#Chapter 26: The Muse

Lucy and I chatted about our studies as we drove to her house. She told me she was a sophomore and a painter, studying Fine Art and Philosophy. I told her about my dream of becoming a designer someday, and about the contest I had signed up for that morning. I didn’t expect her to be so thrilled about that. She gushed, telling me how much she admired my plan to make high-end plus-size designs. “The world needs you to do that,” she said, seeming awfully confident in my abilities, considering that we had just met less than an hour ago. “There are so many beautiful clothes out there, but not enough of them are available in our sizes.” “We’ll see,” I said, shrugging. “No,” Lucy demanded. “You’re going to do this. You’re going to win this competition, and you’re going to get famous, too — I know it.” She was wide-eyed and super serious. “You’re really sweet,” I said, “but I do have some stiff competition for the fashion show. There’s a girl named Anna who has won for the pas