I was still in high school, but they demanded a figure that would wipe out my savings for college. Meanwhile, Daniel didn’t have to pay anything for his furnished room.
Everything changed when Aunt Teresa brought her friend Ava, an interior designer, over for dinner. Ava was impressed with my work in the basement and offered me a paid internship at her firm. She said I had a real eye for design, and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
I threw myself into the internship, balancing school and work, but it was worth it. With Ava’s mentorship, I built a portfolio and applied to design schools. A few months later, I was accepted into one of the top design schools in the country with a full scholarship.
When I showed my parents the acceptance letter, they barely reacted, but it didn’t matter anymore.
I had made it on my own. That basement had been my sanctuary, but it was just the beginning of something bigger. I was finally free to design the life I’d always dreamed of.
