Theo tells me about the Spring Exhibition as we're still sitting on his couch, our pinkies no longer linked, but the space between us quiet and open.
"It's in late May," he says. "Laudeith Academy's biggest annual showcase. Every major submits something. The whole city shows up."
I nod slowly. "I joined last year when I was a freshman. Challenged myself."
His gaze shifts toward me, just a bit more focused. "Yeah. That's when I saw your art for the first time."
"Oh?"
He smiles slightly. "You didn't have a name label. Just a small sticker with your major on the corner."
I chuckle. "Well, nobody knows me even though I put my name on it. So I put it on the back of the canvas."
"It looked like it hurt to make." His voice is soft. "Most art tries to impress. Yours ... confessed."
The words settle in my chest like feathers and bricks at the same time.
"You should register again this year," he adds. "They extended the deadline."
