A new semester usually meant the arrival of new students, and Sarah was among the transfers who joined us halfway through my senior year.
As she stood at the front of the room and introduced herself to my English class, I couldn't help but notice how cute she was. Short and slim, with medium-sized breasts, Sarah's wavy dark brown hair fell about her shoulders and framed her pretty and distinctive face, with its sparkly blue eyes, prominent nose and resting smirk. The blue plaid uniform skirt showed off her tanned legs, and her white socks reached halfway up her calves.
Besides her good looks, I soon had another reason to want to get to know Sarah. I had taken art in the expectation that it would be an easy subject in which to get a good grade, but it turned out I was a far better musician than I was an artist. Unless I improved my skills I wouldn't stand a chance of getting a decent mark on my final work. Sarah quickly proved to be a talented artist, and after a few classes together I asked whether she would consider tutoring me.
To my relief, Sarah agreed. We arranged our first session for lunchtime the next day. Although she was still settling in and making friends, she had already developed a rapport with Ms Salmon, our art teacher, and said that she would make the arrangements to use one of the art rooms. I was glad that the events of the preceding semester hadn't become the subject of schoolyard gossip, as I thought that Sarah would have been more reluctant if she knew the details of my exploits.
"Do you know what sort of thing you'll paint for your final work?" Sarah asked me when we were set up.
"No — and I know I should have settled on something by now."
"That's okay, but we should probably figure that out as soon as possible."
Sarah walked over to the bookshelf. Standing on her toes with her back to me, running her finger along the spines. Her skirt rode up a little, revealing more of her tempting thighs. I watched her bottom wiggle as she took down a book on art history.
"Getting a good look?" She turned and winked at me. I blushed. "You could do something more modern like Picasso." She turned the book to me and showed me a picture of Guernica. "Or you could play it safe and do something more traditional like Vermeer. There are lots of options, but going the traditional route might be more realistic." Sarah thumbed back a few chapters and found a picture of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. "Maybe start with this one and just try copying it out to begin with. Nothing too detailed, just a basic sketch. We'll see where you need improvement."
I tried my best as Sarah stood next to me giving tips and suggestions. Her thighs pressed against my side when she leaned over the tall desk to draw my attention to something. I liked the feeling of warmth when our bodies made contact, and found the faint scent of mint on her breath intoxicating.
Lunchtime was nearly over by the time I had finished my sketch. "Practice makes perfect," Sarah reassured me. "Try again on your own, and really focus on getting a feel for the style, the dimensions, and the nuance. We'll see how you're going in a couple of days."
I did as Sarah suggested and by the time we met again I'd managed to produce three more copies. Sarah seemed pleased with my progress. "I think you should try drawing something from scratch today."
"What should I draw?"
"How about me?" Sarah gave an exaggerated flourish. "I can be your muse!"
I didn't have much confidence in my ability to do Sarah's beauty justice, but I was eager for the chance to keep my eyes on her. Sarah clambered onto the desk and sat cross-legged in front of me so that she could still watch my progress and give me tips. This blessed me with a direct view up her skirt. Not wanting to let on, I busied myself sketching her, sneaking only the occasional glance at her black panties.
When I'd finished drawing her, Sarah held my sketch up and examined it. "How do you feel? Happy with it?"
"Not entirely, but it's much better than when I started. Your tips are really helping."
"Is my nose really that big?" She self-consciously touched her face.
"You have a very pretty nose," I hastily reassured her. She smiled.
Sarah said that I'd probably be able to start on my preliminary sketches for my final work at our next meeting. I told her that I'd decided to stick with a more traditional portrait, and she was flattered when I asked whether she would consider continuing as my model. She agreed, and said she'd also keep assisting me while she worked on her own submission.
