Fifteen
Because of really bad traffic, Ms. Chang and I ended up getting to the showcase an hour after the event started. She told me that Emma and the rest of my friends had already presented. Which meant I’d missed my chance to present with my friends like I’d hoped I could.
You missed all the great questions and applause we got! Everyone was so cool and supportive, too,” Carolina said when I arrived. “A few were looking for you after seeing your pages on the display. Maybe they’re still around.”
My heart felt heavy. I’d worked so hard to present my work at Starscape, only to miss my chance at the very end. But I pressed forward anyway.
“That’s okay,” I said, trying my best to smile. “At least I’m here now.”
I went to stand by my artwork in the hopes that people would stop by and talk to me about my project. A lot of people had already gone home, but some families of the other Starscape students were still around. A handful of professors from the local art colleges were still here too. I kept an eye out for Diana, Aunt Yeji’s professor friend, just in case she happened to be here. I’d googled her before today, so I knew what she looked like. But I didn’t see her in the crowd.
A few people stopped by my booth to talk to me about my project and read my pages. Carolina was right! Everyone was so nice, complimenting my work and asking questions about my process. None of the other adults said superheroes were overdone, like Christiana said they were. A few professors did say that my line work needed more practice, but they said I had plenty of time to practice more and get better. The adults I enjoyed talking to the most were Mr. Hernandez and his friends, who came by in the last five minutes of the showcase..
“Oh man!” one of the ladies in the group said to me. “These character designs are so creative! And the story sounds so compelling. You should definitely finish this book.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” Mr. Hernandez said. “Gigi is a really talented artist.”
I blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Hernandez. You really helped me improve this month!”
He brought both hands to his chest in a touched gesture. “I’m so glad to hear. Thank you for being a great and hardworking student, Gigi.”
When the showcase was officially over and it was just the students and program instructors again, we had the opportunity to visit each other’s exhibits. My favorite was Carolina’s, because she had a playable game about a cute astronaut frog. It not only boggled my mind that my friend made the game, but I also thought the concept of her game was so cute! I was obviously biased, but it was my favorite out of all the other student games I played while walking around.
The beginning of Zeina’s picture book was also amazing, and even just the first few pages made my heart swell up with so many different emotions. It was amazing how much my friend could convey in so few words. Emma’s clothes were so cool I could easily picture them making their runway debut in the near future. Last but not least, Sohee’s graphic novel was so beautiful and complex already. It was going to be a real masterpiece one day!
Christiana and I may not have seen eye to eye on most things, but we agreed on one: everybody at Starscape was so talented!
Before we went back to our dorms, Ms. Chang and my friends gathered around my display.
“We realized we never got to hear you present your work, Gigi,” Zeina said. “So we decided to be the audience for you.”
“Yeah, I saw bits and pieces of it, but I’m so excited to hear what you have to say!” added Carolina.
My heart swelled up with joy. I had the best friends.
I looked at Zeina and Carolina, and then at Emma, Sohee, and Ms. Chang. They were all waiting patiently for me to begin.
I was so grateful for their undivided attention, but suddenly, I was also a little nervous. I realized just then that I’d never fully told my friends about my comic book characters before, or the fact that they’d inspired a lot of them.
“Well,” I said, clearing my throat. “It’s far from being done, but my graphic novel is about a superhero named Metor Girl. In the beginning of the story, she finds herself stranded in the middle of NYC without her powers. But luckily she has awesome friends who help her get them back.”
My hands were shaking, and I had to clear my throat again. I glanced at Zeina, who gave me an encouraging smile.
“Her best friend’s name is Poetess. She is a powerful enchantress who uses beautiful words to help people and defeat the bad guys.” I looked at Carolina, who was giving me a knowing grin. “Then, there is Rocketeer, a genius scientist who saves the world with her high-tech rockets and other cool inventions.”
Emma squeezed her fists with excitement when I turned to her.
“The third character’s name is Fashionista, who’s like Mystique from X-Men but better, because she can not only transform into anyone she wants but can make the most stylish clothes, too.”
Finally, I looked at Sohee, who gave me a shy grin.
“Last but not least, there’s Virtuosa, who can draw anything she sees and bring it to life. I haven’t reached the end of the story yet, but I already know how it’s going to end. All hope seems lost for Meteor Girl at the beginning of the story, but she’s not only going to regain her powers, but she’s also going to save the world, thanks to her friends.”
“Gigi, you’re so sweet!” Ms. Chang exclaimed.
My friends made sounds of agreement as we all came together in a big hug.
“Yeah, your teacher had no idea what she’s talking about,” Emma said. “Your story and your art are so great! You should definitely finish it. And let me read it when you’re done.”
“Same!” Zeina exclaimed.
“Me too!” said Carolina and Sohee.
I nodded, a big smile on my face. “Definitely! I’ll send it to you guys when I finish.” I thought back to what Emma had said and turned to Sohee. “Speaking of which, have you seen Christiana around? She never came to my display, but maybe she came by when I wasn’t here.”
Sohee smiled apologetically. “Yeah, she was here for my presentation. I think she left by the time you arrived, though.”
I frowned but tried my best to shrug it off. Oh well. It wasn’t like I thought she’d have good things to say about my project, anyway. Looking at everyone’s artwork really inspired me to keep drawing and improve as an artist.
When I was back in my dorm room later that night, I filled Paul in over video chat about what had happened with Aunt Yeji.
“Wow, I can’t believe she did that,” Paul replied. “Sorry, Gigi. I know how much you were looking forward to meeting your aunt and her friend. Who just randomly goes to Japan like that?”
“Yeah, it was weird,” I said. I was still sad about what had happened, but I didn’t want to dwell on it much right now. I was relieved that I was at least able to have a good showcase with my friends afterward, even though things didn’t work out the way I thought they would.
“It’s fine,” I said. “My mom warned me something like this might happen, and my friends also said I shouldn’t trust her, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so trusting.”
Paul shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to believe in people! And it’s definitely not your fault for trusting her. Sometimes some people just let you down, and that’s all. It’s their problem, not yours.”
After we hung up, Sohee asked, “Is everything okay? I couldn’t help but overhear what you were talking about with your boyfriend. I was wondering why you got to the showcase so late!”
“Yeah,” I said. “Or, at least, it is now.”
I explained to her what had happened with my aunt, and Sohee frowned.
“Wow, that stinks. She reminds me of my brother.”
“You have a brother who’s like that?”
Sohee nodded. “Yup. He goes to Tisch and is still in the city for the summer. My brother is actually the reason why I applied to this summer camp in the first place, even though I don’t know anyone else in the US. I wanted to see what his life is like and hopefully hang out with him. But in the end, he wound up being too busy to hang out or do anything together.”
I’d been kind of sad about Aunt Yeji, but after hearing about Sohee and her brother, I was even more sad for her. At least I hadn’t come to a whole other country for the first time where I didn’t know anyone else!
“Wow, I’m so sorry. That really stinks.”
“Yeah… it was tough at first. But that’s why I’m so grateful you invited me to hang out with you and your friends. I’d just have been in my room all day otherwise, since I was too scared to go explore the city on my own.”
I smiled. I was so glad Sohee and I were able to help each other feel less alone.
In that moment, I realized that I don’t really want to be a famous artist like Aunt Yeji or Christiana. Sure, I wanted to be successful. Who didn’t? But I didn’t want to do well at the expense of other people’s feelings. I wanted to actually value the people around me and make new friends along the way, while also creating art that I really loved and was proud of.
My work was important to me, but so were my friends. And I was going to try my best to keep things that way.