CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT – THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TABLEAU

The next morning when Jasmine arrived at the classroom, Diego was already there, slumped despondently at one of the easels. His usually vibrant outfit seemed dull and wrinkled, matching his subdued demeanor. As Jasmine set down her tote, he glanced up with puffy eyes. "I must...apologize for my behavior yesterday," he mumbled, lacking his typical dramatic flair. "My passion overcame my better senses, as it so often does." Jasmine regarded him steadily, giving a small nod of acceptance. "Thank you for saying that, Diego. I appreciate your willingness to own up to things getting out of hand." Letting out a heavy sigh, Diego dragged a hand down his cragged face wearily. "Your teaching methods and perspective...they resonate with the students in a way my own bombastic approach does not, it pains me to admit." His shoulders slumped further as he eyed the bare canvas before him despondently. "Perhaps I have been too consumed with chasing some misguided notion of artistic transcendence, b