Walking over to Shane’s pictures, Professor Black stands in front of them, studying them carefully for a few moments. He turns on his heels and asks, pointedly, “Whose are these?”

            Shane raises her hand slightly and coolly says, “Mine.”

            “Who is this woman?” Drew asks, pointing at the pictures.

            “That’s–”

            Drew cuts Shane off. “I don’t want you to answer. I want the class to tell me who this woman is.”

            A scruffy, young man in the front of the class offers, “Her girlfriend.”

            “No shit, Sherlock,” Professor Black bites back. “Give me something more. Tell me what these pictures say about her.”

            The class is quiet for a few moments, when a thin, pale, meek girl next to Shane says, “There’s an innocence about her.” Shane looks at the girl and smiles crookedly.

            “What do you mean?” Drew asks.

            “In that picture of her in bed, the way the light hits her…it’s angelic…it’s soft. The photographer sees a beauty and innocence in her.”

            “Go on,” Professor Black says nodding.

            The girl thinks for a moment and then thoughtfully says, “It’s like she’s….she’s seeing her for the first time.” Shane drops her head and blushes a bit.

            “Shane,” Professor Black calls out, causing Shane to snap her head back up. “Who is this woman?”

            “My partner, Molly,” Shane says, proudly.

            “Give me more. What does she represent to you?” Professor Black prods.

            She looks around the room, clearly uncomfortable with the task at hand. Never one to enjoy talking about her feelings, Shane is not sure what to say. How can she put into words what Molly represents?

            Shane drops her head and mutters, “Redemption…F—”

            “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you,” Professor Black responds, somewhat irritated.

            “Fuck,” Shane says under her breath. She looks up, though her head is still hung, and says, “Redemption. Family. Love. Future.”

            “Thank you, Shane. I can see that was hard for you.”

            Shane chortles and thinks to herself, “You have no idea.”

            “Class, this is what photography is about. Capturing the emotion. Capturing the feeling. Not just point and shoot. What Shane did here was good. You knew how she felt about this woman by just seeing these pictures. That’s what a good photographer does.”

            Professor Black moves on to the next student’s work, but Shane is not paying attention. She is staring at the pictures she took of Molly and thinking back on what Professor Black had just said and what she had said. She smiles to herself, thinking how hard it was to say those things, but how good it felt to share with others what Molly truly meant to her. She remains lost in thought and class comes to a close before she knows it. Something brings her back to reality though. It’s Professor Black. He’s calling her name.

            “Shane…Shane…Earth to Shane…”

            “Huh? Uh, shit, sorry. What is it?” Shane asks, as she makes her way to Professor Black’s desk.

            “I was really impressed with your work today. It was very refreshing to see someone with some real vision.” Shane smiles weakly, not used to hearing praise. “Based on what I saw in you today, I assume you are a private person, but I want you to show these pictures and any others you are proud of at the student photography gallery show next month.”

            “You’re not fucking serious,” Shane says, laughing.

            “I am fucking serious.”

            Shrugging her shoulders, and taking a moment to answer, Shane eventually says, “Yeah, okay. I guess.”

            “Good,” Professor Black says, nodding. He looks down at his desk, effectively dismissing Shane. She takes her photos down from the wall, gingerly places them in her bag and walks out of class with a confident swagger, eager to meet up with Molly and tell her about the gallery show.