Nirvana's POV I stood still in the exhibition hall, my hands damp with nervous sweat. This was the exact evening I had been anxiously waiting for all these long weeks. I had spent countless, grueling hours inside the studio, preparing for this important showcase. But right now, standing under the bright gallery lights, I just wanted to turn around, walk out the doors and go back to my bedroom. I kept glancing back over my shoulder at my display. My painting was positioned between two incredibly vibrant, colorful portraits done by confident senior students. My work felt small and inadequate there. Like it did not belong on the same wall. I stared at my dark canvas. I had painted a stark, shadowed courtyard at dusk. I had focused on the harsh, sharp angles of the cold stone benches and the oppressive darkness slowly creeping in from the very edges of the wooden frame. There were people painted into the background, but their features were blurred. I used thick strokes of dark grey
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