You're Still The One (A SharDon Fanfiction)

CHAPTER 29

Her first year in school was no walk in the park. Apparently, her family's influence doesn't extend in France. Nobody cares about where she came from or the hefty amount of money in her bank account. She'll only be judged by her skills and talent. And she's not doing really well...

She'd heard the most painful words from her mentors. Stupid. Talentless. The worst was when one of her mentors tear her sketches right in front of her face and commented that her ideas lack of originality and were too plain. As if that's not enough insult, he also told her to forget about her dream of becoming a fashion designer because nobody would ever want to wear her designs.

Pinanghinaan siya ng loob dahil doon. Lalo na at puro magagaling talaga ang kanyang mga kaklase at pakiramdam niya siya na ang pinaka-walang kuwenta sa mga ito. Ilang araw niya iyong iniyakan at dinamdam. She'd never been insulted that way her whole life. Masyadong mataas ang tingin sa kanya ng mga nakakasalamuha sa Pilipinas na pawang mga papuri at magagandang salita lamang ang kanyang naririnig sa mga ito.

Well, not all of them. Because there's that particular someone who treated her brusquely, at first, despite knowing who she is. Ni hindi man lang niya ito naramdamang na-intimidate sa kanya. In fact, it was the other way around.

She told her mother that she wanted to quit and go home. Ngunit tugon ng kanyang ina na magiging kahihiyan niya kung sakaling malaman doon na nabigo siya sa kanyang pag-aaral dito.

"Do you want to be called a loser, Lily? That's not the worst you could ever experience and you're already giving up!" anito.

Bunga ng matinding pangungumbinsi nito kaya sa sumunod na taon, nag-enroll siyang muli. Iyon na ang huling palugit niya sa sarili. If she won't get any better, then maybe she should accept that this path isn't really for her. Wala na ring magagawa no'n ang kanyang ina kung hindi ang tanggapin ang kabiguan niya.

Nagsumikap siyang matuto. Naglaan siya ng napakaraming oras sa pag-improve ng kanyang mga disenyo. She read books about clothes, articles related to fashion, attended several fashion shows and a lot more. Itinuon niya sa paglikha ng magagandang damit ang kanyang buong atensiyon habang pilit isinantabi ang mga naririnig na pangmamaliit sa kakayahan niya.

After Liberty turned twenty, she got offered with a number of modeling gigs. Tinanggap niya ang mga iyon dahil makakatulong din iyon upang ma-expose pa siya sa industriya at mas maintindihan ang kalakaran nito.

It was a nice experience. Ibang-iba sa naranasan niya noong bata pa. Marami rin siyang natutunan sa nakalipas na isang taon sa pagmo-modelo na nagagamit niya sa pag-aaral. Now that she became more dedicated and passionate with what she's doing, her designs improved drastically. Ang magagandang komento sa mga likha niya ang siya ring nagsabi sa kanyang mas humusay ang mga disenyo niya.

Ginulat niya ang lahat nang ang likha niya ang pinaka-pinuri ng mga dumalong designers at kapwa estudyante sa in-organize nilang fashion show bilang requirement sa semestreng iyon. She couldn't explain the feeling while seeing how her hard work paid off that night. Kahit ang mentor na lumait ng husto sa kanya noong unang taon niya rito ay humanga sa mga disenyo niya.

From being the underdog, she became one of the best in her batch. Mabilis ang kanyang naging pag-improve dahil na rin sa tiyaga at pagsusumikap. Ilang kilalang clothing brands ang nagpakita ng interes sa kanyang mga disenyo. May mga designers na nag-alok ng apprenticeship program bago pa man siya pumasok sa huli niyang taon sa kolehiyo.

"See, darling? I told you that you're meant for something great! Kung sumuko ka noon, wala ang lahat ng ito sa'yo ngayon," her mother told her while in a fine dining restaurant where they went to celebrate her success. "This is why you really should always listen to me."