chapter 114 - inspiration

Stella

I grinned down at the contest application in my hands, determination welling inside.

The apprehension I’d felt yesterday seemed distant now. If even amateur artists in my class were willing to risk rejection submitting their work, who was I to coward in the shadows?

"I don't think this would be enough. Indeed something new, something catchy." I nagged.

Lawrence’s steadfast confidence in me was not misplaced - I would live up to that radiant potential he somehow glimpsed.

“Let’s just give it our best shot,” I declared to my painting mates the next evening. “The judges can make of it what they will. But how often do doors like this gallery showcase open?”

My friends smiled indulgently, familiar with my tendency for melodrama. But I sensed they too nursed secret longings to have their visions validated on a real public platform. Together we would leap and trust the net to appear.

On the drive home, I squeezed Lawrence’s arm excitedly. “You know, you were right about pushing