With Alex and Madison gone, Bailey, Avery, and I spend Thursday night packing. That way we can enjoy our last day and not feel pressured to get everything done before we leave Saturday.
And yet, when I wake up Friday morning, I find myself gloomy anyway. The day feels like a series of lasts. Last internship outfit, for example. Today, I’m wearing something I designed for my first Design Diva audition. It’s a white dress with a cinched waist, full skirt, and leather accents at the shoulders. Perfect for a goodbye breakfast.
I head to the office for the last time and show Ken, the security guard, my badge.
“Have a great day, Miss Montgomery. It’s been a pleasure,” says Ken.
Sentimental girl that I am, my eyes start to water. I rush to the elevator, feeling silly, and take it up to the seventh floor — where it all began.
I step off the elevator and look around, remembering when Laura first gave me a tour. I look at designers working on prototypes and samples and think about the pockets I made. Someone is pinning a dress to a mannequin, and I envision the dresses I made for Taylor. I close my eyes, holding all the moments in my mind. From organizing the closet, to lugging clothes to Vogue, to confirming interviews for Michael, to working with models — it’s all been a dream come true.
The conference room is filled with interns, all eating and chatting, when I walk in. I see Laura, Stefan, and Taylor in a corner talking with a group of interns and head to the food table to grab something to eat. I pile a bagel, eggs, fruit, and bacon onto my plate and grab a juice with my other hand, carefully carrying the items to the conference table.
“That takes some serious skill,” Laura says, sliding into the seat next to me. “I was just thinking about our first meeting and my coffee-stained skirt.”
I laugh. “I forgot about that. Your skirt — not the meeting.”
“It feels like it was yesterday,” Laura says. “I’m really going to miss having you here.”
“Me too. You’ve taught me so much. Not only about fashion but also about how to act in this business. I’ll never forget your support.”
Now Laura looks choked up. She gives me a hug. “Chloe, it’s been such a pleasure working with someone who’s not only talented but works so hard. I know you want to be noticed. When your time comes, I’ll be right there cheering you on.”
“Talking to our Diva Girl?” says Stefan.
I look up, surprised. When Madison called me that, it sounded like the world’s worst insult. When Stefan says it, it sounds like a compliment.
“Yes, sir,” says Laura. “Just telling Chloe how much we’ll miss her.”
“Laura’s right. You’ve shown a lot of promise,” says Stefan. “I’d love to have you back next summer.”
“I’m here if you’ll have me!” I exclaim, almost knocking over my juice in excitement.
“We’d better step back when we give her the gift,” Taylor says, coming up behind me. “She might jump out of her seat and spill her food on us.”
I blush, but I know Taylor is just teasing. “I don’t need a gift,” I say. “My time here has been enough.”
“Please,” says Laura, waving away my words. “Ah, there’s Michael. He has it.”
I turn my head quickly. My time here has been the best gift ever, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by Michael’s gift bag.
“Here she is,” he says, handing me a black bag stuffed with silver paper. “Hope you like it.”
I look around to see the other interns holding gift bags too and looking at the contents. I push the paper aside and see a Stefan Meyers gift card tucked inside.
“Oh wow!” I exclaim. “This is awesome!”
“I like my interns showing off my looks. I need all the exposure I can get,” says Stefan, winking. “Buy yourself some chic back-to-school wear.”
This takes back-to-school shopping to a whole new level! I picture myself in some of my favorite Stefan Meyers styles. A white sweater dress spruced up with bangle bracelets and layered with necklaces. Or maybe I’ll start the year in a black ruffled skirt, knit top, and printed scarf. For a cooler day, I might go for a gray knitted pendulum sweater with stylish black boots. This gift card opens up so many possibilities!
“I think we’ve lost her,” says Laura.
I blush. I got so caught up in my new-outfit fantasy, I forgot to say thank you. “Oh my gosh, thanks so much. This is way too generous.”
“There’s more,” says Taylor.
I look inside and gasp. It’s the frayed pair of jeans I saw my first day in the closet, but that’s not what makes me gasp — it’s the back pockets. They’re the pockets I helped design. And on the back of the pockets, where the Stefan Meyers logo normally is, someone stitched a circle with my initials intertwined — my very own CM logo.
“Remember when I told you one day you’ll have your own intern and stores filled with the CM label?” asks Laura.
I nod. That was way back at the end of my second week.
“This is a start,” says Laura, grinning.
“You guys, this is just amazing. I have no words,” I say.
“We wanted to do something special for you,” Taylor says. “Your very first CM original.”
I hug the jeans to me. This is better than my name in lights.
* * *
When the breakfast is done, I finish saying my goodbyes and head back to my dorm room, walking slowly and taking in my last full day in the city.
I think about how much has changed in the past three months. What was I looking for when I auditioned for Design Diva? I imagined fame. I hoped for my designs to become well known. Then I won the internship, and it was as if my dreams were coming true. But I realized it was about more than recognition.
This has been such a journey. I thought I knew how everything worked, and now I know there’s still so much more to learn. Even if I get to be as successful as Stefan, there’s more to learn.
I take the subway to Bryant Park. I remember how the subway used to scare me. It seemed so confusing at first with all the routes laid out in different colors. Now hopping on the train feels like second nature.
At the park, I walk past the tables where Alex and I played Jenga. I think about what she said before she left: “I’m still a Santa Cruz girl at heart.”
I used to think I was too. Now I’m not so sure. I listen to the honking horns and fire sirens outside the park. I look at the crowds of people and vendors. Each area of sidewalk is covered with people or stands. I find an empty bench and take out my sketchpad.
Today, I don’t focus on just one person. I try to capture as many looks as I can. I draw a girl in cropped pants and lace-up oxfords with large gold hoops in her ears. I shade in the checkered pattern of another woman’s minidress, then focus on her beige wedge sandals laced up the calf. A teenaged boy in jeans and a polo shirt throws a Frisbee to his friend. I notice the Stefan Meyers logo on the boy’s jeans and think of the gift Laura, Taylor, Michael, and Stefan made me. Someday people in this park will be wearing jeans with the CM logo.
I go back to the sketches I just drew and add the CM logo to the pieces. This year will be all about adding to my CM brand. That, and learning how to make my designs crisper. And when I see Stefan again next summer, he’ll see how far this California girl has come.
