Ten
When I asked my friends about the showcase, they already had a lot of ideas about what they wanted to do.
“I have some ideas on some clothes I can make,” Emma said when we met back up at the pizza place for lunch. “How about you guys?”
Carolina nodded. “Same here. Well, the having ideas part, not the clothes part. I’ll probably make a really short video game that people can play as they’re passing through.”
“That’s cool,” said Zeina. “I started a new book recently, so I’ll probably display an excerpt from that.”
When it was my turn to share, I took a bite out of my deluxe pizza and chewed slowly, so I had more time to think. The four of us all had different pizzas from the ones we had last time. Emma got the buffalo chicken, Carolina got the pepperoni, and Zeina got the cheese. At this rate, we’d be able to try all the different pizzas available at this restaurant before we returned to Texas.
“All your ideas sound really great,” I said when I was done chewing. “I’m probably going to share something out of the comic book I’m making for Christiana’s class. But I have no idea how to even begin.”
“You still have a lot of time,” Zeina assured me. “Today’s only the first day!”
I nodded, trying to think positively. But just thinking about Christiana’s class this morning made me almost lose my appetite. Everything had gone so terribly wrong!
Besides Christiana’s class, I was also in a general drawing class on Tuesdays and a creative writing class with Zeina and Carolina on Wednesdays. It was such a big relief to know that I had at least some overlap with my friends.
The writing class was taught by Mr. Hernandez, a children’s book author who lived in Brooklyn. I thought I wouldn’t like his class since it was all about words and not pictures or drawing, but it was my favorite class at Starscape so far.
“Always remember, friends,” he said at the end of our first session. “We can find inspiration in the everyday. The best writers are the ones who reflect reality, whether in recognizable forms or not.”
On our way out of the classroom, I was still thinking about what he’d said when Carolina waved her hand in front of my face. “Hello?” she said. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Huh?”
“Guess not. Well, anyway, Zeina, Emma, me, and a whole bunch of other people in building C are going out to get ice cream tonight. The shop is literally across the street from the pizza place we went to. You wanna come?”
I wanted to nod so badly that my neck ached slightly. But I couldn’t. I’d tried my best on Monday and Tuesday, but I still hadn’t even come up with the story for the graphic novel for Christiana’s class. Now I had just two days to not only come up with the idea but also draw the first few pages.
“Or you could come with us to get bagels tomorrow morning!” Zeina added. “Emma said she and her mom know a really good place nearby.”
My friends waited for my response. I took a deep breath. But instead of saying yes like I desperately wanted to, I said, “I can’t make it to either place. I really want to, but I have to work on my graphic novel for Christiana Moon’s class. I haven’t even figured out what the story is going to be about yet.”
I’d complained about the project enough times in the group chat that my friends sadly nodded in understanding.
“It’s okay,” Carolina said. “We can hang out some other time, then! Good luck with the assignment!”
I holed myself up in my dorm room for the rest of the day, thinking about what Mr. Hernandez had said about “reflecting reality.” The closest thing I’d done to that was when I drew my panels about Meteor Girl and her friends, my comic book superhero characters that were based on me and my friends. But what could I write for the full story?
I wished I could ask someone for help, but after our terrible conversation on the first day, I didn’t want to make Christiana mad again. And things between Sohee and me were awkward as usual, while my aunt Yeji hadn’t ever replied to the text I sent her when I first arrived in NYC. At this rate, I wasn’t sure if we were even going to hang out anymore.
I fell asleep trying to brainstorm ideas and woke up in the middle of the night, still at my desk. When I slowly crawled into bed, inspiration finally struck. I could write about how Meteor Girl was stuck in New York City all by herself, separated by an invisible force field that kept her from all her friends! It was the biggest challenge she faced yet, and the only way she could escape was to figure out a way to use her powers to the fullest.
Once I got that initial idea down, I was able to work through everything else. By ten a.m. on Friday, I showed up to Christiana’s class with not only the script outline but also the first few pages I’d sketched out. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And definitely way more than I thought I could do on Monday.
Christiana walked around the room to look at all our pages. When she came to our table, she oohed and aahed at Sohee’s work.
“This is phenomenal,” she said. “You’re such a talented artist, and I’m captivated by the story already.”
Sohee gave Christiana a small smile. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
When Christiana came to me, she frowned. “Superheroes?”
I nodded. “Yes, this is Meteor Girl. It’s one of my original characters.”
She didn’t even look past the first page before she said, “Gigi, can you please come speak with me at my desk? I want to talk to you about something.”
Sohee’s eyes widened. The people around us gasped and whispered.
I bit my lip. “Sure.”
When I arrived at her desk, Christiana asked, “Gigi, why did you come to Starscape?”
I let out a quick breath. My reasons for wanting to come to Starscape had been so firm in my head while I was applying. I wanted to learn from the very best like Christiana herself. I wanted to go to a summer art camp with my friends. I wanted all of us to grow as artists.
Although the last reason was probably still possible, the rest had become a bit murky.
“Well, I want to grow as an artist and become a professional graphic novelist as an adult,” I said at last.
“And how are you supposed to grow if you just keep drawing the same characters over and over again?” she asked. “I looked into your application during the week and saw that you drew these characters then as well. Plus, superheroes are so… overdone. Even Marvel movies are starting to feel antiquated nowadays. Can’t you just work on your superhero comics at home by yourself?”
“Um—”
But before I could explain that I was still challenging myself to grow as she suggested, since this was my first time making a full-on graphic novel with an entire story and everything, Christiana went on. “And I’m sorry to say this, but your story is rather juvenile, and your art style could also use some work. It’s great for a seventh grader, but you’re in the big leagues now. I suggest you practice your line art drawing skills a bit more. Some of the lines are very sloppy.”
I went numb from head to toe.
“Um, okay,” I said quietly. “Thank you.”
“I want you to take the weekend to really think about what kind of story you want to tell,” Christiana continued. “Starting over might be challenging, but trust me when I say it’ll be worth it.”
I bit my lip. I’d worked so hard this past week to even come up with this idea in the first place. And now I had to start over?
I tightened my hands into fists. Even though I did appreciate Christiana’s honest feedback, I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. I wished she’d actually taught us things during classes so I had a better idea of what we were supposed to do in the first place.
But since I didn’t want to make a big fuss, I just replied, “Okay, understood.”
I managed to hold everything in until I was back in my dorm room. And then, finally, when I was in my bed, I let everything go. I was sobbing into my pillow when I heard a knock on the frame of my bed.
“Hey,” Sohee said. “Are you okay?”
I looked up and was surprised to see her standing next to me with a worried look on her face. This was the only time she’d started a conversation with me in this whole first week of classes. Although I was grateful that she’d come to check in on me, I almost wish she hadn’t. My nose was full of snot, and my cheeks were streaked with tears. I was a mess!
Luckily, Sohee didn’t say anything as she handed me a box of tissues. I took one and blew my nose before replying, “Not really. Christiana hated the work I did.”
“She’s a tough critic. Don’t feel too bad!”
“But what if it’s just me being bad? She seemed to really love your work.”
Sohee looked away shyly. “I think she was just really impressed by my line art skills.”
I remembered what Christiana said about my lines being “sloppy.” Suddenly, I wanted to see how Sohee’s and mine compared.
“If it’s okay with you, can I see what you’ve done so far?”
“Um, sure.” She showed me her sketches. I was absolutely floored by the art. Sohee’s style reminded me of the Korean webtoons I read. Her drawings were cartoony, but they were still precise, with the lines exact and clear, like a professional’s. I could see why Christiana had been praising her so much in class.
“This is amazing!” I exclaimed. “You’re so talented!”
“Thanks,” Sohee said, looking slightly uncomfortable like she had when Christiana praised her in class. She coughed and asked, “Do you know why Christiana hated your work?”
“Well, apparently she doesn’t even like my idea. She also said I need more practice drawing in general. According to her, I should start completely over.”
“Wow, that sucks.”
Sohee paused in thought before continuing. “You know, what I like to do back in Seoul is go to museums. They always give me a lot of inspiration for new art when I need it. And sometimes I just sit in front of the artworks and draw all day. It helps me a lot. Maybe it can help you, too?”
Suddenly I remembered one of the drawings I’d submitted to Starscape. It was of Meteor Girl standing at the steps of the Met. Back then I’d had no idea I would even have the chance to go to the famous museum in person. But now…
I pulled up Google Maps and searched for directions to the Met from our dorm. Back in Texas, our local big museum was too far from our neighborhood for us to go without our parents, but the Met was only a fifteen-minute subway ride and twelve-minute walk away!
Sohee had gone back to being on her bed, where she was scrolling through her phone with her headphones on. Come to think of it, whenever I was in my room, Sohee was too. And she was probably also still here when I left to go hang out with my friends. I wasn’t sure if she knew anyone here besides me at all.
So, in spite of the awkward first conversation we had, I thought of how nice she’d been to me just now and waved at her.
“Hey,” I said when she took off her headphones. “I’m thinking of going to the Met with my friends. Do you wanna come hang out with us? They’re all in Starscape too, just in different specialties.”
Sohee immediately put her phone down and sat up, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah! You’re welcome to join if you want.”
“Oh… sure!” she said, looking genuinely happy. “I do. Let’s go.”
I smiled. I’d thought Sohee didn’t want to be friends with me because she thought I was weird, but maybe she was just shy and needed some time to get used to me, like Emma had said. Hopefully we could put our awkward first conversation behind us and get closer to becoming friends.
Does anyone want to go to the Met with me? I texted the group chat with my friends.
Zeina replied right away. YES! I was hoping to go soon.
Emma was second to reply. Yuh yuh! They have a cool fashion exhibit going on right now that I wanted to check out. It’ll also probably give us good ideas for the showcase. I’ll ask my mom if she’s free to go with us, since the subway might not be safe.
Carolina replied a few minutes later. Down.
Also is it okay if I bring Sohee, my roommate? I added to the group chat.
Yeah, the more the merrier! Zeina replied.
Thanks to Sohee and my friends, I suddenly had a faint glimmer of hope that I could overcome Christiana’s challenging class. And all things considered, why couldn’t I? I worked hard and was able to get to Starscape in the first place, even when my parents couldn’t afford to send me here. What’s to say I wouldn’t be able to get myself out of this predicament too?
Luckily, Emma told us that her mom could take us on Saturday. It was only my first weekend in NYC, and it was already shaping up to be a great one!