Disappointed

A short story I wrote based on this picture and the comments: cinnabonne.deviantart.com/art/roodie-doodles-535525006





No.. This thing should go here... Yeah and this thing here. And this part had to be redrawn. He couldn’t allow the leg to stick out like that. This thing over here needed some more red, and he needed to tone down the blue here. Oh this painting was giving him such a headache, but he knew it would all be worth it in the end.

A few more brush strokes here. A bit more splash of color there. And then... He was finished.

Rudy took a step back and smiled at the painting he had just created. His body had some splashes of paint on as he wasn’t exactly the cleanest artist in the world. He put his hands on his hips and smiled with great pride. This was truly one of his best paintings he had ever created. It couldn’t have turned out better. All the details and color were just perfect.

He had created a painting of a two headed crocodile-like serpent. with large insect-like wings jetting out of its back to allow it to fly, equipped with somewhat small but still strong limbs to hold its body up. He imagined it could also rear onto its hind legs, using its free front ones to slash out at opponents. The creature had a vicious look in its red eyes, the pupils slit to show that it meant business.

All in all, he was glad with how this turned out. He had been struggling hard to think of a creature design. He looked over his shoulder, wincing at all the crumbled up pappers everywhere from past failed experiments. He could recall the grueling details of his struggles, and how he just wanted to pull his hair out.

Now he believed he finally got a working design. This creature would surely work. There was no way that artist guy coming into the classroom tomorrow could look at this and say it wasn’t the work of a true genius. He grinned broadly as he imagined the praise the man would give him for this art piece. Maybe he would even pay him to put it in his art book he was creating. He wasn’t sure if he could accept that kind of offer, but it would still be nice to hear. He enjoyed it when others appreciated his work.

He decided to let the picture dry first. He couldn’t show up at school with it while it was still wet. Some of the lines might get smudged up or mixed in. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He didn’t want that professional artist to see such a mess. He would make him feel as though he wasted his time, and he would feel awful if that were the case.

He still found it hard to believe that Gunner Paxton was actually in town this week. He couldn’t believe that he would show up here of all places. Plainsville wasn’t exactly the highlight stop for tourists going across states, let alone higher up people like Mr. Paxton. He would have missed this information if Mr. Wilter hadn’t mentioned he would be over. Rudy wasn’t sure why Mr. Wilter was attempting to bring in another artist, considering his stance on the subject, but oh well. He was excited for it.

He had talked endlessly about this day to Snap. As soon as he had heard the news, he had rushed into ChalkZone to tell him. The blue zoner was happy for him and wished him luck. Rudy would have claimed he didn’t need luck because he was a shoe in, but he didn’t want to sound that arrogant. He tried to be a bit more humble than that, especially after the incident where he had angered many zoners that he had wanted to ‘fix’.

He tried to clear his thoughts and he looked out of the window. He could see the golden orange glow of morning, the pink in the sky, the gradual change into light blue. It was really early, a time he normally wouldn’t be up. He could still feel the grogginess in his eyes, wanting to pull his eyelids closed and plop to sleep. He had struggled the best he could against this tiredness, and he was impressed with the result that he had gotten. It helped that he figured out the crocoserpent’s design last night before he went to bed.

The reason he woke up so early was so that he could get this painting finished and dry before it was time to head to school. He didn’t have to leave for another two hours. By then, this painting should be finished. Just in case, he probably should place it in a tight plastic bag to make sure that it doesn’t get smudged around too much during the ride to school. Better save than sorry.

He looked over at the clock noting that it was just 6:00 AM. He still felt a little tired, and school didn’t start until 8:30 AM. He should probably get a little bit of shut eye before he headed off to school. Yeah, sleep sounded pretty good right about now. He stretched his arms upward and let out a yawn. He gave one more prideful smile at his painting and he crawled back into bed, heading up the ladder and pushing himself underneath the blanket. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

sss

“Hey Rudy! Wake up! It’s time for school!”

Rudy let out a groan as he opened up his eyes. Was it really time to go to school already? It felt like he hadn’t gotten too much more sleep. Maybe just ten minutes and that was about it.

Well he might as well get up. His mother wasn’t going to leave him alone until he was out of bed and down the stairs. He pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. He yawned loudly and low as he stretched his back, feeling a moment of pleasure in his muscles as they were unstiffened. He wiped his mouth, smacked his lips a few times, and then moved his legs over the edge of his bed.

In his tiredness, he forgot that he was in the wrong spot, and that the ladder was more to the side than he had been. He got a wake up call when his body flung out of the bed and crashed into the ground. He seethed as he sat himself up onto his knees. He grabbed onto his head and gently rubbed it. He moved his hand along his arms and legs as well, where they had impacted against the ground. He hadn’t fallen that far, but man, this still hurt.

He could hear footsteps rushing towards his door. He looked over just in time to see his mother push the door open. He could see the worried look on her face, her eyes widened. She stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes darting around him to make sure that he was okay.

After a couple seconds, she said, “Rudy! Are you okay?! I heard a crash!”

“Oh I’m fine, mom. Really...” Rudy groaned as he rubbed his head, clenching his teeth. “I just...fell from the bed. That’s all.”

His mother gasped at this. She immediately rushed to his side. “Oh dear...are you hurt? Can you feel any pain?”

Rudy grunted as he felt his mother grab onto him and help him up to his feet. She held onto his arm while her other hand moved around his body a little, trying to assess any possible damage. Rudy couldn’t bring himself to say anything as his mother frantically searched him for any injuries. Part of it was due to still being really tired. The other being that he couldn’t really blame his mother for this reaction. He had never fallen out of the bed before, and while it wasn’t a great height, for his size, it was still a bit of a fall.

It took him a few moments before he could get himself to wriggle free from his mother. He took a few steps away from her and brushed himself off. His mother kept looking at him with those wide, concern-filled eyes. She looked at him intently, waiting for him to speak. He could tell from her expression alone that she wanted to rush over and give him another hug.

“I’m fine, really.” Rudy said as he gave himself another brush off. “I just fell. That’s all. Nothing is wrong with me.”

“Are you sure?” His mother moved in close again. She reached over and she grabbed onto his shoulder gently. She looked at him in the eyes, as if she were trying to find any scrap of deceit in his eyes. “You don’t need any medicine or...”

Rudy shook his head. “I’m fine.” He stared at her for a few seconds. The temptation to jerk away from her was strong, but he resisted it, not wanting to do anything to further upset her or worry her. He let out a sigh and looked behind him, towards the stares. “Is breakfast ready?”

At this, his mother released him and straightened herself up. She stared down at him for a few moments, her mind obviously running with several thoughts. She kept looking at him as if she expected him to confess some truth she thought he was hiding from him. When he did not, it seemed like she finally conceded that nothing was wrong. Her worried looked faded away, mostly, and a smile spread across her face.

“Yes. Your plate is ready.” She paused for a second. “Though you might want to heat it up.”

“Okay, thanks.” Rudy said with a smile. “I’ll be right down.”

He watched as his mother casted one more look of concern at him before she headed down the steps. He let out a small sigh and turned around. Although he would never say this in her face, he was a little glad that she had left for the time being. He understood why she was worried, but it was a little annoying how she kept doting over him despite the fact that he was obviously fine. His dad would have understood more quickly. But his mom... Well it might just be a thing with mothers, and she was only doing it because she cared about him.

He shifted his attention towards his painting. He wondered if it was finished drying yet. He had it sitting there for at least an hour. An hour and a half if he was lucky. He walked towards it slowly and reached his hand towards it. He pressed a finger against it lightly and applied a bit of pressure.

He frowned a little. It still felt a little wet and sticky. He pulled his finger away and stared down at it. He noted the small dot of color on his finger. His lip curled up slightly. Darn, he was hoping it would be fully dry by this point. It should have been.

Well at least there was still time before school started. He had, what, a half hour maybe? It wasn’t that wet really. Just a few more minutes and it should be good enough. Plus, the plastic cover he thought of using should be enough to keep it from smudging around. He wanted to keep it in the best condition possible for when he met Mr. Paxton.

He couldn’t help but wonder just what that man will say about it. He knew that Mr. Paxton’s specialty was mythological and made up creatures. Animals that could never have existed in the Real World. He seemed to enjoy looking at others’ art and seeing what kind of cool creations they came up with. The man would actively encourage creative thinking, and trying to go outside of the box. He would even sign pictures people brought to him, usually their own creations or someone else’s who were too shy, or unable to, show up in person.

And now it was going to be his turn. Just like those people, he was going to get to meet this man in person. He was going to get to speak with him, and show him his art. He was going to get his autograph and praise. It was going to be a wonderful day.

But no..he was going to go even further. Mr. Paxton was looking for great art to put in his book. Well he would not need to look any further. He was Rudy Tabootie, the best artist of his class. He was able to get his comic published and printed despite his young age. He was known as the Great Creator in ChalkZone, and for good reason. His skills at drawing were just terrific, and they were always improving as the days and years go on.

He meant no disrespect to the other aspiring artists who had met up with Mr. Paxton, but he knew that his design would be considered the best. He had put a lot of thought and detail into everything, something he didn’t think everyone did. Some of the other designs he saw looked too slapped together. It didn’t seem like they spent a lot of time thinking about the design and just draw what came to mind. But him.. He had spent hours trying to figure out everything, to create something that no one had seen before. He was quite proud with how it turned out, and he just knew that Mr. Paxton was going to love it.

He closed his eyes and he could see visions in his head of his future meeting with the man. He could also see some other aspiring artists start to come to him for autograph signing and for artistic advice. The thought of it made his smile spread further, nearly turning into a grin.

He broke out of the small daydream. He couldn’t waste anymore time thinking about what might be. He needed to get ready. His mother was waiting for him, and if he stayed here any longer, she was going to get so worried about him. He still needed to get himself changed out of his pajamas, brush his teeth, comb his hair, and whatever else to get ready for school.

Plus, why would he waste too much time on a mere daydream? Especiallywhen that dream was going to become a reality? He had replayed that daydream over and over, and while he knew there was a chance that things will happen a little different, he already had a strong, core idea of what he should expect. Who knows? Perhaps his experience today would be even better.

With this in mind, he immediately began to get ready for school.

sss

“And you’re not at all worried?” Penny asked as she stared over at him.

Rudy shook his head. He gave her a smile. “Why should I? I just know he’s going to love this!”

“Well yes, but...” Penny gave a slight frown. She paused for a few moments, trying to think of what to say. “You should really prepare yourself for the worst, Rudy. It’s..not good to have such high expectations.”

Rudy let out a soft sigh. “Yeah I know... But I just can’t help it.” He leaned back in the seat. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I know I’m going to impress him. There’s no way he wouldn’t like something about this creature.”

Penny glanced down at the painting he set against himself. It was fully dry at this point, and some of the colors seemed to stand out a little more after the drying process. She nodded her head as she regarded it, a small smile spreading along her face. “It is quite impressive, Rudy.” She looked over at him in the eyes. “Just...be prepared in case something goes wrong.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t.” Rudy said, grinning confidently.

Rudy could understand why Penny felt the way she did. She always preferred to err on the side of caution. She had written a few essays in the past, and was subject to criticism more times than he was. She understood high expectations and how things could easily go wrong. She has had her work critiqued time and again, prompting her to make changes to it, and it often came out better.

She also just didn’t want him to get too worked up over this. That was the worst thing that could happen. He could get so excited over this, and then something happened that he didn’t expect, and then it all fell apart. He did understand why he needed to keep himself from getting too excited so that it would hurt less when it all went wrong.

But he just couldn’t help himself. He found it hard to believe that Mr. Paxton would hate this design. Especially after he tells him how much time and effort he put into it, surely the man would at least commend his efforts. It would be wrong not to, right? And plus, shouldn’t effort alone be enough to have his art entered in his upcoming book, where he was going to show art from many aspiring artists as a way to encourage others to enter the field of art? Even if he didn’t like it...

Oh what was he getting all worried about? Of course Mr. Paxton was going to like it. There was no reason why he wouldn’t. He shouldn’t let himself think such things. He needed to remain positive. He was a great artist. He would be one of the best artists in the world as he got older. He shouldn’t have to worry. Everything was going to be just fine.

He did his best to keep himself relaxed and try not to let his excitement overflow too much as his dad continued to drive him and Penny to school. He and Penny sat next to each other and his mother was seated up in the driver’s seat. He could feel the leather of the seatbelt press against his body. An uncomfortable sensation, but he did not try to fight against it.

He recalled that his dad and mom were going to go somewhere today. Something about a parent thing... He couldn’t quite remember what it was. They weren’t going to be gone that long. They would be here later today to pick him up after school. Wherever they were going, he hoped they would have a great time. His parents didn’t always to get to go out together that much, except on their honeymoon and on holidays. It would be nice for them to be able to spend some quality time together.

He no longer felt upset with them excluding him. He was not happy with how he practically threw a tantrum when they wouldn’t let him go on their honeymoon. Apparently his mother had considered letting him go after that, something that made his gut twist in guilt. He made an effort not to let something like that happen again.

He managed to get the thoughts out of his head when he felt the car turn to one side. He looked over and saw that the car was just starting to pull into the parking lot of the school. He could hear the tired grinding against the rocks on the ground, knocking away a few stray pebbles. It took only a few more moments before the car stopped, pulling him and Penny up towards the steps that led into the front of the school.

“Okay, have fun at school, kids!” His mother said as she looked over her shoulder and smiled at them. “And good luck with the art, Rudy!”

At this, Rudy smiled. “Thanks, mom!”

He and Penny quickly unbuckled themselves. They grabbed onto their bags and got out of the car. Rudy was about to leave when he realized that he hadn’t grabbed his art yet. He gave a nervous chuckle. How could he have nearly forgotten this? He took a step back over, grabbed the painting, and yanked it out with him. He hooked it up underneath his arms, securing it there.

“See ya guys later!” Rudy said as he shut the door.

“Break a leg, son! Give it to him!”

Rudy paused as he stared at his dad in surprise. Not that he didn’t appreciate the encouragement. He was just a little surprised that his dad would even give him one. He usually wasn’t the one who offered encouragement like this unless it was related to his meat products in some way. His mother gave him the most encouragement when it came to his artistic skills and any kind of contest he would enter, stuff like that.

But it was still nice to get encouragement from his dad as well. He really did appreciate it. It was a long way from how it was before, when his dad had more than a little doubt in his skills and was more vocal about what he wanted him to do; give up art and pursue a more ‘adult’ career despite him being a kid. His dad had made it well known that he wanted him to help run the shop at some point when he got older, an aspiration that Rudy didn’t really share. But now it seemed that his dad was becoming more accepting of it, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was only because his dad could use his art and design to help promote the store.

Well the encouragement was still nice anyway. It was the thought that counted, right?

He watched as his parents drove away. The tires screeched a little as they made a really sharp turn, causing him to flinch and cringe. He wished his dad would slow down. They weren’t going to be late to their...whatever they were doing if they drove at regular speed. As soon as they disappeared, he turned his head towards Penny. She was waiting at the steps for him, waving for him to come over.

Rudy immediately rushed over to Penny. He held the painting against himself tightly, doing his best not to allow it to slip from his hands. He didn’t take too long to reach his friend. Soon he stood in front of her, giving a few soft pants as he tried to relax his speeding heart.

Penny took notice of this and gave him a sympathetic expression. “Nervous?”

Rudy stared at her, his eyes widened slightly. “Me? No, I...” Penny narrowed her eyes. Rudy sighed. “Yeah, a little.”

Penny gave him a smile. “It’s okay to feel nervous.” She reached over and touched him on the shoulder. “But it’ll be okay. Just try to relax. And if he rejects your work, don’t take it personally. All artists have to go through struggles once in a while.” She leaned in towards him, pressing her forehead against him. “Do not feel discouraged.”

Rudy smiled at his friend. “Thanks, Penny.”

Rudy wasn’t sure why he felt a little doubtful just then. He had been so confident before, and when Penny had mentioned earlier about not getting worked up, he had pushed it aside due to his confidence. So what had happened? Why suddenly did he feel as though he should have some doubts about this?

Perhaps it was the whole ‘meeting the artist’ that had him a little worked up. It was one thing to admire Mr. Paxton’s work from afar, and to see videos and television and books about him. It was one thing to be just waiting for him to come over and imagining what the meeting might be like. It was a whole other thing altogether to actually go into the school and meet him directly. To actually interact with him himself was very different from just seeing and experiencing him through other means, especially his imagination. He had heard stories of great artists and authors turning out to be jerks in real life. Would he be the same?

He tried to get the thoughts out of his head. He shouldn’t judge him yet. He hadn’t met him, and plus he had seen some evidence, like him giving advice to artists, as an indication that he isn’t some kind of creepazoid. Whatever he had to say about his art, he was certain it wouldn’t be that bad.

He stared down at his painting. His smile slowly returned and he gave a soft chuckle. Besides.. How could he possibly hate this thing? What negatives could he possibly say about it, especially with all the corrects and thought put into it.

Yeah, he was getting worked up over nothing. He had to remind himself of his past successes. This wouldn’t be any different. He just knew it.

“Well we should head inside before we give Mr. Wilter a reason to make a speech how ‘useless art is’ and how we should all be learning our geography.” Rudy said with a small, playful sneer. “Like he knows what he’s talking about.”

Penny gave him a small, playful push. “Come on, let’s get going.”

The two kids shared a quick smile to each other before they headed up the steps. They entered the building in seconds, and they began to navigate the hallways towards their classroom.

As they approached, Rudy found himself moving a little slower than usual. He found this to be strange. Not that he loved Mr. Wilter’s classroom or anything, but he normally would move faster than this to get to class. Especially if there was an event such as today that he was looking forward to. Could it be that he was more worried than even he had led himself to believe? Did he think that something would go horribly wrong and...

What nonsense. It was going to be fine. He just knew it.

He saw the door to Mr. Wilter’s room. He could hear the familiar voice talking behind it. He felt his eyes brighten up and he quickened his pace slightly.

Yeah.. It was going to be fine.

sss

It felt as though time had went on too fast when Mr. Paxton had to start packing up his things. He had somewhere else he needed to be, but he had been generous enough to stay a little longer. Rudy could tell that Mr. Wilter was a little happy to see him start to get ready to leave. Rudy couldn’t help but chuckle at this.

“I do apologize. But I do hope that my help had been useful for you all.” Mr. Paxton stated as he began to place his supplies in his briefcase.

“Yeah it was... really informative.” Mr. Wilter said awkwardly. It was clear he was having a hard time giving a proper appreciative statement to someone, especially since his career wasn’t exactly one he had approved of. Rudy had to wonder how long the principal had to speak to him before he allowed this. “We will see you later.”

Mr. Paxton nodded his head at him. “It was a pleasure being here.”

Mr. Wilter said, “And it was a pleasure having you here, Mr. Paxton.”

Rudy couldn’t believe how enjoyable this class had been. He had learned a number of things about brush stroke techniques and shadows. The man had been pretty nice, answering many questions that were given to him, and trying to take his time to answer them. He didn’t try to brush anyone off, which was something he had known some professional artists do. He was glad that he wasn’t like those artists.

He watched eagerly as Mr. Paxton began to hand out paperwork. Specifically, the results of his choices. He had asked all the students to give him something that he could use for his book. He would only choose five. He said he wished he could include more, but he really only had so much room. Some sacrifices were going to be made. Rudy was going to feel sorry for whoever wasn’t chosen, but he hoped they didn’t take it seriously. After all, they could always try again some other time, or submit their work elsewhere. Someone would be appreciative of it.

The flapping of papers filled the air as each row of students grabbed their paperwork and then passed on the pile. The papers began to get closer to him. The closer they got, the more excited he started to get. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, threatening to burst open.

Now the next person in front of him had it. Penny. She grabbed her paper and she handed the pile over to him. Rudy grabbed it eagerly. He grabbed his paper and moved it down to the next person. He turned his attention back to the paper and he eagerly scanned his paper to see where his picture had been excepted.

So far, he didn’t see his. He did see a list of other works that were submitted and who made them. Most of them had ‘Rejected’ written next to them, and he could hear the groans of students around him as they came to realize that their hard work wasn’t getting in. He felt for them. It must be hard to get hard work rejected like that. But it wasn’t the end of the world. He continued looking through, getting excited to see his acceptance.

No... Wait... That was impossible. He must be misreading it. There had to be something wrong here. Maye he leveled it wrong and he thought that... Yeah that had to to be it. There was no way that this was possible.

He folded the the paper up, lining it up with the closest row. This way it would be impossible for him to get it wrong. He slowly moved it up, his eyes glued intently on the lines of names and titles. He continued to move up until it was lined at where he was looking at before.

The same thing. Nothing changed. He hadn’t misread it. He stared at it long and hard, unable to believe it. Yet despite any attempts to deny it, he knew it was true.

Mr. Paxton had rejected his work.

Rudy felt as though a rock had fallen on top of him. He suddenly felt too light, like he was going to fall down at any given moment. He placed his hand on his stomach, struggling to keep himself from feeling too sick. His mind swirled with thoughts, his eyes darting from left to right. He tried to make sense of the situation. He just...couldn’t understand it. How could his work get rejected, but Reggie Bullnerd got accepted? How was that even possible?

He looked over at the bully. He could see Reggie smiling smugly as he looked at the other students and gloated about his acceptance. Reggie took notice of him staring at him. He gave a dark sneer and waved the paper tauntingly.

“Aww what’s the matter, Tabootie?” Reggie said in a cold voice. “Didn’t get what you wished for? Gee, I guess that means you aren’t so special after all.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes at him. “Not like you could contribute much. You only care about yourself.”

Reggie chortled at this. “But who got accepted? Me...” He pointed a finger at him. “But not you.”

Rudy growled at this. He tried to keep himself calm. He tried to hold it in and ignore whatever Reggie said to him. He knew the bully was just trying to entice him to fight back, and he had to resist that. He forced himself to look away, ignoring the taunts that the bully thrusted at him. Even as he did his best to ignore him, Reggie still went at it, even when Penny defended him. Mr. Wilter put a stop to it quickly, thankfully, and Reggie’s hurtful words died down.

Rudy’s mind was buzzing with thoughts, his body temperature feeling like a mixture of hot and cold. Burning yet freezing. He looked at the desk, feeling as though his energy was zapped from him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. He just...had a hard time fully accepting what had happened.

How could this man reject his work? How could he look at what he had worked so hard on and just...toss it away like it was nothing? How could he not at least appreciate what he had done for him? Didn’t his effort mean anything? Rudy was aware of how hypocritical he was being right now but at the moment he simply didn’t care.

He looked over and watched as the professional artist was packing up his things. He was saying more stuff to the students. Something about congratulations to the winners or something along those lines. Rudy could hardly hear what he said. All he could think of was the fact that this man had rejected his work. His congratulations meant nothing to him, as he wasn’t doing any of it towards him. He was saying all these nice things, but he knew they weren’t about his work.

Rudy could feel a burning sensation rise up inside of him. He looked around his eyes easily picking up the smiles of the winners. He narrowed his eyes. What did they do to deserve this? Had they really worked all that hard on their designs? He knew Reggie didn’t. He just slapped whatever together. He still couldn’t believe that this guy thought Reggie, the guy who created the Doofi for crying out loud, was more worthy of being in that book than him. Reggie...

Rudy felt his body temperature heating up greatly. He felt a wave of betrayal rush through him, despite the fact that Mr. Paxton had never promised his work would be chosen. He could feel his body tremble as he grabbed onto his desk. He looked down at the paper. If he could shoot lasers out of his eyes, he would be burning the piece of paper right now, setting it on fire.

It just wasn’t fair. He had worked so hard on that picture. He had spent hours toiling over it. He had redone the sketch many times. He had made sure to make sure there were no mistakes. He checked very inch of the painting to make sure it was right. He had been so proud of that work. He felt it was one of the best representations of his current artistic ability. And if this man didn’t think it was tood enough...

Rudy growled through his teeth, clenching his hands into tight fists. He could feel his body shaking harder, his face practically burning underneath the skin. He ground his teeth together, nearly making them pop out of his jaws. He raised his fists up and he slammed them as hard as he could.

As soon as he did, all went eerily silent. Rudy hardly lifted up his head to look around. He didn’t care about the shocked stares over at him. He didn’t care how horrified Penny looked seeing him like this. He didn’t care about the nervous whispers under people’s breaths. The only thing he was aware of was Mr. Paxton, who was looking over at him in surprise. Yeah, of course he would be surprised...

“Rudy Tabootie!” Mr. Wilter broke the silence. “What’s the meaning of this?!” Rudy didn’t answer him. Mr. Wilter rose up out of his chair and pointed at him. “Do you hear me, young man?!”

Rudy looked over and glared at him. The man’s eyes widened a little when he saw his expression. He immediately shut his mouth and went silent. The fact that even Mr. Wilter wasn’t daring to speak up against him was saying something. But this fact was lost over him as Rudy kept his attention on Mr. Paxton. For the moment, this man was the only one that mattered. It was he whom he wanted to speak to. No one else.

“Rudy... Please...” Penny whispered softly. “Don’t...”

Rudy brushed here off immediately, giving a soft growl. He couldn’t keep control of his emotions anymore. He couldn’t hold back now. The emotional wall had been broken through and now the burning anger was rushing through his body, overflowing him with its heated power. All that for one person alone.

Mr. Paxton.

“How dare you...” Rudy growled underneath his breath. He stood over his seat, his body hunched, his eyes closed and teeth clenched. “I worked really hard...” His voice sounded strained through his clenched teeth. “How could you have said no...?”

“I...” Mr. Paxton started to say.

Rudy shot his head up quickly. “How?! How could you have chosen his work...” He motioned towards a shocked Reggie. “Over mine?” He motioned to himself. “I’m more passionate about art than he is!”

Mr. Paxton raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you’re being unfair? He earned it. Shouldn’t you, as an aspiring artist, congratulate him instead of moping about not being chosen?”

Rudy hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ll tell you what’s not fair! Spending days and hours toiling over the same panting, getting every nook and cranny right, fixing up all the minor errors that I found, and then come here, only to find that you don’t give a crap about progress!” He gave Reggie a sideways glance. “I bet Reggie only spent a fraction of my time on his work.”

This caused a series of gasps to rush through the room. Reggie and Rudy were always butting heads, but Rudy had never insulted Reggie in such a direct and mean-spirited away. Penny gasped at this, putting her hand to her mouth. The other students were silent or whispering faint words. Mr. Paxton’s eyes were bulging. The only one who could speak was Mr. Wilter, and he just managed a small whisper.

“Rudy Tabootie...”

He could detect a level of disappointment in Mr. Wilter’s voice, but he did not care. He just continued to glare at Mr. Paxton, wanting to make sure he knew just how much he had hurt him. He worked hard on that picture and not getting chosen was a grave insult to his work. He was a better artist than everyone around here. This teacher not recognizing it... He never thought one of the artists he looked up to could be so blind.

The silence lasted for a while. Except for a few whispers, he couldn’t really hear anything outside the buzzing of his own mind. It was only after a few moments that Mr. Paxton had started to speak again.

“Do you really think you’re that special?”

At this, Rudy’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at the artist with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open. Some of the anger from before began to wash away as the realization of that statement went through him. “...What..?” He whispered.

Mr. Paxton narrowed his eyes as he moved towards him. “You heard me. Do you really think you’re that special?" He repeated. “You think that just because you’re some big shot here, the only student to have a comic published, that you can dictate what is art and what isn’t?”

Rudy took in a few quick breaths. “N-No...I...”

Mr. Paxton cut him off. “Well you’re not. You’re in the same vein as everyone else here. You are a learning artist. Don’t act like you’re all that just because you got some comic published. Do you really think that a single comic publication puts you on par with me, or anyone else like me? You hadn’t gotten a true taste of success yet. Having one comic comic published does not suddenly make you such a big success. There’s so much more.”

Rudy licked his lips nervously as the artist’s words permeated through his head. He took in a few quick breaths, a part of him not wanting to believe this was happening. Gunner Paxton, the artist whom he had seen be friendly with people and giving friendly advice, was scolding him. This..This had to be some sort of bad dream or...

“If you want to know why I rejected your work, kid, then okay. I will tell you.”

Rudy looked up at the man, who was still moving towards him slowly. He noticed the other students were watching curiously. He didn’t pay attention to them, his eyes remaining locked at the man’s deep brown ones.

“It’s because it’s a rather generic design.” Rudy felt his eyes bulge at this, an ache in his heart spreading. The man continued, “It’s just another two-headed dragon, which I’ve seen plenty of. I know Reggie’s dumpster monster picture isn’t up to your ‘standards’, boy...” Rudy flinched at this. “But at least his is something new. And your insect wings? They would not hold that dragon thing up in the air for long, and its limbs are way too small to realistically hold that thing up. When I said I was looking for art, I meant art that had some realism to it, not something that could only work in some fantasy world.”

“B-But...” Rudy tried to say. He couldn’t speak any further as Mr. Paxton still wasn’t done.

“You need to learn a thing or two about being humble. You can take pride in your work, but you’ve taken it too far. From how you acted now, you would be one of the shittiest artist it would ever be my misfortune to know. You would be a terrible role model, and you would only care about yourself. You would not be someone I could look up to.” At this point, Mr. Paxton reached his desk. He placed his hands down and leaned towards him, glaring at him in the eyes. “You are rather arrogant, boy, and with that attitude, you aren’t going to very far.”

Rudy could feel a burning ache in his heart. He looked over at Penny. She had a shocked yet sympathetic look in her eyes. He couldn’t stare at her long, her expression somehow making him feel worse. He turned his head away and looked up at Mr. Paxton. His mouth remained open as he took in a few more breaths, his mind trying to process what he just said.

He felt as though his heart had been ripped in two. He clutched his chest a little, feeling his heart begin to race in it. Just like before, but this time for an entirely different reason. He looked up at the man, unable to tear his eyes away. He could feel a sensation behind his eyes and he knew they were the start of tears. He struggled to keep himself in control. He took in a few shaky breaths, trying his best to calm himself down. He couldn’t take this personally. He just...

Mr. Paxton leaned in slightly further. “If you want to make it through the world of art, you have to adapt. You need to realize that not everyone will care about your art. The sooner you realize that, the better. But as you are now, you would fail. And you know what? No one would really care.”

Rudy gasped at this, leaning his head back and staring at him in shock. “I-I...”

Even Mr. Wilter looked a bit unnerved by that comment. “Now, Mr. Paxton...” He said in a calm voice. “Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on him...?”

Mr. Paxton paused for a moment. He let out a sigh and said, “It is better I be hard on him now than later down the line. He has a lot to learn.” He leaned away from the desk and folded his arms against his chest. “Besides, I think he deserved a little wake up call. He will never make it far if he does not recognize his own faults, and he cannot use his shitty child comics to raise himself above the rest. Otherwise, he’s just another drop in the bucket.”

That tore it. Rudy could not take it any longer. The harsh words the man spoke buzzed around his head like furious saws. They cut through his mind painfully, his heart being crushed into small pieces. The emotional dam that had been building up to that point finally broke, an overflow of emotion taking over.

Mr. Paxton noticed the flow of tears moving down his face. His frown slowly dissipated, and he whispered in a more gentle voice. “...kid?”

Rudy didn’t want to hear anything more. He had heard enough from this man. He wanted to leave, get out of here. He didn’t care if he would get in trouble. Right now, all he cared about was getting away, as far away as he could. He swiftly got up out of his seat, his chair squeaking behind him. He began to make his way towards the front of the classroom.

“Rudy Tabootie, get back in your seat right now!” Mr. Wilter shouted at him, holding up a finger in the air. “Rudy Tabootie!”

Rudy did not listen to the teacher’s words. He just continued to make his way towards the door. He walked at first, but in seconds he broke into a run. He ignored the shouting behind him as he raced out of the classroom door and down the hallway. He didn’t care where he was running, just as long as he got away from here.

His feet pounded the ground as he rushed down the hallway, brushing past some confused students. He took random turns, twisting and turning to get around anyone or anything that was in his way. He could hear some confused statements, but he didn’t care to stop to answer them, or fully understand what they were saying. All he cared about was running. His mind pounded with emotion, his tears continuing to flow down his face, his vision becoming blurry.

He only stumbled to a stop when he found that he was about to crash into Michelle. The slightly older student backed away and was about to make a comment when she noticed that he was crying.

“Rudy...? What’s wrong?” She asked softly.

Rudy stared at her, his lower lip quivering. He watched as she moved closer to him. She reached a hand towards him as if to touch him. He jerked his head away and he darted down the hallway.

“Rudy?!” Michelle cried in confusion.

Rudy ignored her calls and just kept on running. He made a few more turns. He nearly collided with more students. He didn’t stop to say anything, or look at them. He kept on running as fat as he could, tears still stinging his cheeks.

He didn’t know how much longer he had run before he finally found a place he could hide. He jumped into the janitor’s closet and shut the door behind him. He didn’t care about the feeling of the mop against him as he brushed passed it. He didn’t care about the smell of the chemicals that hung strongly in the air. He didn’t care about the dankness of the room or how dark it was. At the moment, he didn’t care about anything except what had happened to him in the classroom.

He couldn’t believe that man would say those things about him. He couldn’t believe that he would go so far. He never thought that he would have acted like that. Whatever happened to the man that would be so helpful to aspiring artists? Did that man ever exist? Had he believed in the wrong person this whole time?

Rudy pressed his back against the wall. He slid down, his legs spreading outward at his sides. Heaviness like some huge rock weighed down upon him, making it difficult for him to try to get up. Not that he wanted to. He hunched his body over a little, his mind replaying those words over and over again.

He would make an awful idol...? He would be a self-absorbed conceited artist? He...didn’t have any idea what true success was? ...his comic was shitty...?

Those comments, along with the others the man said, or implied, raced through his head. He took in a few shaky breaths, trying his best to control his breathing. He tried to keep himself calm, but found it impossible to do so. Those words broke through his heart all over again, shattering whatever remained of them.

He couldn’t believe he had wasted time believing and trusting in that creepazoid. He couldn’t believe he had created something he thought was so beautiful, only to be rejected by him. He wanted to be furious with him. He wanted to shout to the world just what kind of person he really was. His head ached and pounced as his teeth clenched, the temptation to just scream and shout growing greater by the second.

But he just couldn’t. A horrific burning sensation rushed through him, his heart feeling like it was turning into ice. He couldn’t help but wonder if the man had been right about him. Was he really so self-absorbed that he would be one of those jerk artists that he didn’t care for? He did insult Reggie and...

Rudy couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t stop the sobs from escaping his mouth. He pulled his legs together, pressed against his chest and hugging them, and he began to cry loudly. He pressed his face against his knees, letting out a series of choked sobs and whimpers.

sss

“Oh, Bucko... I’m so sorry that happened..” Snap spoke in a sympathetic voice.

Rudy didn’t answer him. He was down on his knees, his body hunched over further. His eyes were shut and he was struggling not to cry. He kept failing, and sob after sob escaped his throat. He clenched his teeth, occassionally opening it up to let out a louder cry. Mucous dripped out of his nose, forcing him to wipe it a few times. His body shook hard, the emotions relentlessly running through him.

He couldn’t remember what happened the rest of the day. He didn’t remember how long he had been in the closet crying, or how long it took for Mr. Wilter to find him. He didn’t remember what the other students said to him, or anyone really. It was all just a blur to him. A fuzzy, pain riddled blur.

He did eventually stop crying and become rather quiet. He remembered when his parents came, they were worried and concerned with how silent he had been. Not uttering a single word to them, not even in the car as they took him and Penny home. It wasn’t until he had gotten home and he had time to reflect more on what happened that the emotion just wracked through him again, and he resumed his crying.

He knew he couldn’t have handled this on his own. He cursed himself for not requesting Penny to stay over. She could have been able to do something to help him feel better. She was always good about that sort of thing. And yet when his parents asked about it, he didn’t say anything. He just fled up the stairs. Now it was too late to ask her to come over to visit him.

Luckily, he did have someone to talk to. He had taken out a piece of magic chalk and he immediately went into ChalkZone. It didn’t take him long to find Snap. He had his friend take him to his treehouse where he could speak to him more privately. He didn’t want any attention from random zoners right now, and he knew he would get that when the zoners noticed that their Great Creator was sobbing.

Great Creator... What a joke... If he were so great, then how could he not do the simplest thing and get his art accepted into some stupid book? If he were so great, why did that artist he had looked up to insult him like that? He wasn’t a Great Creator. He was just some wannabe. He should give up the magic chalk now, before he becomes that jerk that Mr. Paxton thought he was going to be.

But Snap didn’t see things that way.

“Rudy, you can’t let what he says get to you. Who cares what he thinks?” Snap reached out and touched his hand. “I think you’re a great artist, and so does everyone else in ChalkZone. Penny thinks you’re really good, too.”

“Y-Yeah... But none of you are renowned artists, are you...?” Rudy said, sounding more bitter than he had intended. He moved his head up and glared at Snap. “None of you have published works in books or magazines or anything... How would you know my art was any good?”

Rudy didn’t mean to sound that bitter. It just happened; he was not able to fully control himself. He had so much anger building up, intermixing with the sorrow, that his mind just couldn’t help but release some of that frustration. Thankfully, Snap’s expression showed that the zoner was well aware of this misplaced anger and only stared at him sympathetically.

“Yeah, but he’s just one guy. I don’t care how great his art is, or how successful he is. He is wrong to think that you would never become successful, or that you would become anything like those jerk artists you told me about. He doesn’t know who you are. He doesn’t know what you will become like. He has no right to judge you.” Said Snap. His grip on his hand tightened a little. “He isn’t you, so he has no idea what is really going on through that brilliant mind of yours. Don’t pay attention to what he says, Bucko. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Rudy wished he could take Snap’s advice. He would love to be able to put all of this behind him and move on. Snap was right. Mr. Paxton was just one artist. One man, and one voice. He couldn’t allow that man’s words to color his perspect of who he was.

Yet...it was so hard to stay positive. He had never been critiqued in such a harsh manner before. He had never had his heart so ripped apart mercilessly. He had never been so insulted and so horrified before. It was a difficult wave of emotions moving all around him, leaving a stranglehold on his psyche. He couldn’t push it away, and that manifested into more tears. His vision was so blurry that he could no longer make out Snap’s features all that well.

Despite having a hard time fully believing Snap’s words, he did take some comfort in them. With what happened to him before, hearing some kind words from his friends did help take away at least some of the stinging pain. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something.

Feeling Snap’s hand grip his, feeling his other hand rubbing over on top of it, did provide some more pleasurable sensations that helped allievate his mind more. His knees still pressed against the ground for balance, he used his free hand to wipe away the tears from his eyes. He opened them up and blinked a few times. His vision become a little sharper. He looked down at Snap, watching as he looked up at him with those sad, sympathetic eyes, his brows curved upward in a worried expression.

Rudy wanted so much to smile. He wanted to feel better. He wanted to stop making Snap worry about him so much. He wanted to just return to his life as if nothing happened.

He found this task to be impossible. He just couldn’t concentrate on doing anything. Anytime he thought about trying to do another picture or something, he could hear that man’s voice in the back of his head, taunting him about not being a real artist, or saying how much of an asshole or shitty artist he was going to be when he gets older. This was enough to make him to stop trying to make the attempt before he even got to a piece of paper or any pencil.

He hated feeling this way. He felt like he was being such a big baby. He had to push past this. Yet whenever he tried, he failed. He would constantly hear those words in his head over and over, and he would feel his will depleting rapidly until there was nothing left. What irony... He had often believed that critiquing was something good and not worth getting upset over. And that’s exactly what he was doing. He was getting worked up over this and he just couldn’t stop himself.

He could feel Snap moving in closer. He could feel the zoner’s arms wrap around his body. He could feel the zoner’s face press up against his shoulder. Rudy stiffened up a little, not expecting this sort of gesture. He didn’t make a move to reject it. Instead, he felt his body loosen up and press himself further against his friend, using his back muscles to keep himself from completely falling into him. He wrapped his arms around Snap and he pressed him against himself, rubbing his cheek against his head.

“It’s going to be okay, Rudy. You’ll see.” Snap whispered to his friend. “Soon this will all just be a memory and you won’t even remember that creepazoid’s name. So don’t worry...”

Rudy sniffled. “I’ll always..r-remember his name...” He took in a shaky breath. “R-R-Reggie will constantly remind me...”

Snap rubbed his back gently. “Don’t worry about what ol’ Bullnerd says to you. Just forget what that artists says. You’re much better than he ever will be. You go out saving real people. What does that guy do? He gets pictures in books. By comparison, that is pretty dull.”

Rudy felt himself brighten up a little at that. He knew Snap was correct about that statement. Rudy’s art did matter to more people because he helped and even saved lives with it. This was more than what he could say for Mr. Paxton, who would never be able to use his art in such a manner.

But that didn’t make his words any less hurtful. If anything, it just made them feel worse. It was so confusing, such a big shock, that he could use this art to save lives, and yet the simple task of getting accepted in some shitty book that this guy passes around was out of his reach. Just how pathetic is that? Reggie, who isn’t even interested in an art career, got in easily, but not him. Just...how ironic was that?

He had worked really hard on that two-headed crocodile creature. He had done a job carefully designing it to make sure everything worked. And he got rejected. Reggie’s picture was just thrown together at the last second, and the fact that he got in instead of him, despite a huge difference in the skill department, made his gut wrench. It just wasn’t fair.

Rudy suddenly heard his mother calling from downstairs.

“Rudy! You have a visitor!”

Rudy immediately let go of Snap. The two boys remained on their knees, looking at each other. Snap’s expression hinted relief, and Rudy was certain his did, too. He knew that the visitor could be none other than Penny. He was grateful that she managed to get her mother to take her out here, despite how late it was. He knew that she must have a lot of questions for him. He looked forward to her comforting, and her trying to help him see the more positive side of things. He certainly needed it right about now.

“I’m upstairs!” Rudy called out. He said nothing more; his mother knew that comment was his way of saying ‘send Penny up the stairs’.

He and Snap turned towards the door and waited. They could hear the footsteps approaching, moving up the steps and then getting closer to the door. They both did take notice of how different the footprints sounded compared to what they were used to with Penny. But they shrugged it off, believing that her frantic concern for Rudy was making her run a little more forcefully.

They could soon see the shadow of something on the other side of the door. The shadow of the person on the other side cut through the opening in the floor, spreading out into the room. The door knob was grabbed and it began to jingle.

It was then that Rudy hurt a grunt. He and Snap looked at each other in shock. That...didn’t sound like Penny. Rudy couldn’t get much information out of that grunt, but it sounded like someone a lot older, and more masculine. Perhaps it was Mr. Wilter? He had never done this before, but with how he had reacted in school, maybe the teacher just wanted to make sure that he was okay? He did look concerned for him before.

Soon the door began to open. It was too late for him to get Snap into ChalkZone and erase the portal before the guy came in. He opted to just turn the portal around and place it underneath his bed. He kept Snap close, putting an arm around him. He was well prepared to use that foreign exchange student lie if he had do.

It didn’t take him long to recognize the figure who stepped into his bedroom. The sight of him caused Snap to growl a little, and Rudy’s mind to race in shock and anger.

“M-Mr. Paxton...?” Rudy managed to say in a weak, soft voice. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

Mr. Paxton took a few step into the room. He stared at Rudy for a few moments, his expression looking almost sympathetic. He opened his mouth, but hesitated for a couple seconds. He finally spoke up. “May I speak to you, Rudy?”

Rudy wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. In that moment, his mind began to spin with multitple thoughts as he stared at the man. A part of him was tempted to tell the man to buzz off, that he had no interest in talking to him. Another part was curious. Why would the man come all the way here to speak to him? Why hadn’t he just gone home yet? In the end, the confusion began to win over his initial anger, and he raised his head up a little.

“...I guess...” He managed to say before he turned his head away.

“What do you need to say to him, anyway?” Snap grumbled softly. “I think you said enou...”

Rudy nudged Snap with his elbow. He gave his friend a stern look. Snap looked at him and immediately understood the message. He nodded his head before giving a soft, warning glare to Mr. Paxton. The zoner took a few steps back. He gave a quick glance at the flipped chalkboard before looking back and watching the scene play out.

Rudy watched as the man took a few steps towards him. His expression was still a bit firm, much like how he was at the school. But this time, he could detect some gentleness in it, and some tentativeness as well. He wasn’t sure what brought this on, leading him to wonder if there was more the man had wanted to tell him in the school. The thought twisted his gut as he imagined what other harsh things this guy was going to say.

“Look, I...” Mr. Paxton paused for a moment. He stared down at Rudy, biting his lip. It took him a few moments before he managed to get himself to continue, “Are you..okay?”

At this, Rudy clenched his teeth, his eyes widening in shock. Did the man really ask that? Did he honestly not know how much he had hurt him in the school? Did that seriously not cross his mind? Rudy was tempted to say so many things to him right now. There were even a few particular choice words he had for him.

He managed to keep himself silent, however. He knew saying those statements, especially with those...colorful words...would only make things worse. It would only seem to further prove the man’s point about what he had said earlier. He didn’t want to give him another reason to make him believe that he was right about him. Wanting to prove him wrong, he simply kept his mouth shut and stared at the man, struggling against frowning.

“What do you think?” Snap asked. A quick look from Rudy prompted the zoner to stop where he was, and to try to speak more calmly. “He hasn’t exactly been having a good time after what you said in the school.”

Rudy was glad that Snap resembled a human child in a costume, otherwise, he’d be panicking right now. So far, as Mr. Paxton stared at him, he never once looked overly suspicious, and didn’t once ask about Snap. That didn’t mean he entirely liked it when the man kept staring at him, and he waited for him to speak up, to just get it over with.

“Yeah, I can see that. I saw the way he ran... Not many were happy with me. Least of all his parents.” Mr. Paxton turned to fixate his stare on Rudy. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Rudy growled, “To please the others, I presume?”

Mr. Paxton shook his head. “I actually went to look for you before anyone expressed their displeasure towards me.” He placed a hand against his chest. “I might be a highly esteemed artist, but that doesn’t mean I’m heartless.”

Snap hissed and was about to speak. He only stopped when Rudy raised up his hand and shook his head. Reluctantly, Snap closed his mouth and took a step back. He gave another warning glare to Mr. Paxton. Rudy wasn’t sure what Snap wanted to do, but he knew that Snap was smart enough not to try it. He was glad for that; he didn’t want to give the man a reason to call the police on them.

“You’ve been..crying for a while, I see.” Mr. Paxton said simply as he stared at Rudy’s face. This prompted the boy to reach up and wipe away a few new tears that had found their way out of his eyes. “Did what I say...hurt you that much?”

Rudy growled at this, letting a few more tears stroll down his face unhindered. “You told me that I sucked! That I was going to be some kind of awful person! You just wouldn’t stop!”

Memories of what Mr. Paxton had said to him came flooding back. His body shook with emotion as the tears began to flow faster. He clenched his teeth, feeling mucous pour out of his nose and down his face, intermixing with the tears. Snap looked at him sympathetically, reaching a hand towards him. Rudy shook his head, not wanting to be touched right now. This prompted Snap to glare accusingly at Mr. Paxton.

“I looked up to you! I trusted you! I even drew that picture for you! But you said it wasn’t good enough! You squashed over what I had accomplished and you accused me of something I wasn’t trying to do!” Rudy wailed, letting out all the pent up emotion that had swelled up inside. “I-I can’t believe that I...”

At this, he started to feel sick. He rubbed his stomach, feeling the strong nausea spread through him. He took in a few breaths, looking left and right, as the racing thoughts began to culminate. He gritted his teeth, feeling the burning sensation in his stomach spread. The back of his eyes felt like they were getting on fire, and the pool of tears heated up dramatically, to the point where he was genuinely shocked that they didn’t evaporate in the air right then.

He couldn’t hold it back anymore. The horrible, stinging words this man had told him continuously broke through his mind, bombarding him, refusing to let him turn away. His temptation to shout more at the man dissipated as his lower lip quivered. The memories flooded around him, both the words and his initial feelings to it, and he was not able to stop himself any longer. Down on his kneels, his fingers curling and gripping the ground, he began to cry. He didn’t care if they were looking. He just let it out, letting the tears fall as his mouth was open and quivered.

Rudy wasn’t sure how long he cried. He was only aware of his loud weeping, and once in a while, he opened up his eyes to see Snap positioned in front of him. He, too, was on his knees. He reached out and touched him on the shoulder, an attempt to comfort him. Sometimes he would look away, presumably to glare at Mr. Paxton.

Rudy continued to cry, keeping his head low and his eyes shut. The hot tears streamed down his face, and his nose began to stuff up, making it hard for him to breathe through it. He opened his mouth wider, hearing his own shaky breaths as he continued to breathe in an uneven fashion. He took in a loud, trembling breath, clenched his teeth and sniffled loudly. Then he reopened his mouth and let out a couple shaky sobs.

Suddenly he was aware of a bit of darkness and warmth near him. He opened his eyes just in time to feel something large, soft, and warm wrap around him in a tight hug. He looked up and to his shock, it was Mr. Paxton. Rudy struggled a little, not wanting to be near him, but the comfort of the man’s hug helped to calm him down a little.

“I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, kid. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Mr. Paxton whispered softly. “I didn’t realize how harsh I was being until after you ran. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry...”

Rudy wanted to say something, anything, but he found his voice was stolen. All he could do was continue to sob and whimper, unable to stop himself. He struggled as hard as he could to stop himself, but his efforts were in vain. If anything, he seemed to only make it harder on himself.

“Go ahead and cry, kid. It’s all right. I won’t judge you. Just cry and let it all out.”

Upon the man’s encouragement, Rudy did so. He did not try to hold back and let his cries and sobs fill the room. They practically echoed off the walls, creating quite the melacholnic music. He became unaware of anything else in the room. He was only vaguely aware of Snap watching with a cautious expression. He was not aware of what room he was in. The only thing he was aware of was crying against something warm, soft, and large. Mr. Paxton himself.

He found himself wrapping his arms around the man and cuddling closer to him. The same man who had hurt his feelings, whom he was angry with, he was hugging. In that moment, his mind didn’t really care what this man did to him; it only cared about what he was doing now. And right now, the warmth embrace was something his troubled mind was seeking, and he pressed himself further against the man, the back of his mind instinctively seeking comfort and reassurance.

Slowly, he began to calm down. His sobs decreased, turning into low, broken whimpers. He could feel his tears slowing down, the trail beginning to run dry. His body stopped shaking and he lay still against the man, wrapped up in his arms. Over time, as more and more of his energy was depleted in the crying, he fell silent, save for a few quick cries and sniffles. He kept his eyes shut, and he began to breathe in slow, calmer breaths.

Mr. Paxton held onto him for a couple minutes, securing him against him and gently rubbing the back of his head, occassionally moving the hand down his back. The man didn’t seem to care how much his shirt was getting wet from the boy’s tears and mucous. He just let Rudy let out his last few tears against him before he pulled himself back, gently gripping his shoulders.

“There. Do you feel better now?” Mr. Paxton asked.

Rudy took in a slightly shaky breath and wiped his nose with his finger. “I-I think so...”

Mr. Paxton gave a small smile at this. He pulled out a tissue from his pocket. He probably had predicted he would be crying. He handed it over to him. “Here, blow your nose, kid.”

Rudy took the piece of thin paper from the man. He looked at it for a few seconds. He then placed it against his nose and blew against it. He turned it around and wiped at the remaining mucous around his nose. He crumbled it up and let it drop to the ground. He gave another sniffle, clearing up his nostrils a little, and looked up at Mr. Paxton.

He still wasn’t entirely sure what to think. Despite the fact that this man was being nice to him now, that didn’t change the fact of how he had treated him before. Rudy couldn’t help but still feel some lingering bitterness due to this face. He found himself narrowing his eyes a little. He turned his head away, keeping his eyes turned to the ground.

“I know you’re still upset with me.” The man said.

Rudy gave a soft growl at this. “Whatever gave you that idea...?”

“For one thing, you’re looking away from me. Come on, kid. Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Mr. Paxton said. When Rudy didn’t respond, he continued, “Please..look at me.”

“If he doesn’t want to look at you, then...” Snap started to say.

“I don’t have much time here. All I want to do is talk. Please, kid... Rudy. I won’t be long. I promise.”

Rudy raised his head at the mention of his name. That had been the first time this man had ever called him by his name directly. His eyes widened a little, his mouth dropping open in surprise. Despite his better judgment, he turned his head and looked over at the man, seeing his face. To his surprise, the man appeared to have not just a look of concern, but also guilt and remorse.

Mr. Paxton stared down at him with a gentle expression. “I didn’t mean to upset you. That was never my intention. I had only wanted to show you how your current behavior could reflect badly on you. It was you who had reacted in an unjust way. I said those things to try to open your eyes and help you realize what you were doing. I wasn’t trying to say that you were a bad person; I was trying to help you avoid becoming one when you got older.”

Rudy lowered his gaze a little. “I...guess I really blew up in the classroom, didn’t I?” He shuddered as he remembered how he had just slammed his desk and said those things, and then ran because he couldn’t handle the criticism. “I really am just a little child, aren’t I...?” He said bitterly.

“We all have to start somewhere. We all need to learn.” Mr. Paxton released his shoulders, lowering his hands at his sides. “I should have been nicer about it, though. I guess I overreacted myself. Because I had seen a little bit of myself in you....”

Rudy widened his eyes a little at this. “You did..?”

Mr. Paxton nodded his head. “I wasn’t always the nicest kid. I was always rude and obnoxious to the others. Never gave any good advice. I was...a real piece of work.” He smiled and gave a quick chuckle at this. “It’s really quite amazing how much you change as you get older.”

Rudy lowered his gaze. “Yeah, I guess...” A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if he would change for the worse as he grew up.

Mr. Paxton seemed to notice his concern. He reached over up and gently cupped his chin, making him look up at him. "Just because a lot changes as you get older doesn’t mean they are going to be all bad. You may end up becoming a better person than you are now. Do not fear change.”

“H-How would you know..?” Rudy grumbled.

Mr. Paxton sighed. He pulled his head back a little. “Well admittingly I don’t. Our futures aren’t written in stone. We may end up in places we did not expect.” He smiled a little broader. “But that doesn’t mean things will turn out so bad in the end. Just keep striving, and things might turn out better than you expect.”

Rudy took in a few breaths, staring at the man as his words began to sink in a little. “Yeah, I suppose so...”

He did feel a little better. The man’s words this time were a lot more gentle and nicer, more like the professional artist he had believed him to be. He was starting to believe that the man really wasn’t trying to paint him as a future bad guy, that it was just a case of him going a little to far with his words. The man did seem genuinely remorseful for what he had said to him before, and he did come all the way out here to try to make up for it.

He looked over at Snap momentarily. The zoner had kept quiet this whole time. He was still frowning a little at Mr. Paxton. But his expression had softened up. That was all Rudy needed to see to know that this man’s words were genuine.

But...it still hurt. Despite knowing that the man hadn’t meant to be that harsh, many of his words still stung. He could hear them echoing in his mind, and he clenched his teeth. He could feel fresh, new tears forming as he struggled not to cry again. He only stopped when he felt the man’s finger trace along underneath his eye, wiping away the small tear that had tried to escape.

Upon looking at the man’s face again, Rudy could recall what he had said about his picture. Some of the anger slowly came back, and he found himself glaring at him again. “You told me my art sucked.”

At this, the man’s eyes widened a little. Then they relaxed and he shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

Snap spoke up at this, “Rudy told me exactly what you said! You said that...”

Mr. Paxton cut him off. “I know what I said. But...please let me explain myself.”

Rudy and Snap glared at the man. A part of them just wanted the man to leave right now, not interested in hearing anything else he had to say. But another part of them was still curious about what his intentions were. If he hadn’t really meant to insult him, then what was he trying to do? They both decided to let the man continue. They gave a nod of their heads, a gesture for him to speak.

“As I told you at school, I was only trying to find more realistic art. Young artists like yourself tend to make things without taking the laws of physics and nature into question. You stick anything you like on something just because it looks cool. I had wanted to make a book about kids who break that trend, who do have some grasp on reality, and can make something more believable.” Mr. Paxton explained. “I know that I accepted Reggie’s dumpster monster, but it was drawn using a believable method, so I accepted it. Your dragon, however, just wouldn’t work if placed in a real environment. No matter how detailed the drawing was, I just couldn’t accept it on those grounds.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly. “You told me it was a generic design.”

“And it was. I wasn’t kidding when I said I saw it many times.” Said Mr. Paxton.

“But I used crocodile heads...!” Rudy raised his arms up. “And the insect wings were to make it more unique!”

“Uniqueness does not equate to good.” At these words, Rudy felt his eyes widen a little, both in shock and in confusion. “Just because something is original doesn’t automatically make it better. Sometimes originality falls flat on its face. And when thrown in willy nilly like in your two-headed reptilian piece, it looks more like you were being desperate to be different, and it ends up looking like you put in less effort than the other students.”

“That’s not true!” Snap cried, pointing a rounded hand at him. “He worked hours on that thing!”

Mr. Paxton looked over at Snap and nodded his head. “Yes, I know. I was not denying that.” He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He looked back down at Rudy. “All I wanted for you to do was think a little different. Sometimes tried and true builds can work better, and to make them stand out, more original, all you have to do is look at them from a new angle.”

Rudy lowered his gaze. “That’s what I was trying to do.”

“I never said it always works.”

Rudy lifted up his head. He felt his frown weaken. He was running out of energy to really be all that angry at the man for much longer. Besides, his words were calming him down further as he was finally starting to see that the man was never trying to imply he was a bad artist. He just needed better direction. Since the man enjoyed giving advice to try to help artists become better, he couldn’t really fault the man for what he said.

Rudy had always admired the way the man would try to help other artists. He guessed he just...never was really prepared to get some of that critique aimed at him. It really did open his eyes to how it really felt, and it helped him understand what it means to be on the receiving end. He now could look at the memories of the man giving advice in a new light.

Rudy let out a sigh, feeling the last bit of his anger leave him through the tip of his fingers. He breathed in and out slowly, thoughts moving through his head. He thought back to his two-headed crocodilian creature. He still felt some pride towards it, but as he moved his mind’s eyes along it, he started to see what the artist was saying before. The design might work in ChalkZone, but in the Real World, there were multiple problems. He couldn’t help but flinch when he came to see just how much the creature did look just slapped together with no rhyme or reason, despite spending a lot of time on it.

“What..What would you have me do...?” Rudy asked.

Mr. Paxton said, “That is something only you can figure out. All of us artists have our own visions of the world. It would not be right of me to tell how you should do it. I can give you advice on what you could do, but only you can decide what it looks like in the end.”

“But..you said...”

“I know what I said, Rudy.” Mr. Paxton said, cutting him off. “I had only meant why I didn’t accept it into my art book. If that is how you see the creature looking, that’s fine. I was just trying to nudge you in a different direction. You can ignore my advice if you want. But remember this.” He gave Rudy a stern look. “You will never advance much as an artist if you don’t take the advice of others. Very few professional artists get to where they are without following some critiques.”

Rudy nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, I know.” He found himself giving a weak smile. “That’s...kind of why I looked up to you. You..help others.”

Mr. Paxton smiled at this. “And that’s all I’ve wanted to do with you.” He reached over and he gently gripped his shoulder. “I only wanted to help you. I don’t think you’re a bad artist at all, Rudy. You have a lot of potential. I can see greatness from you.” Rudy’s eyes brightened at this, and he was not able to stop the smile from stretching across his mouth. “You just need a little guidance...and encouragement.”

Rudy stammered. “I-I...I don’t know what to say...”

Mr. Paxton continued, “I am really very sorry that I hurt your feelings. I hope I didn’t ruin your interest in art. I don’t think you should give up on it. Go on and continue being creative. And again, I am so, so sorry that I made you cry.”

Rudy stared at the man for a few seconds. He felt a warm sensation moving through his body rapidly, making his body tremble with renewed energy. He was not able to stop the smile on his face, and he could feel his teeth being exposed in a wide grin. He couldn’t control himself for much longer and he launched himself into the man’s arms. Mr. Paxton gladly returned the hug, putting his arms around the boy and holding him close.

Seconds later, Rudy could feel a new warmth. He couldn’t turn his head to see as something rubbed against the back of his head. Despite that, he could tell that it was Snap. The zoner had come over to join in the hug. He pressed himself against the man’s arms, looping his hands around lower and gently gripping his waist. His head was pressed against him as he snuggled him gently.

In that moment, Rudy completely forgot about the anger and sadness that had gripped him moments ago. He forgot what an emotional wreck he had been, and the doubts that had simmered through his head. All he was aware of right now was the warm feeling that continued to burn inside of him. He breathed a sigh of contentment as he felt his body relax further in the comforting warmth.

“Thank you...” Rudy whispered softly.

Mr. Paxton replied, “You are welcome, Rudy.”

“You feeling better now, Bucko?” Snap asked.

Rudy nodded his head a few times. Slowly, he closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh of contentment. He pressed himself further against the man. He couldn’t get himself to let go. It was just so...comfortable and warm here. He could feel his body relax even further, and his eyes began to close. Before he knew it, he started to fall asleep.

sss

Rudy stopped in the hallway. He stared out ahead, noticing Reggie standing there. The boy was standing by the lockers, talking to one of the other students. The usual banter. He was probably asking the kid for lunch money or something, or getting them to agree to play a game with him, which he rigged so he would always win.

Normally Rudy would not allow himself to get involved. He had learned not to try to intervene with Reggie every time he had someone backed up against the wall. Walking away was not something he liked to do, but Reggie was stronger than him, and he did get some painful bruises from the large kid. He wouldn’t even get help from other students as they would be too afraid to try to stop him.

But today, Rudy couldn’t just walk away. It wasn’t because of what he was doing to these kids, as much as it angered him. It was because he needed to speak to Reggie about something. He couldn’t avoid this. He needed to speak to the large kid about this. It was going to eat away at his soul if he didn’t. He...He needed to get this off his chest if he was ever going to feel any better. If Mr. Paxton was able to confront him about what he said, then he should be able to do the same for Reggie.

As much as he didn’t like the bully, he didn’t deserve what he had given him. He had been pretty awful to him the other day. He had to make things right. Even if Reggie wouldn’t really appreciate it, he still had to do it. That was his code; to try to fix what he had broken. He might not have broken Reggie, but he still tried to go out of his way to hurt him, and the other students were quite shocked by this behavior. He remembered their stares as he entered the school. He had to make this right.

He walked over towards the bully quietly. He ignored what was being said. Even as the students began to leave, he didn’t pay attention to them. His eyes were focused on Reggie only. He only stopped walking when Reggie looked over and saw that he was approaching.

“Oh hi, Tabootie...” Reggie grumbled, his eyes narrowed. “Coming over to be a big shot again?”

Rudy flinched at this. This wasn’t a normal comment from Reggie. This one, alone with his tone, were different. More out of slight hurt and anger than the usual bullying tactic. It was then that he was reminded of what he had said to Reggie the other day. He took in a deep breath and sighed, preparing himself.

“Reggie, I... I wanted to...apologize.” Rudy managed to say with some difficulty. Reggie cocked an eyebrow at this. Rudy continued, “I-It was wrong of me to say that you didn’t deserve an entry in that art book. I guess I was just...jealous.”

Reggie gave a quick chuckle at that. “Rudy Tabootie, jealous? Why does that not surprise me?”

Rudy resisted the urge to glare at Reggie. That wasn’t going to solve anything, getting angry and all. He brushed past that comment and moved on quickly. “You obviously deserved getting accepted. I’m..sure you worked really hard on that picture. I’m...sorry I tried to make it sound like you put in no effort.” Rudy rubbed his arm nervously, turning his head to the side. “I..hope you aren’t....too upset. I’m...I’m sorry.”

Reggie was silent for a few moments. He didn’t make a move towards Rudy. He just stood there, staring at him, that same perplexed look spread across his face. Several moments of silence passed, and Rudy could feel his chest tighten. He wasn’t exactly friends with Reggie, but he was still worried about what might happen to them after this. Would Reggie hold a grudge?

It wasn’t until a few more moments later that Reggie started to do something different. His expression softened up slightly. Not a whole lot, but enough that it surprised Rudy. The bully turned his head away, his facial expression indicating he was deep in thought. He then turned back to Rudy. The frown returned like Rudy had expected, though it wasn’t overly harsh or anything. It was more out of confusion than anything.

“I still find it hard to believe you said those things, Tabootie. You’re usually not a mean kid.” Reggie said softly, a strange tone for him to use. He held up his hand in gesture. “That...really isn’t like you.” Rudy nodded in agreement. Reggie reached his hand behind his head and rubbed it. “Though I suppose I didn’t exactly help things along, either.”

“You had a good reason to be gloating. You were one of the only five in the whole class that got chosen. Possibly the whole school. You had a good reason to be celebratory.” Rudy motioned towards him, giving a soft smile. “So go on and be proud. You should be. You earned it.”

Reggie stared at Rudy for a few moments. Then he nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess so...” A smile spread across his face, and on a dime, the boy sneered at Rudy. “And you, big shot artist, did not get chosen! Looks like you don’t always get your way, am I right, Tabootie?”

Rudy sighed at this. He knew that Reggie’s ‘niceness’ wasn’t going to last for long. He decided not to argue back and simply nodded his head. “Sure, whatever you say, Reggie.”

Reggie chuckled at this. “I have beaten you at your own game.” He folded his arms against his chest in a prideful manner. “I got chosen and you didn’t. You’re the artist boy, and I am the one who got chosen. Stupid Reggie finally got the upperhand this time!”

Rudy rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Yeah, sure, Reggie.”

Rudy turned and began to walk away. He ignored the bully’s comments behind him. He tried his best not to allow Reggie to get to him. That bully was just trying to deliberately provoke him, possibly to try to get him in trouble as ‘revenge’ for what happened the other day. He couldn’t let that happen. He had his say. Now all he needed to do was leave and continue to class.

He did his best to ignore the other students as they made comments about him. They were concerned or curious if he was going to blow up again like he had the other day. Some of them attempted to talk to him, but he ignored them. He wasn’t really in the mood to speak to them. He just wanted to avoid them and hurry to get to class. He wanted to move past this incident, not dwell on it by talking about it.

The other students would probably eventually leave him alone when he refused to talk. Reggie would be the most difficult one; he knew that boy was going to keep bringing it up for a while until he got bored and went to something else to toy with him with. Typical Reggie. Once he got tired of one tactic, he would just move onto the next one. That was just how he was.

Rudy still felt a sense of accomplishment otherwise, though. He had been the bigger person and apologized to Reggie or what he did. Whether or not Reggie accepted it was entirely up to him. Rudy had spoken his part. If Reggie still decided to hold it against him, well that was up to him. At least he was willing to try to move on.

He was grateful that Mr. Paxton had visited him yesterday. He not only felt a lot better, but the man was the one who had initialy encouraged him to speak to Reggie and to apologize. If he, Penny, and Snap hadn’t done that, he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to face Reggie so fast. Now that it was done and over with, he did feel a lot better.

He also liked that Mr. Paxton explained what he was actually trying to do. Now that the man spoke to him about it, Rudy could look at the man’s words he said to him and not view them as only harsh words like before. Now he could see the lessons the man was trying to teach him, and he came to understand why the man said those things. And with that understanding, the bitterness that Rudy felt was pushed back, and no longer stung him horribly like before.

He really had been acting pretty prideful and egocentric on that day. He really was being selfish and unfair to Reggie and the other students. He must have come off like some huge jerk and the thought twisted his gut. He didn’t like being the bully, and he nearly became one that day. He was happy that Mr. Paxton was able to point that out.

He had also come to appreciate the critique he got on his creature drawing. After looking at it with a new light, he came to realize that yeah, his creature did look too slapped together, and needed more work. He had since started on a redesign, changing some things around and trying to make it a bit more plausible of a creature, not just slapping things together like he could in ChalkZone.

Rudy was about to round the corner to the next hallway when he nearly collided with someone. He took a few steps back and soon realized that it was Penny. She was staring at him with a look of surprise, not expecting him to come down this way.

“Hello, Penny.” He broke the silence quickly, waving a hand towards her.

Penny took a step towards him. “Did you...speak to him?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah, I just spoke to him now.”

“And?”

“It went just as well as you would expect.”

Penny gave a sigh at this. “Well that’s as best as you can expect from Reggie. You know he would never act all that gracious. I think he just wants to be all tough.”

“Yeah. I would have been shocked if he had acted genuinely gracious towards my apology.” Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well. That’s Reggie for you.”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah.”

The two friends went silent. They continued down the hallway, heading towards Mr. Wilter’s classroom. After a bit of time passed, Penny turned her head and gave Rudy a sideways glance. He looked at her curiously, wondering what was on her mind. She gave him a sympathetic expression, and before she spoke, he already knew what she was going to say.

“And..how are you feeling, Rudy?” Penny asked carefully. “You’re not..still feeling discouraged, are you?”

Rudy shook his head. “No, not really.” He contorted his face with a look of shame. “I...can’t believe I acted that way at school. I was so childish...”

“But at least you learned from it.” Penny said, smiling at him. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I think you will make a great role model as you get older.”

Rudy’s eyes brightened at this. “You really think so?”

Penny nodded. “Without a doubt. You would make an excellent art teacher when you grow up. You’re one of the smartest, most talented guys I know.”

Rudy couldn’t help but blush a little at this comment. “Thank you...”

Penny pulled Rudy close, pressing her face against his. “Not a problem, Rudy.” She released him, her smile still spread across her face. “Now, shall we go to class now?”

Rudy nodded his head, grinning at her. “Yeah, let’s go.”