Mitch snorted. “Then, yes. You. You know, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“I have a few minutes,” Nico said, giving his most benevolent smile.
When Mitch and the others continued to stare at him, he realized that, at some point, Mitch had asked him a question.
Fuck.
What had he asked?
Nico cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter. “What did you—uh, could you repeat the question?”
The others in the class giggled, but Mitch swept a hand towards the board. “What can you tell me about Degas and this painting?”
Underneath the painting were the words ‘The Star.’ The painting itself was a ballerina on stage in a tutu. He took it in for a few moments while he pondered whether he should be honest or funny. Both would probably have the same result.
“It tells me that art is subjective.”
Mitch glowered at him. “Is that really what you’re going with? And before you give me another bullshit answer, remember that participationispart of your grade. A significant part of your grade. And this is a required course.”
Nico sighed. “Fine. It tells me the man hated women.”
Another nervous titter moved through the small crowd, all eyes on the professor now.
Mitch leaned against his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re certainly not the first to call Degas a misogynist.”
Nico snorted. “I’m not calling him a misogynist. I’m calling him a lunatic. Whoever he was, he hated women.”
Mitch snorted. When Nico didn’t say anything more, the professor made a tell-me-more gesture, looking exasperated. “We’re all riveted here, Mr. Michaels. Tell us how you came to that conclusion.”
Nico fought not to roll his eyes. “I don’t know anything about this guy or his life, but I do know a lot about criminals. And that guy had felonious intent.” He pointed to the screen. “Even his brush strokes are harsh, like slashes, like he could barely contain his anger when he looked at his models. Then there’s her awkward posture. They used live models back then, so she would have had to stand like that for hours. Which is hella fucked up.”
“Is that it?” Mitch asked.
Nico sat up a little straighter. “No. Look at the angle of her neck. It’s like she’s hanging from a noose. And the roses on her dress look like blood spatter. He liked hurting women. Probably fantasized about it.”
Mitch raised a brow. “So, you think Degas was a sadist?”
Nico shrugged. “I’m saying, if he had a freezer, there were probably body parts in it.”
The others laughed.
“That’s quite the insight, Mr. Michaels. Perhaps if you applied yourself more in class, you could make a career out of this,” Mitch said.
“I’d rather not, but thanks,” Nico said sincerely.
The teacher snorted again but, thankfully, moved on to torment another student, leaving Nico to continue his spiraling unencumbered.
What was the difference between a sadist and a psychopath? Mal said he got off on seeing Nico cry. Said he wanted to make him scream with pain. That sounded sadistic. But did that make him a psychopath? He didn’t look like any of the psychopaths Nico knew and he knew a shocking amount of them.
Nico shook his head, then picked up his phone, unlocking it and thumbing open his WhatsApp. He felt a tinge of guilt as he started a new group text. One without Mal.
Nico
What does it mean when someone spanks you without sex involved?
The moment he hit send, dozens of dots formed, showing they were typing.
Shiloh
