BOOK ONE || the city lights series
Adina Ricci is the daughter of two of the most famous people on the planet. She grew up in the spotlight and she never once felt ungrateful for what she had been given. But, right before her fourteenth birthday, he...
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I WIPE MY HANDS down my skirt, the sweat annoying me as my thoughts begin to race, knowing what today could mean for me and my future.
If my art piece isn't good enough, I won't go through to the next round of selections for the Summer Auction. My future could depend on this very moment.
And I know, many people may think, 'You're rich, why don't you just buy your way into your dream college?'
And the answer to that is, is that I want to earn my future through hard work, and my work alone. Not my father's money. Not my family's fame. But for my efforts.
Teagan has tried to calm my nerves, telling me that they would be insane if they didn't pick me as one of the candidates, but that didn't help at all. Especially since she was busy with her nervousness.
We both are desperate to get a place at that event. I don't even care if I win or not, I just want to be there. If that is on my college application, I'm set. I just hope that all my hard work has paid off.
"So, you guys have had over a month now to finish your entries. Today, I'm going to come around and chose three people to go through to the next round of selections." Mrs. Reynolds states at the beginning of class.
Teagan looks over at me, her eyes shining with nervousness. I reach my hand over to hers and give it a light squeeze, smiling at her in comfort.
When Mrs. Reynolds continues to make her way through the class, grinning at each of my classmates and their work. Every time she compliments someone's work, my heart sinks a little.
The next round of selections, from what Mrs. Reynolds has told us, consists of a board of middle-aged men and women, who all have a history with the arts. They are also filthy rich. And my future lies in their hands.
When I first started my piece, I already knew I wanted it to be of my Mom.
I learned from a young age that if you want to create something that inspires people, it needs to mean something to you. If it doesn't, you won't care enough for the outcome. And it will just lead to some random splodges of paint on a plain canvas. It took me a while to perfect it, but I'm pretty happy with the finished product.
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