The notification on Ava’s phone screen seemed to radiate a golden heat that eclipsed everything else in the diner. The Senior Spring Exhibition was the pinnacle of the university’s Fine Arts program—a curated showcase attended by regional gallery directors, art critics, and commercial curators. For four years, Ava had treated the exhibition as a distant, impossible pipe dream, a pinnacle reserved for artists who moved through the world with unshakeable confidence rather than someone who spent her energy shrinking to fit into the margins of another person's life.
Now, looking at the glowing text confirming her acceptance, her chest expanded with a profound, terrifying lightness.
"They chose the entire portfolio," Ava whispered, her voice trembling as she re-read the detailed notification.
