That's My Spotlight | ✔

ix. legacy

INEZ ARCHER WAS extremely close to being blown away by the wind.

It was a chilly November day, colder and windier than usual. Light grey clouds darted the sky from above, covering all possible patches of blue there could possibly be. Inez and her parents were walking into the Crews City Modern Museum of Art. The name of the museum spoke for itself, really. This museum showcased wonderful pieces of art that was considered up-to-date and modern, making it extremely accessible and popular within artists young and old who created and cherished contemporary artwork. 

Inez was never an art nerd. She wasn't the kind of person to go to a museum every now and then to check out all sorts of sculptures and paintings, especially being that it was the weekend. If it weren't for her parents forcing her to come with them to the museum, she wouldn't. On a stress-free Saturday with no important plans like this, she figured that she had better things to do, like to fall asleep at four in the morning and wake up at two just to binge a Netflix show while eating ice cream and home microwaved popcorn afterwards. As unhealthy as it sounded, she wanted to do it. But with all persistence, her parents didn't make that choice available to her.

She'd have to say goodbye to waking up at two in the afternoon and binging her favorite Netflix shows while eating popcorn and ice cream just this once. Spending her Saturday at a museum was not part of her bucket list or the weekend, it never was. 

"Why are we here again?" Inez questioned as she dug her hands into her pockets. At this point, they were already inside, but her fingers were so snug and warm to the point where she didn't want to put them anywhere else. Dipping them into a greasy bag of popcorn sounded more amusing, but this will do it just fine. Minus the popcorn kernels, of course. 

The girl's father smiled as she handed a museum clerk a bright red credit card so he could pay for admission. "We're here to visit your cousin Rylie. Word is that her husband got an entire exhibit here." 

"It's been months since you've seen them, so this is the perfect occasion," Gabrielle added with a smile. She was right. It has been a while since she's seen her by-far favorite grown cousin. Inez has never been close to Rylie, especially since they are eight years apart in age. Being that their ages have always been so distant, their interests and lifestyles have changed over time. When Inez was only a freshman in high school at the ripe age of fourteen, Rylie was already fresh out of college. Even if Inez is in her senior year, her cousin is already grown, and she's not even in college yet. Age was always a divided thing for them, all in all. 

The cousins have also grown up on the opposite sides of their huge city, so they didn't visit each other too often. They barely knew each other, when Inez thought about it. Even if that was the case, Rylie was an extremely inspiring woman to Inez. She's everything a cousin should be — friendly, doesn't brag so much at family events, fun to talk with, and the list goes on. 

She even had the life Inez craved for the longest time. 

Rylie Henderson Greene has been with her now husband since they were seniors in high school. They were practically high school sweethearts to the point where their relationship lasted throughout college and adulthood. The year prior, they got married at the cutest indoor venue and had a baby girl a few months after getting married. Rylie was really living the happily-ever-after married life, but that's not where her story stops. 

Before she got married, she graduated college with the credentials to become a child therapist to help out kids who simply need the help. In Inez's mind, the life of her cousin is so fucking amazing, because it is. A college degree, the perfect job that helps children out, and a loving spouse who she has a child with was what a lot of teenage girls want when they reach that age, and Inez couldn't deny that she is one of those teenage girls. Being that she hasn't even graduated high school with her diploma yet, it wasn't her time. It wouldn't be for a long time being.