Selena sat at her desk. She colored fast — orange swirls, green loops, purple dashes. The whole page filled up.
She held the drawing up. No one looked. Tick. Tick. She set it down.
Selena unrolled a long sheet of white paper. She taped her drawing to the top. Then another. And another.
She grabbed a red crayon and drew a big sun. A boy leaned over and added blue waves. A girl stuck on a yellow bird.
Selena lifted the paper. She turned it around. A collective gasp rose up. The mural burst with color.
Every face lit up. Selena smiled, her fingers still stained blue. Everyone pointed at their favorite part.
The boy pointed at the waves. "Mine!" he said. The girl pointed at the bird. "My turn!" she laughed.
Selena traced the edge of the paper with her thumb. It was theirs now. All of it.
The teacher walked by and paused. She looked at the mural, then at Selena. "This is wonderful," she said softly.
Selena looked at her friends. They looked at the mural. Nobody was looking away anymore.
The mural hung on the wall, bright and loud. Selena stood back and looked at it. It was perfect.
Selena sat at her desk. Her crayons waited in the cup. Tomorrow, she would start again.