only meant to help him out, but completing Keith’s work for him is not the answer.”
Keith is squirming. Voices are starting to get loud and his hands are sweaty. He doesn’t mean to speak out of turn because he knows he’ll get in trouble but he can’t help it, “I didn’t cheat! I drew that all by myself!”
Mrs. North turns her beady eyes to Keith, “Mr. Kogane! We do not raise our voices.”
Anna leans forward in Mrs. North’s face, “My child is telling you that he did not do what you’re accusing him of. And I can also assure you, Mrs. North, that neither I nor my husband helped Keith. He is far more adept at drawing than either one of us.”
“Well then perhaps he coerced an upper classmen to do this for him.”
This time it was Josh that interrupted, “Mrs. North, I believe both my wife and son have told you that your accusations are false.”
Mrs. North just smiled smugly and handed Keith’s picture to the principal, “Mr. Lasko what is your opinion on this?”
Mr. Lasko took the picture and stared at it for several minutes, “This is quite good. Tell me something Mr. Kogane. If I gave you a few minutes can you show me how you drew the dragon?”
Keith just stared at the principal not sure of where he was going with his line of questioning. He glanced up at Anna and Josh. Anna reached to push a stray lock of hair from Keith’s face. He couldn’t help the flinch when her hand came up. “Answer Mr. Lasko Keith.”
Keith bit his bottom lip and pushed his shoulders up to his ears, “I didn’t cheat sir.”
Mr. Lasko gave Keith a soft smile in return, “I don’t think you cheated Keith.”
Mrs. North gave a loud huff, “You cannot be serious about entertaining this child’s lies.”
Mr. Lasko glared at Mrs. North, “I believe I am the principal. You asked me my opinion and I do not believe Mr. Kogane coerced anyone to draw for him. To prove this, I merely wanted to see him draw the dragon. If he replicates it then we have all the proof we need.”
Keith is trembling, he knows he won’t be able to get it just right. He doesn’t have enough time and he doesn’t have the colors he used. The tears are falling before he can think to stop them and he’s shaking his head back and forth, “I can’t. I don’t have all the colors and it’s not gonna be good. But I didn’t cheat! I promise I didn’t!”
Mr. Lasko’s smile turns to a frown but his voice is soft, “Keith, I didn’t mean it had to be exact. I understand you don’t have the time or the tools necessary to make it look exactly like it is on this paper. I only wanted to see just a bit of how you draw to compare it. Do you understand?”
Keith can only shrug and try to wipe at his wet cheeks. Mr. Lasko grabs a pencil and some paper from a nearby cubby. “Tell you what. How about you just draw whatever you like. It can be your favorite animal at the zoo, or a car, or perhaps you like robots.”
Keith holds the pencil in his hand and stares at the paper on the desk in front of him. His voice is almost a whisper, “Can I draw a hippopotamus?”
Forty minutes later and Keith is no longer in Mrs. North’s class for art. Starting Monday he will be in a different class with a different teacher named Miss Clare. And he got an A plus on his picture.