Mary and Shigan had one thing in common, and only one: their love affair with art, though their definitions of art varied greatly. Which is why they hated each other for almost a full year.

Shigan couldn't understand the asinine necessity of taking a 2D course. She was a sculpture major--what part of that was two dimensional? Mary's major was fashion design; she couldn't deal with another student complaining about a foundation course like it was surprise that it had to be taken. They were in art school. Of course drawing was mandatory.

Their animosity festered into a healthy rivalry by their second semester, spurned on by a misplaced bucket of clay, a dissertation on the negative effects of fashion on the female psyche, and a stolen cheese sandwich.

Mary vowed her revenge. When the annual Undergraduate Scholarship Exhibition rolled around, Shigan's three dimensional sculpture, Nude Woman with Pitcher was found in a well-fitting cocktail dress. Misinterpreted as an artistic collaboration, both students received merit scholarships for the fall semester.

Inspired by the unexpected development, they decided to put aside their differences. Working together, their collective collaborations were accepted into the student gallery, titled Inside, Out, and when Mary's roommate suddenly bailed on the lease halfway through the month, Shigan was convinced to move out of the dorms and replace her.

What began as a bitter feud became late night trips to the studio, Saturday morning cartoons, and take-out on the floor over piles and piles of glossy fashion magazines. Mary became the inspiration for Shigan's next set of sculptures and Shigan voluntarily went to the second-hand stores with Mary looking for salvagable clothing that could be torn apart and altered.

And maybe it was the excitement over having her first fashion show, or maybe it was the memory of that pizza on the floor, but after all her girls had walked and she'd been interviewed by a local magazine, Mary actually kissed Shigan.

And Shigan kissed her back...