The morning of the showcase arrived faster than Evelyn was prepared for.
She stood in front of the mirror, hands clenched at her sides. Her heart pounded, her breath felt shallow.
This was it—the moment she had spent weeks building up to.
"Eve, are you ready?"
Mia called from the other side of the door.
Was she?
Evelyn took one last deep breath and nodded to herself before opening the door.
"Yeah. Let's go."
---
The campus hall was buzzing with energy by the time they arrived.
Paintings, sculptures, and digital works lined the room, each artist proudly standing by their creation, chatting with visitors and judges.
Evelyn's station was near the center of the hall. She carefully set her painting on the display stand, feeling exposed in a way she never had before.
Adrian whistled as he took a step back.
"Damn, Eve. That looks incredible."
Mia clasped her hands together.
"People are going to love it."
Evelyn swallowed.
"Or hate it."
"Doubt it,"
Adrian said.
"But even if they do, so what? You did something huge just by being here."
She wanted to believe him, but as the room started filling up, nerves crept in again. People were walking past, stopping, looking.
Whispers floated around.
Some faces lit up with interest, others studied her piece in silence.
And then—
"Excuse me, are you the artist?"
Evelyn turned to see a middle-aged woman standing beside her, a curious smile on her face.
"I…yes."
The woman gestured to the painting.
"This is stunning. There's so much emotion in it. What was your inspiration?"
Evelyn hesitated. Her instinct was to downplay, to shy away.
But then she saw Adrian's expectant gaze, Mia's encouraging smile.
She straightened her shoulders.
"It's… personal. About finding the courage to be seen."
The woman nodded thoughtfully.
"That's beautiful."
For the first time that day, Evelyn felt her nerves loosen.
She could do this. She could be here. And maybe—just maybe—she belonged.