Camille POV
"Camille, you have a call!" My best friend, Alina called from inside the living room in our two-room apartment.
"Okay. The finishing touch," I wiped my forehead that dripped with sweat with my hand filled with red paints. "Good." I clapped my hand and dropped the painting brush in my hand. "Perfection!" I stared at my beautiful painting if it could be called that. It's was the same painting I've been drawing ever since I was a little kid. It's was a painting of a wolf with red glowing eyes. Because of the repetition of painting, my work was rejected in a different gallery. The wolf had always been in my head and anytime I pick up a brush, I found myself painting the same wolf even if I tried not to.
My psychologist told me it's was my obsession with wolves but she was wrong because I had never in all of my twenty-six years on earth seen a wolf.
"Oh! For goodness sake Cam! Your phone is still ringing!" Alina shouted yet again.
"On my way," I pulled off my apron and walked out of my studio which was also my room. "Who is calling me?" I asked as I walked into the living room.
"I don't know," Alina, my annoying blonde roommate sounded boring as if she was tired of staying inside the house.
I walked over to the glass center table where my phone was and picked it up. "Camille Jameson speaking ." it's was an unknown number so I had to act professionally in case it's was one of the art people.
"Miss Camille, I am Isabella, a curator at AX Gallery," she informed.
"Oh my God!" I mouthed to Alina who stared anxiously at me with her shoulders shrugged and her mouth opened wide.
"I am calling to inform you that you have been picked to exhibit wolf collection in our gallery at the Annual Art event coming up next week."
I didn't know how to react to the news. Was I supposed to jump because, for two years, I have been struggling to find a gallery that would exhibit my work, and AX gallery isn't just any gallery. It's the biggest in the country and well known in some parts of the world. When the announcement about the annual Art event came out weeks ago, I didn't want to apply because I believed they would reject me but my annoying roommate and best friend Alina encouraged me to apply and when two weeks passed and I didn't get a reply, I gave up on ever exhibiting my beautiful piece of work.
"Miss Camille, are you there?" Isabella asked.
I cleared my throat and answered with the excitement laced in my tone. "Yes, I am here," I answered back.
"Great. We hope you send your painting at the end of this week." Isabella requested.
"Of course. I will. "
" An invitation will be sent to your Email address soon. Thank you, Miss Camille." Isabella said and ended the call.
"Oh my!" I jumped and squealed because I was happy. Happy that I got invited to Ax gallery.
"Is everything alright?" Alina questioned.
"I got into AX gallery!" I shouted and trust my best friend to respond more crazily.
"Oh my God!" Alina jumped down from the couch and rushed to hug me. "That's amazing!" She squealed.
Alina grabbed my black braided hair and sniffed it. "Eeew, your hair smells so awful" she commented.
"No it's doesn't. My hair smells amazing!" I refused to believe that because Alina always gives the worst comment. I sniffed my perfectly braided and trust me when I say it smells like paint. "You are right. My hair smells awful" I admitted and continue sniffing my hair.
"You need to change your look girl. Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately girl?" Alina pointed out. "You look awful!" She laughed.
I sniffed my clothes too and almost throw up. I haven't changed my clothes in three days. I am a neat freak but when it comes to painting, I lose my neatness goal. Art is beautiful so I tend to make sure my work comes out amazing. Sometimes I spent three days or even a week on a painting just to make sure it comes out amazing. "What do I do?" I panicked and grabbed her hand. "Do I look like I don't belong in the Art world?" I spread my arms wide for her to examine my body.
At 5'9, I had always believed that I was fat. My thighs and hips were the biggest portions of my body. Ever since I was little, My thighs have been thick so it makes people call me Fat. Although I have a slim upper body my lower body I considered being Fat. Alina on the other hand has a perfect hourglass shape. She is slim but curvy in the right places. We are the same height but Alina believed she is an inch taller than me.
"Your face has wrinkles already. Your hair needs to a little touch and your....." Alina paused and stared at my clothes. "Your clothes need to be changed."
"I know that already Lina and my face doesn't have wrinkles. Black people don't have wrinkles, Lina. "
"Last time I checked," Lina placed her hand on her lips. "You ain't black but a tanned skin." She pointed out. " AX gallery isn't just any art gallery. It's a great gallery owned by great people. Have you seen the building?"
I shook my head in response. "Only on the internet"
Alina heaved a sigh and palmed her forehead. "You need to be confident my friend," she patted me on the back. "Let's go on a spree, my friend. You haven't left that room in three days. We need to change all of this." She pointed to my body.
"Can't we do it tomorrow?" I asked.
Alina glared at me with her blue eyes that send me rushing down to my room. Trust me when I say Alina could be crazy when she gets angry. "I'll go prepare," I told her as I walked into my room.
When I reached my room, I placed my hand on my chest and took a deep breath. Alina could be very scary. My eyes went over to my painting and when I stared at it, I saw the wolf's eyes glowing. "Oh!" I pointed at the painting. I moved closer to the painting and looked at the eyes again. "I must have been dreaming!" How could I ever thought that a painting would do something like that? I must be crazy.
"Don't make me wait for long!" Alina shouted from her room that's was opposite mine.
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